Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse: Talking Buffalos Can't Distract You From Mediocre Food
Written: May 02 '05 (Updated Mar 03 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very kid friendly, clever theming, great service
Cons: The food is not great
The Bottom Line: A cleverly-themed, kid-friendly restaurant with below average food for adults.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse |
I have been to Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse a few times now. This is a review of the Dedham, Massachusetts location although we have also eaten in the Framingham, Massachusetts location and had a similar experience.
Bugaboo Creek calls itself a steakhouse and its menu definitely contains lots of meat entrees. However, what I think of first when I think of Bugaboo Creek is the comprehensive theming and the talking Canadian mountie at the door.
DECOR AND THEMING
The theme of Bugaboo Creek is rustic Canadian meets Disney. The theming is comprehensive. The outside of the restaurant looks like a rustic lodge. Although the Dedham location is right on a highway, there is some nice landscaping and lighting outside.
Inside, the rustic theme continues. The walls look like wood panels and the windows are covered with rustic-looking blinds. There are animal trophy heads and mounted sport fish on the walls. The lighting is made either of twigs or of antlers. There is an old wood canoe with cane seats hanging by the door.
When you first enter, there is a hostess stand. Next to the stand is a wooden statue of a Canadian Mountie. Every ten minutes or so, the Mountie will "speak." Luckily, we did not have to wait, although if we did, the Mountie would have provided some entertainment for the kids.
The interior of the restaurant is rather dark. There are both booths and tables. This ia a family restaurant, so expect lots of small kids to be running about the aisles.
The unique thing about Bugaboo Creek is the talking and moving animals. Some of the animal trophy heads talk. There is a talking Buffalo overlooking the main dining room. There is a large talking Moose head overlooking the bar. At the center of the restaurant is a large, stone fireplace. On the mantel are some barrels. Occasionally, a raccoon will pop out and look around.
Of course, my kids loved watching the talking animal heads and trying to guess when the raccoon would pop up. It wasn't constant entertainment, but it was enough to keep them distracted and entertained so I could enjoy a nice dinner.
The only thing that bugged me was that the Buffalo was advertising Bugaboo Creek. It asked us how our "fresh-tasting food" was and urged us to try an expensive dessert. The kids didn't notice the informercial but I would have preferred that the talking animals keep the advertising to a minimum.
SERVICE
I really like the service at Bugaboo Creek. The hostess greeted us and seated us quickly. Our waitress was extremely friendly and pleasant. Other servers delivered our food and they were also very warm and friendly. One even brought my kids those salty oyster crackers just to be nice and because kids love them. Although we had never eaten in the Dedham location before, we were treated like frequent guests that tip heavily. I would give this location the highest marks possible for service.
THE FOOD
The adult menu at Bugaboo is the downfall of the entire experience. Since Bugaboo is a steakhouse, the menu is heavily reliant on beef. There are a few seafood entrees and some chicken and pasta. However, don't expect a lot of variety and you may not find something you like if you are a picky eater and don't like beef.
I had onion soup as an appetizer. I normally love onion soup and order it often when I eat out since it isn't something I make at home. For the first time ever, I encountered onion soup that was completely inedible. First of all, this was not true onion soup. The cheese topping was swiss and it wasn't that yummy, stringy kind of cheese. Insteat of melting, it congealed into a ball and sunk to the bottom of the soup bowl. The soup was supposed to have a "hint of bourbon" according to the menu. Instead, it had an overwhelming taste of really bad bourbon which, combined with a salt content that could rival the dead sea, made the whole thing taste really, really bad. For almost $5, I would have expected better soup.
I had salmon for my entree which cost $12.99. For an extra $3, you could get a bigger piece of salmon. The entree came on a large, oval plate. Half of the plate was completely covered in what the restaurant called smashed potatos. They were basically lumpy mashed potatoes. I am not a potato fan, but I have to say that these potatoes were really, really good. Plus, I had enough on my plate to feed a family of at least six. Unfortunately, the salmon was not as good. It was not "fresh-tasting" as the talking Buffalo head had promised. It definitely tasted like it had been frozen at one point. It came with a soy/ginger/pineapple glaze. The glaze had been applied too early in the cooking process and had turned to cinder on the salmon. I had to clear off a lot of black flecks to get to the salmon which did not retain much of the glaze flavor. Plus, the salmon was slightly overcooked, although edible. The last thing on my plate was a bunch of mixed vegetables including carrots, broccoli and squash with just a bit of butter. This was fine but not particularly inspired.
KID FRIENDLINESS
Bugaboo Creek is one of the most kid-friendly restaurants I have ever eaten at. The creative decor and talking animals really appeal to kids. Plus, when you arrive with kids, they are seated with an activity book and crayons for each kid. Plus, the kids get their own small fork wrapped in a napkin so you don't have to fish around to remove a knife from their silverware. The activity books were great and appealed to both my five and nine year old kids.
The kids menu was really great. There were all the standard choices - grilled cheese, hot dogs, chicken fingers for prices from $2.99 to $5.99 which is very reasonable in this area. The kids portions were also very generous. Both of my kids had some to bring home. The kids entrees come with a choice of hoodsie or ice cream sandwich for dessert. However, drinks were extra. There were 99 cent sodas and milk or $3.99 smoothies. The smoothies were made with artificial mixes instead of real fruit, juice, yogurt or other healthy ingredients. I got the kids frozen lemonaide and they loved it.
The great menu and other kid-friendly pieces attract a lot of families to Bugaboo Creek. We arrived very early on a Saturday and the place was filled with toddlers and preschoolers. There were ample high chairs and lots of little feet going up and down the aisles.
If you have an aversion to dining in family restaurants, try arriving here later than 8pm when the little ones are most likely in bed. You could also try eating at the bar.
GETTING THERE
The two locations I have visited are located right near highways. Both had ample free parking.
OTHER THOUGHTS
We arrived at 5pm on a Saturday night and the place was half full. When we left at about 6:15, the restaurant was completely full and there was about a 20 minute wait. There isn't much of a waiting area or lobby - just some benches near the door. There is, however, a bar area for those without kids.
They have a full bar with a talking moose head over it. There is some bar seating. The Framingham location served the full menu in the bar.
They take credit cards. Occasionally, you can get a $5 off coupon in the local papers.
The location we visited was very handicapped accessible with everything, including the bathrooms, all on the same level. There were no stairs at all.
This being a steakhouse, there was little on the menu for vegetarians. Besides, I can't imagine many vegetarians choosing to dine in a place partly decorated with animal heads.
Apparently many birthdays are celebrated at Bugaboo Creek. The staff will all come out and sing a quick song while clapping. While this is probably thrilling for the recipient, it did get grating after the fifth time we heard a birthday song in the one hour we were seated in the restaurant.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
If you have kids, this is a great restaurant to try. They are very friendly to families and the service was great. Unfortunately, my meal was really not that good. Still, I am recommending it because we had a good time and the overall experience was pretty good.
HUNGRY FOR MORE? TRY THESE BOSTON-AREA RESTAURANTS:
BOSTON: Radius; Caffe Vitoria; Excelsior; Jacob Wirth; Cottonwood Cafe; Imperial Seafood House; Sibling Rivalry; Fleming’s; 29 Newbury.
BROOKLINE: Mr. Sushi; Fugakyu; Takeshima; Tsunami; Anna's Taqueria; Zaftigs Delicatessen; Bangkok Bistro; Golden Temple.
NEWTON: Appetito; India Paradise; Blue Ribbon Barbeque; Ice Cream Works; Baker's Best; Bill’s Pizzeria; Cafe Nicolas; Union Street; O’Hara’s; Yeradi’s; Johnny’s Luchonette.
CAMBRIDGE: S&S Restaurant; The Japanese Mall; Jasper White’s Summer Shack; Dali .
WEST ROXBURY: Cafe Misono.
BRIGHTON: Tasca.
FRAMINGHAM: The Aegean.
ESSEX: Woodman’s.
SAUGUS: Kowloon; Hilltop Steakhouse.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: Not Your Average Joe’s; Bertucci’s; Legal Sea Foods; Cheesecake Factory; Rainforest Cafe; Fire & Ice; Friendly’s; Ikea Cafeteria; Longhorn Steakhouse.
COFFEE, BAGELS AND DONUTS: Bruegger’s Bagels; Finagle a Bagel; Dunkin Donuts; Peet’s Coffee and Tea.
Recommended:
Yes
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modernmarvel
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