On Friday night, Alli and I had dinner at Oceana. Oceana is the main restaurant of the Marriott Long Wharf hotel, which is on the water front near the Aquarium. It’s an area that we like a lot all year, but especially in the summer. It’s full of people hanging out at places like Tia’s and The Landing, walking around the water front, and enjoying the post-Big Dig open park spaces.

The restaurant itself was pretty good. It’s a big space and it was almost empty, which is not a good sign. The emphasis, as the name and the location suggest, is on seafood. I had some crab-crusted cod, and Alli had some scallops. Both were good. But the surprise dish was the lobster bisque soup, which was among the best we’ve ever had in that vein.

The pleasant surprise was the wine I chose to complement the meal, a 2006 Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a fairly cheap wine, but proved a great match to the food and truly a joy to sip. Highly recommended, that one, for these hot summer days.

Overall, Oceana is decent. They have a nice terrace, too, which serves a simpler bar menu. The service was good, the location is great, and the food very good as well.