Harbor Point

Today, I am going to talk about one of the most fascinating places in the area, Harbor Point in Stamford! This is a redevelopment located in the South End of Stamford, has approximately 2,750 new housing units as of January 2021, with plans to bring that number up to 4,000 total housing units, and includes office buildings, restaurants, parks, and a boardwalk. It is also made up of five distinct areas that are each centered on a park or waterfront feature. In this blog post, I will be discussing its history, its current features, and restaurants that are located there. 

Harbor Point was historically used for industrial purposes, and it was dominated by the Yale & Towne Lock Works, which first located to the area in 1868. The company helped fuel the area’s economic growth, dominated the economy of Stamford, employing 25% of its population at one point, and it would hold this position for over 50 years, which also gave Stamford the nickname “Lock City.” 

Starting in 2005, a company called Antares Investment Partners began acquiring a number of properties in the South End of Stamford, and announced plans to redevelop 80 acres of the neighborhood as part of a project called Harbor Point, which an article in New York Times called one of the largest and most ambitious redevelopment efforts in the country, and it was sold to Norwalk-based Building and Land Technology in September 2008. By 2010, Harbor Point experienced residential growth that exceeded expectations, as November of that year saw the opening of Fairway Market, which was an 85,000 square foot supermarket that was also the first retailer to open in Harbor Point as part of the redevelopment, and in the following years, Harbor Point saw rapid residential growth, mostly due to an influx of higher-income individuals.

As I said at the beginning, there are currently many restaurants in Harbor Point, and I am going to write about all of them right now, in hopes that all of you reading will want to check them out. 

The first restaurant is a New American restaurant called The Wheel. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include whipped eggplant, crab cakes, wagyu meatballs, Margherita pizza, Korean rice bowl, wheelhouse burger, ricotta gnocchi, pan seared scallops, braised short ribs, pork tomahawk, and New York strip steak. 
The next restaurant is a gastropub called Sign of the Whale. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include crispy calamari, buffalo calamari, chipotle beef empanadas, garlic bread, braised short ribs, meatballs, jumbo coconut shrimp, cheese pizza, Margherita pizza, burgers, tacos, rigatoni bolognese, Berkshire pork chop, seafood risotto, seafood pasta, New York sirloin steak, caramel-almond cheesecake, chocolate chip skillet cookie, seven layer chocolate cake, vanilla creme brulee, and banana spring rolls.

The next restaurant is a kitchen and bar called Tequila Escape. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include soup of the day, bacon wrapped scallops, ahi tuna tostada, quesadillas, steak skewers, steak empanadas, crispy calamari, buffalo chicken flautas, shrimp tacos, steak tacos, ahi tuna tacos, fried flounder tacos, scallops and shrimp enchiladas, black iron skillet fajitas, ribeye steak, steak frites, seafood paella, chicken paella, and vegetarian paella.

The next restaurant is a Mexican restaurant called Mexicue. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include chips and salsa, chips and queso, grilled street corn, nachos, Nashville fried chicken tacos, pulled pork tacos, fish tacos, Cajun shrimp tacos, brisket tacos, barbecue fajitas, stacked enchiladas, chicken and chorizo jambalaya burrito, and apple pie spiced churros.

The next restaurant is a seafood restaurant called Crab Shell. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include New England clam chowder, crab shell red clam chowder, New England crab chowder, lobster bisque, hot spiced shrimp, barbecue shrimp, baked stuffed clams, crab cakes, Cajun popcorn shrimp, Maryland crab balls, cream cheese jalapeno poppers, mozzarella fingers, crispy calamari, onion strings, fish and chips, warm Maine lobster roll, lobster pot pie, seafood au gratin, baked stuffed shrimp, baked stuffed sea scallops, stir fry vegetables, filet mignon, New York sirloin, New York steak sandwich, chicken penne, seafood fra diavolo, and seafood penne.

The next restaurant is an Italian restaurant called Fortina. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include Margherita pizza, eggplant rollatini, whipped ricotta, chicken cutlets, fried mozzarella sticks, arancini, fried meatballs, garlic bread, fried calamari, wood fired shrimp, potato croquettes, pasta e fagioli, Italian wedding soup, wood fired cauliflower, wood fired baked ziti, gnocchi, ravioli, orecchiette, rigatoni, lasagna, chicken cutlet sandwich, chicken parmesan sandwich, meatball parmesan sandwich, sausage and peppers sandwich, steak and fries, chicken scarpariello, braised pork braciole, wood roasted sausage and peppers, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, Longford’s ice cream, affogato, brown butter bread pudding, cannoli, tiramisu, tartufo, cheesecake, birthday cake truffle, key lime pie, mixed berry tart, and chocolate cake.

The next restaurant is one that also has a location here in Mount Kisco, Bareburger. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include beef burgers, bison burgers, an elk burger, vegan burgers, pastrami sandwiches, buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches, wagyu smash burgers, cheesesteaks, shrimp tacos, ribeye tacos, cauliflower tacos, popcorn chicken, French fries, and onion rings.
The next restaurant is a European style cafe called Patisserie Salzburg. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include Viennes crepes, fresh chocolate chip pancakes, crispy French toast, beef kebabs, chicken dumplings, chicken cutlets, chicken schnitzel, chicken club sandwich, chicken cutlet sandwich, chicken parmesan sandwich, eggplant parmesan sandwich, veal meatball parmesan sandwich, black forest cake, carrot cake, cheesecake, chocolate ganache, chocolate mousse cake, Napoleon cake, opera cake, passion fruit mousse, red velvet cake, sachertorte, which is a chocolate cake filled with apricot jam and covered with a dark chocolate ganache, seven layer cake, strawberry shortcake, tiramisu, apple pie, blueberry pie, French apple tart, mixed berry tart, mixed fruit tart, pumpkin pie, and French macarons. 

The next restaurant is a cafe called The Granola Bar. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include a variety of smoothies and parfaits, breakfast sandwiches, avocado grilled cheese, caprese sandwich, buffalo chicken wrap, and chicken caesar wrap.

The next restaurant is called Third Place. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include roasted pork sandwich, roasted vegetable sandwich, crispy chicken sandwich, potstickers, crispy yucca, buffalo chicken bites, chicken fingers, soft pretzels, smoked sausage, sweet potato waffle fries, crispy tater tots, and quesadillas.

The next restaurant is a breakfast and lunch deli called Corbo’s. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include chicken cutlet sandwiches, roasted beef sandwich, salami sandwich, hot pastrami sandwich, meatball parmesan sandwich, and grilled cheese.

The last restaurant here is called Prime. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include bread, shrimp and lobster wontons, gnocchi, crab cakes, Japanese wagyu meatballs, seafood paella, lobster roll, beef Wellington, filet mignon, veal chop parmesan, New York strip steak, porterhouse steak, wagyu steak, macaroni and cheese, rigatoni, chocolate fudge cake, creme brulee, ice cream, s’mores sundae, affogato sundae, and vanilla bean cheesecake. 

There are also several other unique businesses in Harbor Point. These include a skincare destination called SkinLab, a store called Harbor Point Organic that sells freshly prepared meals, produce, and groceries, a doggy daycare called Harbor Pets, Paddle Pub, which is a bar on a boat that all the passengers have to paddle in order to get it to move, a gym called Elevate Fitness, a wine and art business called Pinot’s Palette, a body energizing business called The Vital Stretch, a wine store called HP Wines & Spirits, a salon called HBAR Salon, a fountain-side coffee roaster called Proof Coffee, a business called CareFree Boat Club, an organization called SoundWaters, which used to put on an event in the summer called HarborFest, a sports injury physical therapy clinic, and a Stamford Health walk-in center. 
I actually went to Harbor Point a few days ago, and what I saw fascinated me. I had been there before, but not recently, so I was amazed by all the changes and all the things I had never noticed before. 

One of the first things that I noticed was that two of the restaurants there, Mexicue and Fortina, both had rooftop dining. 

I was with my parents, and they both pointed out that they did not remember seeing certain large buildings there, so we knew we had to check them out. 

One of the first things that we did was walk along the path that goes by the water, where I noticed several arches along the way. I knew that those arches are where they have had giant swings for visitors in the past, so I had learned that the swings are probably seasonal for the summer. 

We also admired how beautiful all the apartments were, especially one that was called Opus, which featured an exterior portion that we walked past that jutted out at an angle.

As we were walking past many of the features we had never seen before, I found that there was a playground in one section of Harbor Point, and right next to that was something that looked like empty space that my parents thought looked like a fountain that comes on during the summer.

As we were walking along, I found out how little I knew about this part of Stamford, as I had already heard about the restaurant Sign of the Whale many years ago, even hearing about it from two of my friends who said they were going to have lunch there and said that it was in Harbor Point, but somehow it never occurred to me that it was in this exact location, and I was amazed by how popular it is, as it was slightly after 3:00, and it was still packed with people having lunch. 

In the past when I had gone to Harbor Point, I only stayed on the side closest to Washington Boulevard, as that’s where we would park, and it looked like that’s where all the exciting features of Harbor Point was. All that I could see on the other side of the water was the two restaurants Crab Shell and Prime, and nothing else. After I told my parents what was on the menu at Crab Shell before we went to Harbor Point that day, we decided that we wanted to see the restaurants much closer. From the side we were on, all I could see was some outdoor dining there, and I couldn’t even see a restaurant there. So, we drove over to the other side of Harbor Point to get a better look at the restaurants, and what we saw surprised me. I saw that there was outdoor dining at Crab Shell, but there was in fact also a restaurant off to the side of the outdoor dining. We also saw that it was right along a boardwalk, so we decided to walk along it, which also brought us past the restaurant Prime, and seeing all the people inside made my mom say that she wanted to be in there too. As we continued walking along the boardwalk, we were surprised to find out how long it was, as we were walking quite a distance, and we even came across a small beach. We couldn’t believe that the other side of Harbor Point was just as fun as the side we had always gone to, and I am sure that we will visit it again soon. 

There are also going to be several events during the summer, such as Monday evening pilates classes on the boardwalk and a movie at Commons Park. 
Overall, there are many fun things to see and do at Harbor Point in Stamford. And with the weather getting better, it’s a perfect time to check it out and enjoy outdoor dining!