A new signature seafood restaurant leaves its mark—plus, see if you can find its hidden cocktail bar
BOSTON’S MOST HIGHLY LAUDED ATTRIBUTES ARE HISTORY, CULTURE, SPORTS AND SEAFOOD. Seamark Seafood & Cocktails at Encore Boston Harbor, the new restaurant from Carver Road Hospitality that occupies a prominent corner in the multistory Atrium, delivers a fresh new way to explore the city’s love of local fish, shellfish, crustaceans and other delicacies.
This culinary concept represents a homecoming of sorts for Carver Road Hospitality co-founder and CEO Sean Christie, who is not only a Boston native with deep roots in the food and beverage industry but also a former Wynn Las Vegas executive.
“There are a lot of great restaurants at Encore Boston Harbor—a steakhouse, Italian restaurant, Japanese and Chinese, and now Seamark rounds out the portfolio with seafood.”
--SEAMARK CHEF PARTNER MICHAEL SCHLOW, A JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD WINNER
Designed by Rockwell Group, Seamark offers several different experiences in one restaurant. With both the early and late crowd, the bar and lounge fill up and stay busy all night. In the dining room, enjoy Schlow’s specialties paired with fantastic wine and inventive cocktails. After dinner, “If you know, you know” and explore Old Wives’ Tale, a hidden speakeasy behind a secret door. Seamark offers pre-dinner, dinner, late-night and Sunday brunch menus to complement these environments.
Undoubtedly, locals and visitors have high expectations for a seafood restaurant in the Commonwealth. Schlow says that with this in mind, he presents elevated New England classics such as the double clam chowder and lobster roll; seafood from around the world; and inventive steak, chicken and vegetarian dishes.
What sets Seamark apart is the five-star presentation, quality, consistency and service that go into every dish, which is synonymous with Encore Boston Harbor.
The seafood tower isn’t your typical, with “lots of different things, from ceviche and tartare… it has something for everybody,” Schlow says. “The bottom layer might have oysters, clams and shrimp cocktail. The next level up might have innovative sauces such as cucumber mignonette, Dijon with Espelette pepper and homemade cocktail sauce, and little tins filled with ceviche misto, tuna tartare with caviar or salmon rillettes on the top level. We change them regularly.”
On the other side of the menu, find inventive dishes Schlow and the team have created. The seared scallops have a significant following and rank as the top seller.
“The scallops from this area are among the world’s finest; all we do is sear them on one side and gently baste them with butter and fresh herbs, served with cauliflower purée, wild mushrooms, fresh peas, caramelized pearl onions and dots of truffle emulsion. When you eat it together, it’s a delicious combination,” he says.
Other must-order creations include Rhode Island-style fried calamari with hot peppers, parsley and lemon; spaghetti “Fra Diavolo” with Maine lobster; prime New York strip frites; and the chef’s signature Schlowburger with cheddar, crispy onions and horseradish-black pepper, which appears in his cookbook and was made famous at his former restaurant Radius.
What sets Seamark apart is the five-star presentation, quality, consistency and service that go into every dish, which is synonymous with Encore Boston Harbor.
The seafood tower isn’t your typical, with “lots of different things, from ceviche and tartare… it has something for everybody,” Schlow says. “The bottom layer might have oysters, clams and shrimp cocktail. The next level up might have innovative sauces such as cucumber mignonette, Dijon with Espelette pepper and homemade cocktail sauce, and little tins filled with ceviche misto, tuna tartare with caviar or salmon rillettes on the top level. We change them regularly.”
Hidden inside Seamark, find the buried treasure chest, Old Wives’ Tale. A speakeasy created by legendary mixologist Francesco Lafranconi, this 16-seat bar and lounge follows the guiding principle of “if you know, you know.”
“You have to know it’s back there,” Schlow says of the enclave, which resembles a decadent captain’s nest. It is completely soundproofed and guarded by a hidden door.
Lafranconi works his magic here with a one-of-a-kind cocktail program showcasing unique flavors and rare spirits collected oceans away. Each drink is inspired by ports of call around the globe. Old Wives’ Tale also features small plates, from caviar to wagyu steak tartare, to complement the whimsical drinks in sea-swag vessels.
Designed by Rockwell Group, both Seamark and Old Wives’ Tale embody the virtues of maritime elegance infused with historical details and references to the great stories of the sea.
