New owner of Steve's Boston Seafood starts anew

Tim Leininger, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Dec. 16—ENFIELD — Over the course of the pandemic, people like Petros Mirisis lost their businesses due to the shutdown in 2020. Mirisis, who ran a breakfast restaurant in Chicopee, Massachusetts, was able to turn his luck around and find a new place, buying Steve's Boston Seafood on Enfield Street.

"When I first started, I started with pizza. I opened a pick-up place for five years," Mirisis said. "I got married and had a family and I opened up a breakfast restaurant."

The pandemic was a big challenge, he said. "I had a breakfast place for eight years, but the pandemic shut down the place completely. Nobody came for breakfast during the pandemic."

Looking for a new venture, while speaking with Steve Nikolis, the namesake of Steve's Boston Seafood, Nikolis told Mirisis that he was retiring. Mirisis took this as an opportunity to start anew.

Steve's Boston Seafood

Where: 57 Enfield St., Enfield.

Menu: Lobster roll, fried fish, fried clams, soups, salads, and sides.

Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Miscellaneous: Delivery and online ordering available.

Contact: 860-741-5961; facebook.com/stevesbostonseafood

"It was a difficult year," he said of his first year behind the counter at Steve's Boston Seafood "It's not only the pandemic we have to deal with."

Supply and staffing shortages have made running the business more difficult than expected, the worst being the skyrocketing prices of product.

"I've been here for a year and from six months ago to now, some things have doubled or tripled," he said.

For example, he said, the king crab legs doubled in price from about $24 to $48 a pound.

"You can't sell customers that high a price, they're not going to buy it," he said.

Mirisis said he has had to eat up much of the previously expected profits to survive.

"I take most of the losses and give the rest to the customers," he said.

The seafood place is split in what it offers. It has fresh fish for sale on ice, and freshly made dishes in its kitchen for takeout. Steve's also sells traditional Greek dry goods.

"Everything's fresh that people can take home," Mirisis said of the fish.

The number one best seller, he said, is the fish and chips. Other big sellers include fried fish buckets, the gyro, fried or grilled halibut, organic salmon, and swordfish.

"The swordfish steak has a great price, and you get a great amount of swordfish," he said.

Fresh fish is brought in three times a week to Steve's. Twice a week, Mirisis personally drives to Boston to get a fresh order, rotating the fish depending on the supply.

In the display case, on ice, are a variety of catches, some prepared filets, some whole fish, and some prepared for make-at-home dinners, including haddock, salmon, lobster, or shrimp stuffed with spinach, or lobster crab meat.

"We put lemon, butter, and wine on it so it's ready for the oven so the customer doesn't have to do it," Mirisis said. "We give them instructions on how to cook it."

Other fresh fish available are haddock, salmon, and halibut filets, and whole red snapper, blue fish, and branzini.

"A lot of people like the heads on it," Mirisis said. "People appreciate that."

Steve's Boston Seafood not only has fish to offer customers, but businesses too.

"We supply local restaurants in the area," he said. "Small restaurants. We try to support each other."

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