Watch the interview with Jim Costin Of Belle Isle Seafood here.

Winthrop is a seaside community located just outside of Boston. It is located on a peninsula 1.6 square miles in size. For such a relatively small community we have an abundance of restaurant choices. What is the restaurant scene like?

Wanting to share our great restaurants I asked for the assistance of Anders Nilsson. Anders is a lender with Mortgage Masters. If you follow Anders on Facebook you will also note that he is a foodie and a chef in his own right. A few years back he was written up in the Boston Globe for his culinary abilities. So who better to ask along to visit and review a few restaurants? Here is a picture of Anders dogs Gracie and Lulu. They insisted on coming along but waited in his car.

Everywhere we visited the owners were welcoming. It was impressive that each restaurant owner took time to speak to Anders and I not only about their restaurants but also about the community. All of the restaurant owners interviewed today live and run their business in Winthrop. They are invested in this community.

My intention is to eventually visit all restaurants in the community.
Our first stop was Belle Isle Seafood. Owner Jim Costin graciously accepted our request for a brief interview. Jim is quiet and unassuming preferring to stay in the background. Belle Isle Seafood recently expanded into a lovely waterfrontspace with outdoor seating and boat docking in the works. There is some limited wait service to the outside deck. You order your food, receive your lobster pager and grab a table. A picnic table that is!  The space is bigger, clientele larger but the prices have remained the same. Jim is relying on the volume of visitors. It was interesting that the majority of restaurant visitors are from out-of-town. The seafood is fresh and cooked to order, fantastic laid back atmosphere and a bargain by Boston standards. Jim admits he prefers to do things old school. We spent over an hour speaking with Jim. He’s extremely likeable and genuine. Part of his appeal is the simplicity with which he is running his business.

Anders and I split a lobster roll as recommended by the owner. It was fresh and a very generous portion.

It was such a fun day. We got to visit some really great restaurants and meet some really nice people along the way!

Throughout the day we also had contests on Facebook. Thanks to all of you who played along.

Next week see my interview with Paesan’s.

Have questions about Winthrop? Connect with me. I love to talk about Winthrop!