I love walking into a new restaurant and seeing all the possibilities that lie within. The expectations of either good or bad. I can say that I was very happily surprised and delighted to find the location that was once a dentist’s supply warehouse into a modern eatery with ample warm character and charm. Keeping the wood beams and brick along with modern décor. As a photographer who often photographs architecture, I found this to be wonderfully laid out and ample in size as well, accommodating our large party in the front of the building and a large event happening in the lower part of the building.
Looking around at the patrons, it was a large contrast to the last restaurant, or “gastro pub” that I reviewed where I felt a little out of place because I didn’t have enough flannel, big beard, and skinny jeans. At Lock 50, I noticed many ladies dressed for their late afternoon get-togethers and ladies evening out. A more sophisticated crowd that went along with the sophisticated menu. The only complaint we had was that due to all the hard surfaces, it was a bit loud with all the people chatting. I’ll chalk this up with the fact that they just opened and still need some interior dressing to make the place perfect.
Sitting down after we had our greetings and hugs, we ordered our appetizer, which was a wonderful cured meat board, which happened to have many different cured meats and this wonderful pepperoni spread that was a hit. The bread that I believe she mentioned comes from Iggy’s in Cambridge was pretty much addictive. I think our only complaint was that we would have loved some amazing local cheese to go with the meat board, but that’s just me being selfish.
Donna (my wife) and I ordered the roasted half chicken with mushrooms, marsala syrup and fried sage. All I can say is that the chicken was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms which I believed were marinated in the marsala syrup and then pan seared, were so tender and tasty that other people were picking them out of our dish to sample and then go back for more. I had to slap some hands away to keep some for myself.
What I love so much about the “small plate” experience is that for me, it’s all about the sharing process. At our table, we shared each other’s food to sample. I felt like even though I ordered just a couple of plates, I was able to sample almost everything on the menu and at the end of the night not feel so incredibly gut busted, but satiated and happy. That being said, I didn’t have any dessert as I might have tipped the scales a bit too far.
Being a “made to order” restaurant, you should be ready to wait a bit for your food. All of these things are made to order just for you and if there’s a large party, it might take a bit longer than a fast food or chain restaurant. This is not really a problem for me or the others as we are very social and love to chat. For the most part, this monthly get together is the only time we get to see each other and it’s a great time to catch up, have a drink and hear each others stories. Good times.
Our lovely and sweet server was Madison. She was ever present and happy to address anything we needed. She had a quick smile and was incredibly pleasant. We had a special surprise when Chef Tim Russo came out to chat with us and educate us on our dishes and his excitement of the new restaurant. It always is a good sign when a Chef comes out from the kitchen to chat with his clients. It was a very professional touch.
Overall, I’d have to say that this is one of my favorite new locations and I’m sure to be back with friends and family. There were some menu items that literally had my mouth watering and I feel I am now completely addicted too.
