Alicante Mediterranean Grille, Mendon MA

Located on Nipmuc Pond in Mendon, Alicante is one of the few waterfront restaurants in the area - and that's what initially drew us to the place. We've been there a few times, so we knew it was a safe bet for a long overdue date night.

Saturday at 7pm, though, presents a unique challenge for diners. The restaurant - with it's great location and elegant, yet lively, atmosphere is a prime destination for couples in the area. Unless you have a party of six or more, though, you can't make a reservation. So, after handing the keys over to the complimentary valet (if you see the parking situation, you'll understand why they have free valet), we were told we would have a 30-45 minute wait.

No problem! Trying to ignore the babysitter time clock ticking in my head, we hit the bar for a drink. As luck would have it, we scored two seats at the bar, and decided to eat there instead of waiting for a table. After all, we'd eaten in the dining room before, so we were up for a change of scenery.

In a nutshell, everything we had experienced in our last few visits to Alicante carried over to the bar: delicious food, great views, and a good mix of people dressed to impress. The only difference? The service. In the dining room, service is impeccable, with a minimum of two servers taking care of every table. In the bar, it took us a full five minutes (which when you're sitting at a bar, without a drink, feels more like 25) to get the attention of one of the three not-so-busy bartenders. And once we finally did get our drink order in, it took another five to get the dinner menus we had requested. Ugh - this could be painful.

But it's our date night, and I'm not going to let this get in the way of us having a nice dinner out. So, onto the food. The menu at Alicante is very extensive, and there are always three or four specials that consistently sound great. Decisions, decisions.

I started with a bowl of the lobster bisque. Great flavor, with good chunks of lobster throughout, and a few garlicky croutons on top to add some crunch. Scott opted to nosh on the popular bar snacks- freshly baked potato "chips". Imagine Cape Cod chips, slightly warm and still a bit chewy. Addictive.

For entrees, Scott chose one of the specials, a 16 oz. NY Strip (yes, I said 16), served with kicked up steak fries and fresh sauteed veggies (zucchini, carrots, summer squash). Presentation was impressive and the steak, while a tad overcooked, was full of flavor. And for me, the paella. Mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops and lobster, all served over saffron rice. Presentation brought a major wow factor - topped off by the server dishing out the mixture table (or bar)side. My only complaint? The saffron rice lacked the toasty bottom authentic paella's known for, and the lobster is deceiving. It comes out looking like a half lobster, but you quickly realize that it's just a small, half tail among a lot of shell.

A couple of glasses of the house pinot noir, a very good meal, and we're a pretty happy couple that's all but forgotten about the less than desirable bar service. Chances are we'll be back again for more.

The tab:
Atmosphere - 7.5
Service - 8 in dining room. 6 in the bar. On average, 7
Food Quality - 7.5
Presentation - 8
Average Entree Price - $21-$25
Kid factor - 6 (no kid menu, and no kids in sight on a Saturday)

Restaurant Website: http://www.alicantema.com/