The Port of Call
Restaurant · Mystic ·
International small plates, creative cocktails, and live music
International small plates, creative cocktails, and live music
"A Mystic, Connecticut kitchen where the chef dry-ages tuna in a jamón-like fashion on a small scale—an occasional special that draws social-media attention—and also crafts a range of fish charcuterie such as smoked fish kielbasa, chorizo, merguez, and regularly house-cured smelt boquerones, all driven by a commitment to utilizing the whole animal rather than following trend for its own sake." - Adam H. Callaghan
"Executive chef and partner Reneé Touponce describes the persistent difficulty of finding experienced back-of-house staff: "It’s still hard to find advanced cooks — specifically pasta cooks and butchers — people who can break down whole animals and cook proteins," and she notes that because of those shortages, "we focus on bringing in interns from culinary school," especially for busy summer months." - Adam Reiner
"International small plates, fancy cocktails, and a side of jazz or a drag show in a room with a horseshoe bar made from salvaged boats—welcome to Port of Call. Any of the small plates here are good, like Hawaiian pork musubi, squid ink empanadas, dumpling soup, and smoking kofta, and the eclecticism really works. All of the dishes somehow play well together, and so do the cocktails like the Quiet Night in Tokyo with rum, nori, and sesame. If you want to keep the night going after dinner, find the stairs near the restrooms and stroll down to Dive. The rowdy little bar has an under-the-sea theme, loud music, a photobooth, and cheap pours of good wine." - tanya edwards
"The Port of Call is another of Mystic’s newer marquee restaurants, and the group behind it, Dan Meiser’s 85th Day Food Collective — which also runs Engine Room in Mystic and the new Haring’s just down the road in Noank — ignited Mystic’s modern dining renaissance with the opening of Oyster Club in 2011." - Adam H. Callaghan
"International small plates, fancy cocktails, and a side of jazz or a drag show in a room with a horseshoe bar made from salvaged boats—welcome to Port of Call. Any of the small plates here are good, like Hawaiian pork musubi, squid ink empanadas, dumpling soup, and smoking kofta, and the eclecticism really works. All of the dishes somehow play well together, and so do the cocktails like the Quiet Night in Tokyo with rum, nori, and sesame. If you want to keep the night going after dinner, find the stairs near the restrooms and stroll down to Dive. The rowdy little bar has an under-the-sea theme, loud music, a photobooth, and cheap pours of good wine." - Tanya Edwards