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Saturday Afternoon Taste Test: Freight Yard PubBy Susan Bush - September 09, 2007
 | | Freight Yard Pub Chicken Nacho Salad |
NORTH ADAMS — Lunch at the Freight Yard Pub is truly a diner's choice meal. Appetizers, soups, chili, salads, specialty sandwiches, 'burgers and full entrees are offered beginning at 11:30 a.m. seven days a week, which means tiny appetites and ravenous hunger may be satisfied.
The restaurant's children's menu is varied as well with items such as spaghetti and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches offered.
Owned by Colleen Reinhard and Sean Taylor, the pub is located in Western Gateway Heritage State Park [9 Furnace St.].
Cozy Ambiance
Patrons may sit a square-shaped bar or at one of the wooden tables that fill the casual first-floor dining space. The post-and-beam pub hosts a selection of photographs and lighting on the hunter green walls. Above the bar is a "railroad" complete with a train.
A working fireplace adds to the restaurant's cozy, companionable ambiance beginning during the chilly days of fall through snowy frosty winter evenings and into the damp days often associated with early New England springtime. Warm days can mean dining out-of-doors.
The pub is a great place for a girlfriends' pre-shopping spree lunch, a guys' beer-and-nachos pit stop, or a couples' meal "date." Portion sizes and food selections are right for sharing from appetizers to entrees.
I chose to lunch at the pub after visiting a Sept. 9 "Goddess Rising" fair at the state park. Upon entering the restaurant, I was offered a friendly greeting from "Dawn," a pub server, and seated myself at one of the tables. "Dawn" promptly arrived at the table, described the lunch specials and took my drink order.
Appetizers And Soups
I opted to order from the menu and chose onion straws [$6.95] as an appetizer.
Onion straws appetizer |
A heaping platter of deep-fried, seasoned onion strips arrived accompanied by an orange slice garnish and a container of a horseradish dipping sauce. The "straws" boasted a nice crunch on the outside and the onion inside was firm and tangy. The dipping sauce added some "zip;" may I suggest that additional horseradish would ratchet up the "zest" factor and add to the appetizer's appeal?
The portion size is extremely generous; this appetizer will easily feed two people and possibly even three folks.
Additional appetizers include buffalo chicken wings [$7.95] that may be prepared as "mild," "hot," or "not responsible" served with celery and blue cheese dipping sauce, Tex-Mex nachos [$7.95] made with tortilla chips, melted cheddar cheese, chili, salsa, jalapeno, black olives and sour cream. Fried calamari rings [$6.95] and "loaded potato skins" [$6.95} are included as appetizer choices, as are breaded, fried mozzarella "half-moons" [$6.95} and a spinach/artichoke dip [$6.95].
Soups are a menu staple, including Boston Clam Chowder, a "soup of the day," Texas chili, and French onion soup. The chowder, soup-of-the-day and chili are available as cup-sized [$2.95] or as a bowl [$3.95], or $4.95 for the French onion soup.
Salads, Sandwiches, And Entrees
I selected a chicken nacho salad [$8.95]as my main meal. Again, the portion size was extremely generous and the salad would easily have fed another person or two. This was one tasty meal; the chicken pieces were nicely seasoned and cooked to a moist, flavorful, tender finish. Tortilla chips surrounded a mix of shredded lettuce, salsa, shredded cheese, sliced black olives, sliced jalapeno and a substantial dollop of sour cream topped with chives. The blend of warm chicken, cool lettuce and cheese, "hot" jalapeno, chunky salsa and smooth sour cream made a great salad.
The pub salad menu includes a sesame chicken salad [$8.95], a buffalo chicken salad [$8.95], a Caesar salad [$5.95], and a Caesar salad with cajun chicken strips [$8.95].
Sandwich options include an open-face sirloin steak sandwich, grilled and served on Texas-style garlic toast with french fries [$12.95], an eggplant parmesan sandwich served on a bulkie roll with french fries [$7.95], a Box Car burger made from a half-pound of ground sirloin [$7.95], a Box Car Station, which is a Box Car burger topped with American or Swiss cheese, or mushrooms, bacon, chili or onion [$0.00] or a choice of two types of chicken wrap [$7.95].
Entrees include sun-dried tomato ravioli or chicken rosemary ravioli [$10.95], broiled Boston scrod which may be prepared in white wine and garlic or cajun style [$13.95], Black Diamond sirloin tips broiled in a smoked teriyaki sauce [$12.95] and "giant fajitas" made with chicken or sirloin [$12.95] or shrimp [$14.95].
Most entrees are served with a choice of vegetable and rice or potato.
The Sweet Spot
The dessert menu offers "Colleen's Magical Sundae,[$4.95]" described as a magic bar served with ice cream and chocolate topping, "Irish Cream Bash, [$4.95], which is made using chocolate and Bailey's Irish Cream liquor, a chocolate and peanut butter combination served in a graham cracker crust dubbed "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup,[$4.95]" a crowd-sized dessert named "Tex-Mex Sundae" [$9.50] that is promoted as fare for 2 to 4 people, chocolate lava divine cake [$4.69], served warm, and Mississippi Mud Pie [$4.69].
Cheesecake drizzled with raspberry sauce and topped with whipped cream |
Two cheesecakes, strawberry topped [$3.95] and raspberry-sauce drizzled [$4.95], are offered; I selected a raspberry drizzled slice.
The cheesecake arrived topped with whipped cream and swirls of red raspberry sauce. Three words: forget counting calories.
Homemade apple pie is also included on the dessert menu.
The bill for appetizer, salad, dessert, and a soft drink totaled $22.60 before the state meals tax was added. The eatery has a full bar and offers numerous bottled and draft beers, a variety of martinis, and other mixed drinks.
The ambiance at the Freight Yard Pub is very friendly. This pub is an excellent place for good friends to share good food, hearty laughs and good times.
Additional information about the Freight Yard Pub, including its' menu, is available at a www.freightyardpub.com Internet web site or at 413-663-6547.
Susan Bush may be reached via e-mail at suebush@iberkshires.com or at 802-823-9367. |
| I eat at the pub atleast a few times a month and we've always enjoyed the great food. So much that we never have room for dessert. | | from: aprilyn | on: 01-17-2007 |
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| I have visited the Freight Yard Pub on many occasions over the past few years and I have never came away without being totally satisfied regardless of what I ordered. From a simple Hamburger basket to the sizzling fajitas, all were great and at a reasonable price where families to may enjoy a meal out. | | from: Phil Carbin | on: 09-14-2006 |
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