Cure Restaurant
Chef Julie Cutting’s earliest connections to food stem from her grandparents’ large garden, where she would pick all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables and bring them into the house to cook with. First attending York County Community College for business, the Seacoast native then transferred her credits to the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, formerly at McIntosh College in Dover, where she graduated in 2005. After multiple stints at a few New Hampshire and Maine eateries, Cutting came to Portsmouth to open Cure Restaurant (189 State St., Portsmouth, 427-8258, curerestaurantportsmouth.com), where she has now served as executive chef and owner for nearly a decade. Cure features an eclectic menu of nostalgia-inspired comfort foods with an upscale twist you’re unlikely to recreate at home, all in a friendly, casual environment. The meaning behind its name is two-fold — as Cutting describes it, featured dishes and cocktails can be the “cure” for your Wednesday Hump Day blues, or whatever else may be ailing you. But more literally, curing is a central component of her cooking, with all of her proteins brined in house to achieve maximum flavor. The menu changes about three to four times a year with the seasons, with smoked meats available out on the patio during nicer weather. The Scene recently caught up with Cutting — who appeared on Food Network’s Chopped earlier this year in Kennebunkport, Maine, with Martha Stewart — to talk about Cure Restaurant and some of her favorite dishes to make.
How long has Cure Restaurant been around?
We’re going into our eighth year. We opened Jan. 20 of 2014.
What makes Cure Restaurant unique?
I love our level of service. Everybody who comes in gets a big hello, and that’s been the case since Day 1. There’s nothing worse than stepping into a restaurant and just standing there and nobody acknowledging you. We really strive to know our regulars … [and] we accommodate dietary restrictions with as much ease as possible. … I try to build my food in layers of flavors, from the basic starting saute through the braising, the sauces and all the way through the garnishes. I want you to find that depth of flavor in each dish.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
I have a couple. I love our French onion soup, which I eat at least once a week or more. … The salmon is also one of my go-tos, as well as our duck drumettes, which people love. It’s a Buffalo kind of presentation, but the drumettes have already been salted and cured in herbs overnight, and then they’re served with our house-made blue cheese dressing.
What is something that everyone should try?
Probably either our pan-seared duck breast or our short rib. Those are the two staple items that we’re sort of known for.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at Cure Restaurant?
I would absolutely love to get Martha [Stewart] in here for a private dinner. We just filmed Chopped almost a year ago to the day, at Earth at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport. I loved the experience — it was exhausting, mentally, but also a thrill.
What is an essential skill to running a restaurant?
Having patience and adaptability, as well as being kind to your employees and treating them like family, are the keys to success.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
I feel like it courses through my veins. I try to get out and enjoy all four of the seasons, whether it’s taking my daughter sledding in the winter or going to the beach in the summer. … I love it here and I don’t want to live anywhere else.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photos by Jaclyn Rees Photography.
