Captain's Place - Acushnet, MA

We were heading out to dinner a bit earlier than usual and arrived at Captain’s Place (162 South Main Street, Acushnet) around 5:30 p.m. We have been to this restaurant before and have oftentimes had to wait for a table.  We were pleased that there were several tables available when we arrived and we were seated immediately.  We apparently timed it just right because the tables filled up quickly and 20 minutes later, the restaurant was full, with a wait at the door.

A full restaurant usually means that the food is good and, having been to Captain’s Place before, we were expecting a decent meal. 

 

When the waitress arrived, I ordered a Malibu and Diet Coke, my husband ordered a 7&7 and we looked over the menu and the décor of the restaurant.

 

Captain’s Place was completely decked out for Christmas with garland draped over everything possible. Every wall hanging was wrapped in Christmas paper and some were ornamented with a big red bow!  There were silver glittery ornaments hanging from the ceiling and more than two dozen holiday ornaments hanging above the bar.  While it is the Holiday season, they may have gone a bit far with the decorations!  Decorations aside, the décor in this relatively small restaurant is simple with a half wall separating the bar and the dining area.  One wall has a couple of fish tanks with tables right beside them making for a unique view while you’re dining.



There were several specials written on the board, most of which I had no idea what they could possibly be.  Among the specials were Polvo à Lagaruro ($17.95) and Arroz dePolvao c/Camarao ($13.95). (A Google search told me that the Polvo à Lagareiro is octopus cooked with potatoes and drizzled with olive oil and garlic and the Arroz dePolvao c/Camarao is Octopus Rice with Prawns.)

Since I cannot read Portuguese, I am glad that the menu is written in English and each item is complete with a description of the dish.  After looking over the menu and the specials, I decided to order the Captain’s Casserole ($16.99) and my husband decided on the Cacoila Plate ($9.99).



Captain's Casserole

The Captain’s Casserole was a pan filled with shrimp, scallops, swordfish, linguica, littlenecks and red bliss potatoes cooked in a Portuguese broth.  The Cacoila plate was marinated pork served with a choice of two sides.  My husband chose fries and rice as his sides.  Other options for sides were Portuguese round fries, boiled potatoes or mixed vegetables.



We were brought a basked of bread that included both hard and soft Portuguese rolls but the table did not have bread plates.  The crumbs from the hard rolls left a bit of a mess on the paper placemats!

The moment our meals arrived at our table, I could not help but smell a strong fish odor from my dish.  While I know that swordfish can have a strong smell, something told me that this was a bit too strong.  I spooned out the three large pieces of swordfish from the pan and placed them on my plate to inspect.  One of the three pieces looked okay but the other two pieces were very fatty and did not smell or appear fresh (I tossed those into the bowl that was brought for my clamshells).  This was a major disappointment to me since the fish had been sitting in the broth with the rest of my seafood. I feared that the rest of my meal would be ruined. I spooned some of the other items from the pan and luckily, everything else was good. 



Cacoila Plate

My husband’s cacoila was not disappointing.  There was probably a half-pound of marinated pork on his plate, with equal amounts of rice and fries, sitting atop a rustic stoneware plate.  I took a bite of this pork and it tasted as good as it looked.

When the waitress arrived to take our plates and wrap them for leftovers, my husband made a comment to her about my swordfish.  He told her that the fish did not appear to be fresh and had an “off” odor.  We merely received an apology.

While I was somewhat disappointed with my meal this week, I will give Captain’s Place another chance because we have been there in the past and this is the first time we have had a less than great meal.  The total bill for the evening was a reasonable $44.07 with tax.

 

The Back Nine Pub - Lakeville, MA

I’m not sure why we have never thought to go to The BackNine Pub before but we finally decided to give it a try.  The Back Nine is located at 17 Heritage Hill Drive, Lakeville in the clubhouse of its 18-hole public golf course and is open year-round (except on Monday’s).  As we were driving to The Back Nine I had no idea what to expect but thought it was likely just burgers and sandwiches.  After reviewing the menu, I was pleasantly surprised and happy to be wrong!

The menu had a varying selection of items ranging from appetizers and salads to seafood and steaks.  Of course there was the typical selection of burgers and pizza as well but overall, the menu was chock full with six pages of items to choose from.

 

Shortly after we were seated, our waitress, Amy, came to our table to take our drink order.  I ordered my usual Malibu and Diet Coke ($8.50 for a tall set-up), my husband ordered a 16 ounce Sam’s Seasonal (winter) draft beer ($4.00), and my son, who I had just picked up from college earlier in the day and had decided to join us for dinner, ordered a lemonade ($2.50).



Bleu Buffalo Flatbread Pizza
 

Around the table, the decisions were difficult.  With some many choices, it was hard to decide. My son admitted that he was not very hungry and was looking for something that would be good for leftovers so he decided to order a Bleu Buffalo Flatbread Pizza ($12.99), which had alfredo sauce, cheese, buffalo chicken and crumbled bleu cheese on top.



Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Apparently it was a night for buffalo chicken because my husband ordered a Buffalo Chicken Wrap.  This wrap was made with buffalo chicken, bleu cheese dressing, lettuce and tomato and came with a side of French fries and a pickle for $8.99.  He substituted sweet potato fries for the regular fries for an additional $1.00.



Grilled Pub Filet

I was in the mood for beef and was torn between the Steak Tip Scampi ($14.99), the Steak and Cheese Quesadilla ($8.49) and the Grilled Pub Filet ($15.49).  While they all sounded delicious, the Pub Filet won with its savory garlic butter and thinly cut, crispy onion rings. I was able to pick from two side dishes and chose French fries and onion rings.  Other options were cole slaw, rice pilaf, sweet potato fries, baked potato, sautéed vegetable medley, or a loaded baked potato for an additional $.99.

It did not take very long for our food to arrive and we all enjoyed what we had ordered.  My steak was done just as I had ordered (medium) and it was delicious with the garlic butter on top.  The crispy onions rings on top of my filet were admittedly better than the side of regular onion rings that I chose but both were good. 

My son ate about half of his pizza and, as he was planning to do, boxed the rest to take home for a mid-night snack!

Overall, my experience at The Back Nine Pub was pleasant and we collectively decided that we would go back again.  This place could definitely turn into a regular “go to spot” when we are looking to stay local and have a decent meal.  The atmosphere is casual, with lots of TV’s available for viewing throughout the restaurant and bar area.  Even though it has a bar in the center of the dining area, it was not too loud, which is what I also liked about it.  There was nothing fancy about The Back NinePub but there was nothing bad about it, either.

Fathoms Bar and Grille - Fairhaven, MA

My husband had wanted to try Fathoms Bar and Grille, a restaurant located at 225 Pope’s Island Way, just off the Fairhaven Bridge and overlooking New Bedford Harbor, which we drove past a few days earlier when out doing some Christmas shopping.  Since we found ourselves in that general area again, we decided that tonight would be the perfect night to give it a try.  We arrived at Fathoms just before 6:45 p.m. and I immediately noted how loud it was inside.  When we gave the hostess our name we peeked around the restaurant and specifically asked if there was additional seating in a back room where it would be a bit quieter.  She told us that there would be a 15-20 minute wait if we wanted seating in the back.  Given the noise level in the restaurant, we opted to wait so we could enjoy some dinnertime conversation.

While we were waiting for our table, I looked around the restaurant and noticed that a large, rectangular bar occupied most of the space in the restaurant.  The bar was definitely a showpiece with a beautiful glass top painted with blue and orange streaks and illuminated with blue lighting. The dark blue painted walls, copper pressed tin ceiling and walnut furnishings completed the nautical décor at Fathom’s.

After waiting for 25 minutes, we were brought to our table.  While we were walking to the back of the restaurant where we were to be seated, I noticed that high top tables and large circular booths were available for dining on the outer perimeter of the restaurant. The back dining area where we were seated was not much more than a small alcove with only six tables and it was not much quieter than the main bar area. It did, however, allow conversation at a more reasonable level.

Upon being seated, we ordered drinks (Malibu & Diet Coke for me and a Long Island Iced Tea for my husband, $6 and $8 respectively) and began to review the menu as well as the long list of specials being offered.

The meals all seemed reasonably priced with a 16 ounce prime rib being offered for $19.50, lobster ravioli for $15.00, baked New Bedford scrod for $13.00, and a selection of pizza ranging in price from $5.50 to $7.00.  There were many seafood entrees on the menu and both my husband and I felt that, given the nature of the restaurant, we should order seafood. 



I started my meal with a cup of Lobster Bisque for $5.00 and ordered the Scallop and Scrod Casserole ($12.00) for my entrée.  My husband ordered a Stuffed Quahog ($3.00) and English Fish & Chips ($10.00).



Lobster Bisque

I was looking forward to trying the Lobster Bisque because it was described as “diced lobster meat simmered in a rich sherry cream” but once it arrived and I took my first bite I was very disappointed. The only way I can describe the taste is to reference it to the imitation cheese inside of pre-packaged cheese and crackers.  I was expecting creamy tasting bisque – not cheesy tasting bisque.  I searched around my bowl and could not locate a single morsel of lobster, either.  My husband tasted the bisque and completely agreed with my opinion.  At least my husband’s quahog was reasonably good (although it was exactly like the Whaler’s quahogs that you can buy at the grocery store).



Stuffed Quahog

While we were waiting for our entrees to arrive, I could not help but over hear the conversation at the table behind us. There was a woman that had barely touched her meal (she had ordered Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp) and when the waitress asked her about it, she said that she didn’t like the meal at all. The waitress offered to replace the meal with a different entrée but the woman did not want a replacement (perhaps because the other three people that she was dining with had already completed their meals).  At the time, I thought it was odd that someone would just send an entire meal back and not ask for a replacement…until my own meal arrived.

Scallop and Scrod Casserole

The presentation of my meal was nice, with fresh sea scallops and native scrod, topped with garlic compound and seasoned bread crumbs, in a casserole dish and oven-baked red bliss potatoes and asparagus (the asparagus had an up-charge of $3 but the only other choices for a vegetable were coleslaw and butternut squash, neither of which I enjoy) added to my plate on the side.  However, the taste of my meal was not very good at all.  The seafood was fresh but the preparation needed improvement. The seasoned bread crumbs tasted like dry seasoned bread crumbs out of a can with no additional preparation involved.  I pushed all of the topping to the side and ate the three scallops and small piece of fish that was in my casserole dish.  I also ate only a few bites of my oven-baked potatoes and about half of my asparagus since these sides were not great, either. 



English Fish & Chips

My husband’s fish and chips included one large piece of fish on top of a plate of French fries and served with coleslaw.  I ate a few of his (seemingly once frozen) French fries and had a bite of his fish. His meal was better than mine and in fact, the most enjoyable part of my meal was the few fries that I ate from his plate (and the two drinks that I had throughout the evening).

Part of the reason that I could barely finish the side dishes on my plate was because of the conversation I was now hearing from the table beside us (not the table behind us with the bad-tasting shrimp, but the table beside us with the bad-tasting butter).  There was a woman at the table that had ordered surf and turf and asked for a dish of melted butter on the side (to dip her steak into). She had a few bites of her steak and was insisting to her friends that it tasted like gorgonzola cheese.  After a few bites, she finally figured out that it was the butter that was off-tasting.  She smelled the butter and commented to the waitress that it was rancid!  Luckily she had not poured the butter over the steak and she was able to salvage her meal when a new dish of butter was brought to her.  Between the woman who returned the shrimp, the awful tasting bread crumbs on my seafood and the rancid butter at the table beside us, I was not very interested in finishing up my food.

At Fathoms, the drinks were good and the waitress, Aubrey,  was friendly but I can’t say that I will be back there again for a meal since the food was far from delicious. We paid our bill, which totaled $55.31 including tax, left a tip for the waitress and left, admiring the impressive bar on our way out. 

Not Your Average Joe's - Dartmouth, MA

I received my annual members-only birthday gift from NotYour Average Joe’s so we decided to use my gift this week. To become a member, simply sign up for their e-mail club (either in the restaurant or on-line) and you will automatically receive a birthday email that you can print and bring to the restaurant.  The email entitles you to any entrée AND dessert of your choice for your birthday.  There are two things that I love about this gift.  First, it is truly for the birthday guests’ meal – not the lower priced meal.  Second, they allow you three weeks to use it so you are not limited to this free meal just on your special day. 

I know that Not Your Average Joe’s is typically very busy on a Friday night and the wait time can be in excess of an hour. I also know that you can make reservations (which I forgot to do) or call ahead to put your name on the list.  We called the restaurant at 5:40 p.m.knowing that we planned to arrive at approximately 6:30. p.m.  I was told the wait was 45 minutes to an hour.  This was going to work out perfectly! 

We arrived at 6:30 p.m. as planned and were told it would just be a few minutes before we were seated.  Unfortunately, we still waited an additional 45 minutes for our table.  While we were being seated, the hostess apologized for our long wait and handed us menus.  Immediately after we were seated, our server, Amanda-Lyn, arrived with a basket of their “famous” bread and poured olive oil into a plate of parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper. While mixing the oil with the cheese, she asked us if we knew what we wanted for drinks.  Since I was having a “birthday dinner” I thought I would review the specialty drinks for something a bit more special so she gave us a few extra minutes to review the drink menu. 

Before Amanda-Lyn left our table, the manager walked over and apologized for our long wait. He said that we should never have waited that long (I assumed because we had called ahead and were given an estimated time).  I hadn’t minded the wait but he then proceeded to offer us a free appetizer for our troubles.  Of course!  I told him that I would love a free appetizer and I was also celebrating a birthday and had my email for a free entrée and free dessert!  The manager made a couple of suggestions for an appetizer and we quickly decided on the Buffalo-Caribbean Chicken Tenders ($8.99).  I wasn’t sure what to expect but when I read the menu it said that the chicken tenders are hand-breaded and tossed with their addictive mango-buffalo barbeque sauce, served with pineapple-jalapeno salsa and blue cheese dip.  Sounds delicious so I think we made a great choice.

Pineapple Painkiller

After reviewing the cocktails on the menu, one particular drink sparked my interest.  A Pineapple Painkiller ($7.99)!  I have been feeling a bit under the weather with a cold coming on so I thought anything with painkiller in the description was bound to help.  This drink had house-infused pineapple-jalapeno tequila, muddled pineapple, freshly squeezed OJ and cream of coconut, sprinkled with nutmeg.  Sounded too intriguing to pass up so that’s what I decided on.  Amanda-Lyn said that it was her favorite drink and warned me about the jalapeno before confirming my choice. My husband ordered a Long Island Iced Tea ($6.99) because he knew that they were good here.

 


Buffalo-Caribbean Chicken Tenders

Our Buffalo-Caribbean Chicken Tenders arrived before we even placed our meal order and I was happy with our choice.  These tenders were seasoned with just the right blend of sweet and spicy.  I thought these were better than the more traditional buffalo chicken tenders that are usually served at restaurants and could see why it was described as “addictive” sauce.  We placed our meal order and then we easily finished off this dish while enjoying some bread dipped in the cheesy olive oil.

 

Short Rib Stroganoff

I typically order the Balsamic Glazed Salmon ($17.99) when I eat at Not Your Average Joe’s but I really wanted to try something new.  After reviewing all of the entrees, I decided that I would order the Short Rib Stroganoff (as long as they could prepare it without the glazed carrots) for $16.99.  Perhaps I went for this choice because it sounded like a fabulous comfort food – just what I needed to help me feel better from my cold (that and, of course, my Pineapple Painkiller)! The Short Rib Stroganoff was described as Joe’s take on a European tradition with short ribs braised in red wine, served over fettuccine with sugar snap peas, caramelized pearl onions, roasted mushrooms, glazed carrots and a dollop of sour cream-horseradish sauce.  Before I ordered it I asked if it could be prepared without the carrots.  She told me that all dishes were made to order so they could add or omit any ingredients.  I also told her that I was unsure about ordering it because I typically go for the salmon.  My final decision was made when she told me that she would exchange the stroganoff for the salmon if I didn’t like it.  It was like “food insurance” – how could I go wrong?

My husband apparently wasn’t very hungry because he only ordered the entrée sized Waldorf Salad ($11.99). This salad had shredded chicken, granny smith apples, Craisins, red grapes, caramelized pecans, smoked mozzarella and romaine, with creamy sherry vinaigrette. 

I ordered a second Pineapple Painkiller and a couple of glasses of water while we were waiting for our meals to arrive.  Even though the wait to be seated is long, the food comes out of the kitchen very quickly.  As soon as my stroganoff was placed in front of me I knew it would be delicious.  The beef was so tender and flavorful and the snap peas were sweet and crisp.  After my first bite I was glad that I didn’t get the salmon.  My husband had a few bites of my beef and agreed with how good it was.  He commented about his salad only to note that it was just a typical salad – nothing special about it.  With my delicious meal in front of me, I wasn’t even tempted to take a bite of his salad so I can’t comment first hand. 

I finished my meal and while I didn’t think I could eat another bite, we decided to go ahead an order my free dessert (although Amanda-Lyn did say we could take it to go).  I narrowed my choice to the Hot Apple Cinnamon Sticks ($6.50) or the Crème Brulee Cheesecake ($6.99) and then left it to my husband to decide (since I knew he would be splitting it with me).  He chose the cheesecake. This, as they described it, was a blend of the most popular desserts – creamy cheesecake with a caramel drizzle, fresh whipped cream and raspberries.  The cheesecake arrived with a lighted birthday candle to make my night special.  I made a wish, blew out my candle, and dug right in.  Heaven on a plate – need I say more?

The total bill for the evening would have been $72.69 including tax but with my free birthday entrée and dessert, along with the free appetizer that we were offered for waiting so long, the bill was reduced to $37.41 (we then tipped on the full price).

The service and food were great at Not Your Average Joe’s – making it worth the long wait.  Anyone planning to visit this restaurant should definitely make a reservation or use the call ahead seating option unless you want to wait for more than an hour to be seated.  Don’t forget to sign up for their e-mail club, too!  What’s not to love about a free entrée and free dessert for your birthday?