A seafood restaurant with influence from the Seaports of Malta.
I was invited in to the brand-new seafood restaurant in Brookline, Porto Maltese. I was curious to try this place given the recent social media attention, its location, and their Mediterranean approach to seafood. The new restaurant is the brainchild of owner Zachary Ostrer who purchased the old Fireplace restaurant in Brookline and transformed the space into a beautiful restaurant. You enter in the downstairs bar area and are welcomed by bright white table cloths and comfy booths. Up the stairs was a spacious seating area with views of the bustling open kitchen and a beautiful nautical mural on the wall. I was excited to try their seafood offerings and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the menu.
As you open the menu you can immediately see that Porto Maltese takes inspiration from the seaports of Malta by offering over a dozen different fishes freshly prepared in ways that perfectly match the meatiness of each fish. I was instantly impressed by the menu and the long list of appetizer options. I started with the Tuna Carpaccio which had thin slices of fresh tuna, arugula, parmesan, lemon and balsamic vinegar. While the preparation was extremely delicate, you could still taste the meatiness of the tuna and the different flavor components. As a beef carpaccio fan (which they have on the menu also!) I was very surprised at how well this version stood up to its beefy predecessor.
I had a very hard time deciding on entrees because the menu had so many great options on it. The first page of entrees had fresh pastas that you could have plain, with chicken or with seafood. The second page of entrees included the list of fresh whole fish, with tasting notes for each one which I found very helpful, and the list of 8 different ways these fishes could be prepared. What I found impressive about this part of the menu was the recommendations for preparation. Each fish had about 3 different ways the chef recommends it being prepared and this was carefully designed to compliment each of the specific qualities of fish. For example, the branzino is recommended to be sea salt encrusted and flambeed, the swordfish is recommended to have a natural charcoal grill preparation, and the red snapper is recommended to be prepared in parchment paper. If seafood really isn’t your thing, the last page of the menu had a list of meats from steak to lamb to chicken.
I chose two different entrees to sample, both of which came highly recommended and allowed me to taste how even the simplest of dishes can be the stars of the menu. The first dish was the Pasta Amatriciana. This was a large bowl of fresh parpadelle topped with a savory sauce of tomato, basil, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. This dish was delicate but loaded with flavor as the tomatoes and basil shined through the dish. I found myself twirling this pasta and eating as much of it as I could, even sopping up some of the sauce with bread to avoid missing any of it!
The second dish I tried was the branzino prepared as recommended with a salt crust and flambeed. The menu says this dish takes 20 minutes to prepare and I can assure you it’s worth the wait. Once the fish was ready, a tray was brought tableside with the salt encrusted fish on board. The fish was then lit on fire for a few moments and as soon as the fire went out the salty shell was then cracked to reveal a cooked piece of fish. The fish was then fileted tableside and plated with a side of lightly dressed soft potatoes and micro greens. The first few bites of the branzino really wowed me because the fish was delicate and perfectly salted. I thought the salt crust would overpower this type of fish, but it really boosted the fish’s natural flavor. While the fish did have some bones left in it, which is to be expected when ordering a whole fish, the fish was prepared perfectly and became my favorite part of the entire meal!
I did save room for dessert and found myself once again struggling to decide on an option as the menu offered a wide range of options to choose from. I ultimately chose the Porto Roulette so I could try a dish original to Porto Maltese. The dessert resembled a Swiss roll with a round buttery pastry dough filled with a flavorful berry cream. What I liked about this dish is the use of the fresh, in-season berries and the beautiful plating of this dish. It was the perfect end to our delicious meal!
Zachary Ostrer’s Porto Maltese restaurant showed great attention to detail and remained impressive from the minute we walked into the space to the last bites of dessert. I highly recommend Porto Maltese for lunch, dinner or a special occasion. You will leave impressed and looking for excuses to return the next day!
Some Top Takeaways
Porto Maltese has a parking lot! If you don’t want to drive, they are right off the Washington Square Green Line stop.
You must try the salt crusted branzino. It’s perfect!
Don’t like fish? The pasta is just as fresh!
Make a reservation, their dining room fills up fast with walk-ins and reservations are key!
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