RESTAURANTS
1. Fore Street, Portland, ME
A handsome, exposed-brick dining room always filled with foodies. Wood-burning fires in the open kitchen cook and flavor fresh seafood and meats. Raw materials come from a community of Maine farmers, fishermen, foragers, and cheesemakers (for further details see Fore Street ).
2. Menton, Boston, MA
This temple of French-Italian haute cuisine in the Boston Seaport is the flagship of chef-owner Barbara Lynch’s culinary empire. Menton is noted for Lynch’s imaginative seafood (including shrimp with chicory, almond, and horseradish), perfect service, and brilliant wine pairings (for further details see Menton ).
3. Ristorante Massimo, Portsmouth, NH
New England seafood acquires an Italian accent here, in this sophisticated dining room in a historic waterfront building. Don’t miss the yellowfin tuna and lobster with lemon risotto (for further details see Ristorante Massimo ).
4. Stars, Chatham, MA
Chatham Bars Inn, 297 Shore Rd • 508 945 0096
• Hours vary with season • $$$
Perhaps the most elegant special-occasion dining on Cape Cod, Stars emphasizes the bounty of the inn’s own farm, the catch landed just feet away at Chatham Fish Pier, and superb dry-aged beef.
Foie gras with chestnuts, Menton
5. Craigie On Main, MA
Chef Tony Maws, who is nationally acclaimed for his French-inspired nose-to-tail approach to fine dining, presides over a bustling open kitchen facing the dining area filled with an eclectic mix of diners. Head to the bar for its wildly popular gourmet burger (for further details see Craigie On Main ).
Exterior of Craigie On Main
6. Inn at Shelburne Farms Restaurant, VT
Inn guests always admire the Shelburne Farms market garden, and the food tastes as good as it looks. Produce that is sourced directly from this and other local farms is used to create a wonderful seasonal menu of classic Continental dishes with an American accent. Meals are served either in the elegant marble dining room or on the outdoor terrace (for further details see Inn at Shelburne Farms Restaurant ).
The restaurant at Shelburne Farms
7. Primo Restaurant, Rockland, ME
Freshness is key at this intimate coastal restaurant. The innovative menu depends on produce just pulled from the ground as well as local fish just pulled from the sea. The chef-owner raises her own produce and makes the sausages from her own pigs (for further details see Primo Restaurant ).
8. Al Forno, Providence, RI
A wood-fired oven provides the searing heat essential for cooking spectacular Northern Italian meat dishes like chorizo-stuffed quails with plum jam, as well as Al Forno’s signature baked pasta dishes. The style is Italian; most ingredients are local (for further details see Al Forno ).
9. Union League Café, New Haven, CT
New England meat, produce, and spectacular fish get the French brasserie treatment at this classy but cozy dining spot at the edge of Yale University. There’s also an outstanding raw bar of New England shellfish (for further details see Union League Café ).
Tables at the Union League Café
10. Old Inn on the Green, New Marlborough, MA
134 Hartsville–New Marlboro Rd • 413 229 7924
• Closed L, Mon & Tue Nov–Jun • $$
Genuinely antique, the inn has no electricity, so candles light the tables and fireplaces glow in season. There is nothing old-fashioned about the contemporary farm-to-table menus.
TOP 10 PLACES TO EAT SEAFOOD
1. Five Islands Lobster Co
207 371 2990
• 1447 Five Islands Rd, Georgetown, ME
Georgetown pier lobster shack.
2. Woodman’s of Essex
978 768 6057
• 121 Main St, Essex, MA
Their fried clams are among the best.
3. Evelyn’s Drive-In
401 624 3100
• 2335 Main Rd, Tiverton, RI
Famous for their stuffed clams.
4. Barking Crab
617 426 CRAB
• 88 Sleeper St, Boston, MA
Clam-shack ambience comes to the Boston waterfront.
5. Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough
860 536 7719
• 117 Pearl St, Noank, CT
Butter-drenched lobster meat in a bun.
Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough
6. Shaw’s Fish & Lobster Wharf
Diners can watch lobster boats come and go in the narrow inlet (for further details see Shaw’s Fish & Lobster Wharf ).
7. George’s of Galilee
401 783 2306
• 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd, Galilee, RI
George’s has had pick of the catch since 1948.
8. Net Result
508 693 6071
• 79 Beach Rd, Vineyard Haven, MA
Perfect fish. The menu varies with the catch of the day.
9. Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale
860 669 0767
• Rte 1, Westbrook, CT
Clear clam chowder with a hint of milk.
10. Bookstore Restaurant
508 349 3154
• 50 Kendrick Ave, Wellfleet, MA
Oysters don’t come any fresher.
