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Rusty porthole menu4/19/2023 ![]() The prawns in the shrimp cocktail for $13 was the better choice with eight. Two small little fish pieces with decent fries for $16. The fish and chips are not exciting and seemed like the frozen box kind. on Sundays.Hole in the wall bar and grill. If you want to add atmosphere, the place rocks with live music on the weekends, including reggae beginning at 3 p.m. The view is more interesting than idyllic. Food-wise, this spot finds middle ground, serving many dishes that are different from the long list of fried seafood platters you find at many casual eateries (although you can get a few of those, too) or the elaborate entrees of upscale restaurants whose picture windows allow only sheltered views of the ocean. Porthole offers a different approach to waterfront dining. But they were fresh, varied and appealing. The dishes we tried were not precious, delicate or exceptionally creative affairs. Here was a pineapple ring again, bringing a welcome brightness to this main dish salad ($10). Several slices of warm, medium-rare beef topped a pile of greens with an Asian-style dressing. Porthole may be a step up from the typical clam shack, but it’s not too many steps. Hand-cut french fries - likely a good base for the classic poutine you can get here - and a respectable coleslaw lowered the platter a tad. It was a colorful, juicy and delicious entree, if not particularly inventive. The seafood came prepared with terikayi sauce (soy, pineapple juice and ginger) and served over a grilled pineapple ring. Think lobster dessert.Ī nice surprise was the grilled wild sockeye salmon for only $15. Big sections of cold lobster claw and tail meat mingled with goat cheese, wild blueberries and sugared walnuts in a bowl of greens with a blueberry vinaigrette made a sweet, summer entree salad ($17). Porthole’s version, a big bowl of ultra-fresh seafood in a chorizo, tomato, garlic broth and served with grilled homemade foccacia, did not disappoint ($9).Ĭrab cakes, fat with crab and two on a plate for $10, were tasty but lacked an outer crispiness. It hit the spot.Įating mussels by the water has to be one of Maine’s great pastimes. We started with curried carrot bisque - thick, grainy, and hot in temperature ($5). We liked everything we tried from his kitchen. ![]() The new chef, Will Spear, who came from the Samoset Resort and Blue Nose Inn in Bar Harbor, had been on board about six weeks. But it has a full bar and four beer taps. On a weeknight with little traffic, we were well taken care of.Īs might be expected at a basic spot like this, wine choices were, well, basic: three choices from Round Hill served only by the glass. The young servers, dressed in Porthole T-shirts and shorts, were friendly. We didn’t at all feel like we were invading a sacred space just for locals. Consider it a great place to people-watch or set your next short story. ![]() Personally, I love this spot’s gritty waterfront character, but it’s not for everyone. The view from outside is not of tranquil islands and lighthouses, but of fishing boats and wharf activity. It has worn-out paint and cracked linoleum floors, a potbelly stove in the middle of the space, and a long bar that faces an open kitchen. The new chef made a few additions in late June, including a flatiron steak, a portabella mushroom pasta and fried Maine shrimp, but these items weren’t available when we visited. It’s mostly the same food that appears on the lunch menu, along with a couple of specials. ![]() In the warmer months, you can get dinner. Porthole, established in 1929 with vintage signage and furnishings to prove it, serves breakfast and lunch all year long. You’ll also find a few tourists, who are likely to enter from the opposite side, where there’s an outdoor server station and picnic tables on a deck. Harbor Fish Market is right here, its ramshackle stalls boarded up at night.Įnter the restaurant and you might mingle with those whose jobs involve the sea or with after-hours professionals who work in offices nearby. ![]() A rusty sign with the Coca Cola logo marks the Porthole, an eatery set along a crumbling cobblestone street that’s really a byway along the wharf. It’s not particularly attractive in a traditional sense. ![]()
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