As my journey continues making the “right” choices in my diet, I find myself looking at restaurants, and their menus in a new light. I try to keep whole food at the front of my focus and occasionally will treat myself to items I would normally exclude from my diet. In this case, I had a pizza which has bread – something I only enjoy on occasion – but oh how I enjoyed this pizza!
I choose to review those restaurants where I have a memorable experience. The Poynt is certainly one which I want to write about and plan to frequent when I find myself on the north shore. There is ample parking in the downtown Newburyport area with public parking lots, each have kiosks. We were told by local merchants to be sure you don’t allow the “metered” parking to expire as they are closely monitored by the Newburyport parking authority.
The day we visited this restaurant was one of the coldest in the winter of 2016/2017. Although we had cobalt blue skies, the air temperature and wind mandated frequent stops inside shoppes or in this case, the Poynt restaurant. My partner in crime, a fellow photographer and good friend, was willing to go out on such a cold but beautiful day to join me on our day trip to Newburyport.
Ahead of our trip, I did a little searching for a nice restaurant in Newburyport. I heard good things about the Poynt, but unsure if they would be open for lunch. We were fortunate to find The Poynt is open Saturday and Sunday for brunch, starting at 10:00 AM – to coincide with their liquor license. We were told by our waiter other restaurants open later due to their liquor license restrictions, we arrived around 11:30 AM.
We started our lunch with two cocktails ordered off the menu’s “up” section. The restaurant has a nice selection of spirits and wines and locally produced microbrews. My friend and I chose two cocktails from their menu. My friend chose the “Plumb Island” which consisted of Blueberry Infused Cold River Vodka, Combier Liqueur, Blueberries & Lemon Juice, I chose the “Take It Easy” consisting of Cucumber Infused Bully Boy Vodka, Thatcher's Cucumber Liqueur, Aloe Liqueur, Fresh Mint & Cucumber Bitters. Both were very enjoyable. I also need to mention, they have Guinness on draft!
We had a wonderful waiter, he had a genuine love of life – it came across in his personality and dialog with us. He asked if either of us had food allergies he should know about. My friend, a vegan, said only to animals. He asked if she were vegetarian or vegan? After learning she was vegan, he could suggest several options off the menu (from memory) and noted some items which included animal products such as rendered in animal fat.
My friend decided on the CRISPY BRUSSEL SPROUT SALAD: fried & roasted brussel sprout petals, apple, toasted pinenuts, bacon vinaigrette, ricotta salata. The waiter was kind enought to note the "bacon" in the vinaigrette and suggested a champaign vinaigrette as substitue and nice pairing. I ordered THE CLASSIC MARGHERITA: San Marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, parmesan. Both were wonderful and made from simple whole food ingredients. The pizza cooked in an onsite brick oven (visible to restaurant).
As mentioned above, the service was excellent. The knowledge and personality of our waiter, the attention to detail from the kitchen staff were excellent. We never felt rushed as the lunch crowd began to fill the restaurant. My friend and I remained for more than an hour after finishing our entrées all the while our waiter came back and filled our water glasses never making us feel pressured to move on.
Useful Information and Links
Website: http://www.poyntnewburyport.com/
Worth Noting
Check out the virtual tour from their website!
Location
The Poynt-Newburyport, MA
31 Water Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
Dinner
Mon & Tue 5 PM – 9 PM
Wed & Thu 5 PM – 10 PM
Fri & Sat 5 PM – 10:30 PM
Sunday 4 PM – 9 PM
Brunch
Sat & Sun 10 AM – 3 PM
