DiMillo's on the Water

DiiMillo's on the water, at 25 Long Wharf, Portland, Maine is a must visit when you're in the city. It was a car ferry from 1941 to 1958, a Youth Center Art Colony in Rhode Island from 1969 to 1977, a Yacht Club in Port Jefferson, New York until 1980 when the vessel was purchased by the Di Millo Family and opened as "DiMillo's Floating Restaurant" in 1982. In 1994 the original rudder was removed when in dry dock at Bath Iron Works to install a new hull.

You access the ship from a covered ramp. This day, some of the side windows of the ramp were unzipped to let the lovely ocean breezes through. Inclement weather finds them all zipped up, however, so you can make your way on board without freezing your tushe. (The restaurant is open 7 days a week, year round.)

The restaurant floats in the middle of a marina. We stopped to admire the views on both sides of the entrance ramp. There were lobster boats, cruising yachts, and beautiful 3-story condos in the distance. The welcoming sign at the beginning of the entrance ramp tells you what you can expect on you visit: cocktails, lunch, dinner, and happy hour. Once on board, there are lots of reminders that you are on what was once a sea-faring vessel, including a sign that directs you to the "Head," the seaman's term for restroom.

There is a large outdoor dining deck. As it was rather breezy on the waterfront on the day of our visit, we elected to eat inside.There's a very elegant dining room with ocean views from every table, but we chose to sit at a table in the less formal lounge area.There's a fireplace at the far back of the lounge, but it being summer, we weren't seeking it's coziness. We chose a table overlooking Casco Bay.

A basket of fresh, crunchy crusted Italian bread helped us pass the time while our entrees were being prepared. My husband his chowder and he chose haddock chowder...and it was loaded with large chucks of fish! He announced that it was delicious!
I ordered broiled haddock, with green beans, and substituted coleslaw for the potatoes. The haddock was exquisite; it was topped with bread crumbs lightly seasoned with garlic, celery salt, white pepper and some freshly chopped parsley. (I asked how it was seasoned because it was soooo good. The waitress came back with the recipe! I decided I wouldn't share all their secrets with you, however.)

Mry husband selected the broiled scallops, mashed potatoes, and green beans for his entree, and was served at least half a dozen large delicately seasoned scallops. They were melt-in-your mouth perfect. Then we shared a serving of their blueberry cobbler which was warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream. It was wonderful!

We had a delectable, enjoyable meal, and I recommend DiMillo's on the Water to anyone who visits Portland. Their menu includes seafood, steaks, burgers, and Italian fare, and the prices range from $7.50 to for a cheeseburger at lunch time, to $49 for a 2 and 1/2 pound lobster at dinner, with various selections in between. We do try to dine at DiMillo's at least once or twice per year on a special occasion. Never have we been disappointed.

Note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. We paid for our meals, and the opinions expressed are my own and honest.