![\"Boones-sidebar\"](\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Boones-sidebar.jpg\")
<\/a>Our recent outing started with a miracle. Remember when the world had parking? We pulled into the waterfront parking lot\u2013in full view of the outdoor tables, lobster boats, and the Casablanca cruise ship\u2013slipped out of our car, and walked 25 feet to our restaurant.<\/p>\nThe original Boone\u2019s is still the original Boone\u2019s. Thoughtfully, it\u2019s been discovered to the bones and opened up to reveal handsome distressed bricks, massive sanded beams, and a sweep of views from Harbor Fish to the Portland Custom House to the shipping in the harbor beyond, under the cry of gulls. Who knew a trendy modern restaurant was hiding under all that dilapidation? I love the new stainless-steel steampunk decor, complete with a flashy Boone\u2019s logo hammered into metal.<\/p>\n
On the first floor (which longtime diners will remember), there\u2019s an open kitchen for theater, new hardwood floors, a tall curved banquette, and an enormous stone fireplace for romantic dining.<\/p>\n
A scenic outdoor stairway (there\u2019s an indoor one, too) conducts you past al fresco tables hanging over the water to a second-floor gallery with more outdoor tables, soaring views of the city, and an indoor raw bar featuring fresh seafood from all over the world. Our checklist for orders includes Flying Point Oysters from Cousins River, Maine; Wild Dams from Damariscotta; Pemaquids from Hog Island; Little Islands; and Dodge Coves. But there are also Blue Points from Connecticut, Beausoleils (\u201cmedium, high salt, hints of champagne\u201d) from Shippagan, New Brunswick, and many others.<\/p>\n
Lobster is steamed with seaweed here\u2013keeping it real. This extra step for authenticity is well worth it; the fragrance, deepened by Harding Smith\u2019s trademark grill, is downeast perfume.<\/p>\n
We start with Xanadus for cocktails, a pithy mixture of grapefruit and gravitas (actually gin) which absolutely hits the spot. Then we share an appetizer of Oysters on Piggyback, delicious grilled oysters on a mouth-watering pork spread above a cracker, the result almost a Franco-American taste\u2013think oceanic cretons (the potted pork spread so<\/p>\n
popular it carries the nickname \u201cFrench-Canadian peanut butter\u201d).<\/p>\n
For entrees, we order the swordfish (fragrantly grilled, deep and moist, close-your-eyes satisfying) with wilted greens, clarified by an effervescent Portuguese vinho verde<\/em>, available by the glass. Then we share the branzino, an entire Mediterranean sea bass cooked and presented on a cast-iron skillet.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s amazing that a lost institution like Boone\u2019s can be found like this. The happy noise and fun and pounding music assures you you\u2019ve found the mystical place you\u2019ve been looking for. Come on in and crack one open. We rate this place five seagulls.<\/p>\n
Boone\u2019s Fish House and Oyster Room
\n86 Commercial St. on Custom House Wharf
\nDaily 11 a.m to 11p.m.,\u00a0 774-5725, boonesfishhouse.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Boone’s – A Room With a View Review by Colin W. Sargent Boone’s in the Old Port continues to deliver the goods. Boone\u2019s Restaurant opened in 1898, in the heart of Portland\u2019s waterfront. In its salad days, it was one of the most famous seafood bistros in the world\u2013baked stuffed lobster was invented here. After […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-8946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-october-2013"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8946"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9044,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8946\/revisions\/9044"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"boones\"](\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/boones.jpg\")
<\/a>Boone\u2019s Restaurant opened in 1898, in the heart of Portland\u2019s waterfront. In its salad days, it was one of the most famous seafood bistros in the world\u2013baked stuffed lobster was invented here. After a few gap years, it\u2019s just opened again, under the inspiration of chef\/entrepreneur Harding Smith. It\u2019s a joy to experience the old place at full tilt.<\/p>\n