You had me at 218
Written: Nov 22 '04 (Updated Nov 22 '04)
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Pros: Excellent food in a pretty restaurant. Nice service.
Cons: Pricey
The Bottom Line: I would go back and even more telling is that my friends intend to go back!
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| jo.com's Full Review: Lenox 218 Restaurant |
A couple of weekends ago we stayed with friends in western Massachusetts. They know the area and had wanted to eat at Lenox 218 Restaurant but never got there. This weekend we went there for lunch.
General Information:
Lenox 218 is located at 218 Main Street (Route 7A) in Lenox, MA. This is close to Tanglewood where you can see the Boston Symphony Orchestra as well as other concerts during the summer. It is a very popular area for tourists as well as summer residents.
Their phone number is 413-637-4218. The do accept and recommend reservations. They are open 7 days a week. Their hours are 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 5-10 pm Monday – Saturday. On Sunday they are open 10:30 am-9:00 pm with a Sunday brunch at 1:30pm.
Although we were looking for it we passed right by it the first time. There is a sign on the front of the building but it looks like a house more than a restaurant. When I saw the prices I was taken aback since Lenox 218 looks and has a casual feel to it.
We parked in the free parking lot. There were a lot of cars so we thought it was busy. This was a Saturday early afternoon. Lenox 218 has a “banquet” room. It is not quite fancy enough to be called a banquet room but there was a party going on- the reason for all the cars. We were warmly greeted and sat in the front room called the sun room. It is lovely. I noted on the menu that I thought it had a Victorian look to it. (However I did read on a website when describing Lenox 218 that they called it a “combination of art deco and modern”). Perhaps the vaulted ceilings and skylights give it the modern feel that I really didn’t sense. You’ll find dark wood tables with tablecloths giving it a more than casual feel. Large plants and pictures decorate much of the room as well as the bar. There is a wine rack against the wall next to which is a full bar with seating. A beautiful ceiling rack with glasses hanging from it doesn’t detract from this really pretty room.
Service and food:
The waitress came right over and took our drink order. She came over to us often to refill my iced tea, ask if anyone wanted more wine and to see how we were doing. She chatted with us about the soon to be World Series Champions. (Many New Yorkers visit this area so she was glad that her Red Sox cap didn’t offend us!) A nice basket of fresh bread was served to us immediately.
They have a very nice, eclectic Northern Italian/American menu. The food was very good. You can start with one of 4 appetizers including the soup of the day ($4.50). You can choose the clam soup with one half dozen clams ($9.00) or shrimp cocktail ($10) and a mixed green salad ($4.50).
Their lunch menu consists of 6 sandwiches. (The whole menu can be seen at http://www.lenox218.com/3.htm so I will only touch briefly on what we didn’t get.) However when looking at the website I see it hasn’t been updated since they have the soup of the day priced at $3.95. Our friends got an open face turkey reuben with sauerkraut and chips for $9.00 and the other got one half of a turkey sandwich and soup for $9.00 as well. The sandwiches were generous but not so huge that they weren’t finished. They also shared a large portion of French fries (4.00) or they could have gotten onion rings ($4.50)
I chose the chicken pot pie which was an all meat puff-pastry crust dish for $10.00. This was not a typical pot pie. I am used to them coming in casserole form. This was inside the pastry puff and on a dish. The chicken was white meat and was excellent. I loved the sauce. It wasn’t a heavy cream sauce but light, tasty and did not overpower the chicken and vegetables. The pastry crust was among the best I’ve had. It was flaky and tasty. This was not made by Mrs. Smith! It was really more of pastry dough than pie dough that one usually gets. I had a choice of a side of vegetables and got a medley. This too was very good, cooked well, tasty, and obviously not from a can. This was a nice portion and although I ate it all and wasn’t stuffed it was certainly enough.
My husband got the New England seafood cakes served with tomato salsa sauce for $11.50. This also was a nice portion though served a bit differently than I am used to. The seafood cakes were in the sauce rather than just sitting on the plate. It looked wonderful and he really enjoyed them. We New Englanders are very fussy about out seafood and according to my husband these seafood cakes were cooked well, full of seafood, not deeply fried and the sauce was not spicy.
A sample of other lunch items includes coconut shrimp ($14) and vegetarian pasta ($10). There are also 4 salads ranging from $9.50-$11.50. One is a chicken and roasted pear salad with a ramakin of blue cheese. ($11.50)
The dinner and desert menu is also on the above website but I will give you a sample of the dinner menu. You will have a choice of 7 appetizers such as house made mozzarella on baby greens with sliced tomato for $7.00 or baked stuffed clams- oreganta small clams with seasoned bread crumbs, parsley and garlic for $9.00.
There are 5 pasta dishes such as artichoke hearts with pasta angel hair and a light fresh tomato sauce for $16.00 or shrimp and calamari, fra diavolo (lite spicy) on penne pasta for $23.00.
There are 4 seafood choices including fresh broiled sea scallops for $21. There are 6 choices under the poultry, chops and steak section. You can choose grilled prime lamb chops for $25 or nutty chicken almond breast with a sesame and sunflower seeds crust for $18.00.
Additional information:
Although there are a couple of choices for vegetarians I would not consider this a vegetarian friendly restaurant but note that they will accommodate you and make pretty much whatever you wish however you wish it!
There is a children’s menu. Although it was quiet on this Saturday (except for the party which we couldn’t hear) I would imagine people do bring their children. I wouldn’t say this is a child un-friendly restaurant. It might not have been my first choice to bring my three kids when they were little but if you are out for lunch and want a nice meal, they will be fine here.
They are rated 3 stars by Mobil Guide and AAA rates them 3 diamonds.
Jo’s final thoughts:
One test of a restaurant is would I go back? The answer is yes, definitely. Although I think it a bit pricey remember you are in a pricey neighborhood so expect to pay higher prices at most restaurants in which you go.
The food was really very good. I don't like that we would have to order a salad separately especially at dinner time but will not rate it down for that reason. The food is slightly different and I like "different" when eating out. I don’t mind spending extra money when I can order something I can’t make at home (never mind that covers just about everything).
My friends, who are really very fussy when it comes to dining out and are willing to spend much more money than the average person loved Lenox 218 and do plan to go back for dinner so perhaps that is really the true test. I can find nothing wrong with it and am rating it 5 stars.
Please feel free to leave me a question or comment.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations I wouldn''t hesitate to order anything. It seems like all their dishes are delicious.
Best Suited For: Friends
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