Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster

For a peninsula city, the choice of waterfront dining remains slim.  Luke’s Lobster and EVO X are the two prime spots where you are at the water’s edge.  The former is easily accessible. But plan for a long walk down Portland Pier from Commercial Street  to the end because whatever parking that’s available on the pier is choice, with few options to find a spot.  The same might be true for EVO X, on the grounds of the former Sprague compound, the Fore Points Marina, 443 Fore St.  Last year you could park in an adjoining lot, but that’s now filled with construction vehicles as the site is slowly being developed with an office building  (Sun Life), a retail center (where Portland restaurant EVO will re-locate to); hotel and residential condos and rentals are still far off in this 10 acre development marvel in the city’s Eastern Waterfront.

The view for city waterfront dining doesn’t get much better than Luke’s Lobster on Portland Pier, Circa summer 2020

There’s a few restaurants off Commercial Street that offer views of the harbor but they’re not the same as eating at the water’s edge.  Co-developer Case Prentice says that EVO X will be open today.  But when I went there yesterday it looked far from  ready for its seasonal debut.  Time will tell. Still it’s worth waiting for since chef Matt Ginn of EVO fame oversees the food prep at this formidable food-truck kitchen.

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I have new respect for Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster in South Freeport.  The change in heart is that  we enjoyed some terrific fried clams and a very good and well-priced ($15.95 including fries) lobster roll at our lunch over Labor Day.  I stopped going there for the usual meal of fried clams or steamed lobster because the clams just weren’t up to snuff.  This otherwise popular lobster pound served only strips rather than full belly whole clams.

The menu at the ordering window and on their online menu lists jumbo clam strips.  What are those exactly?  In the past, they’ve never offered whole clams in their fried clam offering.

Pretty working waterfront setting; the covered dining porch

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