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The Lowell Sun (Lowell, MA)
May 19, 2005
Section:
Lowell Sun
Experience
tells at Princeton Station
DEAN
JOHNSON, Sun Correspondent
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, nacho, 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.
Princeton
Station,
147 Princeton St.
North
Chelmsford
Open
Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10:30
p.m. Dinner soups and appetizers $2.50-$8.95, sandwiches
$5.95-$8.95, entrees $10.95-$21.95. Full liquor license. Major
credit cards accepted. Children's menu and take out available. Call
978-251-1500 or visit princetonstation.com.
Food
***
Service
***
Atmosphere
***½
(c) 2005 The Sun
(Lowell, MA). All rights reserved.
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