It's been a while since I've done a Dining Report (I used to fill in for Gene Burns on his Dining Around show on WRKO), but here goes: Last Sunday (1/21) my mother decided she wanted to have dinner at a nice sit-down restaurant. We decided to go to the Saugus/Lynnfield area (I was pushing for Town Lyne House, one of my favorites), but she wanted to try someplace that we had not been to before. I suggested The Continental (Rt 1, Northbound side). After a 30 minute wait (they had told us 10 - 15 minutes) we were escorted to a pleasant booth. Before we even had a chance to check out the menu, over came a server with complimentary corn fritters in a raspberry syrup - these were very good. We decided to go with Sunday dinner specials (very reasonably priced at only $10.95, complete except for dessert). We both started out with the soup dujour, which was Cream of Chicken Rice. Chunks or chicken, celery and rice in a tasty, well seasoned thick, creamy broth. This was followed by large salads with very tasty Russian dressing - the salads were a fresh crisp combination of lettuce, radishes, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. During and between courses more servers came around offering chicken wings, meatballs, spinich souffle and popovers. For the main course, I had Roast Vermont turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies, while Mom had Stuffed Breast of Chicken in Supreme Sauce with mashed and cole slaw. We both agreed that the dinners were VERY good (and most important, everything arrived at the table hot!). Dessert (something I really should avoid, but couldn't resist) for me was Lemon Chiffon Pie. It was a graham cracker crust, with fresh, tangy lemon chiffon, real whip cream and topped with chocolate syrup (a suprising addition, but really added to the overall effect). The pie arrived at the table cold and really hit the spot. Mom had a few tastes but did not get any dessert for herself. All in all, I found The Continental to be an excellent restaurant for family dining with good values, great food and very nice surroundings. All this for less than $35 (tax and tip included) for two.
Boston, MA