Restaurant Review: Portofino's on the Wharf

News

By Becky Billingsley

Sunday, April 25, 2010, Georgetown

 Combine an experienced Italian chef with a passion for fresh ingredients with a talented pastry chef and a comfortably attractive waterfront location, and you get a new restaurant called Portofino's on the Wharf that was a hit on its reputation before even opening its doors.
 
Portofinos owner Carl Baughn, who also owns the Fogle Wharf building, did much of the work creating the restaurant. Years ago the same space was The River Room and then the Rice Paddy; both of those restaurants have since moved down the street to new locations.
 
Portofinos is waterfront with a grand view of the boardwalk and the river. A slender deck has room for two-person tables.
 

Near the front door there's a large bar area with high cocktail seating and a cozy little lounge nook. In the main dining room the decor is minimalist with rich brunette wood and black accents. There are both tables and booths.
 
Beyond the dining room is a private room perfect for parties, club meetings and other functions.
 
The overall impression is casually upscale. You could feel comfortable wearing shorts and a collared shirt here, but shorts, flip-flops and a T-shirt would be a bit too casual. At lunch there were many people in business clothes.
 

Classic Italian music and show tunes are played softly. They set a relaxed mood and don't detract from normally toned conversations.
 
You can trust the specials here; Chef Eddys Chacon delights in luxuriously fresh and sumptuous ingredients. If it isn't top-quality, he doesn't cook it. A recent lunch special was Cornmeal Crusted Cod with cannelloni beans and artichoke ragout, which was garnished with jumbo caper berries.
 
But first our party shared an appetizer of Ricotta-stuffed Eggplant where fried slices are layered with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, baked and served with marinara. The result is a crispy/creamy/tangy dish with delightful contrasting flavors and textures.
 
We were brought a basket of Sun-dried Tomato Italian bread, which is baked fresh daily by Chef Chacon and served with herbed olive oil. The bread is chewy-crispy and delightful.
 
The lunch menu includes soup such as Italian Wedding and salads like Caprese and Roman, where hearts of Romaine are served with tomato, bacon, olives and feta cheese. There are lunch sandwiches from Cuban to Fried Flounder; fish entrees such as Grilled Mahi with Caper Dijon sauce; Chicken Marsala; and pastas including Rigatoni where shrimp are sautéed and served with zucchini and roasted tomatoes, and tossed in garlic sauce.
 
One person in our party tried the Rigatoni, which was simply prepared and richly flavored without being heavy. Another companion had the Cornmeal Crusted Cod special and was delighted with the fish's freshness and the complementary flavors in the artichoke ragout.
 

A specialty of the house - Cincinnati-style Chili - is so out of place on the Italian menu I just had to try it. It is listed because it's a favorite dish of Carl Baughn's, and Chef Cachon was happy to recreate it for him.
The dish is a lavish comfort food of spaghetti noodles topped by a sweetly spicy chili and a massive pile of freshly shredded Cheddar cheese. It has a bed of spaghetti noodles topped by chopped onions and kidney bean chili flavored with cinnamon, allspice, chocolate and cumin. A heaping helping of grated Cheddar is the crowning layer, and when you put all that together it tastes incredibly wonderful - it's a masterpiece of comfort food. The portion is so generous you'll likely take some home to enjoy again.
 
Lunch entrees average $8; dinner entrees are $11-$24.
 
At night the sandwiches disappear and more entrees are offered, such as Lasagne, Veal Piccata, Flounder Francaise, Zuppa di Pesce, Gnocchi Pomodoro and Pan-sautéed Scallops served over herb risotto with vegetable ribbons and roasted red pepper sauce.
 
A special dinner appetizer is Bacon-wrapped Shrimp roasted with honey and tossed with gorgonzola cheese, orange segments and cherry tomatoes and served over sautéed spinach.
 

Chocolate Torte by Portofino's General Manager, John Nye, makes you appreciate his pastry chef roots.
The evening menu also features grilled entrees like Grouper in cherry tomato vinaigrette; Honey-glazed Pork Chop; and Grilled New York Strip with caramelized onions and red wine demi-glace.
 
The bar menu is available any time of day and lists 15 items such as Tuna Crudo, Crispy Pork Belly, Clams Marinara, Cheeseburger, Filet Bruschetta and Duck Confit served over risotto.
 
Desserts are worth a splurge here; we loved our Chocolate Torte with a walnut crust topped by layers of chocolate ganache, chocolate mousse and mocha whipped cream. There are also classic Crème Brulee, Tiramisu, New York Style Cheesecake, Cannoli and Ice Cream.
 
Portofino's on the Wharf is at 815 H Front St., Georgetown, waterfront at the rear of the Fogle Wharf Building, and the number is (843) 485-4210. Smoking is allowed outside. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.