We have been to Freestone’s City Grill in Downtown New Bedford many
times for lunch but I can’t recall the last time we have been there for dinner
so we thought we would give it a try. It
was a rainy evening and we found ourselves in some construction traffic by the
waterfront, not making for a pleasant drive to the restaurant. Regardless, we had already committed and
thought it couldn’t possibly be very crowded since there weren’t any special
events happening in the city!
Wrong!! Thirty minute wait.
As hungry as I was, we left our name – it was better than trying to
think of somewhere else to go. The bar
was crowded so we decided to step outside to wait. Even though it was raining, it was rather
warm for mid-October. We walked outside for about ten minutes and then decided
to wait in the doorway and read all of the signage that was neatly displayed.
As you can imagine, I was very pleasantly surprised when we heard our name
called after only fifteen minutes.
The hostess brought us all the way through the restaurant to
a small table in the back room.
Freestone’s is located in an old bank building and has what appears to
be the original ornate woodwork throughout. There was a huge mantel covering an
entire wall in the back room where we were seated and a mural painted on the
opposite wall. The interior of
Freestone’s is very appealing, but it was also very loud – perhaps due the
acoustics in the building. Although it
was loud, it still felt warm and welcoming.
Our waitress arrived and asked if we wanted drinks and
appetizers. Since we had already had a
chance to look at our menus, my husband asked for a cup of chowder ($3.99) with
his drink (Sam’s Seasonal Ale - $4.25). I ordered a Malibu and Diet Coke
($5.75) and inquired if any of the meals that I was considering came with a
dinner salad. I was deciding between the
Baked Stuff Cod ($18.99), the Grilled Atlantic Salmon ($17.99) and the Teriyaki
Sirloin ($15.99). All three of my choices came with a choice of two sides, one
of which could be a garden salad so I went ahead and got a salad with blue
cheese dressing.
When our chowder and salad arrived, we had made our entrée decisions.
I chose the Baked Stuffed Cod, described as fresh-cut cod stuffed with their
homemade seafood stuffing, baked with garlic butter and topped with seasoned
cracker crumb mix. For my second side, I
chose a baked potato. 
My husband ordered the Grilled Meatloaf Dinner ($12.99). The
meatloaf was a New Orleans style meatloaf with andouille sausage and bacon. His
entrée was served with garlic mashed potatoes and smothered with sauteed onions
and gravy (he asked for it without onions). The waitress told my husband that
he made an excellent choice and that she personally loved the meatloaf because of
the delicious crunchy topping.
While I was really looking forward to a great meal, I was
actually a bit disappointed once we tried our entrees. The portions were
generous, but the meal itself was nothing great. While I was eating my Baked
Stuff Cod, I couldn’t help but think it was lacking in something – a sauce perhaps,
since both the cod and the stuffing were on the dry side. My husband’s
meatloaf, while smothered in gravy, was also a bit on the dry side. The bite that
I tried had a smoky bacon flavor, but I wasn’t impressed. I had also made it a point to try a bite from
the top to get some of that crunchiness that the waitress spoke about, but I
didn’t taste that, either.
I ordered a second drink and we asked for two glasses of
water to finish off our meals. I wasn’t
impressed by dinner at Freestone’s but will not discard them as an option for
lunch. We have had a number of delicious sandwiches at Freestone’s and unless
you are looking for a place to hang out, but not necessarily have a great meal,
I suggest staying away at dinnertime.
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