(TV Diner) - We've know for a long time that The Lyceum in Salem, MA is one of the city's most popular restaurants, so we headed on over to see if our big expectations lived up to it's stellar reputation! With the reputation of being Salem's most popular restaurant, the 1831 Lyceum Bar & Grill in Salem, Massachusetts was elegant in architecture, with red brick on the outside and beautiful rooms reflecting American history inside.
As a signature appetizer, the Grilled and Marinated Portabella Mushrooms, resembled steak tips tumbled high over a piece of toasted sour dough. Their grilled flavor, underscored the marinade in the earthy mushrooms and mingled perfectly with capers chopped tomato and greens. We devoured it. The Cream of Vegetable soup was piping hot, aromatic and well-balanced with vegetables and herbs. It tasted as good as it smelled. An impressive peppercorn and brandy mushroom sauce, on the "Grille of My Dreams," emphasized the flavor of tenderloin filet. It mixed magically with the crisp asparagus and smooth garlic mashed potatoes. Excellent! The Panko-Crusted Fish n' Chips with chipotle tartar sauce, crunched the Japanese bread crumbs over a flaky moist filet. The cole slaw was fresh with cabbage and sweet- tart with honey mustard dressing and the fries were perfect! Chocolate flowed with every forkful of the warm rich Lava Cake, that was paired with malted vanilla ice cream to make an absolute dual decadence! The Seasonal Sorbet Trio of blueberry, raspberry and mango topped with a raspberry pirouette cookie was smooth with deep fruit flavors. The warm out-of-this-world triple chocolate chip cookie hugging the foot of the martini glass conspired to make the dessert sinful. Our waitress was extremely knowledgeable and perfectly efficient! Prices were a great value, generous in quality and quantity with appetizers six to twelve dollars, entrees eighteen to thirty-three dollars and desserts averaging six dollars. The Lyceum Bar & Grill impeccably serves bold uncomplicated food, presented in a light-hearted comfortable ambiance - that epitomizes the history of this seaport town. It earns the Platinum Plate.
The Lyceum is located at 43 Church St in Salem and can be reached at 978-745-7665 or by visiting www.lyceumsalem.com
