Dining Out -- Boston Globe, North Weekly

Cantilevered over the Essex River with panoramic views of the
marshes and flowing tide is the new Periwinkles Restaurant. 
As the sun sets and candles on the table begin to illuminate the
dining room, this cozy restaurant is a peaceful place to enjoy
a good meal.

After two visits to Periwinkles for dinner, it was clear that seafood
is their specialty.  We started off with the lightly fried and very
tasty calamari appetizer, served piping hot with a tartar dipping
sauce.  We also loved the coconut beer batter shrimp, again the
plump and succulent shrimp was lightly fried so it did not feel
heavy or greasy.  The shrimp is also served as an entree.

Among the seafood entrees, we were very pleased with the
swordfish, a good sized portion, perfectly grilled and blackened
with a nice cajun spice. The baked sea scallops with lemon and
light bread crumbs was also well prepared-without drowning
the tender fish in butter.  The boiled lobster was also good.

For those who do not like seafood, they also serve sirloin steak;
grilled chicken marinated in soy sauce; marinated and broiled
lamb tips and fried chicken fingers.

An inexpensive children's menu includes chicken fingers;
fried clams; hot dog; burger; spaghetti and grilled cheese.

Save room for dessert here, especially the strawberry rhubarb
pie, served warm with ice cream, the rich tiramisu torte, or the
very decadent chocolate thunder cake laced with liquor.


Joy Of Eating �  
North Shore Sunday

The traditional takes on
a new twist at Periwinkles 

 by M.A. Olotour

Dining out in the summertime
is so much more of an occasion. 
We're basking in the elements,
not battling them, so even the
journey is pleasant. We may
dawdle along the way-do a
little shopping, sightseeing,
spend time at the beach.

Periwinkles in Essex is a great destination restaurant.  It's on
the picturesque Essex River, in the midst of the many Essex
antique shops, and is itself a historic site flanked by shipyards
famous for centuries of wooden shipbuilding.

The trip from almost any direction is scenic.  The Essex
Shipbuilding Museum is next door and down the road you can
take a leisurely Essex River Cruise. Or you can just come and
eat-the food is a trip in itself.  Fresh and well-prepared, the menu
is a mix of many traditional favorites, particularly seafood,
done in interesting and innovative ways.  Just different enough
to make great conversation all the way home.

We had lunch in the light and airy non-smoking dining room
with lots of windows overlooking river and marsh.  The walls are
backdrops for local artist Sally Carson's upbeat watercolors,
the paneled ceiling is festooned with ship's lanterns, and the white
linen tablecloths are dotted with jewel-tone water goblets.
One flight down is an  outdoor deck on the river with geranium
and lobelia-filled window boxes.  Tomatoes ripen on the
sun-warmed railing.

I ordered a Periwinkles-style frozen margarita ($4.50)-a large
alcoholic version of Italian slush best savored with a spoon. 
A basket of warm, crusty French bread arrived.  My friend took
the edge off her appetite with the prize-winning Clam
Chowder ($2.99), thick with real cream and a touch of celery,
while I tried to find an appetizer and an entree which were not
the equivalent of two main courses.  As delightful as the menu is,
it offers little in the way of one-person appetizers, forcing me to
choose one or the other.

In the end I opted for a Luncheon Special.  The choices would tickle
any seafood lover's fancy:  fresh Crabmeat Pie ($7.99), Grilled
Salmon ($7.99), a Seafood Casserole of fresh haddock, salmon,
scallops and crabmeat in a lobster bisque sauce ($7.99).  I chose
Coconut Beer Batter Shrimp ($8.99) with rice pilaf and fresh
seasonal vegetables.

My meal was a treat.  Seven large, meaty shrimp not overly
battered, perfectly seasoned and fried.  I didn't taste any coconut,
but that was OK with me. The rice pilaf was the best I've ever
had-buttery, well-seasoned, moist as cooked in stock.  Draped over
the rice were long thin slices of fresh, lightly sautéed and seasoned
summer squash, zucchini, red pepper and snow peas.

My friend chose from the Jumbo Hand Sandwiches section, offering
such temptations as Grilled Steak Lilly ($6.99)-charred Black Angus
steak tips, sweet onion horseradish sauce and melted Boursin on a
crusty French roll.

Watching her waistline, she chose the Spring Vegetable Wrap-a
mix of chargrilled vegetables, orzo ( a grain-shaped pasta)
and feta salad, radish sprouts, black bean hummus and a Mexican
yogurt sauce.  You really have to taste this to appreciate the
medley of flavors and spices-a nice treat for the taste buds. 
The dense, meaty mix was packed into a spinach green tortilla
and served with crispy fries or vegetable slaw.

On the lighter side, there is Chilled Lemon Pasta Salad ($4.99)
with fresh seasonal veggies in a lemon-basil vinaigrette; Grilled
Fresh Lobster Pizza $(9.99) on sour dough crust with caramelized
onions, herb cream, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil; the
TMZ-warm roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and grilled zucchini
stacked and drizzled with fresh basil oil and balsamic vinegar
($5.99), or try the rippled Sweet Potato Fries with warm maple
syrup dip. ($3.99).

The "Specialties" menu made my mouth water:  Charcoaled Lamb
Steak ($12.99) marinated in garlic, lemon and sage with grilled
veggies and orzo and feta salad; spicy Jumbo Shrimp and
Pappardelle Pasta Arrabbiata ($15.99)-homemade pasta ribbons
tossed with roasted garlic, red chilies, extra virgin olive oil and a
lite plum tomato sauce, or the Garlic and Rosemary Rotisseries
Pork Loin rubbed with Mediterranean spices, spit roasted and
served with a lite fennel cream sauce, roasted baby potatoes and
spring vegetables ($8.99).

While we dined I noticed Chef Steve, Periwinkle's culinary maestro,
popping in and out serving meals.  It seems he was trying out new
culinary ideas on the clientele.  As I was about to order a homemade
Lemon Sorbet with fresh berries ($2.99), he presented me with a
Key Lime Shortbread Square topped with fresh cream, berries and
a side of fresh plum compote to sample.

The warm key lime pudding texture became denser and richer
as it melded with the shortbread: an excellent dessert in its own
right, really not needing anything more than a garnish.

Microbrewed beers such as Ipswich Ale and Shipyard Goat Island
Delight are a specialty here, served either by the pint ($3.25) or
bottle.  There are house wines by the glass and a decent selection
of Italian, French, California and Australian wines.