You Review: Stephen Anthony's

Help your neighbors and fellow readers decide on the best businesses in town.

Stephen Anthony's has long been a treasured local business by many.  Known for the quality of their food and the scenic vistas afforded their location, the restaurant is almost always busy.  Located just yards from the Sudbury line, many diners will take a detour during their visit to see the ducks and geese that are usually gathered under and around the nearby gazebo. Have you been there recently? If so, how was the food? What menu items would you recommend? What would make you go there more? Please share your review with your fellow Patch neighbors and friends. Click here and scroll down to the "Rate This Business" section. You can give the business a star rating and comment as well.  Rate other establishments in the "Places" section of …

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Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Quality Chinese Food at Low Prices

Swing by Panda House for a meal that won't break the bank.

Lying at the edge of Main Street in the heart of downtown Marlborough is one of those much sought after, yet often hard to find restaurant mirages: Quality and cheap Chinese food. Panda House is a family run and operated restaurant that serves up large and steaming dishes of Mandarin, Szechuan and Hunan cuisine. Because the restaurant boasts just five tables, most patrons order their food "to go." Begin your meal with an order of hearty steamed dumplings, which are a slightly more healthy option than their fried counterparts. The dumplings were also more desirable than their traditional egg rolls, which turned out to be rather uninspiring. For lunch, Panda House offers 22 combos on their lunch special menu, all of which are under $6 and …

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Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Celebrate the Fall with Pumpkin Ice Cream

Visit Westside Scoops for delicious Gifford's Ice Cream.

Apple picking season is upon us. Halloween candy already fills the aisles of local stores. Temperatures are slowly creeping down the thermometer. The kids are back in school. Fall has finally arrived, and we must embrace the last warm days of the year. Nothing compliments sunshine and warmth better than ice cream. Treat yourself and friends and family to some decadent ice cream from Westside Scoops. Choose from nearly 20 flavors, including lobster tracks (not made from actual lobster) and raspberry sorbet. And don't forget to try their seasonal pumpkin ice cream, which one guest noted as the best pumpkin ice cream he had ever tried. The staff will serve heaping scoops of Gifford's Ice Cream (shipped from Maine) onto fresh, homemade …

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Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Counter Service at Jake's

Jake's Restaurant & Coffee Shop provides hearty meals in a cozy atmosphere.

With a long dining counter complete with swivel stools and a section devoted to tables, Jake's Restaurant feels like a marriage between a traditional diner and a cozy eatery. The menu boasts all of the staples of a hearty breakfast such as a variety of eggs benedict, breakfast sandwiches and omelets of which the claim is posted on the menu that they will make any type of omelet one might crave. For some early morning carb loading, try the giant portion of french toast combined with a steaming side of freshly made hash browns. Dress up the hash browns with bacon bits, scallions, sour cream and cheddar cheese by ordering them loaded. But don't be fooled by their reputation for good, hearty breakfasts. Jake's also has a wide variety of lunch …

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Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Corner Shop Has Quality Sandwiches

Swing by The Sandwich Co. for a fresh, healthy lunch.

Nestled among houses, the Sandwich Co. is in a small, nondescript building on the corner of Church Street. There are few tables and even less decor. But the staff is friendly, knows the neighborhood regulars and has been serious about sandwiches for the 10 years it's been in business. Quality Boar's Head meat is paired with fresh ingredients to create a variety of designer sandwiches. Vegetarians will enjoy The Ali Baba, a combination of hummus, mixed greens, roasted peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes on your bread of choice ($6). The portions are large and prices are reasonable. If desiring more substance, try The Florentine, which combines cappicola, provolone, spinach, sweet red peppers, lettuce and tomato, for a hearty lunch ($6.79). …

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Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: A night of Southern Cuisine at Firefly's

Firefly's specializes in southern style barbeque.

Dive right into some good old fashioned Southern cookin' without ever leaving Marlborough. Once glance at the menu will confirm Firefly's dedication to southern cuisine with the four different styles of ribs, five varieties of barbeque sauce and a selection of 40 different hot sauces. Owner Steve Uliss has won more than 20 national barbeque awards and knows great barbeque. The debate isn't whether the barbeque will be high quality, but rather which style to sample. The meat is slow cooked for up to 12 hours, which helps to perfect tender, moist ribs and pulled pork. But there are many other southern dishes for those who aren't barbeque fans. Try the unique twist on fried chicken called A Waffle Lot O' Chicken -- chicken tenders with gravy …

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Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Quick, Cheap Chinese Food at Flaming Wok

Flaming Wok offers free delivery and is open until 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sometimes you just need quick, cheap hassle free Chinese food. The more grease, the better. True, often times this insatiable craving occurs late at night. But Flaming Wok will be there to satisfy those Chinese fast food urges. And they deliver. The menu is very extensive, offering everything from boneless spareribs and General Gau’s Chicken to shrimp with lobster sauce and moo shu pork. The lunch menu (from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.) offers more than 15 combo varieties for as little as $4.95. The prices are low, but the quantities are not. However, realize beforehand the cuisine at Flaming Wok is not five stars, or even three stars. The chicken in the sesame chicken dish was tough. The vegetable lo mein was so salty as to require multiple …

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Damon Michaels

10:01 am on Tuesday, July 19, 2011

It is unfortunate that the quality has fallen at the Flaming Wok over the past year (more or less, I can't recall exactly). I still order from there, but only certain items are ordered there. I can say the people are pleasant and the food is delivered hot and quickly.   more ›

Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Much More Than Pizza at Pleasant Pizza

Pleasant Pizza & Deli offers a large selection of both gourmet pizzas and sandwiches and wraps.

Pleasant Pizza & Deli is inconspicuously tucked away in a plaza with Honey Farms, across the street from the Boys & Girls Club. Sure, the pizza spot covers the basics found at most pizza joints, such as the spinach and feta calzone, meatball sub, meatlovers and veggie delight pizzas. But Pleasant Pizza takes its cuisine several steps past the average buffalo wings. Mediterranean and hummus wraps, listed among an extensive gourmet sandwich selection, offer more healthy alternatives to a large pizza. An appetizer of grape leaves or a seafood salad and a generous helping of baklava for dessert put a refreshing twist on a routine pizza night. The more than 15 varieties of gourmet pizzas offer a plethora of choices to satisfy most cravings. Try…

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Damon Michaels

8:17 pm on Thursday, July 21, 2011

I concur. This is a good place to get food. Hot, fresh, pleasant people, and fast delivery all equals a good experience.   more ›

Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Fresh Seafood at Fish

Check out Fish for fresh seafood and a relaxed dining experience.

With the name Fish (formerly known as Coral Seafood), one would expect the menu to be leaning heavily towards exactly that, fish. But this is not the case. Patrons will find the same variety of seafood selection here as in other seafood restaurants. That being noted, the lunch and dinner menus do offer palette-intriguing medleys of fresh seafood for indecisive guests, such as the mix grill (swordfish, shrimp and salmon) and fried seafood platter (haddock, whole clams, shrimp and scallops). The shrimp, scallop and mussels scampi dish blends butter garlic, olive oil, diced tomatoes and spinach with the seafood over a bed of fresh pappardelle pasta ($14 lunch; $23 dinner). The new interior of Fish slants toward an urban chic design with …

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Damon Michaels

2:36 pm on Monday, October 10, 2011

My wife and I went to "Fish" on 10/6/2011 for the $1 Oyster deal. We were there at a little after 5pm and when asked about it they said they were just setting up. Fair enough, there was no one else there so why leave them out on ice any longer than necessary. We ordered a dozen oysters of various kinds, as well as four (large, not the jumbo) shrimp cocktail. Here is what I have to say: 1) It …   more ›

Restaurant Reporter

OPINION: Thai on Main Street

Mueng Thai Restaurant offers a large menu selection of classic Thai dishes.

Mueng Thai Restaurant is centrally located in Marlborough along Main Street, allowing quick access when those Thai cravings take a hold. After hearing a number of favorable reviews of the restaurant, expectations were high as the door swung open to reveal a small number of tables. Because the interior of the restaurant was just as humid as outside, ordering takeout seemed preferable over sweating at a table. The menu was extensive, offering everything from soups and curry dishes to stir fry and rice and noodle entrees. Appetizers varied in price from $5 - $10, while the dinner entrée prices ranged from $9 - $15. The meal was off to a good start with an appetizer of crab Rangoon – a crisp and not overly greasy outer wonton shell deep-fried …

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