|
New
England dining >>> New
England Restaurant Blog >>> September 2007 New England dining reviews
Your New England Restaurant
Blog -- September 2007 New England dining reviews
Sammy's Deli, Burlington,
MA
Posted 9/28/07
59 Winn Street,
Burlington, MA
Tel.: (781) 272-5955
Sammy's Deli is not a restaurant,
but a convenience store with one great deli in the back (and
a small dining area to the left of the store, sort of like the
Stewart's chain in New York State). Sammy's makes out-of-this
world, fresh, oversized sandwiches, has a soup bar, and calzones.
I used to eat at Sammy's when working in Burlington in the 1980s.
Much to my delight, they were still around, bigger and better
than ever on the way back from a Maine vacation. We shared a
stuffed chicken Caesar salad wrap -- of the same quality and
quantity Sammy's has produced over the past 40 years. Like other
sandwiches I've had in the past, the chicken Caesar wrap was
probably the best I've ever tasted. Mini-Review by EH
Flo's Hot Dogs, Kittery Trading
Post, Kittery, Maine
301 State Rd. (at the Kittery
Trading Post), Kittery, Maine
Posted 9/24/07
Flo's has been famous on the
southern Maine seacoast for it steamed hot dogs since 1959. Based
in Cape Neddick,
Maine, Flo's has branched out offering its specialty to those
in need of this all-American staple. We found Flo's, however,
in Kittery, Maine, at the Kittery Trading Post, to be somewhat
overrated. The Velveeta-like cheese on the Cheese Dog was inedible
to me. The plain hot dogs, while tasty, can be found elsewhere
in bigger quantities and with better taste. That's not to say
that Flo's is not worth going to, however. It's just not as good
as some of the media makes it out to be. Mini-Review by EH
Sun & Surf, York Beach,
Maine
1 Ocean Ave., York Beach, Maine.
Tel.(207) 363-2961.
Posted 9/24/07
The quality of food here has
never been an issue, it's the service. Last time we ate here
for breakfast, we waited 15 minutes, had a waiter get our drinks
who wasn't our waiter, and then proceeded to wait 10 more minutes
for our assigned waiter. When I informed the hostess of our long
wait, she asked in a cavalier way, "Who is your waiter?"
How would I know, we never saw him! How about, "I'm sorry,
I'll find your waiter." The food, as always, turned out
to be fine -- a fresh fruit cup, omelette with peppers, onion
and home fries on the side. We've also had great dinners here,
including haddock, lobster, clam chowder, and Maine blueberry
pie for dessert. Additionally, the views are spectacular with
indoor and seasonal outdoor dining overlooking Long Sands Beach
on the Atlantic Ocean. The problem is, as in so many restaurants,
disinterested, lackadaisical and inconsistent service. It's hard
to eat at a restaurant that isn't running efficiently on all
cylinders. After all, you're paying for the overall experience.
Mini-Review by EH
Bristol Square Cafe, Walpole,
MA
Posted 9/20/07
1428 Main St., # 10 Walpole,
MA. Tel. 508-668-4342
The Bristol Square Cafe is a
spacious restaurant overlooking a pond in South Walpole. It's
a breakfast and lunch place with booths, tables and a counter
with stools -- sort of life an oversized diner. The food is fresh
and sometimes innovative. Last time, I had a terrific tuna melt
with bacon and in past times pancakes loaded with chocolate chips,
omelettes stuffed to the gills with cheddar cheese and onions,
fresh turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce and tender steak
tips. Service is efficient and usually friendly, the dining room
and kitchen clean, and the large selection of foods that should
please the whole family.. Bristol Square Cafe is the kind of
place every town should have, given the way they serve up great
food each and every day. Mini-Review by EH
Horse and Carriage, Norfolk,
MA
210 Dedham St. (Route 1A), Norfolk,
MA. Tel. (508) 384-2274.
Posted 9/18/07
The Horse and Carriage is a cozy
little restaurant featuring comfy booths and a large fieldstone
fireplace in the main dining room. We've never had a bad meal
and sometimes have had an exceptional one. Last time there, I
had a fantastic, and abundant, chicken ambrosia with fresh red
peppers and sauteed with white wine and lemon. The Horse and
Carriages makes a delicious eggplant parm, Italian-style pizza,
and offers an incredible French onion soup. Service is dependable
and friendly. The Horse and Carriage is one of those restaurants
that just feels right from the excellent food to the informal
but attractive dining areas. Mini-Review by EH
The Riverwalk Restaurant,
Mystic CT
14 Holmes Street, Mystic, CT
(Schooner Wharf). Tel. 860 536-5220
Posted 9/14/07
It's hard to come up with better
tasting broiled scallops, fresh homemade bread, clam chowder,
and, believe it or not, Pad Thai, than at this popular, populist
Mystic restaurant. Spacious and modern looking within a redone
former factory building, the RiverWalk surely ranks up there
with Mystic's finest restaurants. Certain parts of the restaurant
also offer peaks of the Mystic River from Schooner's Wharf. The
RiverWalk bills itself as creative and traditional cuisine using
fresh, local ingredients." The RiverWalk truly delivers
on those words. Mini-Review by EH
Inn
on the Blues,
York Beach, ME
7 Ocean Ave. York Beach, ME,
Tel. (207) 351-3221
Posted 9/8/07
You'll get the blues from the
music, but not the food at this appealing seaside bar/restaurant
across from Short Sands Beach. Well-known for its blues entertainment,
Inn on the Blues turns out some truly delicious dinners well
above the norm for a place of this genre. They also have a wait
staff with interesting, kind personalities, thus adding to the
overall fun, harmonious and tasty experience Recommended dishes:
Clam chowder, pesto salmon, chicken salad sandwich, lobster roll,
hearty chili, bay scallops. Mini-Review by EH
Champlin's, Galilee, Narragansett, RI
256 Great Island Rd, Galilee,
Narragansett. Tel. (401) 783-3152
Posted 9/6/07
The location couldn't be better
at this oversized seafood shack (and fish market) with indoor
and outdoor dining overlooking the ocean waters in the fishing
village of Galilee. Our sampling of a tuna roll and lobster bisque
didn't quite cut it as the former was dry and the latter unsubstantial.
The views are so good and the crowds so consistent, however,
that we plan to come back to try a lobster dinner or lobster
roll. We look forward to a better meal next time out. Mini-Review
by EH
Guido's
Italian Family Restaurant,
Walpole, MA
Posted 9/4/07
Kids love Guido's for the pizza,
pasta, homemade bread, chicken fingers, friendly service and
rotating dessert display with carrot cake, canolis, chocolate
cake and oversized chocolate chip cookies. The adults might like
Guido's even better for the exact same reasons. The pasta is
always fresh, the waitresses are not and the prices are quite
reasonable. We love the small, informal dining atmosphere and
the lack of pretension that seems to be permeating too many Italian
restaurants in the guise of gourmet, bistro-promoted food. Guido's
doesn't label itself; they just concentrate on giving the customer
what they want. A second location in nearby Norfolk (218 Dedham
St.) is every bit as good as the original with a bit more atmosphere
and dining space. Mini-Review by EH
|
|
|
