Plum Island Grille, Plum Island! Manchester Arts Festival coming up on July 24th

In talking to people about the choices for summer dining spots with views, someone mentioned the Plum Island Grille. I had only been there once during the winter, so I was curious. Graham and I headed up there via Rt 133 on Sunday night. It’s a bit of a poke from Manchester, about 45 minutes, but it is a beautiful drive. On arrival, there is a bit of a shock factor -“wait, is that purple shack it?”  There is a full season restaurant on the left and then on the right is what they refer to as “the deck” – which is an open air, key west style shack overlooking first the cars parked outside and then the marsh. We definitely wanted to try the deck which at 5:30 was packed with a very boisterous beach crowd. It was so noisy that it was a little difficult to hear our own conversation, but after a few minutes, we settled right in and decided that the Plum Island Grille has a funky and fun summer atmosphere.

Here’s what we had:

The Sushi Plate – this was a very simple arrangement of scallop, tuna and salmon with dipping sauces. It was good, but not spectacular.

Graham had the Fresh Lobster Stuffed Ravioli served with a Lobster roasted red pepper light cream. This is really good and truly stuffed with lots of lobster.

I had the Thai Seafood Stew- this is Mussels, shrimp, scallops and fresh seafood simmered with seasonal vegetables in a Thai green curry and coconut milk broth. This is so well prepared. The vegetables were perfect and the sauce is d-e-l–i-c-i-o-u-s!!!

For dessert, we tried the Key Lime Pie. I was really in the mood for this since I was pretty sure that Jimmy Buffett would be popping through the door any minute. Graham thought it was good, but I thought it was too heavy with more of a cheesecake denseness. Oh well.

All in all, I think the Plum Island Grille is worth the trip. It’s a unique New England location off the beaten path and the food is quite good. More than anything I loved the “stumble off the beach and have a fun summer dinner in your flip-flops” atmosphere. After dinner, you can walk up the street and take a walk on the beach! Wow- those houses are just hanging on the edge of the dunes there!

We have a double-header this week as Lauren and three of her friends headed up to The Franklin Cape Ann. I am just waiting for photos and I will send that right out.

Also, I wanted to mention that the Manchester Arts Festival is right around the corner. It’s Saturday July 24th from 9:00 to 6:00.  This was such a fun event last year and promises to be even better this year. Over one hundred juried artists and artisans line the streets of Manchester to sell their artwork and handmade crafts. There will be paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry, basket weaving and handmade accessories. There is musical entertainment-  both street musicians and bands as well as arts and crafts for the kids and food available from the local restaurants. This is a great summertime event. Go to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=135486735523 for more details or to Cape Ann Vacations website http://www.capeannvacations.com.Enjoy the summer and Bon Appetit!

Robin