![]() 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. “But some might not understand the naked skiing thing and probably shouldn’t bring kids.It’s not particularly attractive in a traditional sense. He says his kids grew up on the Delta and it is their life. Although, he said, “It’s not for everyone”. He says he is looking forward to the 40th next year, that everyone in the area supports and loves the event. Rob Brunham says it is stressful to set this up every year but he looks forward to it even though it takes two and a half months of prep work with his wife Kimmie. ![]() Local businesses provide services (Reliable Auto & Truck repair provides the tow boat) and other support. Thirty five skiers participated in the run this year, paying a $10 entry fee that covers costs of patches and medals. The 39th annual “Frozen Bun Run” was held at Bethel Island in the heart of the California Delta on New Year’s Day as the enthusiastic – but chilly – crowd of an estimated 1,500 enjoyed watching from the deck of the event sponsor, The Rusty Porthole. Videographer and storyteller, Cyndy Green, gives us a glimpse of the event that has become a Delta tradition.
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