We left Mystic Monday morning for the run to Essex. Despite the fact that it was only 30 miles, it took 2 1/2 hours thanks to drawbridges and no-wake zones.
Although it’s almost seven miles from the first no-wake speed limit to Essex Island, there are several large open runs where you can open it up again.
It took about 40 minutes to get to Safe Harbor Essex Island. We were assigned the face dock, which made everyone on board quite happy!
We were delighted to see that we are sharing a dock with our dear friends Vernon and Lynn’s Lulu!
Once again, the slow trudge from Long Island Sound left us with a late lunch. Like most Safe Harbors, Essex Island hosted a great little spot called Siren.
Siren Kitchen & Bar
Much like Mystic, Essex Island was very hot (88° – feels like 90°). Siren is pretty much an outdoor restaurant, but they did have a small indoor dining room with some AC and lots of shade!
They were serving an IPA I had never heard of, so I had to try it.
NEIPA, 7%
Peter loves cornbread and as soon as he saw fritters on the menu he demanded an order for the table!
chili-spiced charred corn and cheese
fritters, honey lime dipping sauce
They turned out to be the best corn fritters I’ve ever had. Both the fritters and the dipping sauce had classic Elote flavors. My palette tells me the sauce was mayo, lime, sriracha, and honey.
Mrs. Horne opted for the Poke Bowl…
avocado, seaweed salad, pickled ginger, edamame, green onion, pickled red onion, furikaki, sticky rice, poke glaze, spicy chill aloli
ahi tuna (raw served chilled)
Peter loves brisket, so he ordered the sandwich.
hickory-smoked beef brisket. cheddar. pickled red
onion, dijon horseradish aioli, butter-grilled sourdough
He shared a taste and it was wonderful. The secret was an Au Jus that the brisket must have been braised in. It was very moist and flavorful.
Knowing there were a couple of Elote Fritters in my future, I went light and ordered the Ceviché.
key lime juice, avocado, mango, jalapeño,
red onion, green onion cilanti crisp plantains
It was not excellent, but I would have served the plantain chips in a separate bowl to keep them crisp. Or try to substitute the homemade potato chips for the plantains!
The weather app pegged the “Feels Like Temperature” at 90°, but we gave Amazing Grace a deep cleaning nevertheless.
Safe Harbor Essex Island is truly an island. To get to the village, you must take a little six-passenger ferry.
We hopped aboard at 6:30 and enjoyed the thirty-second ride to the mainland 😂
The Griswold Inn
Vernon recommended the Griswold Inn and Noah’s in Essex Village. Since we planned to join him and Lynn at Noah’s on Tuesday, we booked the Griswold for Monday.
The Griswold Inn is a classic New England restaurant full of revolutionary Americana charm.
As one might expect, the bread service consisted of classic dinner rolls – warm with soft butter.
asparagus, mashed potatoes, lemon-saffron sauce,
basmati rice, garlic butter haricot verts,
tomato-basil cream sauce
I was still a little full from lunch, so I ordered the Steak Tip salad. Our server asked how I wanted my tips and I said “Medium Rare.”
Caesar salad and onion rings
The Tips arrived and they were very well done! I immediately flagged our server and she returned in record time with a new plate.
This time they were perfect!
As the sun set the temperature cooled for our walk home.
Tuesday
I awoke to fog and said a little prayer thanking God we weren’t going anywhere today.
Fortunately, for anyone on the ocean, it all burned off by 9:00.
Keeping with Mrs. Horne’s daily walk directive, we set out late morning despite the 90° temperature.
There are a few mild hills, but it’s a very serene area. If it weren’t for the heat, we would have gone biking. Based on what we saw on our walk, I think this would be a nice town for biking along the seaside country roads.
The Black Seal
There are only a handful of restaurants in Essex Village. Our research turned up the Black Seal because of its curious Yelp ratings.
Whenever I see strong favorables and strong negatives, I like to drill down to see what drove the negatives.
Most were about prices and portion size, but this one really stood out.
Who cares how old the people eating in a restaurant are?
We did snicker when we walked in as there were indeed many folks at the bar who were older than us (and that’s old).
But there were also several guests in their 30s and 40s, but no crying babies 😂
avocado, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, swiss
applewood bacon, lettuce, tomato & avocado
mayo on sourdough toast
onions, tomato, jalapenos, black olives & avocado,
melted jack & cheddar cheese, salsa & sour cream
Not sure what kind of Yelpers were whining about these prices and portion sizes. None of us finished our meals and the entire lunch for three was around $75.
After lunch we visited some shops in town. Mrs. Horne and Peter bought clothes. I loved a little shop called Weekend Kitchen.
There was a lot of stuff I could have bought, but I ended up with a couple of cheese knives.
Pool Time
By 2:00 it was really too hot to be outdoors. Mrs. Horne remembered that Safe Harbor has a pool on-site and saved the afternoon.
The water was around 75° and it was a real lifesaver.
Dinner with Vernon and Lynn
We first met Vernon and Lynn cruising in Edgartown in 2019. In 2022 we ran into them at Wentworth-By-The-Sea.
Then when we ran into them a third time in 2024 in Boothbay, we invited them over for a little cocktail party.
Since then, Vernon and I have exchanged cruising itineraries, and when we overlapped in Essex, we scheduled a dinner together.
Noah’s 63 Main
Vernon suggested Noah’s – Lynn’s favorite restaurant. There are three Safe Harbors in Essex; the Island – where we were staying, Dauntless Shipyard, and Dauntless.
Noah’s located at the Dauntless site, just off the mainland dock for the ferry.
We arrived at 6:45 and the wait for a table was 60-90 minutes. Fortunately, there were five open seats at the bar.
The menu isn’t exhaustive, but there was something for everyone.
chopped ahi tuna poke, pickled ginger,
pickled onions, watermelon radish,
cucumber, honey sriracha, furikake, rice
crunchy romaine, housemade croutons,
lemon zest, grano padano, caesar dressing
After considering several options, something called “2 In the Pool,” caught my eye, so I created my own wing sampler.
I ordered them with the Dirty Dry Rub and added a side of each sauce (medium buffalo, Honey Sriracha, and 2 In the Pool.
eight wings, Dirty Dry Rub, with
celery, carrots and bleu cheese
Lynn said “They have the best fries…”, so I ordered a side for me and Vernon.
Peter and Lynn ordered the Steak Frites.
12 oz NY strip, french fries, Italian
salsa verde, mixed greens
Peter shared a very small piece and it was delicious.
By sunset, it had cooled to 80° and turned into a splendid evening.
After dinner, we retired to the Skydeck.
Peter was very happy!
This morning we ran over to Dauntless for enough diesel to get us the 100 miles to Port Washington on Saturday (275 gallons) before shoving off for Long Island.
Long Island Sound was like glass for the entire 50-mile run to Port Jefferson. Here’s a quick video from the bridge at 30 MPH…
We loved everything about Essex Island and agreed to return again!
Next Up: Port Jefferson, New York
Vernon and Lynn have been visiting our Stonington dock, wonderful couple!
Good review of Essex and my home port Dave! I see in one of your photos you walked past my house, a yellow Victorian on Bushnell Street, but captured a corner of the yard and fence! Your description of the places you dined match our experience. One place you did not get to but is easily walked to is a restaurant called “Drift”. They have a small indoor bar along with indoor and outdoor seating. The restaurant overlooks the Dauntless Shipyard and Essex Island. Worth a try next time!
Yes, the Drift is on the list!