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Type: American
Hours: Sun-Wed. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thurs-Sat. 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
Good Choices: Pancakes, Caribbean chicken salad, shrimp scampi.
Credit cards: Visa and Mastercard.
Access: Main floor entrance, bathrooms wheelchair accessible.
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LINDA MAE'S
699 Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester
(617) 282-1777
Restaurant reviewed 08/20/98 by Linda Matchan
Round Two for Linda Mae's.
Many readers will remember the first Linda Mae's, a cheerful fixture on Morrissey Boulevard for 30 years or so, with its trademark rotating parfait display case that greeted you when you entered.
Alas, 2 1/2 years ago Linda Mae's closed its doors, leaving a building that stood empty despite a prime location and plenty of parking. But this summer it returned -- name and all (though no-one seems certain who the real Linda Mae was, if ever there was one).
The new owners are Bob and Debbie Haddad of Randolph, who for the last 10 years have been associated with Knight's Crest Catering, now based on the premises.
Already Linda Mae's is doing a brisk business. Longtime patrons seem surprised at the sleek new look of the place. Some of the heavy, clunky booths are gone, replaced by smaller, attractive tables, and the effect in combination with a lot of white paint, bright new carpeting, fresh flowers, and straight-backed chairs -- makes the restaurant seem more spacious, even cavernous. As for the food, the emphasis is on American cuisine.
"We took the lead from the [old] menu, with an emphasis on quality breakfast, reasonably priced," says manager Frank Long.
The breakfast menu, served all day, is fairly traditional, with a full complement of cholesterol-bubbling waffles and French toast ($3.59-$4.50), pancakes and crepes ($2.75-$4.50), omelettes (all in the $5 range), and eggs in every style, including eggs benedict ($5.49) and steak and eggs ($6.25).
We sampled the buttermilk pancakes -- a stack of five big ones for $3.40 that were fluffy and light. The Pigs in a Blanket ($3.99) -- delicious sausages wrapped in buttermilk pancakes -- were so huge they might well have been named Hogs in a Blanket. Eat a couple of these and you'll be set for the day.
But breakfasts are only a third of the story at Linda Mae's. The lunch menu is a little more adventurous -- barely gourmet, you might say, although it's still fundamentally a tap water kind of place (as in: "Do you have any mineral water?" "No, all we have is tap water").
One luncheon special that we enjoyed was the $6.49 Caribbean chicken salad, a fine meal of grilled chicken topped with shredded coconut and fresh fruit. It's unclear, though, why the dish included canned peaches at the height of summer. The Linda Mae burger ($4.35) was done as we requested (medium-well) and served on a large French bread roll. The fish sandwich ($4.75), a filet of fresh, deep-fried cod on a huge grilled roll, was juicy, thick, and excellent.
Our experience with the Oriental chicken salad ($6.49) was not a good one, however. The chef was heavy-handed with the sauce that day, and we ended up sending the meal back.
On the other hand, we loved the side order of potato skins ($3.89) with a yummy cheddary sauce and real bacon.
The dinner menu is more extensive than the lunch offerings; it features seafood specialties, chicken, beef, pork, veal, and Italian dishes -- along with a selection for children. Portions are huge and prices very reasonable, with a $13.99 fishermen's platter being the most expensive. A good bet is the shrimp scampi on fettuccini -- $9.95 for a huge, tasty dish of pasta and eight generously sized shrimp.
Daily specials are offered as well. Monday, for example, is meat loaf ($6.99). Thursday is a smoked pork shoulder boiled dinner ($6.99) that "flies out of here," says manager Long, who also reports that the clam chowder ($1.79 and 2.29) is doing so well that it sells out on weekends.
If you still have room for dessert, you won't be disappointed with the strawberry cheesecake ($2.95). The strawberries are fresh and the cheesecake very creamy.
Tips & hits
