In Maine, there’s a short window when the evenings stretch out, the patio fills up, and seafood is about all anyone wants. August is the heart of it. It’s the kind of night that asks for a plate of something from the coast, a cold drink, and no reason to hurry.
At Bruno’s, that isn’t a summer promotion. It’s a thread that runs back four decades.
A Dish That Goes Back to India Street
Bruno’s opened in 1981, and by 1985 Bobby Napolitano had put in a full kitchen at the India Street location, in the stretch of Portland people still call Little Italy. A handful of dishes caught on fast, and linguine with clam sauce was one of them. Chopped clams and Kalamata olives in a garlic and white wine sauce, red or white, it was the kind of plate people came back for week after week. Forty years and a move to Allen Avenue later, it’s still on the menu, and it still tastes the way it did on India Street.
How the Night Usually Starts
Seafood has carried that thread the whole way through. These days a lot of tables still begin the same way, with the Prince Edward Island mussels. We prepare them scampi style and serve them your way, white for something simple and bright, or red with our house sauce for a richer finish. They sit right next to the fried calamari, crisp and served with our spicy tomato sauce, the kind of starter that tends to vanish before the entrées land.
When You’re After a Little Heat
The Shrimp and Mussels Fra Diavolo is the one people ask for by name. Gulf shrimp and mussels in a spicy marinara over spinach fettuccine, it brings folks back the same way the clam sauce did decades ago. And every so often something special surfaces from Bruno’s Pasta Company, like the Lobster Ravioli, our handmade pasta filled with lobster. It’s worth watching for, because when a special like that comes around, it doesn’t stay long. There’s more seafood on the menu where those came from, but half the fun is finding your own.
Before the Season Turns
Maine summers are generous and brief, both at once. Before the light shifts and the season changes, come spend one of those long evenings with us, a good plate of seafood and the patio open to the night. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be here, 207-878-9511.
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