Ocean's heaven

Fresh fish and a good value: Coral Seafood keeps the winning combination

by Margaret LeRoux

Coral Seafood
112 Green Street, Worcester
755-8331
Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sun. Noon-9 p.m.
Full bar
Major credit cards
Handicap accessible

We were feeling left out as friends and neighbors spent the holiday on the Cape or in Maine. On what promised to be the first sunny weekend of the summer, we wanted to be on the beach or at a clambake, instead of stuck in the city. But then we remembered Coral Seafood, where the fish is fresh, and the atmosphere casual as any seaside restaurant. We hopped into the car, and rather than inching our way across the Bourne Bridge or stalling out at the New Hampshire toll plaza, we took a 10-minute drive to Green Street. Soon we were seated in one of the restaurant's comfy booths.

The Coral is a neighborly restaurant, where waitresses greet many of the customers by name. Although we aren't regulars, we were greeted warmly too. Our waitress even seemed more put out than we were at the long lag between our first course and dinner. "The cooks are really slow tonight," she explained. We happily occupied ourselves by trying to identify as many fish as we could from the "Fishing Fun" game printed on the paper placemats.

The decor at Coral Seafood is right out of the early 1960s, with wooden high-back booths, diner-style plates, and colorful placemats. You're sure to notice a mural of underwater scenes that dominates one wall. You might also notice what's going on in the kitchen through a window visible from most booths.

Coral Seafood offers several domestic and imported beers on tap as well as a couple of micro-brew selections. One of my companions had Heineken ($2.75). The wine list was a delightful surprise; many reasonably priced offerings from small wineries. For example, Murphy-Goode fume blanc is $3.25 a glass or $18 for a bottle; there is also a '95 Sohol Blossa Muller-Thurgau and, my choice, a glass of the sprightly '94 Hanna Sauvignon blanc ($3.25).

The appetizer we ordered, oysters Rockefeller ($6.95), was unavailable, so we opted instead for a cup of lobster bisque ($2.95). Served in a mug, it was very hot and quite thick, but after it cooled a bit, we appreciated the fresh, lobster flavor.

Although the menu offers a variety of fish, including rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, swordfish, and calamari, it was lobster that two of us craved, so we honed in on the special lobster-fest menu. My lobster-loving buddy has a much heartier appetite than mine, and he chose the supreme dinner ($15.95), which promised a whole, steamed, Maine lobster, steamers, sweet Italian sausage, a baked potato, a cup of chowder or bisque, and corn on the cob.

Also offered are twin lobsters, lobster Thermidor, lobster Alfredo, lazy lobster, stuffed lobster, and lobster and steak. I've often seen lazy lobster on menus but had never ordered it before. At $18.95, it seemed a bit pricey, but I thought I'd probably save on dry cleaning if I didn't tackle a whole lobster. The third member of our group volunteered to try fried sea platter ($12.95), so we could sample haddock, scallops, shrimp, and clams. It costs an extra dollar to have whole clams instead of clam strips; we wisely made the investment.

The supreme dinner was supreme, all right, served on a platter so large the waitress struggled to lift it off the tray and onto the table. The lobster was at least a pound and a half, and there were more than a dozen steamers. He was also outfitted in the standard uniform, a plastic bib, accompanied by a mug of warm water to wash any remaining sand from the clams, a nutcracker for the lobster claws, and a big bowl for shells.

My friend offered me a steamer. It was sweet and not at all sandy; these clams were outstanding. So was the lobster. Even though his efforts rendered a mess, they were rewarded. I got to taste a bit of the tail and agreed, it was one of the best lobsters I've ever had outside of Maine.

The corn on the cob and sausage, were anti-climactic after the Maine (excuse the pun) event. Both he and I also were served baked potatoes that just missed being perfect. They had been baked in advance and reheated, which made for soggy, rather than crisp skin.

I paid a culinary price for being lazy. My lobster, served in a casserole, was topped with cracker crumbs and swimming in butter. It was very rich and a bit tough from the baking. Next time I'll go with a steamed lobster; the flavor is so much better.

The fried platter included a large portion of haddock that was undeniably fresh. A light coating of batter gave it crunch, but the freshness of the fish came through. The scallops were sweet and tender; the shrimp merely okay. There was a pile of rather bland french fries, and a little dish of very good cole slaw.

We all were more than sated, and passed on dessert. As we totaled our bill, $62.79, not including tip, we were consoled. It was a lot cheaper than a vacation at the Cape.