Port 305
Dining with a View - Casual Comfort on Quincy Harbor
The sun sparkles off the water in the day and the harbor lights glitter at night; the sweet aroma of baked scallops, fried whole bellied clams, and fresh steamers float on the breeze — nothing could feel more like summer than indulging in a plate of fresh seafood while gazing out at the Boston skyline.
Entering its second summer season, Port 305 at Marina Bay in Quincy is proving to be an eclectic and relaxed waterfront dining spot situated beside the worn wooden boardwalk. Owners Kristie Henriksen and Jon D’Allessandro also own the neighboring Italian restaurant Siros, which has graced the pier for eighteen years as well as the new martini bar Blue. Their goal for Port 305 was to create a chic, yet casual and comfortable stop for all crowds, including hungry boaters in need of a quick bite.
Anxious to claim a table outdoors on my recent visit, I cruised past the trendy booths with black leather sofa seats toward the back deck. On my way I noticed a fire ablaze in another quaint indoor dinning area — a great place to cozy up with a dinner date during the cooler months and indulge in some comfort foods like their butternut squash and mascarpone ravioli tossed in a house-made amaretto cream sauce with baby spinach, or homemade chicken pot pie, stuffed with white chicken breast, fresh peas, pearl onions, chopped carrots and whole cranberry jelly.
At the center of the restaurant is a wrap around bar where bartenders mix up cool concoctions for indoor guests, while other customers sip cold beverages dockside under a chic veranda where I am seated for a taste of refreshing summer flavors.
Scattered across the deck are dark wooden tables accompanied by four polished bamboo framed chairs. My dining partner and I settle in and watch as friends and families pull up in their boats, of all shapes and sizes, while passersby stroll down the pier with ice cream cones. Our smiles brighten as we look over the menu and see the items to be just as inspired.
Port 305’s Executive Chef Joe White and Chef Marc Vierbickas, who oversees operations at the triad of restaurants, collaborated to form an upscale, pub-style menu with plenty of fresh, local seafood offerings from Captain Marden’s Seafoods. Featured summer entrées include a baked haddock with roasted tomatoes and homemade citrus bread crumbs, and a vibrant Ahi tuna dish, seasoned with a special house-made Cajun rub, served with an Asian-style slaw with a sesame vinaigrette.
I notice a nearby table graced with a giant plate of lobster mac and cheese and my eyes fix on the huge hunks of lobster meat popping out of the creamy four-cheese sauce. This excites me for our own order of lobster sliders. Prepared with light mayo and seasoning and served on two mini rolls, nothing overpowers the freshness and the lobster remains the star.
For my entrée, I order the 10-ounce bourbon steak tips. The smell of the dish immediately reminds me of my family barbeques by the lake (moments later hopping onto the boat to fulfill the day’s series of tubing and waterskiing). I dig into the tender juicy tips while looking out over the harbor. Though I don’t usually order steak, I’m glad I did, as the meat was char-grilled to perfection. Between eight different choices of sides, including grilled asparagus, brown rice, and pancetta barbeque baked beans (a definite bulls-eye pairing for the barbeque ribs) I decide to go with the ginger sweet mashed potatoes. The tangy zing from the ginger is a nice surprise and the fluffy texture is as comforting as my whole experience at Port 305.
As the sun lowers across the horizon, the entertainment starts up outside, and a private party arrives in the restaurant’s elegant upper level banquet room facing the water. The night has just begun at Marina Bay and I couldn’t have imagined beginning my evening in a better way.
