The Monster’s almost shipping out for home and the choices are limited for lunch if he wants to hit a new spot near the hotel. Enter Old Port Sea Grill and Raw Bar.
This is an ugly restaurant trying to be better. The fish tank helps. The horrible painted fish along the wall don’t. There isn’t a lot of charm happening here. Oh well.
The menu includes a raw bar, starters, salads and lunch entrees. Nothing veers too far from the norm. You might get some Winter Point oysters, wild mussels or fish and chips. Meat eaters could select steak tartare with truffle oil and a “bacon” sandwich featuring crisp pork belly, fig jam, bibb lettuce on a brioche roll.
The Monster settles on steamed lobster dumplings with sesame seeds, sweet soy and micro greens and a lobster roll with fries. It’s at this point he also realizes his table is sticky and his silverware not quite clean. Oh well.
While waiting for the food the annoying music starts to seep into the soul. Luckily the dumplings come and they are…not so good. Hard dumplings, annoying sesame and poppy seeds that get stuck in the teeth, an overuse of oil.
Well, at least there is the lobster roll and fries, right? Not so fast. The lobster roll is over-mayo-ed, the fries limp and greasy. As for the slaw, well it’s wretched. Oh well.
There is this to say, both the hostess and the waitress are super friendly. So there is that.
Why go? Disappointment.
Monster rating: 2/5 Monsters
93 Commercial Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 879-6100
oh dear… poor showing from the sea grill. especially for the price.
Unfortunately yes, it was disappointing. But most of the meals in Portland were great. Perhaps it was an off day for the restaurant.