Italian with a View: Portofino’s on the Wharf
By Becky Billingsley
A much-needed Italian niche was filled in Georgetown with the addition of Portofino's on the Wharf.
Georgetown has a fine Italian restaurant on Highmarket Street (The Humble Crumb), but there was no Italian cuisine on historic Front Street until Portofino's opened in early 2010.
Portofino's owner is Carl Baughn, who also owns the Fogle Wharf building where the restaurant is located. Portofino's is waterfront with entrancing views of the Georgetown Harborwalk and the river that flows by it. Couples can sit outside: a slender deck has room for two-person tables.
Near the front door there's a large bar area with cocktail tables and a cozy little lounge. In the main dining room a sleek decor features rich brunette wood and black accents, with both tables and booths. Beyond the dining room is a private room perfect for parties, club meetings and other functions.
A sandwich sign out on Front Street tempts diners with daily specials, which can be trusted for excellence. There might be Cornmeal Crusted Cod with cannelloni beans and artichoke ragout, garnished with jumbo caper berries; or Braised Wild Boar Ragu over Red Wine Fettuccine.
For lunch, Ricotta-stuffed Eggplant has fried eggplant slices 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.
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The lunch menu includes salads like Caprese and Roman, where hearts of Romaine are served with tomato, bacon, olives and feta cheese. Tomato and Onion salad layers slices of those two ingredients with gorgonzola vinaigrette.
There are lunch sandwiches from Cuban to Vegetarian Panino; fish entrees such as Flounder Picatta; Chicken Marsala; and pastas including Fettuccine Carbonara with prosciutto and sweet peas.
The bar menu is available any time of day and lists 15 items such as Tuna Crudo, Crispy Pork Belly with cannellini bean ragout, Clams Marinara, Cheeseburger, Filet Bruschetta and Duck Confit served over risotto. Also on the bar menu is a specialty of the house: Cincinnati-style Chili where a bed of spaghetti noodles is topped by chopped onions and kidney bean chili flavored with cinnamon, allspice, chocolate and cumin.
As the evening sun sends lingering beams across the river, the menu shifts with special dinner appetizers including Bacon-wrapped Shrimp roasted with honey and tossed with gorgonzola cheese, orange segments and cherry tomatoes and served over sautéed spinach; and Escargot in puff pastry.
Dinner entrees include Lasagna, Veal Piccata, Flounder Françoise, Pork Chop Milanese, Lobster Cannelloni and Pan-sautéed Scallops served over herb risotto with vegetable ribbons and roasted red pepper sauce.
The evening menu also features grilled entrees like Herb Grilled Salmon and Filet Mignon.
Desserts are worth a splurge here, where in-house selections vary but may include 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. in Georgetown, and the phone number is 843-485-4210. It's open for lunch Tuesdays through Fridays, and for dinner Mondays through Saturdays.
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