What was so appealing then is the same thing that has kept college students and bar hoppers coming back for decades — cheap food and plenty of it. The food was greasy and the portions huge, and it was the perfect antidote to sop up the alcohol.
Now my tastes have graduated, and my selections at Shore House have gotten a little more sophisticated.
That makes my visits to Shore House less frequent, but still enjoyable.
With 11 menu pages, I don't ever have to worry about finding something. There is little the restaurant doesn't offer.
It starts with the appetizers. There are 21 of them, many the standard fare, such as nachos, potato skins and mozzarella sticks.
A couple of them, however, are intriguing. The New England style Lump Crab Cakes are served with creamy roasted red pepper roulade made with real snow crabs.
Another one I had never seen was deep fried artichoke hearts. They are served with lemon butter, fresh garlic and melted mozzarella and the trio of tastes disguise the gritty taste of artichokes.
Some of the other choices are deep fried Mahi-Mahi bites, beer battered and very tasty, though a little too greasy. The other is tender prime rib strips, sliced and served in au jus with horseradish and garlic bread.
The entrees take over after the page of appetizers and routine selections like deep fried shrimp, Yankee pot roast and chicken fried steak dominate the page.
There are two that I would suggest. One is Steak Diane, a 12-ounce choice top sirloin skillet seared and deglazed with cognac, Dijon mustard and a touch of cream. The surf and turf is priced well at $18.85 with a 12-ounce T-bone or bacon wrapped petite filet mignon, with colossal shrimp on a skewer or deep fried.
