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MULTIMEDIA Video:  Pub Crawl: Plenty to roar about at the Library Lounge Previous Pub Crawls

If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you just might see the unimaginable happen in Portsmouth.

According to Library Restaurant owner Bruce C. Belanger, the majestic lions standing guard out front have been known to rear up on their haunches and growl ferociously. He says he has that on record from no better source then the esteemed former Portsmouth Poet Laureate Esther Buffler, a longtime resident of the 130-plus-year-old Rockingham Hotel (where the restaurant is located on State Street.)

“Esther told me it happens every time a virgin walks through the doors,” Belanger said with a sly, naughty wink and a smile.

The lions, which Seacoast brewer and building magnate Frank Jones had cast and shipped over from Europe when he purchased the hotel in 1870, aren’t the only things the Library Restaurant (which first opened in 1975) is famous for locally. It also has a wonderful, distinctively classy lounge where you can catch a tasty lunch, an after-work cocktail with some fabulous apps, or even have the hungry-man’s dinner — a 16-ounce N.Y. Sirloin Steak Center Cut USDA Prime Strip Gentleman’s Cut ($33).

The restaurant’s main dining room seats 80, mostly in cozy white cloth deuces and four-tops. But we’re here today to talk about the pub.

Former executive chef turned bartender James Todd, the man behind the bar most nights, knows the menu so well he’ll get you salivating with anticipation over his descriptions for the Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio ($11) and New Orleans BBQ Shrimp ($12) (a house specialty).

The bar is one of the most relaxed atmospheres you’ll find in Portsmouth, with beautifully detailed wooden accoutrements showcasing historic knick-knacks and curios, as well as souvenir carvings from Belanger’s trips to Africa, and, of course, books — lots and lots of books. It’s the kind of old-world style parlor of the very rich that can rarely be seen these days outside of Basil Rathbone’s old Sherlock Holmes films.

When it comes to cocktails, there are two main house specialties: vodka martinis and, quite fittingly, old-fashioneds — nicknamed “The Bruce Almighty.” Start with a mulled orange slice and Maraschino cherry, add a spurtz of soda water, a few dashes of bitters, then fill with bourbon and top it off with a swirl of grenadine (instead of the ½ sugar packet used in many bars) — voila — a refreshing fruity delight.

“This is to The Library what a ‘Jimmy Juice’ is to The Old Ferry Landing,” said Todd.

Another good thing about The Library is that you’ll find you get a nice, healthy pour. Martinis range in price from $8 for Absolut up to $22 for the ab-fab Stoli Elit ($22). There’s only one beer on tap, Bass Ale ($5), but plenty of bottled beers ($3, domestic, $4 imports). There’s also a very good selection of wines by the glass (18 reds alone), ranging in price from $7 to $11.

The clientele is a mix of locals — high and low — including plenty of lawyers from nearby Court Street practices. It’s the kind of place where you’ll be comfortable going alone to sit at the bar and join others in conversation. Or, bring your own company and grab a small table by the window to watch the world go by. You can also warm up on a cold winter night near the gorgeous fireplace. Definitely a place worth checking out.

Michael Keating is managing editor/ features at Seacoast Media Group