Lunch Hours
Mon-Fri
11:30 am – 3:30 pm
Sat & Sun
11:30 am – 4:00 pm
Dinner Hours
Everyday
5:00 pm – ClosePrice Guide
I didn't plan on doing a review on this particular evening. I was out on the Connecticut River with my cousin cruising along on his beautiful 36 foot Sea-Ray. We hit some back channels where, as kids, we use to jump from a rope swing. On returning, my cousin made a drastic swerve and said he just missed an eel pot. Or so we thought. Later, when we were able to open up the throttle, the left engine seemed to bog down. When we returned to the slip we found orange line float up from the left prop. Great. So, with a line hook, we started poking around and was actually able to remove some, but not all. That left only two options. Pay someone to go in the water or do it ourselves. Well, ourselves turned out to be me. With a knife, in I went. Twenty minutes later, submerged in grimy slip water, I was able to free our prop and get a free dinner. Back to Essex we went, tied off at the town slip and walked up to The Black Seal. Yes, we could have gone to The Griswold Inn but the idea of returning to a place I did a fair amount of "college day" drinking seemed cool. And no, I didn't know what to expect of the food. When we arrived I was surprised to see table cloths laid out. It was busy but not too crowed for 6:30pm. The bar had yet to fill so it was not too noisy. We were greeted, seated, and had our drink orders taken quickly. The menu had a lot to offer as well as specials. However, they did lack New England style clam chowder and instead had Rhode Island style. Which is the clear broth type. I passed on that. While looking over the menu, the cook did send out the French Onion for us to sample. This came in a crock style bowl with melted cheese all over it. It looked great. The three of us enjoyed the soup. My cousin loved it. I thought it was pretty salty but still enjoyed it very much. Our overall consensus was that it could have had more cheese. $5.50.
After the soup, we ordered two other appetizers. The Shrimp Cocktail and the Prince Edward Island Mussels. I was a little disappointed with the shrimp. The six shrimp were fresh, not frozen and came with a nice "Bloody Mary" cocktail sauce. They were cooked nicely, not overcooked, but they could have been bigger. $10.95 The Mussels were excellent. They too were fresh and served in a white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and roasted garlic cream sauce. The portion was large and was excellent for the three of us. $7.95.
Next came the entrees. All three came from the menu. My cousin ordered an interesting dish, Baked Bay Scallop Casserole. I say interesting because scallops have such a great taste on their own that I was surprised to see them offered in a casserole. Baked with the scallops was spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, feta cheese, garlic, white wine, and topped with an herb bread crust. Its side dishes were rice and vegetables. Now, this is tough to review. The first impression was wow. So much flavor. But as I went on, I found that there was just too much flavor. There were a ton of scallops and they were cooked perfectly and had great flavor all on their own. Then my pallet got confused. There was just too much going on to enjoy the scallops. If you do not like sun-dried tomatoes you will hate this. The dish is extremely rich but I would have really enjoyed a more simplified version that complemented the scallops and not over powered them. $19.95.
My wife's entree was the Grilled Salmon with chilpote mango BBQ glaze. It too was served with the rice and vegetables. The Salmon too was cooked nicely but my wife didn't care for the glaze. Again, a case of too much additional flavors hiding the natural flavor. Yet, it was very good. $18.95.
I had the 12oz New York Strip. It was a nice cut and cooked perfectly. It came with the same vegetables and a baked potato. All good. I wish the scallops had been as simple as this. But, I hate it when restaurants serve butter in those little foil wrapped packages. Pet peeve. $22.95
After dinner we ordered coffee and desserts. We got the carrot cake, tiramiso and the turtle cheesecake. All locally made and very good. $5.00 each. All total for dinner, with drinks, about $140.00.
The Black Seal is an interesting place. I can see how some may not like it. But, for a place that is more known for its after sailing drinking, I was pleasantly surprised at its creativity. Any place can be picked apart but remember, The Black Seal is a couple notches above a tavern. That is a compliment. If I wanted a more formal dinner with an actual chef verses creative cooks, I'd go to The Gris. But, The Black Seal was fun and the food was good. I would not consider it particularly kid friendly so keep that in mind. And if you like to drink and hang out, this a great place for that as well. Also, I saw others who got the burgers and that looked very good as well.
Recommodation: The Seal is an enjoyable place. I would go again.