Chef Michael Schlow Joins the Seamark Seafood Team in Everett

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When Seamark Seafood & Cocktails debuts at Encore Boston Harbor this spring, it will bring “accessible” local seafood — albeit with a bit of decadence — to the glitzy lobby of the Everett casino and resort, says the chef-partner Michael Schlow. The longtime Boston (and beyond) restaurateur, who was behind Radius and Via Matta among others, has just announced his involvement in the upcoming restaurant, in partnership with Vegas-based Carver Road Hospitality Group . But don’t think of this as an out-of-town project: Boston native Sean Christie owns Carver Road. This duo is as close to New England as it gets, and they have plenty of classic seafood dishes — and other entertainment — planned for Seamark and its hidden cocktail bar, Old Wives’ Tale.

When Christie and Schlow first met, Christie’s idea was simply to create “a great seafood restaurant,” as Schlow tells it. “It can mean a lot of different things to different people,” says Schlow. With the casino’s location in mind, the duo hatched a plan for a restaurant that would play to crowds who want classics and crowds who want something a little special, but all “very recognizable” dishes » without a menu full of ingredients requiring a Google search. “It’s a balance of classic New England dishes and seafood (dishes) from around the world,” says Schlow, showcasing as many “beautiful local fish” as possible.

“This menu was pretty easy to write because this food speaks to me,” says Schlow. “It’s about respecting these ingredients. The fish we can get here in the Boston area is truly amazing and it doesn’t take much. Mother Nature has done most of the work for us. Our job is just to gently coax him and make him awesome.

The menu will feature everything from “typically New England” dishes like lobster rolls and chowder to more elevated options. “I think a lot of people come to a casino to be entertained, to have fun, maybe to do some crazy things. You don’t do it to have splurge here, but you’ll get the chance. You can have a dish that has caviar, lobster, king crab, lots of high-end stuff.

There will be a seafood tower, he says – “they’re so festive” – and starters like an elegant tuna tartare with cucumber, caviar and ponzu; an “extra-crunchy” shrimp tempura he serves at his Japanese restaurant Nama Ko in DC; and fried calamari, Rhode Island style. The opening menu will include a few soups – traditional versions of lobster bisque (poured tableside) and French onion, as well as a “decadent” double clam chowder. It’s double the clams and double the bacon, but not double the potatoes, because that would be too much, he explains with a laugh. “And we do fun little games at the casino without getting too kitschy: we have a clam casino on the menu.”

Another dish planned for the opening menu is a shrimp langoustine set. “During COVID, I’ve really been thinking about how foods comfort us, and I’ve kind of embraced a lot of Italian-American dishes because they took me back to my childhood, and I know that there is a demand for them,” he says. He decided to play with the classic shrimp dish, using “large, succulent, over-the-top” black tiger shrimp with a “France-meets-Italy sauce” infused with butter, garlic, chives and white wine. “It’s almost like a fromage blanc but with an Italian twist,” he says, and it’s served with saffron rice, charred broccoli and tomatoes. “It’s rich and magnificent,” he promises.

While Seamark features seafood, it will also offer a variety of meat and vegetable dishes. Meat-wise, back to that burning question from Bostonians already familiar with Schlow’s work: Yes, he’s bringing back his “Schlow burger” — the horseradish sauce, cheddar, and onion-topped crispy burger made famous at his now-closed restaurant . Radius restaurant in the Financial District, the burger place that ushered in the era of fine burgers in Boston. The burger has made appearances at other Schlow restaurants over the years, but he doesn’t currently serve it anywhere, and Seamark seems like the right fit, he says. “It’s so accessible. You’re sitting at the bar, you don’t want seafood, you’re going to have this burger.

Old wives’ tale. / Courtesy rendering

In addition to Seamark’s main bar, there will be Old Wives’ Tale, a cocktail bar hidden within the space, with its own food and drinks. Beverage director Francesco Lafranconi is creating “a very exciting beverage program,” Schlow says. “Expect the unexpected. There will be all kinds of surprises and fun things. (An earlier announcement from the company described the ambiance as “whimsical” and “adorned with maritime elements,” noting that the drinks would be inspired by different ports of call around the world and served in “ocean glassware” with “ creative toppings resembling sea creatures.”)

Schlow is still developing Old Wives’ Tale’s fine dining menu, but hints it will be symmetrical with the cocktail list, including light fare inspired by the same ports of call as the drinks. There will also be other general snacks, like homemade potato chips with onion dip. “Snacks that when you read the menu you’ll say, ‘I wasn’t hungry, but maybe a little of this wouldn’t hurt.'”

Schlow, a restaurateur, cookbook author and James Beard Award-winning chef, has operated numerous other restaurants in Boston and beyond over the years. Back Bay Italian restaurant Via Matta has had a particularly notable run, and the original Alta Strada in Wellesley has been thriving for nearly two decades, now with several out-of-state offshoots. Besides Alta Strada, his current projects in Greater Boston are casual dining spots: Michael Schlow’s Italian Cuisine at Time Out Market Boston and Sauce Burgers at Hub Hall.

“I’m excited to bring a new table service restaurant” to the area, he says, after facing several closures during the pandemic. “This is my home. I think some people thought I had moved,” he says, because he does a lot of business in Washington and elsewhere. “My (Boston) restaurants closed for a multitude of reasons – we didn’t want to close them – and I’m really excited about this opportunity to open a really great sit-down restaurant with Sean (Christie). We’re going to have fun together.

Michael Shlow. / Courtesy photo

1 Broadway (Encore Boston Harbor), Everett, seamarkencore.com.