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February 10, 2001 MARSHALL AND CHUBBS
Food **1/2 Pricing: dinner for two, not including tax & tip: about $50 Atmosphere This fairly new eatery is located in a huge structure on the corner of the Garden City Connector and South Kings Highway. The place is enormous and open, with rest rooms and a sports bar on the right, a dining hall on the left, and a game room in the back. The parking lot seemed crowded when we arrived at about 7:30 one recent Wednesday evening. The bar was busy, but there were plenty of empty tables and booths in the cavernous dining area. Long and featureless, the bar is open to the adjoining dining hall. Unfortunately, there's nothing to buffer the noise of the cocktail crowd shouting over the din of the televisions dangling from the ceiling. The walls throughout the restaurant are covered with rough, aromatic pine, dark mirrors, and chalkboards touting Happy Hour and Early Bird Specials. The only decorative elements are a collection of starkly beautiful black and white photographs, all of fishing scenes. They're lost against these vast empty walls. The warmth of the recessed lighting is subdued by the harshness of the high black ceiling, from which hangs two dozen fans, also black. Floors, like the walls, are covered in light pine. The place is chilly, and a long coat rack on one wall is completely empty; most of the diners have chosen to wear their jackets. A few steps lead down into the central dining area, ringed on all sides with a low wall. Beige vinyl is tacked to the tables, which are set with white cloth napkins, sugar packets in little boxes, and plain salt & pepper shakers. Food is served on heavy white china. Located behind the dining area, the game room contains several overstuffed leather sofas and a keg bar, as well as several pool tables. It was messy when we visited - littered, perhaps, with the three-day-old detritus of Super Bowl Sunday. Service Our harried server waited on our large party with little or no help from a staff that frequently huddled in chatty little groups around the dining hall. She did her best, but could not clear empty plates from the small tables quickly enough. We observed the attention that the food was getting through the open space behind the bar; the place seems to be run from the kitchen. They're doing a great job with the food, but the service seems to need clearer direction and better management. Spirits There's no wine list at Marshall and Chubbs Ale House and Raw Bar. There's no ale menu, either. Our busy waitress recited a short assortment of beers, and asked what sort of wine we might like, but she couldn't recall what was available. A mostly empty display case containing a few Kendall-Jackson bottles sits between the rest rooms and the entrance, but we didn't notice it until we were leaving. Food Generous portions, decent food and reasonable prices are the main attractions at Marshall and Chubbs. The raw bar items are all first-class: fresh shrimp, clams, oysters, crawfish, and blue crabs in season. Our oysters Rockefeller (6.95 for six) were based around fat, fresh-shucked oysters with plenty of spinach, served blazing hot from the oven, tasty and satisfying. The peel-and-eat steamed shrimp (1/4 lb./$4.95; 1/2 lb./8.95) were fresh and sweet; they arrived still warm, but cool enough to eat; cooked through but not at all overdone. The chicken wings (available in three sizes and five flavors/heat intensities, 4.95-22.95) are standard bar fare; they arrive dripping with sauce, and are served with a house bleu cheese or ranch dressing. Try that bleu cheese; it's impeccable! She-crab soup (3.95) and several dinner salads (chicken or steak Caesar, grilled or fried chicken, grilled tuna, 6.95 – 6.95) are available. Salads are excellent and include fresh iceberg or romaine lettuce, and a variety of fresh vegetables. A green house or Caesar salad accompanies each steak, seafood and chicken entrée, and can be added to any burger, pasta, or sandwich selection for 1.95. Those side salads are served in huge portions with a choice of six house-made dressings. The Caesar dressing was good, though rather vinegary, and the bleu cheese is outstanding. With our large party, we were able to sample many of the dishes on the menu. We tried the chicken Alfredo (9.95), a big bowl of pasta with cream sauce and grilled sliced chicken. It was generous and perfectly cooked, but any seasoning was undetectable. We also tried the prime rib (12 oz./13.95), which was accompanied by a fat baked potato and brightly colored green beans. The beef was of excellent quality, but it was ordered medium rare and cooked to medium doneness. If you like your prime rib fairly red, make sure there's some that will suit you before you order it. The fried seafood platter (13.95) consisted of excellent shrimp, scallops, oysters, and a thin, overcooked flounder filet; it was served with very good fries and sweet coleslaw. Sandwiches and burgers are also served with those great fries. We sampled the Corky's Club (5.95), with its delectable layers of ham, turkey, Swiss, cheddar, and bacon; the bacon cheddar burger (5.95), smoky with char-grilled flavor; and the Ale House Sliders (4.95), three mini burgers with sautéed onions, shades of White Castle! We also watched jealously as an mouthwatering order of BBQ ribs (10.95) was delivered to another table. Desserts Only two desserts are offered at Marshall and Chubbs, and we tried them both. The homemade apple cobbler (3.95) is huge, more than enough for two people. It's served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, but the apple slices were bland and the crust wasn't very exciting. The homemade Hershey brownie consists of a gigantic slab of warm, good brownie with an entire Hershey bar semi-melted on top, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Summary Though it's billed as an ale house, Marshall and Chubbs is a fine restaurant for a family with growing children whose appetites can't be sated by the meager offerings on most kid's menus. The inexpensive burgers, sandwiches, and salads are excellent and portioned generously. Those with sophisticated palates will enjoy the raw bar; the seafood is fresh and wonderful. Next time, we'll make it a point to come during Early Bird hours between 4 and 6 p.m. to try those ribs! There are a few shortcomings in the quality of the service, but they'll easily be overcome when the waitstaff pulls together as a team. And although the atmosphere doesn't have a great deal of character at the moment, it wouldn't take much to warm things up a bit – some plants, perhaps, and more color on the tables and walls to accentuate and frame those excellent photographs. (A brighter coat of paint on that dark industrial ceiling might help!) We're looking forward to seeing the evolution of this restaurant, which opened in early December 2000. Despite the rough newness of Marshall and Chubbs, it is obvious that great efforts are being made here to deliver hearty, top quality all-American fare at bargain prices.
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