Princeton Station
147 Princeton Street • North Chelmsford, MA 01863 • Tel: (978) 251-1500 • Fax: (978) 251-1505
Reviews and Recognition
"Experience tells at Princeton Station"
By: DEAN JOHNSON, Sun Correspondent
On: May 19, 2005
ARTICLE:
Longtime local residents must be pleased the eatery that has taken over 147 Princeton St. in North Chelmsford calls itself Princeton Station. A few decades ago, the same site was home to the Princeton Lounge, a family restaurant and favored hangout for Chelmsford folks. Princeton Station replaces Jimmy's. The new operation has sister restaurants in Dracut (The Village Inn) and Billerica (Garrison's), so ownership has a fair amount of local dining experience, and during a recent visit, that showed.
ATMOSPHERE: Even before you enter Princeton Station a large fountain and some outdoor decor left behind by Jimmy's delivers a good first impression. The restaurant has kept the same basic design and color scheme as its predecessor. But there are a few new wrinkles.
Dining is at booths and chairs. Pastel colors dominate, and though tables are bare, they're spruced up with oil burning candles. Dark woods and more wall bric-a-brac have been added, and they effectively create additional warmth in the rooms, The major dining sections are at the front of the eatery, a large bar/lounge area dominates the rear, so large that it even features live entertainment from time to time.
SERVICE: I am actually beginning to get a tiny bit encouraged by the new generation of local servers. Our waitress was amiable, informative, and well-trained. She didn't lag, but we also didn't feel the least bit rushed. She took and delivered orders in good time, and except for a minor flaw here or there -- our bowl of soup was served with no saucer -- our service was way (and very pleasantly) above average.
APPETIZERS: About a dozen are available, and most cover standard ground such as stuffed mushrooms, nachos, shrimp cocktail, and mozzarella sticks.
Sautéed mussels included over two dozen shellfish served in a large bowl with garlic, scallions, tomatoes, white wine, and parmesan and romano cheeses. It was a decent order. The mussels were properly prepared, though the sauté didn't add as much flavor as one would hope. Some of the mussels were actually so big they were tough to handle.
A small bowl of beef barley soup featured a rich broth and plenty of spoonable ingredients, Soup is included with most dinners, though a salad (garden or Caesar) can be substituted for an additional $1.99. The dinner salad was fresh and a bit larger than average with a nice mix of vegetables (mostly iceberg lettuce) along with some croutons.
ENTREES: Be forewarned, the menu is huge. About 30 entrees are available on the standard menu, augmented with daily specials. Baked specialties dominate the seafood items. There are several veal and chicken options, a handful of grilled specialties, and some surf-and-turf platters.
The bourbon ribeye steak was a fine piece of beef. The 14-oz cut was grilled as requested (medium rare) and packed with flavor. The mushroom bourbon sauce didn't drown or dominate the steak, and the accompanying rice pilaf was also a tad above average.
The chicken parmesan included tender chicken and plenty of pasta done al dente along with a suitable marinara sauce. It was a generous order, generous enough for most people to finish at home.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Princeton Station offers sturdy family dining and is already better than at least one and possibly even both of its sister operations.
Reviews and Recognition
Expand All | Collapse All
"Experience tells at Princeton Station"
By: DEAN JOHNSON, Sun Correspondent
On: May 19, 2005
ARTICLE:
Longtime local residents must be pleased the eatery that has taken over 147 Princeton St. in North Chelmsford calls itself Princeton Station. A few decades ago, the same site was home to the Princeton Lounge, a family restaurant and favored hangout for Chelmsford folks. Princeton Station replaces Jimmy's. The new operation has sister restaurants in Dracut (The Village Inn) and Billerica (Garrison's), so ownership has a fair amount of local dining experience, and during a recent visit, that showed.
ATMOSPHERE: Even before you enter Princeton Station a large fountain and some outdoor decor left behind by Jimmy's delivers a good first impression. The restaurant has kept the same basic design and color scheme as its predecessor. But there are a few new wrinkles.
Dining is at booths and chairs. Pastel colors dominate, and though tables are bare, they're spruced up with oil burning candles. Dark woods and more wall bric-a-brac have been added, and they effectively create additional warmth in the rooms, The major dining sections are at the front of the eatery, a large bar/lounge area dominates the rear, so large that it even features live entertainment from time to time.
SERVICE: I am actually beginning to get a tiny bit encouraged by the new generation of local servers. Our waitress was amiable, informative, and well-trained. She didn't lag, but we also didn't feel the least bit rushed. She took and delivered orders in good time, and except for a minor flaw here or there -- our bowl of soup was served with no saucer -- our service was way (and very pleasantly) above average.
APPETIZERS: About a dozen are available, and most cover standard ground such as stuffed mushrooms, nachos, shrimp cocktail, and mozzarella sticks.
Sautéed mussels included over two dozen shellfish served in a large bowl with garlic, scallions, tomatoes, white wine, and parmesan and romano cheeses. It was a decent order. The mussels were properly prepared, though the sauté didn't add as much flavor as one would hope. Some of the mussels were actually so big they were tough to handle.
A small bowl of beef barley soup featured a rich broth and plenty of spoonable ingredients, Soup is included with most dinners, though a salad (garden or Caesar) can be substituted for an additional $1.99. The dinner salad was fresh and a bit larger than average with a nice mix of vegetables (mostly iceberg lettuce) along with some croutons.
ENTREES: Be forewarned, the menu is huge. About 30 entrees are available on the standard menu, augmented with daily specials. Baked specialties dominate the seafood items. There are several veal and chicken options, a handful of grilled specialties, and some surf-and-turf platters.
The bourbon ribeye steak was a fine piece of beef. The 14-oz cut was grilled as requested (medium rare) and packed with flavor. The mushroom bourbon sauce didn't drown or dominate the steak, and the accompanying rice pilaf was also a tad above average.
The chicken parmesan included tender chicken and plenty of pasta done al dente along with a suitable marinara sauce. It was a generous order, generous enough for most people to finish at home.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Princeton Station offers sturdy family dining and is already better than at least one and possibly even both of its sister operations.
