After going whale watching right out of the Merrimack River in the morning, my friend and I wanted…read moreto eat lunch nearby. I had done some research and apparently Brine is a favorite, so we went there. We stayed in the lot we were at and paid $2/hr to park through the passport parking app. It was a beautiful day for outdoor seating, but since the only tables left were directly in the sun, we stayed inside but because they had to windows open, the breeze was still flowing through. We started with the small power tower (cause duh, we're at an oyster bar!) which was supposed to come with 6 oysters, 4 littleneck clams, 2 jumbo cocktail shrimp, and a half order of crudo. Since we both aren't a fan of raw clams, we begged politely to have it swapped for something else and the compromise was 2 oysters. There were 4 options for oysters (Chatham-Chatham, MA, Crowes Pasture-Duxbury, MA, Norumbega-Damariscotta, ME, and Rose and Garnet-Falmouth, MA) so we ended up with 2 of each. As an appetizer, we had the octopus skewer (roasted garlic and zuchinni yogurt, crispy potato, pearl onion, pepperoncini, herbs) and for entrees, we ordered the halibut (jasmine rice, ginger coconut broth, charred asparagus, cilantro chimichurri) and scallop + garganelli (corn, black pepper, brown butter, tarragon breadcrumbs).
The oysters tasted fresh with the Norumbega being our favorite. They could've done a little better with shucking them since we did find hard little pieces of stuff in some of them. The sauces they came with were all incredible; the green one tasted like an avocado cilantro and the cocktail sauce was the best I've ever had. The shrimp were massive, juicy, and tender with a snap to them. I didn't like the crudo much since it was in a ponzu sauce so far too much umami for me where it took away from the fresh fish flavor. I would've liked a half order of the halibut instead. The octopus was a little bland; I think they were relying on the sauce to provide all the flavor. It was cooked well, but I wish it was more tasty. I loved the crispy potatoes on top of the sauce as well as the pepperoncini. The halibut was well cooked and the crispy finish to the top was incredible. The broth reminded me of a lighter (in flavor) and less viscous Thai coconut curry. The asparagus was overcooked or maybe not as fresh - I wish it were still bright green and crisp. The scallop and garganelli was amazing. The sauce was thick, savory, and I loved the big pieces of crushed black pepper as well as the sweet corn. The pasta shape was new to me but it did well to capture the sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly and it came with a good amount.
Their bathrooms are very spacious and clean. Our server did a great job; she helped us make some decisions, was patient with last minute changes, and smiled the whole time.