Willy's

The ultimate surf and turf

by Jim Johnson

Willy's Steak House and Seafood
2 Grafton Street, Shrewsbury
842-7220
Sun. Brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Dinner 4-9 p.m.
Mon. 4-9 p.m.
Tues.-Thurs. 4-10 p.m.
Fri. 4-11 p.m.
Sat. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 4 p.m.-9 p.m.
Major credit cards
Full bar
Not handicap accessible

Have you ever had one of those evenings when you just can't decide whether you want beef Wellington or yellowtail sushi? Don't you hate that? Fortunately, Willy's has moved its sushi operation in with its steak house, and you'll never have to choose again.

During my most recent visit, a friend and I were definitely in a sushi mood, and we were seated with a clear view of the sushi bar.

I've always enjoyed the dim lighting and quiet elegance of the restaurant's basement setting. It's warm and inviting. And, like many buildings around Shrewsbury common, Willy's lies in an historic structure, complete with thick wood ceiling beams, plank floors, and brick walls. Neon lighting over the bar, wall prints, and some armadillos, cacti, and steer skulls left over from the now-closed Willy's Genuine Texas Pit Bar-B-Q add a touch of whimsy.

There are two appetizer menus. The steak house menu includes pan-fried Maine crab cakes, fried lobster ravioli, spicy Buffalo shrimp, and lobster cocktail. However, it's the Japanese menu I'd love to come back some night to sample -- one item after the other: steamed shrimp dumplings, fried pork ravioli, teriyaki chicken, shrimp and vegetables tempura, grilled yellowtail, and shrimp in vinegar marinade. For $7.50, there's a sushi appetizer plate, but we had no self-restraint. We flipped right to the bottom of the page and ordered our sushi and maki rolls à la carte.

The sushi chef set straight to work, and perhaps 15 minutes later a huge platter lay before us, dressed beautifully with lemon, pickled ginger, cucumbers, and wasabi. The sushi was so superb, my tablemate called it "scary good," which is as good as good gets. The salmon was smooth and buttery, the eel slightly salty and slightly sweet. The shrimp were plump and chilled. If you're bashful about eating raw fish, don't worry. Willy's marks cooked items with bullets, and there are plenty to choose from.

The spicy tuna maki roll was my favorite with thinly sliced tuna rolled in rice with a spicy mayonnaise. The avocado roll was a work of art, the avocado somehow hugging the outside of the roll. We also enjoyed the curiously named caterpillar maki, a tasty contrast featuring roasted eel and cucumber.

Sushi prices range from $3 to $5.25 for two pieces, and maki rolls range from $3.25 to $8 for six pieces. The fact that we spent about $60 just on sushi and maki may give you a sense of just how much food was on that platter. That fact might also make you wonder why we didn't order a sushi dinner, where even the monstrous sushi special with six pieces each of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail cost only $35 (again, cooked-food lovers can pick the "Sushi Cook" for $15.50). That fact should definitely make you wonder why we also ordered entrees. Does the term "feeding frenzy" mean anything to you?

Steak house that it is, Willy's offers superb steaks that are aged, hand-trimmed, and pan-fried in special French skillets. Not surprisingly, steaks, chops, and poultry make up much of the main menu: filet mignon, sirloin au poivre, porterhouse, steak Diane (with red wine, mushroom, and mustard sauce), pecan encrusted rack of lamb, lamb chops, veal chop, and seared breast of duck. Many pasta choices looked familiar (and inviting) from past visits, including seared sea scallops with tricolor fettucini, basil cream prosciutto, and tomatoes; gnocchi with sweet tomato sauce and goat cheese; and farfalle with chicken, broccoli, and garlic.

On an apparent seafood spree (and not having realized the enormity of our sushi/maki order), we'd ordered two fish entrees. My friend's swordfish ($19.95) was superb, a large yet tender steak swathed with a sauce of sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkled with scallions.

Swordfish was also a major player in my seafood mixed grill ($20.95), so moist it was almost buttery. The shrimp and scallops were firm and sweet. Bits of salmon added richness and hints of salt.

Vegetables come à la carte and family style. Of the six kinds of potatoes, we chose garlic mashed ($3), a heaping potion that didn't hold back on the garlic.

I'd previously enjoyed rich marble cake with raspberry sauce and strawberries, and chocolate fudge cheese cake with cream sauce. This time, we passed.

Service throughout was friendly and informed, and perhaps a bit amazed at the quantity of food we'd ordered. Since you shouldn't order as much as we did, I won't tell you how much we paid. You, however, should plan on spending $30 to $50 per couple.