End Zone Sports Pub - New Bedford, MA

At my husband’s suggestion, we dined at the End Zone Sports Pub on Friday, September 28^th.  When we arrived, parking was difficult since all of the lots were already filled.  We drove around the block and found on-street parking not too far away.  Considering the crowded parking lot, I expected to have a long wait.  I was starving and didn’t want to wait very long for a table.  Twenty-minute wait!  I could handle that but wasn’t convinced that it would be only twenty minutes since there were a lot of parties waiting ahead of us.  Regardless, we gave our name to the host. Just for kicks, I also started the stopwatch on my phone. 

There were two empty seats at the bar so we decided to have a seat and order a drink while we waited. We paid for our drinks ($10.50) at the bar and waited for our table. Eleven minutes later, according to my stopwatch, our name was called.  That was definitely a pleasant surprise.  We brought our drinks with us and were seated in a booth in the center of the restaurant.  There was plenty of seating with four rows of booths just beyond the large bar with visible T.V.’s from each booth.  Since this is a Sports Pub, the theme, as you would expect, is completely about sports.

The End Zone has a relatively large menu (which can be found on menujoy.com) consisting of a little bit of everything. There were appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, steak, seafood, chicken and more on the menu.  They also had an extensive list of specials on the board to choose from. It was a difficult decision, but I was finally able to decide on the Carne d’Espeto (tenderloin tips marinated in wine and Portuguese sauce, served with rice pilaf and fries) for $14.99. My husband ordered a cup of Scallop and Bacon Chowder ($3.25) from the special board and a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($8.99).  He was given the choice of hot or mild and he chose mild. As usual, I also ordered a dinner salad ($2.99) with blue cheese dressing.

After taking our order, the waitress brought us a basket with two mini Portuguese rolls and returned shortly after with our chowder and salad.  I took a bite of the chowder (before my husband could add the crushed oyster crackers) and thought it was absolutely delicious.  It was a rich, creamy chowder loaded with scallops and potatoes. The bacon added a salty flavor but was not over-powering.  I wished I had ordered a cup for myself – especially since my dinner salad was not very good at all.  The salad was basically a plate of iceberg lettuce with shredded carrots and a few cucumber slices, red onions and croutons thrown on top.  I ate what I could of the lettuce (some if it was browned) and looked forward to my meal arriving.



Carne d'Espeto

My Carne d’Espeto sat on top of a heaping mound of rice and steak fries!  They also didn’t skimp on the hot finger peppers that were placed on top of my dish. The tenderloin tips were grilled as requested (medium doneness) but there really wasn’t anything special about the taste. I can’t say the meal was bad.  Average and a good meal for the price is how I would describe it.  I ate all but three of the tenderloin tips but could barely make a dent in the rice or the fries.  I would take the remaining tips home and have them for lunch the next day.

 



Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

My husband’s sandwich was a very typical sports pub meal.  My husband described it as “good, but not very buffalowy” (he should have ordered it hot instead of mild).  His sandwich was also served with a mound of steak fries and also included a side of blue cheese dressing and a dill pickle.

 

The End Zone gives you lots of food at a reasonable price. It’s certainly not gourmet, but it isn’t bad food.  If you’re looking for a sports bar experience, then I would recommend trying the End Zone Sports Pub (218 Coggeshall Street, New Bedford, MA).

Our total bill (with another drink included) was $37.69 after tax.  Menu Joy does have a coupon available for $5 off a food purchase of $30 or more but it is only valid Sunday through Thursday so I didn’t print it out and bring it with me.

 

Black Bass Grill - South Dartmouth, MA

I had found an advertisement for Black Bass Grille in TheStandard Times a few weeks ago.  The ad described this restaurant as Elegant and Simple – Fresh and Local.  It also said “mention this add and receive a FREE cup of chowder”.  I clipped the ad so I would remember to check out this place at some point (and remember to order the free chowder).  That’s exactly what we did on September 21^st.  We didn’t have any specific restaurant in mind so I started flipping through my collection of coupons, ads, and notes and found the ad for BlackBass Grill that I had cut out.  We headed toward Padanaram Village in South Dartmouth until we reached 3 Water Street (which happened to be just after the Padanaram Bridge). 

We located the restaurant but had to drive around the block to find the parking lot.  As we walked up to the restaurant I noticed lots of outdoor seating, which I imagined would be packed with guests during the summer season.  Since the weather was a bit cool, they had an outdoor heater in the event that you wanted to be seated outdoors to enjoy the night air.  There was one couple seated outdoors enjoying a cocktail.

Considering the restaurant was relatively small, with only a dozen tables and a bar equipped with seating for eight, we did not have to wait for a table.  The waitress arrived promptly to take our drink order and gave us plenty of time to look over our menus. 

We started by ordering our “free” chowder (menu price was $3.50) and a dinner salad with blue cheese dressing ($2.50).  I ordered the Padanaram Bouillabaisse ($21) and my husband ordered a Philly Cheese Steak Pizza ($12.50). 

The chowder and salad arrived and we were also brought a basket of warm ciabatta bread.  The chowder was not thick and creamy, but rather more of a broth based chowder.  I had a spoonful and could taste a hint of bacon flavor.  It wasn’t the best chowder I have tasted, but my husband enjoyed it. (He added crushed oyster crackers to thicken it up.)

The bouillabaisse was described to have a spicy Portuguese broth but I didn’t find it very spicy. Most of the flavor came from the capers, green olives, tomatoes, onions and garlic that were included rather than from any Portuguese seasoning. I didn’t think this was a bad flavor, but it just wasn’t the flavor I was expecting. What I did enjoy about my dish was the fresh taste of the scallops, mussels and haddock that sat on top of the angel hair pasta.  I also enjoyed the salty taste of the green olives.

 

My husband’s pizza was an individual sized, thin crust, brick oven pizza loaded with lots of American and Mozzarella cheese.  Since this was a Philly Cheese Steak Pizza, there wasn’t any traditional pizza sauce so it didn’t have that typically pizza flavor. Instead, it had a white sauce and sautéed peppers. The bite that I took seemed to have almost too much cheese (if there is such a thing).  He ate half of his pizza and took the other half home. 

 

While we waited for our meals to arrive, I had the chance to really look around the restaurant. The décor, including the white trim, gave the restaurant a beachy feel, which is perfect for the area in which it is located.  The majority of the patrons appeared to be local regulars, especially those that were seated at the bar.  Everyone seemed to know everyone else and by the time we left, the bar was very crowded with standing room only.

Overall, I enjoyed the Black Bass Grille but my husband didn’t think that there were many choices on the menu that appealed to him so we will probably not be rushing back.  Our total bill was $54.57 including the tax.

Ma Raffa's - New Bedford, MA

We were on our way to see Your Theatre, Inc.’s production of The Brighton Beach Memories by Neil Simon and wanted to find a restaurant that was close to the theater.  A local restaurant search on my Android phone showed a few places in the area, including Ma Raffa’s on Rockdale Ave.  Having never been here (I have been to the one in Somerset), I thought we should give it a try.  Unfortunately if I had time to do a little research I would have found a coupon to use (there was a coupon for “Buy One Meal Get One Absolutely Free” – up to $6.99 in my mailbox the day before but I hadn’t glanced through the flyer to cut it out yet – I found it the next morning). Based on my experience at Ma Raffa’s, I did not cut out the coupon for use during another visit but did cut out a few others to use at some other restaurants.

We arrived just after 6:30 p.m. and I immediately noticed how loud it was inside and all of the waitresses appeared to be rushing around. Although the dining area was full, we did not have to wait for a table so I knew we would have no trouble making it to the theater in time for the 8:00 show.  Not the best ambiance, but we would make do.

The waitress asked us if she could take our drink order.  They didn’t have a full bar but rather a   “limited bar” as she called it.  The “limited bar” didn’t have coconut rum.  That’s a problem!  Just a Diet Pepsi ($1.99) for me, then!  My husband ordered a Sam’s Seasonal draft ($3.95).

The beverages arrived rather quickly and the waitress asked if she could take our order. I barely had a chance to look at the menu and was feeling very rushed.  I asked for a few more minutes to look over the menu. After looking at all of the choices, I thought that the Chicken Marsala ($10.49) sounded pretty good and settled on that.  My husband ordered the Chicken Parmigiana ($9.99) which came with a side of spaghetti, ziti or French fries.  He chose the fries.

While waiting for our meals, I decided I should have ordered a dinner salad to eat before my meal arrived. It took me a few minutes to get the waitresses attention, but when I did, I ordered the salad.  Instead of the typical Italian dressing, I opted for Blue Cheese.  The salad was a basic salad with iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, black olives, and loads of onions on top.  I had barely eaten half of the salad when the meals arrived.

Chicken Marsala

My Chicken Marsala did not look like Chicken Marsala at all.  It was basically three breaded chicken fingers and a whole lot of button mushrooms on top of a bowl of ziti drenched in a pool of garlic and olive oil. There was maybe a small hint of Marsala wine, but not enough to call this dish Chicken Marsala. The garlic wasn’t even fresh but rather minced garlic that comes in a jar.

Pool of
Garlic and Olive Oil

The Chicken Parmigiana that my husband ordered was made with the same breaded chicken fingers but in a dish with tomato sauce and melted cheese. He didn’t complain about his meal but I had a taste and the sauce was not very flavorful. This wasn’t a dish that I would have been happy about.  The frozen French fries that he got on the side didn’t compliment this meal, either.

 

This was definitely not a great meal experience but we paid our bill (total was $32.33 plus tip) and were out by 7:30 – in plenty of time to get to the play!

 

Airport Grille - New Bedford, MA

Located in the lobby of the New Bedford Regional Airport, and overlooking the runway, is the Airport Grille restaurant (1569 Airport Road).  I was looking forward to a nice, relaxing evening and know that the Airport Grille never disappoints.

We arrived at the Airport Grille and were seated in the corner table directly overlooking the runway. The table was a bit large for just the two of us, but it did give us plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the evening. The main dining room had plenty of table seating as well as a long bar where you could you enjoy a few cocktails before (or after) dinner.  There is another room, which, if anyone remembers the old Airport Grille, appears to be the original space where the entire restaurant was located. This room now has several high tables and chairs as well as additional lounge seating with a fireplace to add ambiance.  I really enjoy the atmosphere at the AirportGrille and will sometimes opt to pay a little extra for the extra attention to detail that a restaurant offers.

In addition to the wine list that was presented to us with the menus, there was also a listing of specialty drinks.  I decided to order a specialty drink and chose the Atlantic Margarita ($8). This drink had Lunazul Tequila, Blue Caracao, fresh lime juice and a splash of orange juice. My husband ordered the Lynchburg Lemonade ($8). His drink was described as having Jack Daniel’s Honey Whiskey, Triple Sec, sour mix and a splash of Sprite.  My drink was a pretty blue color but I didn’t think that it tasted much different than a traditional margarita.  The Lynchburg Lemonade had an unexpected flavor to it – licorice perhaps?  I’m not sure if they added something that was not identified on the menu. 

Apple-Cranberry Salad

The waitress arrived and told us about some specials that were available. In addition to the entrée specials, they had an Apple-Cranberry Salad ($9) that we couldn’t resist ordering.  Described to have mixed field greens with dried cranberries, apples, candied walnuts and an apple cider cinnamon vinaigrette, this salad did not disappoint.  We told the waitress that we were going to split the salad and she brought it out on two separate plates, each looking like it was an individual order. I was impressed that they took the extra step to make two smaller versions of the salad for us.  Both my husband I loved the salad (so much so that I wished we each had our own full-sized version).

Along with the salad came a basket of dinner rolls. The rolls were piping hot and served with a dish of whipped butter. Even the butter was nicely presented on its own plate with a pretty doily underneath.  This restaurant certainly pays attention to the small details.



Roasted Sole

For our dinners, I chose the Roasted Sole ($18) and my husband chose the Short Ribs ($17).  The sole was stuffed with crab meat and linguica and was served with risotto, tiny green beans and hollandaise sauce. I would have expected a bit more spice from the linguica, but the stuffing was still delicious.  The risotto was a bit on the plain side but when eaten with the rest of the meal, was a nice accompaniment to the dish.  I finished the entire plate, which, by the way, was nicely garnished with micro greens. 

My husband’s short ribs were cooked in a hoisin BBQ sauce and served with coffee rubbed sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus.  All I can say is he literally wiped his plate clean (with the last of the four dinner rolls). 

All of the food we ate was delicious and worth the little extra that it cost us. Total bill was $64.20 and with the tip was spent just around $75.  Unfortunately I have never seen any coupons for the Airport Grille so when we dine there we expect to pay full price. I can say, however, that it was worth the extra money to have a little bit of an extra special evening.

Cafe Roma Restaurant - New Bedford, MA

We were heading out a bit later than usual and didn’t have any specific plans on where to dine.  After talking about it for a few minutes, we figured we would stay local and go to CaféRoma, located at 3371 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford (Route 18).  My mind instantly begins to think about what I’ll be ordering.  Steak!  When I’m in the mood for a steak, we usually head to Café Roma since they serve a pretty good steak at a decent price.

Café Roma is advertised as having Italian-American Cuisine. They have a good selection of pasta, seafood and beef (prime rib is one of their specialties) on the menu. In addition, they offer sandwiches and pizza. I don’t recall ever ordering pizza, but my husband will often order a sandwich (either tuna or steak), which comes with a side of French fries.

Today we both ordered something a little different.  I ordered the Pub Style New York Sirloin ($15.99).  The menu says “Caramelized Onions & Blue Cheese”.  You can’t go wrong with that combination on top of a steak.  When I ordered, our waitress, Lucille, confirmed it was a good choice. My dinner would be served with soup or salad. Kale soup was on the list of soups that night. While I almost always get a salad with my dinner, I thought I would try the Kale Soup.  I asked Lucille if the soup was good and she was honest and said she had not tried it that night (she admitted it could sometimes be very salty).  Her comment that she would bring me a salad if I didn’t like the soup made me feel better about ordering it.  I also opted for a side of pasta with my meal instead of the potato and vegetable.

 

My husband ordered the Smokey Mountain Chicken ($10.99), which was a boneless chicken breast topped with BBQ Sauce, Bacon & Cheese.  He chose a salad with French dressing, French fries and corn on the cob for his vegetable. While I swear he has ordered this at Café Roma before, he swears he never had it and if he had, he would have ordered it more often since it was so good.  Positive comments on his meal!

 

The soup and salad arrived.  Definitely salty! The Kale soup was not what I would have expected from a typical Kale soup. This soup had a beef broth base that was a bit too overpowering for my liking. I considered replacing it with a salad but realistically knew that I was going to have too much food anyway.  I ate a few bites of the soup and stole the olives and onions from my husband’s salad!  I let Lucille know that the soup was very salty and, as promised, she did offer to bring me a salad, which I declined.

Our meals arrived (which are sent upstairs from the basement kitchen by a “dumb waiter” – this saves the waitresses from making numerous trips up and down the stairs throughout the night) and we dug right in.  The combination of caramelized onions and melted blue cheese was a fantastic addition to my sirloin steak. Good choice!  The steak was cooked perfectly to my liking and there was only a bit of fat on the edge of the steak.  No worries, I cut it off and knew that it likely added to the great flavor of the steak.  No leftovers for me!

As mentioned before, my husband really enjoyed his meal.  He did manage to save just enough chicken to take home for a sandwich the next day.  The fact that we were brought a basket of bread and butter helped to fill him up.  The bread they serve at Café Roma is basically a sub roll cut up into small pieces but the butter they serve with it makes up for the lack of fancy bread.  I can’t figure out why the butter is so good but I think there is just a little hint of honey added to it. 

 

After drinks and tax, our total bill was only $41.70.  Don’t expect fine dining with a quiet atmosphere (there is a large bar with several televisions near the upstairs dining room and the downstairs dining area is a bit “crowded” with no ambiance) at this restaurant but if you are looking for a good meal at a decent price, Café Roma is a great place to visit.

Blue Point Restaurant – Acushnet, MA

My step-daughter had plans to go out with her friends on Friday night (August 24^th) so we invited my son-in-law and his mom (who was visiting from Arkansas) to join us for dinner.  We needed somewhere casual since my two year old granddaughter would be joining us as well. After texting back and forth with my son-in-law, we settled on the Blue Point Restaurant in Acushnet.

We had been there before and I knew that is was a relatively small restaurant that sometimes could have a long wait, especially on a Friday night.  Thankfully, they accept reservations for parties of four or more.  I called in a reservation for six (my daughter would be joining us as well) at 6:00 p.m.  We arrived right on schedule and were promptly seated in our reserved table.

Getting caught up in the company, I neglected to take lots of notes about the dining experience but none the less, I will make a few comments about our evening. 

In addition to the menu, the Blue Point offers blackboard specials.  On the board was also a note that a New England Clamboil was an additional $3.00 (due to the high price of clams). The regular menu price was $17.00 so $20.00 for a clamboil was still not a bad price.  Both my daughter and I decided to get the clamboil.  However, when the waitress came to take our orders, she told me they were out.  Very disappointed!  My daughter had a plan B to order the Nicky’s Marguerita Pizza ($9.50).  This pizza had alfredo sauce, sliced tomatoes, roasted garlic, parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil.  I didn’t have a plan B so I made a quick decision to have the Baked Seafood Casserole (scrod, scallops, and stuffed shrimp all in one casserole) for $17.00.

My husband ordered the Meat Pie dinner ($9.50), my son-in-law ordered the large Fish and Chips ($10.00), to share with his mom, and his mom opted for the Crab Cakes appetizer for $6.50 (she planned to have a little bit of her son’s fish and chips).

 

I didn’t personally taste everyone’s food, but they all said that they enjoyed their meals.  Based on appearance, everything was as expected.  Nothing remarkable, but nothing bad, either. 

We’ll need to visit again so I can give a more accurate review – and hopefully have that Clamboil that I’m still craving!