Next up. Rafters. Great service and food exceptionally so-so. Dad and I stopped for dinner at Rafters on the way to take him home after a full day of appointments. I'd been here before and had a reasonably decent dinner, and remembered it as bright and cheerful. As an 86-year old, sometimes it's hard for him to read the menu in dimly lit restaurants so I thought he would enjoy this a little more. The host and waiter greeted us quickly and sat us away from all the noise at the bar. The bar area was completely full, but there were few diners in the large dining area. Not too surprising considering it's a brewery.



We split a Caesar salad to begin, which was generously sized although only half. The romaine was crisp and fresh, but alas, the dressing was decidedly the most bland I've ever tasted.



I ordered the Linguine with fresh Littleneck Clams in white wine sauce. The linguine was a tad past al dente, and the sauce was heavily dosed with black pepper. In addition to the fresh clams, which were tender and delicious underneath it all, the chef added a large amount of chopped clams, which I suspect were canned; he may have wanted to intensify the delicate clam flavor by adding more clam meat. It usually doesn't work, and this time was no exception. The canned diced clams are rather tough and I'd rather have the delicate taste of the fresh even though very light.



Dad's reaction to the meal started with the definitely lukewarm coffee he was served. He felt the fish on his Fish & Chips platter were a little on the greasy side, I suspect the frying oil wasn't hot enough. I've had better meals here, I hope this meal does not become the norm there. Friendly service can only make up for so much.