Classic dishes rule at J.D. Cooper's.Byline: Bob Datz COLUMN: DINING REVIEW If "classic" refers to older cars, enduring rock tunes and surviving comedy bits, J.D. Cooper's is a classic dining experience, from Naugahyde tablecloths to its stone hearth and exposed, dark-wood beams. Our last cross-border incursion in·cur·sion n. 1. An aggressive entrance into foreign territory; a raid or invasion. 2. The act of entering another's territory or domain. 3. here was during the Clinton administration Noun 1. Clinton administration - the executive under President Clinton executive - persons who administer the law , and with the high-tech bubble still expanding, the restaurant's parking lot was nearly full. Not so on a recent Saturday in these leaner times, although "reservations recommended" on the Web site prompted an enthusiastic host to book us anyway for 7:30 over the telephone. This is comfort cuisine, where you don't have to translate the names of entrees, and sauce is just called "sauce." Sinatra greeted us musically, although the place proved multigenerational mul·ti·gen·er·a·tion·al adj. Of or relating to several generations: multigenerational family traditions. , moving to Simon and Garfunkle and beyond. I was betting on something called a "Surf 'n' Turf" being available, but as it turned out we would make our own. There are more exotic options. You can get your fajita fa·ji·ta n. A dish consisting of strips of marinated meat, poultry, or vegetables that are grilled over an open fire and served in a tortilla, usually with spicy condiments. Often used in the plural. - chicken, shrimp, veggie, beef and combo - accompanied by (huh?) a soup of the day Soup of the Day is the loosely scripted 2006 internet phenomenon that told the story of one man who is dating three women at the same time. Each of the 19-episodes of the story was its own 4-6 minute self-contained viral video. The entire series can be seen at [1] [2]. and salad ($12.95-$19.95). The menu kindly explains what a fajita is in some detail. Eight chicken entrees and a dozen seafood numbers (half fried, half not) come with the same sidekicks and "choice of starch." Poultry ranges from fingers ($14.95) to Max's Shipyard Chicken ($18.95), a boneless Bone´less a. 1. Without bones. Adj. 1. boneless - being without a bone or bones; "jellyfish are boneless" breast topped with seasoned stuffing, lobster and Mornay sauce Noun 1. Mornay sauce - onion-flavored creamy cheese sauce with egg yolk and grated cheese cheese sauce - white sauce with grated cheese . Italian, seafood and beef categories are also well-represented. Something isn't kosher here, and it's bacon. Cooper's does a lot with Cajun seasoning, so we tried pan-blackened shrimp wrapped in bacon, in an $8.95 appetizer called Cajun Angels. Also, an order of seafood stuffed mushroom Noun 1. stuffed mushroom - mushrooms stuffed with any of numerous mixtures of e.g. meats or nuts or seafood or spinach hors d'oeuvre - a dish served as an appetizer before the main meal mushroom - fleshy body of any of numerous edible fungi caps, topped with Swiss cheese, arrived for $7.95. Six meaty shrimp and five mountainous mushrooms later, my partner had one thumb up (shrimp) and I had two. The bacon enveloped en·vel·op tr.v. en·vel·oped, en·vel·op·ing, en·vel·ops 1. To enclose or encase completely with or as if with a covering: "Accompanying the darkness, a stillness envelops the city" the shellfish, so wide and flavorful it was. The very hot dish was embellished by a mild horseradish sauce Noun 1. horseradish sauce - creamy white sauce with horseradish and mustard sauce Albert horseradish - grated horseradish root sauce - flavorful relish or dressing or topping served as an accompaniment to food on the side. My props for the mushrooms included not only the thin Swiss covering but the gently spiced stuffing that was just moistened enough, not at all pasty. With 18 appetizer choices, this course seems a strong suit. But back to the bacon. We "up-charged" to get a spinach rather than standard side salad, and also for clam chowder chowder, stew of fish or shellfish with potatoes, onions, and pork (usually salt pork), thickened with crumbled hard bread. The name chowder seems to have originated from the French word chaudière rather than the soup of the day (cream of chicken) with our meals. Our green salad was ambushed by bacon like Gen. Custer at Little Big Horn. It came in bits with the spinach, mushrooms and hard-boiled egg wedges, also sprinkled with crushed walnut. And the dressing? Hot bacon, of course - even bigger chunks that ensured we'd get our recommended daily allowance. At least the bacon was of meaty high quality. The hot dressing was a decent but somewhat overwhelmed the fresh veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. . But let me rave about the clam chowder. The sight of dill and other abundant herbs stayed my hand, which ordinarily grabs for pepper to spice up the stew. That was fortunate because the seasoning more than made up for a mediocre complement of clams. It was hot, quite flavorful and a strong 7 on the 10-point viscosity index. A couple of soft, warm dinner rolls were also available to precede our build-your-own Surf 'n' Turf. We split a butter-soft filet mignon at $25.95 and baked scrod scrod: see cod. scrod Young fish (as a cod or haddock), especially one split and boned for cooking. The origin of the term is not known for certain, but it is thought to come from an Old Dutch word meaning “to shred. Atlantic for $16.95. The steak was cooked medium rare, as we liked, but we ordered it medium after finding many restaurants are off-target with thicker cuts. The outside wasn't brazed or crusted; the soft consistency was even throughout. My partner felt let down by the scrod, served very hot in a "shrimp, sherry cream sauce" she thought was too liquidy. It was very hot, bubbling as it reached the table, while the cooler sides seemed to have parked a few minutes waiting for the dish to catch up. I let it cool to discover the crumb-topped filet pieces were mixed with significant chunks of shrimp. The sauce was subtle, with the sherry barely detectable. The red mashed potatoes and baked potato were both nicely done, although the squash-red pepper saute sau·té tr.v. sau·téed, sau·té·ing, sau·tés To fry lightly in fat in a shallow open pan. n. A dish of food so prepared. was overmoist. We managed to squeeze in a tender piece of $6.95 walnut-flecked carrot cake, and our bill for food alone came to $77.75. J.D. Cooper's 146 Park Road, Putnam * *-1/2 Phone: (860) 928-0501 Web: www.jdcoopers.net Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 a.m. daily. Parking: Private lot, handicapped-accessible Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express Prices: Moderate to high: dinners $12.95 to $25.95. Pluses: Generally well-prepared courses, good service, varied menu within a mostly American cuisine Minuses: Inconsistent heating of items within the same meal, veggies lacked firmness -------------------------------------------------- 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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