Salem Beer Works

When my mom was in town, Tom and I took a daytrip with her to Salem for the day.  It was a beautiful day, especially on the water, and after walking around for a bit, we realized that we needed to eat.  We decided that Salem Beer Works looked promising, and we went in for lunch.  It was pretty empty inside, and very dark, so we were seated right away near a bank of televisions showing many different sports and all the different ESPNs.  We quickly became aware that Salem Beer Works was just an offshoot of Boston Beer Works, with the same beer offerings as the rest of the chain.  That was a little disappointing, but we ordered beers and nachos to tide us over while we waited for our meals to be prepared. 

The beers were good, though fairly unremarkable.  Tom had an amber IPA that was metallic and not so good, while I had standard pale ale that blended in nicely with its genre. 

The nachos were a veritable mountain of chips.  The nachos had been smartly built, with toppings added at multiple layers and sour cream and salsa on the side, and there was definitely enough food on that plate to satisfy all three of us for lunch, but we had ordered more…

The entrées came out, and I was in trouble.  The amount of food before me was impossible to finish.  Or was it?  I like a challenge, but I should not have undertaken this one. 

While Tom enjoyed a bacon and blue cheese burger with fries, my mom had a chicken sandwich with fries, and they both worked on their meals.  I, on the other hand, ordered the meatloaf and mash with broccoli and a side of chili fries.  Why would I do that to myself?  I don’t know, but it proved to be a poor life choice. 

Tom enjoyed his burger.  He appreciated the fact that the bun was toasted, if a bit stale, because it helped him hold the sandwich together. 

My mother, on the other hand, had a unique problem.  Her chicken was a little dry, but the bun was soaked to the point that the sandwich became a piece of chicken on a soggy mess. 

Finally, we come to my catastrophe.  The meatloaf was more like a Salisbury steak, the potatoes were overdone, and it was all covered with spaghetti sauce and loose gravy.  The broccoli was okay, but my meal wasn’t very good. 

The fries were good, but excessive.  The chili on the fries soaked them, so I ate them with a fork.  They would have benefited from cheese on them, as they were rather bland.  When I was done, it felt like there was a rock in my stomach.  Clearly, this meal was lacking.

In reflection, I think that this restaurant would be good if you just wanted lots of beer and some appetizers.  The nachos were great, but everything else was lacking.  If you are actually looking for a good dining experience, look elsewhere.  Salem Beer Work’s execution on the basics was lacking, and if I were in the kitchen, I would have been embarrassed to send that food out.  I understand, it’s a chain restaurant, but no matter where you are or what your station, you have to take some pride in what you do if you want to be successful.

- Connoisseur Jon