Business & Tech
New Waterfront 'Food Boat' Opens in Clinton
Shanks of Clinton gets its name from a bar that used to be on the property in the 1970s and 1980s.
Talk about repurposing and reusing! Once a research vessel at the Sound School in New Haven, the Sounder is now a lobster boat that’s really a food truck. Er, boat.
Let’s back up a little bit here. The waterfront food boat is docked at Harborside Marina in Clinton and houses a commercial kitchen where fresh seafood, lobster, burgers and more will be cooked.
Shanks and Harborside Marina owner John Benchimol named the business Shanks after a bar that used to be on the property in the 1970s and 1980s. ‘Sounder’ was the name of the boat during its days as a research vessel and Benchimol kept the name as a nod to its history.
Now, the Sounder is like a food truck in boat-form, he said.
"At first, we were pursuing a food truck set-up until I got the idea to make a food truck out of a boat,” Benchimol said on Shanks’ website. "I searched high and low for an old lobster boat for this. The actual restaurant is considered a mobile food truck and follows laws and guidelines of the ever-popular food truck craze. The only difference is we built our food truck into a 42’ lobster boat.”
Madison resident and restaurant owner Russell Hodge worked with Benchimol to open the dining portion of the business in a former ships store. Clinton resident Beth McDevitt is the manager of Shanks.
The building had to be rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy destroyed it. Now, it seats approximately 100 people and has more seating available outside, by the water.
"We will be a classic New England fry house with kids and land-lover items as well,” Benchimol said on the website. "Specials and events are planned for the near future. We will have parking, docking (with reservations) and offer local delivery service as well as take-out. Still working out logistics of a liquor license so for now, we are BYOB.”
The menu will feature clam chowder, grilled cheese, shrimp, fresh fish sandwiches, soft shell crab sandwiches and more.
Opening Dates
Shanks will open on a full-time basis Thursday, May 26, and host a grand opening from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 11. The ribbon cutting will take place at 2 p.m. Restaurant tours, live music, food tastings, door prizes and more will be offered.
The hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Shanks, located at 131 Grove St. in Clinton, can be reached at 860-669-4224. Click here to visit Shanks' on Facebook.
(Photos: Shanks at Harborside)
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