When the Cat ’n Fiddle restaurant on Manchester Street closed in 2009, it marked the end of an important era in Concord history – no more would restaurant names tout the instrumental genius of household pets.
Turns out it wasn’t the ultimate end of the restaurant’s era, though, at least not entirely – John Barous, son of former Cat ’n Fiddle owner Nick Barous, recently opened a new establishment, Barous’ Family Restaurant, on Fort Eddy Road, and the menu includes some classics from the old family kitchen.
Naturally, the Food Snob had to check things out for himself. So he grabbed a companion and made his way to the new restaurant at 94 Fort Eddy Road, in the plaza with Market Basket and Lowe’s.
The Snob visited at sort of an in-between time, after the typical lunch rush and well before the dinner crowd ventures out, which probably explains the quiet atmosphere in the restaurant upon arrival. The Snob and his companion opted for a couple of seats at the bar instead of in one of the many green booths, inviting though they were.
The bar area was very comfortable, with high stools pulled up to a clean, rectangular bar. There’s a flat screen TV on the wall behind the bar, and had there been a game on, the Snob might have spent all afternoon.
We were greeted promptly by our server, who was very friendly. She did briefly offer us the wrong specials for the day (and darned if the buffalo mac and cheese didn’t sound good, too) but rebounded nicely by asking if we had any questions about anything on the menu and pleasantly offering insight.
The menu features one page of Cat ’n Fiddle classics, and it seemed only right that the Snob dine from those selections, so he went with the fish and chips. His companion opted for one of the specials, a meatball sub, with fries, and – perhaps souped out after the recent Souperfest issue – substituted onion rings for a cup of soup.
The fish was delightful, breaded enough to be crispy but not so much to feel like a lead weight after you eat it. The inside was piping hot, tender and flaky, essentially cooked to perfection. Perhaps the lone complaint was the dish overall lacked any significant seasoning, and could have been considered just a tiny bit bland. Then again, salt and pepper shakers were within arm’s reach, so presumably patrons are encouraged to season away to their hearts content.
The meatball sub earned a similar critique – the meatballs were moist and obviously handmade, but lacked any signature punch in the seasoning department. The portion was good, though, with four steaming meatballs rolled into a soft sub roll.
The onion rings appeared to be battered in-house, and managed to achieve the difficult balance of being fried/crispy enough to distract you from the fact that you’re eating a vegetable, without being too greasy or thick. Once again, perhaps the lone complaint was that without salt or pepper, the breading was a little bland.
Barous’ does do one thing that WAY more restaurants in Concord should – serve breakfast all day. The bar was otherwise empty while we were there until one patron strolled in and ordered a full breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon. It smelled and looked delightful, and the simple fact that you can get pancakes at any time of the day is worth lots of bonus points in the Snob’s mind.
All in all it was a successful maiden voyage to Barous’ Family Restaurant. Food was served quickly, was clearly created by hand in the kitchen and was overall pretty solid. The flavors weren’t the boldest we’ve ever tasted, but it’s probably better to err on that side of the boldness meter than the zany side. If the worst that a customer has to do is sprinkle a little salt and pepper on his or her food, it’s not a bad day.
