"Nick's Hometown Grille has recently reopened after renovations, and my husband and I were excited to try the new menu with our best friends. My friend's husband quickly chose his order since he doesn't eat fish, while my friend also decided fairly quickly. My husband opted for the New England Clam Chowder and the Crispy Fish Sandwich. The chowder looked appealing, and while he found it good, he thought it could have used more clams and fewer potatoes. He enjoyed the fish sandwich, noting that it was crispy but the fish itself was a bit thin and mushy beneath the breading.
As for me, I was in the mood for a lobster roll, which the menu described as containing lobster, corn, red onion, and Old Bay mayo. I asked if I could have it without the onion, but was informed that it couldn’t be altered, which surprised me as I’ve never seen onions in a lobster roll before in NY, RI, ME, CT, or MA. I mentioned to my husband that the flavor of onion might overpower the sweetness of the lobster. Next, I inquired about the Crab Cake BLT, which comes with spicy sauce, and requested it without the sauce, and that was approved. I also ordered some little neck clams on the half shell.
We asked for the soup and clams to be served together, followed by our entrees. But the server insisted we wanted everything at once. The clams arrived cold, well-cleaned, and nicely detached from their shells on a bed of ice with a few lemon wedges. However, the accompanying sauces turned out to be ketchup and a strange orange, spicy concoction full of onions and oil. None of us received a shellfish fork, not even my friend who ordered mussels. To make matters worse, our soup, clams, and hot sandwiches all arrived at the same time! At this point, I was quite frustrated."
