his sons Ande and Kye had been talking about opening a seafood restaurant for several years when the success of their third restaurant, Napoli III, nudged them into). Guests enter by pulling on a 7-foot harpoon door handle and immediately notice one of the more creative draft beer systems in town: a curved, cast-iron pipe anchored by a bronze diver's helmet, an homage to Pietoso's grandfather, a World War II diver. The aquatic theme is cleverly repeated throughout the interior. Flanked by hanging lights that vaguely resemble buoys, a 10-by5.5-foot vertical video board loops sea-themed drone shots from around the world. Shadows of swimming fish laze above the bar. An image of a giant sea tortoise swims high on one wall and two octopi join tentacles on parts of another. A hushed, 24-seat mezzanine is sheltered from the storm. A concise-yet-comprehensive menu includes “catch of the day” items (served with one of four sauces), shrimp and clam chowder under a marine layer of puff pastry, charred octopus, pancetta-wrapped shrimp, and a pair of fresh pasta dishes—all of them keepers. In an unexpected old-school nod, mobile carts dock tableside to showcase preparations of Dover sole, bananas Foster, and what may become the signature dish: seafood risotto finished inside a flaming half wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. Plot a course, landlubbers. It's a memorable journey.
