Yesterday, I was walking through downtown Walpole, Mass., and the whole place smelled like steak tips. Coincidence that Conrad’s opened its doors for the first time, yesterday at 4 p.m.? I think not!

Owner Bob Conrad, who, thankfully, brought us the great Conrad’s in Norwood, decided to open a second Conrad’s in Walpole. Taking over the long-time abandoned and rather ugly Kahana Chinese restaurant, Conrad’s looks like a real game changer for downtown Walpole. It’s a 5,000 sq. ft. restaurant, bar and function room facility that looks attractive, inside and out (nice awning and windows!), and serves those amazing steak tips that rival the legendary Newbridge Cafe in Chelsea. Of course, Conrad’s serves up some other mighty fine seafood, burgers, pizzas and calzones, salads and sandwiches at very reasonable prices, but those steak tips are, as they say, to die for.

The arrival of Conrad’s adds to a growing restaurant scene in downtown Walpole. Within just a few small blocks, you have “major league” caliber restaurants like The Raven’s Nest (Irish pub), Jalapeno’s Grill, Ginjo Asian restaurant, Finnegan’s Wake (Irish pub, too!), and Beckett’s (Irish pub, also!). And with a coffee place called the Coffee Perch on the way, locals in this pleasant, friendly southwest suburban Boston town will be able to sample some high quality coffee in a casual setting that includes WiFi.

Within the year, we’ll be updating you on our affordable dining experiences at the Walpole Conrad’s. Please let us know your experiences here, too, by posting a comment below!

Conrad’s is located at 909 Main St. in Walpole, Mass.