Thursday, January 21, 2010

Seaglass Restaurant- North Salisbury Beach, MA



4 Oceanfront
North Salisbury, MA

Located in the Pavilion at Salisbury Beach, the Sea Glass Restaurant and Lounge seems a bit out of place. The panoramic ocean views are phenomenal. I can't think of another seacoast dining spot that can match them. Large windows on the oceanside of the dining room seem to put you right on top of the waves. The decor is classy contemporary. A large mantled fireplace is the focal point of the dining room. The lounge area features a horseshoe shaped bar that is surrounded by smaller tables and seems to catch a fairly nice little crowd in the evenings. Sea Glass Oceanside offers a well rounded wine list as well. I enjoyed the house Jacob's Creek Cabernet ($5).
Beware, Sea Glass can be pricey, The menu is a la carte, but has a great selection of fresh seafood, farm to table vegetables, and a nice selection of steaks and meat dishes as well. There are a few vegetarian options as well. Even the most finicky of eaters can find something on the menu and Sea Glass is very accommodating in preparing your selection as you would like.
My companion and I could not pass up the Chilled Seafood Platter appetizer (market price $32). It had a selection of lobster meat (half a tail, half a claw), raw oysters(3), raw mussels(3), shrimp( 2), crab meat (a decent serving) and calamari (it does change depending on what the chef has in house that day). It was delicious, but the platter is much larger than the portions served on it which makes it seem like more than it is. I noticed several diners enjoying sharing this appetizer on their tables as well.
The specials' menu does not list prices and when I asked, my waitress said the Executive Chefs, Richard Lambiase and Scott Brandolini do not like to list the prices because they do not want your decision to be based on price. I don't know how I feel about that. Seems a little haughty. They will gladly quote prices if you ask. I always ask. I once was at a restaurant that didn't list the specials pricing and went with a surf and turf. It cost me $75! It wasn't worth it, but that taught me to always ask. My dining companion reminded me to mention the bread basket (you know who you are). The rolls were warm and the accompanying garlic & herb butter was amazing. They change the butter flavor almost weekly. A nice extra I thought. The menu at first seems a bit scattered, but the waitstaff will walk you through it if need be. I chose the fresh catch of Salmon ($17) for my entree and opted to have it grilled topping it with the red onion plum chutney (an additional $2). All fish and steak choices can be prepared grilled, blackened, pan-seared or baked. You can add a sauce to any fish or steak dish for the $2 upcharge. The salmon did not disappoint. I sampled my friend's Icelandic Haddock that had the honey balsamic glaze and that too was very fresh and perfectly cooked. ($18 + $2 for the sauce). An entree comes with choice of 1 side, but the sides are definitely large enough for 2, so you can easily enjoy a starch and a vegetable sharing both. We shared a baked sweet potato and creamed spinach. Post dinner we entertained ourselves by reading the dessert menu, but neither of us had the room, but I will say the selection will make your mouth water a bit, hahahaha.
The service was prompt and very knowledgeable about the menu. We never felt rushed which always enhances my dining experience.
This is an excellent restaurant for a great date, dinner with good friends or a special evening with family when you are looking for a little extra something, the great ocean view, and are willing to pay for it.
They also offer a Sunday Buffet Brunch By The Sea for $25 from 10:30am to 2:00pm. I will definitely return to Sea Glass and try the Sunday Brunch. I want to enjoy the view during the day.
Despite the enjoyable meal and setting I'm not sure that Sea Glass will be able to carry based on location. Although this area of Salisbury Beach is improving, it still has a long way to go to before it reaches upscale. It's a work in progress. It would be nice to see Sea Glass last though because it was a truly enjoyable dining experience.
Sea Glass is open Sunday thru Thursday, 11am-10pm and Friday & Saturday, 11:30am to 11:00pm.

6 comments:

Danielle Renee' said...

I have dined at the "Seaglass Restaurant" four times. The most recent was last Sunday for a group brunch. The food was exceptional. I agree with your critique. I know the area well and have for decades, so I feel confident in saying Salisbury Beach has come a long way. The cottages and homes have been spruced up and the locals are working hard on its' renewal. I wish "Seaglass" much success.

Anonymous said...

I disagree, I ate at the Seaglass just last night and found it to be aweful. The chicken dish I had was filled with pasta and 3 small chunks of chicken, and the dessert was enough to feed an entire family, they need to scale the portions to an elegant sweetness. The staff was overworked and could not handle the restraunt crowd, they were running around without a clue as to how their guests were feeling. Aweful experience, I will never go again.

Joan said...

I recenlty purchased a home on Railroad Ave and was told to try the Sea Glass for lunch. It was a wonderful experience and the ocean views were the best. The food was fabulous and the oven baked fries were excellent. Much better than fried. My guest were very pleased and I hope to be giving them much more business in the future. I found the menu a little pricey but after the food was served it was well worth it. I hope to be a part of the expanding future of Salisbury beach, and many more meals at the Sea Glass.

Anonymous said...

While our experiences have shown the food on the whole, consistently good at Seaglass (with some dishes, like the autumn vegi specials being the best I've ever experienced) the service is consistently lacking. The wait staff was always friendly and aimed to please however like the Anonymous post said, they look completely overwhelmed and cannot get a handle on their tables. The bar service is a bit better but getting worse with each visit we've made sadly enough. After our meal, we waited about 15 minutes to order coffee or dessert then casually started looking around for our bartender. We noticed she was enjoying a meal in the lounge which all in all isn't a bad thing but it would have been nice to have been told she was off or no longer serving us. So, we won't be going back any time soon - too bad, the muscles were outstanding.

jojere said...

We went to the Sea Glass Restaurant last Thursday evening and found that it was a delightful experience. The view is beautiful, the waitstaff was very attentive and the food was excellent! We all had the special that night "The Captain's Seafood platter". The presentation was very pleasing and the seafood was very good. We look forward to going back again to try some of the other tempting dishes.

Anonymous said...

I went there on Sunday for Brunch. The place is beautiful, what a nice addition to the beach. The food was ok, no bad, but nothing outstanding. My issue was the service. Our server was not only rude to us but to the people next to us as well. I will go back but did complain on my way out. I hope my next visit will be better, if not it will be my last.