Creative Cocktails & Small Plates at Port of Call, Mystic
Cocktails and small plates? Yes, please! This is our favorite way to eat, so we raced right over when we got a peek at Port of Call’s menu. Of course, anything by the team behind Oyster Club and Engine Room (in collaboration here with The Real McCoy Rum) has us salivating, so prodding was unnecessary.
This new lounge is beautiful: cozy, dark, and clad in teak and leather with nautical history aplenty. The floorboards are re-used decking from the Joseph Conrad at the Mystic Seaport Museum, and the bar top is salvaged from the whaling ship, The Charles W. Morgan. However, the drinks and snacks are THOROUGHLY modern and highly inventive. With names like Overnight Celebrity, Kind and Generous, Boozy and Honest, why not choose based on your personality as we did? Mine, The Middle Child, labeled as “tart and funky’ was precisely that with a mix of The Real McCoy Rum, Hampden Rum Fire, Adjusted Sour Orange, fennel, lime, and blended bitters. A mouthful! I ordered it with the suggested plates (so helpful), Papas Rellenos, a stuffed and fried over-the-top potato, and Ham & Warm Crusty bread, served open-faced dripping in cultured butter and truffle oil. OMG.
We made Chelsea order the Kind & Generous (corny & clean) because she is. This was my favorite of our drinks: gin-based with a nutty, sweet, and citrusy blend and a dash of foam on top. Don’t miss the Squid Ink Empanadas or the Bacalaitos (a plate-sized salted fluke fritter – perfect for sharing). Oh, and my faithful sidekick Laura’s drink? Boozy and Honest.
Next time: The Dive Bar downstairs (think antique diving suits, vintage video games, fried chicken sandwiches, and Saugy Dogs).
15 Water Street, Mystic
Hours:
Small plates menu:
5pm – 9pm, Sunday through Thursday
5pm – 10pm, Friday and Saturday
Dive Bar
5pm – 10pm, Wednesday through Sunday