Pho Paris Peabody

Pho Paris Restaurant is located on Rte 1 in Peabody, where everything is on the wrong side. They finally have a website, sort of. The scanned menu is available on FB. Be aware that the prices are wildly outdated. If you click on the TAKEOUT & DINE IN tab, you end up in limbo, so be aware. The owner lived in Paris for a while and loved it, hence the name. I think we are lucky to have so many excellent Vietnamese restaurants in the area.

Now, if I only could find one that serves Nem (nem rán). Elephant Walk served them when they were located in Union Square.

Parking is shared between the businesses, but I have never had problems finding a spot. Use your GPS since the small plazas zoom by quickly. I saw some reviews that mentioned ownership changes, but this place has had the same owners since 2013.

The interior is impeccably clean and pleasant. The wooden seats aren't the most comfortable seats I have encountered.

Everything that you need is already at the table. I like it when you get the little bowl that you can put the chili paste in. Handy if you want to dip the pho meats in it.

Not sure what the difference between the #41 Pho Special Combination (Phở Đặc Biệt) and the #42 Eye round, Steak, Flank, Soft Tendon and Tripe are? Aha, you also get brisket with #41, and that's what I went with. This is a medium ($11.95), but a medium bowl used to be the size of what now is large. I haven't been here in a long time, so I might remember wrongly. The noodles were a bit soft this time. The broth was fantastic, piping hot, rich and fragrant. I only got one piece of tendon, but that had a good texture. The tendon is all about the texture since it doesn't have much taste. I got a good amount of tripe that was still a bit crisp, as it should be. They did not hold back on the protein, I have seldom seen such a generous serving, and everything was cooked well and was tender. Well, obviously not the rare eye round. The promised chili pepper had morphed into two slices of green pepper. Always taste the broth before adding the condiments. 07/14/21

They have a big selection of various spring rolls on the menu. I picked the #5 Pork Meatball Spring Rolls ($6.45). "Steamed rice paper wrapped around pork meatball, pickled carrots, vermicelli, Served with Peanut sauce". The peanut sauce was excellent and really rich. Not sure what the carrots and daikon were doing in the sauce. On the bottom left roll, you can see a crunchy roll just under the skin. There were actually two of them, and they added a nice crunchy texture. The pork meatball was a slice of something porky. 06/09/21

The last time I had a Bánh Xèo at another place, it was terrible. Crispy Vietnamese Pancake With Tofu or with Shrimp and Pork ($10.95). Shrimp and pork, please. I also got Vietnamese Fish Sauce (Nước Chấm) on the side. The menu said crispy, and it was crispy to a fault, and it actually shattered when I dug into it. How crispy is it supposed to be? There were a few tender slices of pork and four shrimps halves inside. The rest of the filling was just beansprouts. 06/09/21

Fried Quail with Butter ($11.95) said the menu. The quail was cooked really well with a nice tasting crispy coating on the outside. The meat was tender. Not sure how the onions and peppers fit in. Quail is such a pain to eat with all the small bones, but it's really worth the effort. 06/09/21

Grilled Pork Chops, Shredded Pork Skin, Meatloaf and Egg with Rice ($12.95). I asked about the meatloaf on a previous visit, and she said it's not like an American meatloaf. Pork, egg and breadcrumbs sounded like a pretty normal meatloaf to me. I also wanted to try the shredded pork skin since it seems very predominant on the menu, and I have never tried it. Not for me. I didn't like the texture since it was almost gritty. On the other hand, the meatloaf was a delight! Tasty and tender. The pork chop, not chops, was nicely grilled, and even if it was thin, it was not dried out. There is more chop under the eggs. I got two eggs that were properly fried eggs with a runny yolk. The Nước Chấm was mild and went over everything. Fresh veggies, and I even ate the tomatoes after salting them, of course. The service is always friendly and quick. They clean after each customer, and the place is spotless. 08/10/21

Be aware that if you are heading back towards Rte 128, this green arrow at the intersection is kind of lying. The traffic coming from the left also has a green light. Doesn't this defeat the purpose of having lights? It really should be a blinking orange light here.

Address: 136 Newbury St #2, Peabody, MA 01960 Phone: (978) 535-8339

To lead people, walk behind them.

-- Lao Tzu

Viet CITRON Burlington

Việt CITRON in Burlington opened just before the pandemic started, closed, then reopened for takeout only with limited hours. They are now back to normal with indoor and some outdoor seating.

They are conveniently located near H-Mart and Market Basket. There is a light for the left turn into the plaza. There is parking in the shared plaza and a lot of takeout traffic. I tend to park away from the door.

There is limited seating inside. Takeout was flying out the door.

Sirloin Kimchi Banh Mi (Tues - Fri Only) ($14.50). "Banh Mi w/ grille sirloin, house mayo, kimchi, cucumbers, cilantro, and jalapeno". The freshly baked baguette is delivered daily. All the veggies are pickled in-house. It was impossible to get a good picture of the sandwich, but it tasted way better than what it looks like here. The chargrilled beef was super tender, and everything melded together to produce a fantastic tasting Banh Mi. It had some heat from the jalapenos. The addition of kimchi was brilliant, but I might be biased since I'm a big fan of kimchi. 07/28/21

Banh Hoi Bowl ($13.50). "Square rice noodles, lettuce, fresh herbs, cucumbers, pickles, scallion oil, ground peanuts, a side of chili garlic fish sauce, and choose a protein". Here shown with Crispy Pork Belly (+$1.50) and Grilled Prawns (+$4.00). Instead of the noodles being a lump on the bottom, they were nicely separated into rolls. That's brilliant! Here the pork belly really shined. Tender with a super crispy crackling that was really tender. The garlic grilled prawns were HUGE! The fish sauce was excellent, as it should be since this is a scratch kitchen where everything is made in-house. When I complimented Tran on the excellent pork belly, she said: "It should be excellent as it takes us three days to make it". 07/28/21

For this, I was invited as a media guest, but all opinions are my own.

I had to go back and try the Pho! Dac Biet | Ballerz Special ($15.95). "Ultimate bowl of beef pho: 48 hrs rich beef bone marrow broth, rice pho noodles, topped w/ beef shank, sirloin, eye round cut, tripe, beef tendon. Comes with a box of fresh veggies, hoisin and siracha". No hoisin in the box. As you can see, I added oxtail (+$3.50). The oxtail was good but could have been seasoned more when cooked. The beef shank was so excellent that the next time I'll go for just the shank version. The tripe was soft, but I would have liked it with some crunch. The tendon was good, and for once, there was enough tripe and tendon to keep me happy. Most places seem to think that they are not for white guys. Or they might be saving money. The broth! The broth was fantastic, rich, and well seasoned. This is a real pho broth. Don't add anything to the broth until you have tasted it. 07/31/21

Address: 47 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA 01803 Phone: (781) 739-3655

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
-- Marie Curie

Mexico Lindo Melrose

I have been doing takeout from Mexico Lindo in Melrose during the pandemic. They do an excellent Chili Verde, and the dinner portion is gigantic and only a few dollars more than the lunch portion. During the restrictions, they only started taking orders at noon. Now they are back to their normal hours. If you ask around about Mexican food, they are invariably mentioned. No Taco Tuesday deals.

They are located in downtown Melrose with free on-street parking. Northbound parking on Main Street is 30 minutes, but on the other side, it's 2 hours. Go figure! There is a big lot just behind them with 3-hour parking.

The bar area is back to normal it used to be the takeout pick-up area. The dining room is pleasant, and I think the seats in the booths have been redone.

Warm chips and salsa arrive promptly. I really like these thin and crispy chips. The salsa was smooth but was really tasty, not too hot and not too tomatoey. Of course you get the dreaded rolled-up napkin with the silverware inside. Why do they do this? It leaves you with a small wrinkly unusable napkin. Now you get the rolled-up silverware placed on top of a couple extra napkins, so somebody noticed. It was interesting to see that some people got paper menus, and some, like me, didn't.

From the limited lunch menu dinner menu, I picked the Chile Verde ($14.99). "Pork loin braised in a green sauce of special fresh Mexican “tomatillos” and spices. Served with tortillas". The menu doesn't mention rice and beans, but they are included. The rice was good, and so were the refried beans that had some texture left. The little cabbage salad was a nice upgrade from the lettuce and tomato you usually get in other places. The Chile Verde was really excellent, with tender pork in a delicious sauce. The tortillas were light and really palatable. It doesn't make sense to order from the lunch menu when the dinner dish is only $3 more. 06/15/21

Lunch Dinner CHILE COLORADO ($14.99). "Beef simmered until tender in a red tomato sauce, onions, mild peppers and spices. Served with tortillas". The beef was tender, but the chile lacked seasoning. This was a far cry from what I got at Toritos. The promised peppers were absent. For some reason, I got corn tortillas that were fine, but I like the flour ones better. Rice beans and the salad is always pleasant here. 06/29/21

SUPER NACHOS CON CARNE ($9.99). "Your choice of chicken, beef, shredded beef "picadillo", or our homemade Mexican Style Sausage". Chorizo of course! This must be the first plate of nachos that I have had that didn't have sliced jalapenos. This was a well-engineered plate with plenty of chorizo and cheese on all of the very fresh chips. The chorizo was good, but I wish it was a bit spicier. The guacamole was tasty and chunky. There were some refried beans on the bottom. Wish there was more all over. 07/13/21

BIRRIA DE BORREGO ($18.99). "A secret of "Don Matute" Lamb shank marinated overnight in wine and guajillo pepper sauce, baked to perfection, garnished with lettuce, salsa Mexicana and a slice of avocado". The lamb shank was fall off the bone tender and very tasty. The sauce was excellent. Not sure what to do with the lime, so I did nothing. 07/27/21

They have a nice patio out back that I for the longest time wasn't even aware of. Today was a perfect day for having my lunch out here.

This is what the takeout version of Chile Verde looked like. I might revert back to doing takeout when I get a craving for Chile Verde again. This is a way bigger serving.

The service is always prompt and friendly.

Address: 449 Main St, Melrose, MA 02176 Phone: (781) 662-4056

We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.

-- Fred Rogers

Sichuan Palace Chelmsford

Sichuan Palace in Chelmsford has been in business for quite a while with an excellent Sichuan menu. They have a very extensive lunch menu that includes two duck dishes that are excellent value for the money. Checking back, that seems to be what I almost always get here.

I headed up here on the weekend before all Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, and it seems life is getting back to normal. My plans were to go to the North Shore for lunch, but it seems the things are so normal that 128 North again isn't usable on weekends.

They are in a small plaza with plenty of parking. After the meal, the owner stopped by and asked about the food. Turns out that Yanni is the new owner and just purchased the restaurant in April. The previous owner was also a good-looking lady, but it's difficult to recognize people wearing masks. She kept the old chef, much to my relief.

The website is completely redesigned and works really well. Want to see what dishes are new? There is an option for that. Want to see what's discounted this month? There is an option for that. All dishes have three pictures, lunch dishes included. My favorite lunch dishes are still there, but with a new owner, I'll have to try them again 😄.

The interior is bright and pleasant and in excellent condition. There is a bar with seating to the right.

Upon looking at the new menu, this caught my eye, and I thought it deserved a small road trip. Double Cooked Pork Belly Noodle Soup (10.50). This is like two of my favorite dishes in one! It's marked as spicy on the menu, so Extra Spicy, please. Excellent noodles that were cooked really well. The thinly sliced pork belly was really tender, and the was a surprising amount included. For both this dish and the twice-cooked pork, I wish they cut the pork slices in half. Some leeks and red peppers were floating around.

Extra spicy it was. Look at the color of that soup! The soup was full of flavor in addition to being properly spicy. The noodles had a little bite left in them. 05/22/21

Their H&S soup is usually really excellent, but today there were some big pieces of tofu in the soup. Seemed to be more tofu than soup. The wing is juicy and crispy and really tastes like chicken. The menu actually gets this correct (1 wing) and doesn't promise chicken wings when you only get one. Technically you get 2/3 of a wing since the tip is partially missing. You also get a "poached" five-spice egg that's really a hard-boiled egg. You could technically poach an egg to be hard-boiled, but poached generally means cooked without a shell. I didn't read the menu correctly and missed the "egg and one of the following" part, the waitress, who I have known since she worked in Woburn, gave me both soup and the chicken wing in addition to rice. The five-spice egg was fantastic! Much to my surprise, the egg was warm and was marinated all the way through. Super tasty and such a nice surprise.

Lunch Sichuan Spicy Crispy Boneless Duck (10.95) and I took a chance and ordered the Fried Rice. I have always stuck with white rice because my experience with fried rice has not been good. The fried rice here was excellent, light and light on the soy sauce. Taipei Gourmet is another restaurant with an excellent version of fried rice at lunch.

I just noticed on the menu that the choices are the egg and ONE of rice, soup or wing. This can't be right. Shouldn't it be egg and rice and one appetizer?

The duck was crispy, but the back part was soo crispy it was almost like a cinder. There were bamboo shoots, onions, a few peppers and wood ear mushrooms. Extra spicy didn't work, but it was still tasty. I'm not really complaining since where can you get a duck dish for $11? There is nothing Sichuan about this dish. 05/28/21

土豆排骨 Pork Chop with Potato (14.95) said the menu. This translates to Pork Ribs with Potato, and that's more accurate. Extra spicy, please. I also ordered a small bowl of white rice (1.00). Yes, the pork and the potatoes are sitting in a pool of chili oil and spices. I had high hopes for this dish and wasn't disappointed with the tasty and tender pork that fell off the bone. Be aware that there might be bone splinters in the food, but this is kind of expected with anything on the bone. The potatoes could have been cooked 5 minutes less since they were borderline mushy. This will be added to my favorites list.

How big was this plate? I had a big lunch, dinner with no rice, and I still have a serving left. 06/03/21 Update: This is no longer available on the updated menu. 10/03/21. This is now back on the new fancy menu.

霸王大盘鸡 Chicken Legs with Douban Chili Sauce (18.95). "Braised with potato, noodle, onion, long leek, dry red pepper in Douban, and chili sauce". There is a heap of noodles hidden underneath. This was an excellent dish with tender, succulent dark meat and a bushel of perfectly cooked potatoes. This is on the bone, so beware. The menu said three chillis, but despite pleading with Yanni to get it three chili spicy, it was at the most, one chili. It was, however, a super tasty dish, and it was a VERY generous serving. Another new favorite. The rice bowl in the background shows the size. Probably should have put it next to the dish instead.😋 06/20/21

Yup, a picture of an H&S soup again, but it's only because today it was excellent. Both sour and hot, and it had interesting bits floating around in the soup. Don't miss the soup if you go for lunch.

Lunch Hot Dry Pepper Fish Filet (11.95). This is a classic preparation and appears on all Sichuan menus, albeit under different names. The fish is spicy, crispy and delicious. There were some leeks involved, but apart from that, it was all fish. My chicken wing today was BIG and super crispy and, of course, cooked perfectly. The "poached" five-spicy egg wasn't ready and arrived later. I finally have figured out the lunch menu. It should say "and one choice each of the following". 07/07/21

Lunch Fish Filet with Spicy Chili Oil Sauce (10.95). This is another classic Sichuan dish, sometimes called Fish Filets with Napa Cabbage with Spicy Chili Sauce. Look at the size of that lunch portion! The fish was a tad mushy, but everything else was top-notch. The leeks and celery were cooked, and the celery still had a bit of crunch. Plenty of chili oil sauce. Don't miss the excellent chicken wing if you go for lunch. Last time the egg was barely marinated, and today it was absent. 07/20/21 Update: No more egg at lunch.

The service is always pleasant here, but make sure the waitress repeats your order so that it's correct. 

The suggested tip on the check is calculated including tax, but this only benefits the staff. 

Address: 7 Summer St #17-18, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone number: (978) 256-8545

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

-- Anne Lamott

Kitty's North Reading

I had a terrible meal at Kitty's Restaurant & Lounge in North Reading back in '17 and had no interest in returning. For no good reason, I decided to pay them another visit. This time it was a completely different experience. They will cook a pork chop pink, and the service is really great. Nothing is ever a problem.

They have been a fixture in North Reading for over 65 years. The food and service seem to have improved after they briefly got closed down. They proudly call their food family-style Italian American. They incorporated in Mass 02-11-1943.

Kitty's is located on Rte 28 and has a BIG parking lot. Occasionally there are car meets here. This photo doesn't really show the size of the building, but it's big. Need a function room for 150 people? They have it.

The inside must have been refurbed in the not too distant past. It's bright and in very nice condition. The gentlemen in the middle were there on a later visit as well.

The add-on Caesar salad for $1.95. A good-sized salad that was fresh, but the croutons were rock hard. The dressing is excellent. But where is the parmesan? We don't do that said the waitress and got me a shaker of the supermarket parmesan. If this was true, I would have noticed it on previous visits. Ordered it again later, and again no parmesan. You get fresh (cold) bread and rock-hard butter.

Lunch Pasta with White Clam Sauce ($13.50). I ordered it with spaghetti, and when it arrived, it was with linguini. How complicated was my order? The pasta was cooked nicely, and it was a big heap of it. There could have been more clams, but what was there was tender. The sauce for this dish is normally oil, white wine, garlic, and seasoning. I think they may have been a bit too generous with the olive oil. The leftovers were sitting in 1/2 inch of oil in the box, so there was definitely way too much oil. Not a recommended dish. Some of the clams were also gritty.

I found out later that this dish comes with a salad included. Not noticing that was my bad, and I paid for it. 05/12/21

Lunch Broiled Lamb Chops ($16.25). I got three porterhouse chops that were pink all the way and nicely broiled. The Delmonico potatoes, formerly known as cheesy potatoes, were nice and cheesy. The bright green mint jelly was probably from a can but was still tasty.

We can't always eat pretty dishes! Lunch Italian Assortment ($15.25). "Veal Cutlets, Chicken Cacciatore, Meatballs, & Sausage". I think the plural only applies at dinner.

If you pick pasta as your side, you can then pick any sauce listed under pasta dishes. I had no idea and just figured it was the red sauce or the meat sauce. I picked the meat sauce since I have never tried it, and linguini. Just the pasta and sauce are really a full meal on their own. The pasta is cooked al dente, and the sauce was bright and tasty. The meat in the sauce was a bit lumpy and could have been more finely minced. Is there any cookbook anywhere that says cook the pasta in unsalted water?

The veal cutlet was tender. It was at one point crispy but putting the sauce on top of it quickly destroyed that. The Chicken Cacciatore sauce was delicious, and the mushrooms and peppers were not overcooked. The chicken was on the dry side but not completely dried out. The meatball (at 12 o'clock) was seasoned well and really light and tender. The sausage was tender and well seasoned and had some nice grill marks. I didn't realize that the meatball, sausage, and veal cutlet already come with sauce included.

This was a really nice way to try a multitude of items from the menu in one go. Or (in my case) in several meals 😁. Fresh soft rolls with rock-hard butter. What are they thinking! They had stopped the contact tracing at today's visit (05/19/21). It must have been recently since the hostess still gave me the pen, but no form.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese Individual Pizza ($10.45) can only be found on the takeout menu. Much confused, I asked my waitress if it was still available? She said it was, sort of. She had to put in a Mac & Cheese individual pizza ($9.45) and then add buffalo chicken (50¢), and that comes out to what was listed on the takeout menu. Look at all that tender buffalo chicken I got for 50¢! The M&C was really good, but the pizza was overcooked on the edges and undercooked in the middle, but this was soo good that I didn't care. I also got some delicious blue cheese dressing (Sauce? Dip?) on the side. Update: This item isn't available anymore and the prices have increased.

On this hot Saturday at lunch, there was more staff than customers, but they probably will get busier later in the day, especially when the 4 o'clock dinner crowd arrives. 06/05/21

I spied these bad boys on a previous visit. Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (MP $4.50 each). Breadbasket in the back for perspective on the size. These are bigger than humongous! They had a good texture but didn't have much taste, but that is the drawback of farm-raised and frozen. When did you last have a shrimp with some taste? Cocktail sauce, scampi, garlic or alfredo doesn't count. Just tasty shrimp. Despite that, it was interesting eating. 06/19/21

Cup or bowl of clam chowder? Breadbasket again for relative size. This would be a bowl in most places, but here it's a cup ($3.95). Slightly thinner than what I prefer, but the chowder was perfectly adequate. Lots of potatoes and clams. Not sure if the clams were fresh or not, a few were a tad wooden. The chowder needed pepper and lots of salt to come alive. Overall, a decent chowder, and the clams were not sandy. 06/19/21

Everyone is raving about their house dressing, and they even sell it bottled. Today I ordered the $1.95 add-on salad with the house dressing. The salad was very fresh, and the seasoned croutons were really tender and tasty. The salad itself was a bit boring and had just a couple slices of bland onions. The famous dressing I didn't really care for. Too vinegary for me, but at least I have tried it.

Lunch Broiled Pork Chops ($16.25) (w/ Vinegar Peppers & Fried Onions) with Delmonico potatoes as my side. Yes, I really like the potatoes and order them extra cheesy. Not sure if this works or not. The pork chops have fallen off the online menu but are still available. They had me really worried there for a while 😟. I ordered them cooked pink, and they arrived as ordered. A lot of restaurants refuse to cook them pink, so I'm happy that these guys will. These are two thick tender chops, with a nice sear. One loin chop and one porterhouse chop. The pepper and onions are also very pleasant. 06/25/21

Lunch Seasoned Broiled Haddock/Scallop Combo ($16.75) (w/ Lemon Pepper) (w/ or w/o Crumbs). I got the rice pilaff as my side, and it was well seasoned and tasty. The haddock was cooked really well, and so were the big scallops. The whole right side of the plate was scallops. This was a ton of food and an excellent deal. 07/09/21

Address: 123 Main St, North Reading, MA 01864 Phone: (978) 664-4541

A foreign accent is a sign of bravery.
-- Amy Chua

Anchor Pub & Grille Beverly

Anchor Pub & Grille in Beverly is open on its regular schedule with both indoor and outdoor seating. Breakfast is served until 11 on weekdays and to 12 on weekends. Lunch doesn't start until breakfast is done. This could be as late as after one on weekends.

When Covid-19 hit, they quickly made several changes. They promptly created an outdoor patio that was really well thought out and looked great. The patio has recently been redone into a permanent seating area that looks even better. When indoor seating resumed, the pool tables were moved out to create more indoor seating. The bar area was enclosed, and properly distanced seating was implemented.

I have been going here since the pinned Haddock on the Specials menu was $9.95. I must admit that this was a long time ago. It's now up to a whopping $12.95! Never tried it! Prices tend not to increase here apart from covering Covid-19 expenses. Also pinned on the specials board are the fresh lobsters and the fried clams. I have had expensive fried clam plates that were smaller than their clam roll. The daily specials are posted on FB almost every day.

The baked seafood pie is appearing regularly on Thursdays and Fridays. Crabcakes and shrimp cocktails are regulars as well. Sunday's special is a roast leg of lamb with two sides for $12.95. How can you beat that? Three slices of lamb with an excellent gravy —Extra gravy on the side, please— that I normally order with a baked potato and rice. Baked potato for lunch and rice for the leftovers at dinner. I will probably not include a picture since there is no way to make this dish look appealing.

They now accept Credit Cards, but a surcharge is added to your bill. This is not mentioned anywhere and is a bit of a surprise. It's also illegal in Mass.

The Scallop Plate ($18.95) from the specials menu is a great choice with super fresh scallops perfectly cooked if you are looking for something special. The fries are previously frozen but cooked as well as they could be. The tartar sauce is very fresh and tasty, and of course, homemade. Don't want fries and slaw? The menu is not written in stone, and making substitutions are no big deal. When asking for changes, the answer is always No Problem.

I decided to splurge on an Extra Extra Dry Tanquery Martini during the Christmas Holidays, straight up with a twist. When the bill arrived, I got a reverse sticker shock! $6.50 for a premium Dry Martini is unheard of. I asked what the most expensive gin was and how much a Martini would be? Hendricks, and it would be a whopping $8.50. Most of the waitresses/bartenders seem to be unclear on what a twist is. I have gotten everything from a squeezed vedge dropped into the martini to a vedge floating in it. Pictured here is their best attempt so far. I started to order the martini with one olive, but that backfired when I got a handful in the leftover glass. Now it's with nothing.

Here is the aforementioned Haddock ($12.95) with two sides that I finally got around to order. You have a choice of having it baked, broiled or fried. French fries and baked potato? French fries for lunch and baked potato with the leftovers for dinner. I was going with broiled, but the waitress somehow talked me into the baked version that comes with bread crumbs on top. The fish was perfectly cooked and still moist and flaky.

In the background, you can see one crabcake —$6 for two, recently increased from $5— that is excellent, especially for the price. I have completely failed in finding out what they are made from. They come with their excellent house-made tartar sauce.

Another special that I really like is the various pork chops. This is the extra thick Char-grilled Frenched Pork Chop ($11.95). For the longest time, they called this a French Cut pork chop. There is no such thing as a french cut pork chop. French cut should only be used with green beans and women's underwear. I asked if the chef would cook it pink if asked? Of course! The pork chop comes out pink and juicy. Look at those grill marks! The slaw is a bit bland, so I normally ask for some mustard to mix in, which helps a lot.

Here is the Thursday and Friday longtime resident on the specials menu, and it's the Baked Seafood Pie ($13.95) with two sides. Big shrimps, lobster and bay scallops on top of a white fish fillet. Everything is cooked well but could do with more seasoning. Their rice pilaff is cooked really well and surprisingly enjoyable.

Work on the new stone patio continues with a bar being added. This is hopefully my last picture with a mask on the table.

Fried Clams Plate ($24.95) is another daily staple on the specials menu. The clams were cooked perfectly and were tender and juicy, but the amount seemed closer to what I got on a clam roll serving on a previous visit. The fries were on the well-done side.

On today's visit, the pool tables are back in the lounge. I did enjoy sitting at a high top in there for my lunches.

I must admit that I have never looked at their regular menu, so when someone posted about their Lobster Mac & Cheese ($21.95) on social media, I was surprised since I had no idea. I also saw a post about their baked shrimp, which might be next.

This was an excellent Lobster M&C that was creamy and had perfectly cooked pasta. It needed a tad more salt, but the Corona salt bottle was useless. I later spied some saltshakers at the waitress station. There was a ton of lobster in there, including large pieces of tail meat, but truthfully, I would be happy with just the Mac &Cheese for $7.50. It was at least one full lobster in there.🦞

When a restaurant sees that you are ordering a pasta dish, they go KA-CHING! The most profitable dish in a restaurant. 💰

Cup of Clam Chowder ($3.50). I thought they only had the soup that's announced on their daily specials board, but it turns out that the clam chowder is on the regular menu. The chowder was loaded with potatoes and grit-free tender clams. It was also seasoned really well and didn't even need extra salt. How thick is it? Well, you can stand a spoon in the chowder.

Another permanent fixture on the specials menu is the Lobster Rolls ($22.95) with French Fries. I got hand-cut FF today! My waitress said that happens if they run out of their regular fries. I would pay extra for these. This is the regular lobster roll with mayo (absent) and lettuce (minimal amount). The lobster meat is fresh, and there must have been close to a full lobster in the roll. I do like mayo in my roll but survived without it. If you get FF, ask your waitress for a real salt shaker.

Address: 20 Cabot St, Beverly, MA 01915 Phone: (978) 921-0504

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

-- Robin Jones Gunn