We couldn’t resist.

It was a gorgeous night and we said, “We have to go. It’s important to support them.”

So along with our friends Susan and Jay, we popped over to 88 Wharf the only Milton restaurant to offer dinner with wine and beer for their opening night.

We had no idea what to expect.  Well, it was great. The partners John Collins and Matt Sullivan could not have asked for a nicer night. We arrived about 6:30 and found the restaurant about half full.

The interior has dark woods and a lovely small bar with a flat screen TV (the Red Sox were on, thank you very much). We were immediately struck by the informal yet professional, family-oriented atmosphere in an upscale room with well appointed decor. Large black and white photos of boats and docks adorn the walls, and full windows and French doors overlook the Neponset and boats moored at the Milton Yacht Club. We received a warm welcome and were seated out on the patio to thoroughly enjoy the best night of summer.

The wait staff were attentive without being fawning. There were hiccups and the service was a little slow; but they had only been open for an hour and a half for heaven’s sake. Again, the atmosphere on the patio was one of subtle joy. It was as if the patrons were all silently saying, “Can you believe this?”

One of the gas lines had yet to be hooked up (scheduled to happen Monday), so the full menu was not available; however, there was still plenty of variety. We had fried calamari, a beet salad, an arugala salad, a halibut entree, a mushroom pizza, and a salmon dish. The calamari was perfect and the arugala salad was superb. The folks in our party all rated their dishes excellent.

We passed on dessert, opting for cappacinos and an espresso. A great finish to a very good meal.

Great food, great dining experience, beautiful setting. It was great to see families and couples walking down to the Wharf area, enjoying the view and river walk, happy to be part of why my town matters.