Former clam shack heavy on nostalgia

June 7, 2009

There are no surprises on Lindsey's wide-ranging menu, but judging by the crowd on a recent Saturday night, well-prepared comfort food delivered by friendly, efficient servers can fill the house.

Paul and Frances Lindsey opened the original Lindsey's in 1948 as a fried clam shack. Twenty years later, they expanded the restaurant, but preserved the original facility as a 1950s-style diner, complete with padded swivel stools and black-and-white checkerboard decor. The restaurant is still family-run, with Cheryl Lindsey at the helm.

Charming as it is, the diner area tends to be noisy, so our party of four settled into a comfortable booth in one of the other dining rooms. We started with onion rings ($4.29). The thick, hand-cut rounds were piping hot and encased in a crisp, flaky coating that let the sweetness of the onions come through.

Lindsey's has a terrific selection of soups and chowders. The best is the seafood bisque ($5.79/cup, $10 bowl). This signature item is chock full of scallops, shrimp - and even lobster - in a rich, creamy chowder featuring the sweet, slightly nutty taste of sherry.

Clam chowder ($4 a cup) was thick and flavorful, with a respectable clams-to-potato ratio. Corn chowder ($3.29/cup) was tasty but a little sweeter than we expected, and onion soup ($3.49/cup) was average.

Entrees were generously portioned. Crab cakes ($14) included two large patties loaded with crab, topped with a creamy, seafood-studded Newburg sauce. Baked haddock with crabmeat stuffing ($19; $16 for the "smaller appetite" size) came with the same sauce on request. The fresh, moist fish provided a nice balance to the rich topping.

Haddock and fried Ipswich clams are among the restaurant's most popular dishes, said Mary Labonte, general manager. Steak tips ($16) were excellent; "Arthur's secret sauce" imparted a slightly sweet, smoky flavor to the tender pieces of meat.

We were less impressed with mesquite pork loin chops ($14), one of Lindsey's "Old-Fashioned Yankee Dinners." The chops were moist and tender, but the coating reminded us of a packaged variety.

Entrees come with a choice of starch and vegetable, including mashed potatoes that Labonte said are made fresh every 20 or 25 minutes. French fries were excellent, crisp and well done. A medley of green and wax beans with carrots was unremarkable, but the cole slaw got thumbs up all around for freshness and a pleasant balance of creaminess and crunch, sweetness and tang.

Our doggie bags notwithstanding, we shared two desserts, each of which could have fed the four of us. The brownie in the brownie sundae ($6.29) was submerged by fluffy mounds of real whipped cream, which also hid vanilla ice cream and a decadent fudge sauce. Strawberry-rhubarb crisp ($5.29), served slightly warm with whipped cream, featured big, plump strawberries and a pleasantly crunchy topping.

Whatever you do, don't try to finish either of these on your own.

Our server treated us like old friends, and delivered every meal and side without a hitch. Most staff members are longtime employees, Labonte said.

Although Lindsey's doesn't take reservations, its "preferred seating" policy means diners can call and put their names on a list for any time. When they arrive, they will be seated at the first available table. "We don't call it reservations because we don't hold tables," Labonte explained.

Whether you call ahead or just show up at Lindsey's, be sure to come hungry.

ELLEN ALBANESE