Phantom Gourmet: The Poynt In Newburyport

NEWBURYPORT (CBS) -- It's a little Italian, a little bit Asian, with plenty of all-American favorites too--and whatever you're in the mood for, the food is always on point at The Poynt.

"We try to take the menu seriously, but we're also whimsical," says Executive Chef Peter Hansen. "So, we want it to be an everyday place, not an every once in a while or once a month place, that's really what we're going for."

Located along the water in downtown Newburyport, The Poynt opened a couple years ago, and quickly became the hometown favorite owners Laura and John Wolfe want it to be.

"We wanted to be kind of a fun casual place with really high standards, great food, and great design," said John.

To handle the food, they brought in Hansen, who's worked in some of the country's best kitchens--and for the design, they were inspired by the building's rich history as a hardware store and, more recently, a clothing store.

"So the booths and the bar are men's suit fabrics, the floor is a Chevron style, again from men's fabrics, and then a lot of the finishes, you'll see lots of nuts and bolts and you'll see pipe fittings," says Laura. "We really kind of wanted to pay tribute to the fact that the building was a hardware store before it was even anything else."

But now nuts and bolts have been replaced by pot and pans, and sport coats have made way for chef coats, all of which are on full display inside restaurant's large open kitchen.

"It's dinner and a show," Laura says. "And it is fun, and it does add a different vitality to the restaurant."

"You're a part of the party, you're a part of what's going on, and you're not behind a closed door," says Hansen. "I mean, you can't beat it."

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.