All aboard for a fun dining experience.Byline: Bob Datz COLUMN: DINING REVIEW When the Steaming Tender opened in the restored Palmer railroad station in 2004, its novelty and soundly prepared meat and seafood offerings, served trackside track·side n. The area near a track, especially a racetrack. to the passing tremors of freight and passenger trains, were all that was needed for a rewarding family dining experience. Now the menu itself is making some noise. More than a rail geek's paradise, the Steaming Tender is a worthwhile dinner stop just beyond Sturbridge and Brimfield, located in an 1881 edifice designed by noted 19th-century architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Rail station tchotchkes remain, from shoeshine chairs to a penny fortune-telling machine. A parlor coach outside has been restored as a dining car used for breakfast buffets and special functions Inside, a high-arching wood ceiling and wainscotted walls are the cocoon cocoon: see pupa. for a festive atmosphere below. Suiting a busy rail station, there was a reverberating re·ver·ber·ate v. re·ver·ber·at·ed, re·ver·ber·at·ing, re·ver·ber·ates v.intr. 1. To resound in a succession of echoes; reecho. 2. geyser geyser (gī`zər) [Icel.], hot spring from which water and steam are ejected periodically to heights ranging from a few to several hundred feet. of conversation emanating on our Friday night visit from dozens of red-clad tables A busy waitstaff seemed up to the task of keeping this retro experience a bubbly one. We could have stayed all night or eaten and dashed - either seemed to suit the temperament of our server, Sarah Jaskula. A freightload of 15 appetizers ranges from home-made potato chips at $3.99 to a $10.99 sampler and includes fried oysters and a jalapeno/onion ring conflagration called a Fiery Volcano. We split Grilled Portabella por·ta·bel·la n. Variant of portobello. Napoleon, a tasty slab with strata of fresh red and green lettuce, roasted red peppers, basil and gorgonzola cheese, bathed in a balsamic balsamic (bäl·sämˑ·ik), n a substance that can soften and reduce mucus. vinaigrette whose acidity was neutralized within the fleshy fleshy (flesh´e) 1. pertaining to or resembling flesh. 2. characterized by abundant flesh. , marinated portabella. In a word: Mmmm! The menu features a dozen more salads, such as Crantastic Caesar (regional berry meets storied emperor) for $8.99 or a lobster salad for $16.50 at the top end. Your classic Caesar can be had for $5, and house salad variations for less. We sampled a cup of lobster bisque bisque 1 n. 1. a. A rich, creamy soup made from meat, fish, or shellfish. b. A thick cream soup made of puréed vegetables. 2. Ice cream mixed with crushed macaroons or nuts. ($4.29, bowl $5.29) from the four "Station Soups." The consistency was natural, uniform with no oil spots and the flavor infused from the finely diced crustacean crustacean (krŭstā`shən), primarily aquatic arthropod of the subphylum Crustacea. Most of the 44,000 crustacean species are marine, but there are many freshwater forms. bits. Our main courses arrived a couple of lackluster dinner rolls later. The menu runneth over with broiled broil 1 v. broiled, broil·ing, broils v.tr. 1. To cook by direct radiant heat, as over a grill or under an electric element. 2. To expose to great heat. v. and fried seafood and beef selections, as well as a sampling of pasta combos and some of the whiter meats. The heaping sandwich board is also open at dinnertime. My accomplice went with trendy Bluebeard Bluebeard, nickname of the chevalier Raoul in a story by Charles Perrault. In the story Bluebeard's seventh wife, Fatima, yielding to curiosity, opens a locked door and discovers the slain bodies of her predecessors. Tenderloins. ($17.99). You get bleu cheese topping four medallions over a portabella. While tender indeed and decently filling, the beef was significantly rarer than the "medium" requested. The accompanying baked potato and the night's only vegetable offering, sauteed green beans, were less than optimally warm. My apple pork chops ($14.99, also available in Cajun) came with garlic mashed potatoes that were plenty hot. When I selected this I envisioned a more natural seasoned apple topping than the sweet baked glazed slices that seemed to have me eating dessert and my main course at the same time. I didn't argue with it as it went down easily, although thicker and boneless Bone´less a. 1. Without bones. Adj. 1. boneless - being without a bone or bones; "jellyfish are boneless" chops would have produced a more succulent result. It would have been hard for these quarter-inchers to be juicy and properly cooked, but my chops were indeed broiled to their highest potential. There was some room and mixed feelings as to dessert. As I suggested earlier, it was bordering on apple cobbler atop my chops, so I vowed to try a house specialty, Strawberry Short Line, on a return visit. It's a fried dough/strawberry syrup concoction at $5.99, and the only one of the desserts constructed in-house. I instead chose Chocolate Obsession Cake, wherein the chilly cake itself took a rear berth to the generous layers of light and dark mousse and chocolate fudge and frosting frosting the slight graying of the haircoat around the face, particularly muzzle, in dogs with aging and as a regular feature of some breeds such as the Belgian shepherd dog. . Good in combination with coffee, it might have stood up better on its own served softer, at closer to room temperature. Minus the drinks, tip and taxes, our fare for two came to $53.41. The Steaming Tender 28 Depot St., Palmer * * * www.steamingtender.com Phone: (413) 283-2744 Hours: 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday; breakfast buffet: 8 a.m.-noon Friday-Sunday Parking/entry: Private lot/handicap-accessible Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express Prices: Low to high-end; dinner entrees $11.99 to $20.99 Pluses: Spritely American cuisine, festive atmosphere, superior service Minuses: Some temperature inversions and beef tenderloins rarer than requested. About the Stars Perfection: * * * * Very Good: * * * Good: * * Below Par: * Serious Flaws: No stars Restaurant reviews are the opinions of reviewers based upon at least one visit to the restaurant. The reviewer is accompanied by at least one companion. Recommendations from readers about restaurants they would like to have reviewed are welcome. |
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