A Double Whammy

My brother thought that taking us to dinner on Father's Day at Bay Haven Lobsterpound in Cornish, Maine would be a great thing. This, from the brother who eats friend Spam.

It was crowded at 4pm so we took seats at the bar and waited with an adult beverage. The buzzer they had given us was in the shape of a Maine lobster and we sat it in the front of our table in the bar. So far, so good. Lots of bikers in there, liquoring up for whatever their destination was, so we sat and chatted and enjoyed our drinks.  If the evening had led no further, I probably would have given the bar good marks--we had a great time there, even though the server had allowed my drink to be empty for quite awhile.

Anyway, the lobster lit up red and buzzed, scarring all of us into action.  We led it to the head server who led us to our table in the first dining room.  We were right beside the waitress's station which included the non-alcoholic beverage service as well the computer that all servers had to use to keep their orders inputted.

The first thing I noticed was the air conditioner blowing right on us, so my dear brothers went to the car to get our wraps, The second thing was the flies in motion around every light/fan combination. They were off-duty, not bothering us, but I pity the poor diner when their fancy flightwork was done.

The menu was well-done, making it easy for all four of us to choose our dinners. I had a combo plate of fried scallops and shrimp, fries and a side salad. Lori had the prime rib with scallops; Bernie had the combo platter with haddock and clams and Ken had clams and scallops. Bernie was the only one who ate the entire plate of food, and believe me when I say it was a BIG plate of food.  I hardly made a dent in mine; the scallops were cooked perfectly with just enough batter and cooked just right. The Shrimp were the same frozen shrimp you get anywhere in a restaurant except for maybe in January or February. The fries were the same; they took them out of a bag and put them in oil until crispy. Nothing new there.  Ken said the clams were about a minute undercooked. Lori loved the primerib and she had a twice-baked potato that we should have gone with.

Service was average, decor was tacky and loud, and it seemed to me that the cooks hadn't done anything beyond using fresh seafood and obviously changed their frying oil frequently to make meals special.

I can't give Bay Haven Lobsterpound very good marks.  The scallops, twice baked potato, primerib and fried fish were one small mark about average. Everything else - service, cleanliness, ambiance, and food were below average.

Sorry, Bay View Lobsterpound--poor ambiance and poor food are a double whammy.

Fishbones Restaurant in Chelmsford, MA

If it hadn't been for my brother's insistence that he had to have sea scallops, we probably wouldn't have discovered Fishbones in Chelmsford.  We were fortunate to arrive a bit early and beat the line of waiting diners on this April Saturday night and were seated immediately. Our table was right by the door and all of those hungry diners waiting for a table so it was a bit loud and hectic.

The decor is lovely; subdued colors of the ocean on the walls with white beadboard on the bottom half of the walls.  There is seating outside, which would be very enjoyable on a warm summer evening. There are several tables that look out onto the Main Street.

Their wine and beer list is extensive, boasting 57 different beers, 11 of which are local microbrews. The wine list was a pleasant surprise; it not only offered a large quantity of wines, more than half of them were available by the glass.

My brother claimed the scallops to be the best he had ever eaten. They were sweet, fresh and the coating was perfectly done. The clam chowder, a creamy New England style, was a disappointment.  Although it was thick and creamy it lacked clams. The lobster roll I had was simple, and average. The lobster was very fresh and there was plenty of meat in the roll--the problem was that it was a hamburger roll.

The service was slow and the problem appeared to be understaffed. Each server had too many tables to give better and faster service.

Three out of four of us decided Fishbones was on the expensive side, although they did have a great way of bringing your check and keeping separate checks straight--each check comes in it's own little pail with a pen.

Would I go again? Sure, but I'd make reservations for one of the quieter tables by the window, and I wouldn't order the clam chowder or the lobster roll.