Tuesday Afternoon Taste Test: Boston Sea Foods Restaurant

By Susan BushPrint Story | Email Story
Sea scallop crepe entree
North Adams - The Boston Sea Foods Restaurant offers tastes of the shore to the city's downtown at a 160 American Legion Drive space that offers comfortable, casual dining and an extensive menu.

Be it a noontime nosh or a dinner with family and friends, the restaurant is usually occupied with patrons during its business hours. Today was no exception; at 12:30 p.m., several servers were busy taking food orders and delivering meals to customers.

17 Appetizer Items

<L2>The appetizer menu offers 17 items in addition to three soups - lobster bisque, creamy clam chowder and a "soup of the day" - and a salad menu offering a choice of garden salad, several varieties of Caesar salad, and a trio of chicken salads. Appetizers include crab cakes [$8.95], deep sea scallops wrapped in bacon [$7.95], coconut chicken [$6.50] breaded mozzarella sticks [$4.95] and shrimp cocktail with shrimp prices set at $1.25 per shrimp. Soups range from $5.50 for a bowl of lobster bisque to $3.50 for a cup of chowder. Salad prices are $3.50 for a garden salad to $9.95 a Caesar salad with lobster salad.

I chose mushrooms stuffed with crab meat and covered with melted cheese [$6.95] as my appetizer. The five plump mushrooms were packed with crab meat stuffing and melted cheese bubbled over the mushroom tops. The appetizer was very tasty.

Main Meal Menu Extensive

The lunch/dinner menu is extremely large. "Classics" include a seafood crepe [$11.50], fried clams in a basket [$8.50], deep-fried calmari in a basket [$8.75], eggplant parmesan [$8.25], and grilled seafood portabella [$9.50]. I ordered a baked sea scallop crepe [$11.50], topped with mornay sauce. I chose rice pilaf over potatoes and the meal includes a small side dish of coleslaw.

The meal was good. The scallops inside the light crepe were sweet and the sauce was creamy. The rice pilaf was notable with its' firm textured rice and full flavor.

Additional meals include broiled selections such as fresh cod, sea scallops, haddock, stuffed filet of sole, salmon, and blackened swordfish, all priced between $13.50 and $16.95. "Specialties" include raspberry coconut shrimp [$14.95], shrimp fiesta [$17.95], baked salmon with lobster stuffing [$14.95], seafood casserole [$15.50] and honey Dijon salmon [$14.95].Lobster and crab are sold at market prices and many fish are listed as "deep-fried entrees."

More Than Fish

If fish isn't what tickles the tastebuds, the restaurant prepares numerous beef and chicken meals. Boneless prime rib, king [$19.95] and queen [$17.95] cuts, are offered on Friday and Saturday after 4 p.m. and all day on Sunday. The restaurant offers a 9-oz. ribeye steak [$14.95] and a cowboy sirloin strip topped with peppers, onions, and mushrooms [$17.95] as well as chicken almondine [$12.50] and chicken parmesan [$11,95].

Pasta choices include ziti bake [$15.95], seafood scampi [$15.95} seafood alfredo [$14.95], and additional choices.

Sandwich selections include a fish fillet reuben [$6.50], a chicken parmesan [$6.50], turkey reuben or turkey club [$6.95] and a tuna melt [$6.50]. Burgers are offered with a choice of American, cheddar, or Swiss cheese and mushroom or bacon toppings. A 5-oz grilled salmon burger [$6.50] is served with a "zesty dill sauce."

And of course there is a children's menu offering a choice of cheeseburger, chicken tenders, spaghetti with marinara sauce or cod fingers served with french fries, a beverage, and a dish of ice cream.

The children's menu meals are priced at $5.25 and are limited to children age 12 or younger.<R3>

Drinks And Desserts

Beverages include soft drinks, coffee, tea, or bottled or draft beer as well as a selection of wines. The restaurant prepares a number of coffee drinks such as a "Black Forest," made with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, chambord and whipped cream, and a "Kioki Coffee" made with kahula, brandy, creme de cacao and whipped cream.

The dessert list is loaded with rich, decadent treats. Chocolate molten lava cake, mocha sundae, hot fudge brownie sundae, chocolate cheesecake, pecan pie and Key Lime pie are available.

I opted for homemade Grape Nut pudding, served warm and topped with cinnamon-sprinkled whipped cream. I recommend it. Highly.

The service at the restaurant was extremely good. Joyce Davis was able to recite the daily specials without pause and was also able to provide information about the food. Timing between courses was very good as well; no rush to finish the appetizer because the main meal was being delivered. And Davis was very, very pleasant.

The total bill for a soft drink, appetizer, main meal and dessert was $23.70 before the addition of a state sales tax.

<L4>The Boston Sea Foods Restaurant also offers a catering service and the restaurant can serve private parties of up to 50 guests.

The restaurant is open Tues., Wed., and Sun. 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. and 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Thurs. Fri. and Sat..

Additional information about the restaurant is available by calling 413-663-8740.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.

Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.

We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.

In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.

Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear. 

The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.

"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."

Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.

In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.

The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.

"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.

They are hoping their display carries on the tradition of the Arnold Family Christmas Lights Display that retired in 2022.

The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.

In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.

"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said. 

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