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Ford's Fish Shack

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by Villager, Sep 26, 2010.

  1. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Since I would consider you the closest thing to an expert in the field of authentic Fish and Chips, you've got my mouth watering to give these a try! Thanks for the review!
     
  2. ExRIGuy

    ExRIGuy New Member

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    Whatttttt? I gotta try this place. I have scoured Newport, the Cape and Maine looking for the best lobstah rolls and fried clams and home made ice cream. That is quite a statement.
     
  3. mamatothree

    mamatothree New Member

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    Just my opinion, but nice, lightly grilled soft roll, BIG chunks of lobster (sweet and not overcooked) not too spiced or not too much mayo...hmmm nearly lunchtime :D
     
  4. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Maureen, see if they'll sponsor our next Board meeting ;)
     
  5. msflynn

    msflynn New Member

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    Too bad there is not a like button here :)
     
  6. KZsMOM

    KZsMOM New Member

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    When I go online and look at their website, the menu will not come up for me to check it out. So my question is.. Do they have any non-seafood items-
    (That would be for me)- My husband loves seafood and I would love for him to go there and try the place out, since everyone is saying how great it is.
     
  7. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    Yes, they have roast chicken and ribs and they include some standard items such as hamburgers and hotdogs. They also have a children's menu and they offer several types of salads.

    We went for a late lunch today and ordered the crab cakes and the fish and chips. Both were okay but not outstanding. The calamari is very good - dressed with what tasted like a pimento and jalapeno dressing. Skip the cole slaw and tarter sauce, both sub par and do ask for a lemon wedge if you like lemon on seafood - one thing they failed to include.
     
  8. Brit

    Brit New Member

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    Hmmm, have to disagree on the tartar and coleslaw - they were the best I've had in a long time. But who knows - different hand in the pot maybe?
     
  9. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    I agree that they are both delish. Its not the average, standard what you can buy at costco slaw and tartar, so the lack of familiarity might be off putting to some.
     
  10. Ken

    Ken Member

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    I think you nailed it... it's not familiar at all. I'm not used to homemade tartar sauce and prefer Cain's (a New England brand -- can't find it around here).

    But then again, I prefer canned cranberry sauce (Ocean Spray jellied) over anything homemade.

    Maybe it's me. :)
     
  11. T8ergirl

    T8ergirl New Member

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    I am sitting here eating my fish and chips from Ford's last night which I just crisped up in the oven. SOOO good. Probably the best fish of this form I've had (Yes, T8erman, that's better than the chip shop in East Molesey--I could tell by your face that you didn't believe me last night.)

    Maine Chips--again, bizarre but SO GOOD. And I could only eat one of my pieces of fish because they gave us a free trio of shrimp tacos that were so good I can't even think of a comparison. I'm getting them for dinner next time.

    No room for dessert, alas!

    LOVE this place.
     
  12. Brit

    Brit New Member

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    Ford's needs a Facebook page so that we can really spread the love and they can feel the love!
     
  13. JLC

    JLC Member

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    They had one up for a while. Is it gone?
     
  14. twohokies

    twohokies New Member

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    You're not alone. This New England family relocated to MD/VA almost 40 years ago and canned jellied cranberry sauce is the only possibility.
     
  15. ExRIGuy

    ExRIGuy New Member

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    Um, is it me or is most of the Costco stuff pretty good? Is my taste that bad?

    At any rate, lifelong New Englander here and went to Ford's Friday night. My fried whole belly clams were simply fantastic -- as good as most of the places in New England. I wasn't a huge fan of the calamari, however, it was still very good. Slaw as great too - no complaints. My only nit was that the batter is a bit salty -- before salting anything I advise tasting first.

    In sum, everything was great and, if you add in the "we ain't in New England and the only other local seafood is either a chain or will cost an arm and a leg" discount, then you can do no better for the price in my opinion, which was a reasonable price for our dinner. Seafood ain't cheap anywhere folks.

    Props to Ford's and we will be regulars.
     
  16. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    not at all! it's not a question of BAD, it's just not STANDARD. I would expect a really goood restaurant to come up with something different and original- not the same old thing. YES the same old thing CAN be good too, but in this case, i LOVE the original flavor, and had it tasted like everyone else's sauce, I might have thought "i could have opened THAT jar myself!"
    others will hate it- it is what it is. you can't please everyone, it's not a better or worse thing, it's just a thing that IS.
     
  17. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    For me, it IS a question of bad. As Brit stated earlier, maybe the hands in the pot were different. The slaw was awful and the tarter sauce was seriously lacking - I tried to be nice by describing them as sub par. My standards and expectations are what they should be when spending money for a meal out and this restaurant, along with others around here, just didn't make the grade. For $64 I think of the groceries I could have purchased and the meal I could have cooked at home.

    Perhaps we'll return at some point to try the other offerings.
     
  18. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Well you'll never be happy with restaurants with that kind of predisposition. You can't really make those kinds of comparisons.

    You can certainly feel an experience wasn't worth the cost... but at least compare it apples to apples... like other dining experiences where you pay someone to do all the sourcing, preparation, cooking, serving, and paying for the seat you're sitting in.
     
  19. Brit

    Brit New Member

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    Tried looking for them on Facebook. Nadda. Ashburn Patch has a write up on them on FB, but that's about it. Their online marketing needs a serious boost (the menu link on the website is also broken and they could really do with a Yelp.com and Google Places listing). Mind you, this thread and Redon are doing a great job of spreading the word -inconsistent tartar sauce or not! :partydance3:
     
  20. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    http://fordsfishshack.com/

    the website is clearly still in stage one and being worked on... give 'em time- i know a great site is coming...

    the BEST way to see the menu is.... GO. TO. THE RESTAURANT! :)
     

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