Behind the Plate
In 2018, Portsmouth restaurateur John Edwards embarked on a baseball-themed road trip across the East Coast and Midwest with his brother, visiting nine Major League ballparks in 11 days and coming home feeling inspired. “I found out very quickly that the trip really wasn’t about baseball at all, but instead became about the cities, the culture and the food,” said Edwards, an industry veteran — he and his executive chef wife, Martha, have three decades of combined experience. “We hit Pittsburgh and I was just blown away with the amazing flavor profiles [from] the Polish culture that was in that city. It really started to get the wheels in my head spinning … [about] how we could showcase these cities and the different cultures that are represented across this nation in a single restaurant.” As a seasoned chef, Martha Edwards saw her husband’s idea as a perfect opportunity to blend both of their loves of baseball and cooking. “What makes me excited and passionate … is to be able to constantly challenge myself [and] push my own boundaries [by] learning new cultures of food,” she said. Fast forward five years and, after countless days of meticulous research and nights experimenting in the kitchen, the couple turned their ambitious concept into a reality with the opening of Behind the Plate (999 Islington St., Portsmouth, 294-9566, behindtheplatenh.com) last fall. Despite its baseball influences, this 60-seat eatery is by no means a sports bar. “It really is very much culinary-driven,” John Edwards said. “Baseball is just a vehicle for how we get around the country. … [The] concept really allows us to do whatever we want as long as the city supports it.” The Scene recently caught up with both John and Martha Edwards by phone to ask them more about how they use popular baseball cities across the United States to showcase unique and delicious flavors on your plate.
How long has Behind the Plate been around?
John: We opened Oct. 17 [of 2023]. … Our current summer hours are [from] 12 to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
What makes Behind the Plate unique?
John: We’re lucky enough to have Street, the restaurant, right around the corner from us on Islington [Street]. They [serve] street food from around the world and bring those flavors to your front doorstep. We are similar, but very different in the sense that it’s American cuisine with a spin, which we don’t feel like too many people do. Every menu item has some reflection of the city or the [baseball] team. … We have the Pesky, which is our local smash burger or sandwich that is here for Boston. It has grilled corn, a lobster bisque spread and thick-cut bacon. It tastes like a summer day in New England. … Right next to that on the menu, though, is the Pinstripe, [which is] a 50/50 mix of a Reuben and a bánh mì. That’s our homage to New York City.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
John: Mine’s definitely the Splendid Splinter. It’s a bourbon-based cocktail [with] walnut bitters in it and a Cooperstown bourbon. … We use a bourbon that’s [from] a distillery right down the street from the [National Baseball] Hall of Fame.
Martha: Right now, I would maybe go with the Trash Can mac. That’s been a huge hit — that one is for Texas. … We do a house-made old-school French béchamel and then we have our pulled pork that is slow-cooked in our oven for up to six to eight hours. … That’s all mixed together with our signature barbacoa barbecue sauce, which is a sweet and spicy candied jalapeño barbecue sauce. That all comes together with a bit of Southwest slaw on the top to cool it down and add that crunch that is very Texas!
What is one thing that everyone should try?
John: I would probably say the Crosley dog. It’s named after Crosley [Field] in Cincinnati. It’s our play on Skyline chili, which is a dish out of Cincinnati that is normally served over spaghetti [with] no beans and a lot of cinnamon. … It’s a 10-inch hot dog, loaded with the Crosley chili, cheddar cheese and candied jalapeños. The whole thing is an absolute mess, but it’s a dish that always gets people talking.
Martha: My answer is our Devil’s Cubano, which is our Tampa Bay [dish]. It’s our spin on a Cuban sandwich, so it has our Mojo pork, street corn, house-made pickles, yellow mustard … and then we top that with Cotija cheese and our pickled jalapeños, onions, and a little bit of cilantro to tie everything together.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at Behind the Plate?
John: I know that [former Boston Red Sox pitcher] Luis Tiant lives close by. It would be such an honor to see him walk through these doors and to be able to serve him.
Martha: I would love to have David Ortiz come through and sit down to eat with his family. I spent a lot of my childhood watching him play. It was when I was most into the Red Sox — 2004 was such an incredible year to watch them.
What is an essential skill or quality to running a restaurant?
John: Respect, not only for the industry, but for the work that people put into it … [and] for how hard your staff works to help you fulfill your dream.
Martha: I would actually agree with that. I think the most successful restaurants are built off of respect. … You’re in this environment that is absolutely a grueling industry, and everyone, from the server and the bartender, to the chef, the cooks, right down to the dishwasher, are giving it their all. … You can’t have a well-functioning restaurant without that integral part.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
John: We are very lucky to have what we have here at our disposal.
Martha: I feel that the Seacoast and New Hampshire especially … [have] that community feel that not a lot of states have anymore. … That, and I mean, it’s just gorgeous here. Winters may be rough, but you can’t shake a stick at the state for the rest of the year.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photo courtesy of Behind the Plate in Portsmouth
