DiMillo's On the Water | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1982 |
Owner(s) | DiMillo family (1999–present) |
Previous owner(s) | Tony DiMillo (1982–1999) |
Head chef | Melissa Bouchard |
Food type | Seafood |
Street address | Long Wharf |
City | Portland, Maine |
Postal/ZIP Code | 04101 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 43°39′15″N70°15′02″W / 43.6541°N 70.2505°W |
Seating capacity | 550 |
Reservations | Yes |
Website | www |
DiMillo's On the Water is a floating restaurant in Portland, Maine, United States. It is located on the former New York car ferry, [1] which ran between Norfolk and Hampton, Virginia, then between Newport and Jamestown, Rhode Island. [2] It is now permanently berthed at Portland's Long Wharf. [3] The vessel is 206 feet (63 m) long, 65 feet (20 m) wide, and weighs 700 tons. [4] The DiMillo family also owns the marina that surrounds the vessel. [2]
The restaurant was established in 1982 by Tony DiMillo (1933–1999), who reused the name of his previous business, a lobster restaurant located on the opposite side of Commercial Street. DiMillo's Lobster House opened in 1965. [2] [3] [5] DiMillo's slogan, "The clams you eat here today slept last night in Casco Bay", was kept. [3]
Two menus from DiMillo's are included in a collection of menus held at the Portland Public Library. One is from 1982 and one is from 1989. According to the 1982 menu, that year a complete shore dinner cost $18.95, a lobster roll was $4.75, and spaghetti with plain sauce was $3.25. [6]
As part of a renovation in 2015, the restaurant's tables were made in Millinocket from reclaimed river logs. [7]
In January 2024, pilings were damaged, hingers were broken and the pier buildings flooded during the 2024 Portland flood. [8]
Steve DiMillo is the restaurant manager, [7] a role he shares with three of his eight siblings: brothers Dan and Johnny and twin sister Stephanie Quattrucci. [5] Arlene DiMillo, widow of Tony, [9] was the company's president until her retirement in 2015. [7]
As of 2022, Melissa Bouchard is the head chef at the restaurant, [10] which has a seating capacity of around 550. [9] Bouchard began working in the DiMillo's kitchen in 1998. [7]
Chris DiMillo manages the yacht sales operation. [5]
Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 550,000 people. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st century relies mostly on the service sector. The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in the New England area as of 2019.
Portland Pier is located at the intersection of Commercial Street and Silver Street on the eastern waterfront in Portland, Maine. It is located between Custom House Wharf and Long Wharf, on the edge of the Fore River.
Great Diamond Island is an island in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It is part of the city of Portland. At the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of 77. The island is not accessible from the mainland by motor vehicle and has a limited network of roads. The primary modes of transportation are golf carts and bicycles. This fact has become a selling point for the island, marketing the area as "car free" and "kid friendly". The island was used as a military base starting in the late 19th century and continuing through World War II. After the base was decommissioned, the bunkers and residences were left idle for over 30 years before being developed and sold to private citizens.
A floating restaurant is a vessel, usually a large steel barge or hulk, used as a restaurant on water. The Jumbo Kingdom, formerly located at Aberdeen in Hong Kong, was at one time the world's largest floating restaurant, until it sank at sea in 2022. Sometimes retired ships are given a second lease on life as floating restaurants. The former car ferry New York, built in 1941, serves as DiMillo's in Portland, Maine. Another example is the train ferry Lansdowne, which served as a restaurant in Detroit. Plans for Lansdowne to continue in this capacity on the Buffalo, New York waterfront came to naught and it was scrapped in the summer of 2008. A third example of a ship's hull converted for this purpose is Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant in Toronto, which was located on MS Jadran, a former Yugoslavian ship but has since been closed and scrapped. Normac, the first Captain John's restaurant, was moved to Port Dahousie as the floating cocktail lounge Big Kahuna and is now the Riverboat Mexican Grill.
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Long Wharf is a historic wharf in Portland, Maine, on the edge of the Fore River. It stands across Commercial Street, between Market Street and Moulton Street and, on the waterfront side, between Portland Pier and Chandler's Wharf.
The 2024 Portland flood was caused by heavy rainfall, an astronomical high tide, and high winds in Portland, Maine. It occurred, across coastal central Maine, on January 13, 2024, causing severe flooding, especially in Portland's Old Port district and around Back Cove. The storm followed another one, three days earlier, which also occurred during high tide.
BerlinMillsWharf is a historic wharf in Portland, Maine, on the edge of the Fore River. It is located on Commercial Street between Hobson's Wharf and Holyoke Wharf. It is located across Commercial Street from High Street.
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