TV dinner

Tweeds offers pub food and a great view of the television

by Margaret LeRoux

Tweeds Pub Restaurant
234 Grove Street, Worcester 755-8047
Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Major credit cards
Full bar
Handicap accessible

It was one of those unexpectedly hot days of late spring -- by suppertime we wanted air conditioning almost as much as food. Plus, no one in our group of three wanted to get dressed up, so we headed for Tweed's Pub Restaurant where our T-shirts and shorts weren't at all out of place.

Tweeds makes no pretensions; it's a pub, complete with Keno, TV, and a big sign where news updates and promos continually flash in bright red letters. No matter how hard we tried to ignore all these distractions, they were like magnets. In the middle of a conversation, we found our eyes wandering to them. "Three minutes to the next Keno game" became our mantra during dinner. Most of the booths are in the smoking section, half a dozen in front are supposedly smoke free, but you'll catch an occasional cloud from the smokers at the bar across the room.

It was just past six, but we were promptly seated, and a friendly, cheerful waitress took our drink orders: ice tea and lemonade ($1.43). Throughout our meal they were refilled at no charge. We tried to settle down to study the menu, but the lumpy benches of our booth were pretty uncomfortable. We perked up when we saw several favorites among the appetizers: nachos, potato skins, onion rings, mozzarella sticks. We decided on a plate of potato skins ($4.97), a bowl of French onion soup ($2.97), and a serving of clam chowder ($2.97). We noticed the gimmick; prices for all the food items end in seven -- it must make for some odd totals as checks are rung up.

The soups arrived first. French onion was topped with a slice of French bread and a chunk of very stringy, melted Provolone cheese. The soup was full of onions, but the beef broth was too salty. The clam chowder, on the other hand, was creamy and delicious, with chunks of potato and clams. I thought I could taste a splash of sherry among the seasonings.

The potato skins triggered a debate. First of all, they were four sizable potato halves, not just skins, topped with melted cheese and bacon bits. I thought they were very good, if a bit greasy. My companions complained that the potatoes were grainy. Nevertheless, they managed to eat most of them. I was relieved we'd ordered the small plate of potatoes; the large platter offered on the menu could certainly feed a big group.

The entrees at Tweeds also reflect its pub identity: steak, chicken, seafood, burgers, and a selection described as southwestern. There are also "designer sandwiches," including the popular chicken and salad roll-up. There are several dinner salads, including a taco salad served in a giant tortilla, spinach salad, and Caesar salad, which you can have topped with grilled chicken or chilled shrimp. Among specials that night were chicken cordon bleu, fried clams, beef scaloppini, all under $10.

I chose harvest vegetable fajitas ($8.97) from the southwestern assortment, which also included chicken quesadilla and Mexican pizza. The platter was appropriately sizzling; but, as a result several of the pea pods, pepper strips, and carrot sticks were charred. There were also broccoli florets, a few slices of mushroom and lots of onions, topped with melted cheese. The combination was flavorful and, for the most part, crunchy, but the cook used a heavy hand with the oil for sautéing. I was offered a choice of garnishes and selected salsa, a not-too-spicy and fresh-tasting version, guacamole -- definitely processed -- and shredded lettuce. A covered dish of warm flour tortillas was served alongside. It was messy fun constructing my own wrapped veggie sandwich. Besides the vegetable fajitas, Tweeds also offers a garden vegetable quesadilla, rotini pasta, and vegetable stir fry. It's nice that vegetarians are given consideration here.

One of my companions chose fish and chips ($6.97), the most successful of all our entrees. He received a good size piece of haddock -- the crunchy batter was not too heavy -- also a generous serving of french fries and a mound of tasty coleslaw. The fish was moist and flavorful, the fries okay, and the coleslaw "doesn't have that canned taste you sometimes get," he commented as he happily cleaned his plate.

The third member of our group didn't fare so well. Her stuffed manicotti ($6.97) suffered from advance preparation and an uneven microwaving just before serving. The pasta was leathery, the ricotta inside was both grainy and bland. Worst of all, in two of the four large shells, the cheese filling was cold. The tomato sauce was tasty but watery. Two slices of garlic bread on the side of the plate were soggy.

Despite the uneven quality of our meals we were too full for dessert and passed on a tempting sounding Kentucky Derby pie. Our bill, including tax and tip was $47.