2
Main St.
Buzzards
Bay, MA 02532
(508)
759-1857
July 18, 2014
We were headed “down the Cape” for the
afternoon and wanted to try out a new restaurant, but we were having trouble
deciding between two possibilities – one located over the bridge and the other just
before it. Before we knew it, our empty
stomachs decided to cast the winning vote and chose the closer of the two –
Eastwind Lobster in Buzzards Bay.
Mom had read great reviews online, so naturally
we just had to pay a visit. To be
honest, the restaurant looks more like a bait and tackle shop from the
outside. I almost missed it completely
until Mom shouted, “There it is!” Since
you can never judge a book by its cover – and since places like this usually
serve fantastic food – we went inside for a seafood meal.
As we were walking in past a small outdoor
patio we noticed a list of specials with prices – high prices. You never know with seafood; sometimes it’s
going to be high, sometimes it’s not. We
were just hoping that the portions were appropriate to the cost.
After a few seconds of deciding what we
wanted to eat (click here to view the menu), I placed the order with the
cashier. We chose two bottled sodas
($3.76 total), an order of fish and chips ($10.99), a clam strip roll ($9.99),
clam fritters ($3.99) and a cup of chowder ($3.75). The total came to $34.75. The cashier took my name and told me that she
would call me when our food was ready, but she handed me my chowder right away,
which was piping hot. Mom and I decided
to sit outside on the covered deck, which overlooked the Buzzards Bay Marina.
We chose a picnic table and I dug into my
chowder. It was excellent. The broth was perfectly seasoned and the
texture was thick and creamy. There was
a ton of clams – and I mean a ton. Fresh
clams in every bite, and that’s something that doesn’t happen often. You can’t beat homemade chowder, and this one
was fantastic.
Before I knew it, my name was called and the
food was ready. When I went inside to
pick it up, I started laughing when I saw the fritters. They were huge! Unfortunately, my clam strip roll was not.
It’s no secret that I love to eat. I’ve had clam strip rolls in dozens of
restaurants and I have to say that this was, by far, the skimpiest. The skinny strips – which were greasier than
I prefer – were perfectly seated in the toasted roll. The last two times I ordered a clam strip
roll, I had to eat half of the strips off the top before the roll was even noticeable. I guess that’s what I was expecting on this
visit, however, the sandwich was tasty.
I squeezed fresh lemon over the roll to give my sweet strips some
tartness. The strips – contrary to
popular belief from anyone who prefers clam bellies – were tender and meaty. The fries were good.
Mom’s fish and chip plate was also on
the small side – especially where the fish was concerned. Although they were thick, the pieces seemed
kind of tiny. She did enjoy the taste of
the fish, which was white and flaky inside of its thin, dry coating. She liked the fries, but they were nothing to
write home about.
We finally decided to try one of the
baseball-sized fritters. I was the first
to have one and unfortunately I was quickly disappointed. The fritter was way too doughy – a result of
the enormous size. It tasted
undercooked. The coating was crisp, but
the inside was almost flavorless and I really don’t remember seeing any clams. It was just bread, bread and more bread. Mom didn’t care for them either. I think they need to shrink the fritters and
perhaps cook them a bit longer. There’s
no use serving a show stopping appetizer if it’s not going to taste good.
As we were eating outside and
listening to a nearby radio, we heard a gentleman announce that the raw bar was
open. When we were leaving, was passed a
little shack where there were fresh oysters displayed on ice. People were already lining up, so I assume
this is a very popular offering. I would
like to try an oyster one day, but I’m scared that I’m going to hate it! Plus, I don’t want to pay for something I’m
not going to like. So if you see me in a
restaurant and you’re eating oysters, please let me try one. And while you’re at it, please show me how to
eat the damn thing.
Will we be back to Eastwind? I don’t want to say no, but I will say that
we won’t rush there. I think you can get
more for your money elsewhere, even though the food wasn’t bad. It was just “ok” in our book, but you should
definitely try it out for yourself. Make
sure to get the chowder!
