Turner’s Seafood Grill & Market

Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 12:10 PM | Posted by caroloc

506 Main Street
Melrose, MA 02176

by Kristina Rielly

Atmosphere:
When stepping into Turner’s Seafood Grill & Market, guests feel like they have entered a classic fishing town. The walls are adorned in black and white fishing photographs, boat paddles, and other fishing paraphernalia while the windows are covered with wooden shades. To the right of the main dining area is a glass case filled with a plethora of seafood, as this is the “to-go” section of the restaurant offering guests fresh market seafood such as clams, shrimps, and scallops.

The atmosphere at Turner’s was rather lively for a Thursday night as locals were calling ahead to be put on the wait-list since the mid-sized dining area was consistently full. With dim lighting and Cat Stevens music playing in the background, Turners attracted a solid crowd with the common interest of wanting delicious seafood. Guests were also bringing a piece of Turner’s home with them as they purchased gift certificates to the restaurant to give as presents.

Starters:
The month of November at Turner’s Seafood Grill & Market is Lobsterfest providing guests with an additional menu of lobster-related soups, appetizers, and entrees including lobster macaroni and cheese ($15.99), lobster taco ($10.99) and lobster pie ($29.99).

For starters, my companion and I ordered the lobster ravioli ($12.99) in addition to a cup of clam chowder ($3.99) and a cup of lobster bisque ($5.99). The lobster ravioli was an open faced ravioli made with ricotta, mushrooms, leeks, red peppers, and fresh lobster meat on a crispy wonton finished with a tarragon buerre blanc. The ravioli was covered in a rich, creamy sauce that added a unique flavor to the appetizer, yet not taking away from the lobster.

The cup of clam chowder was thick and chunky with ample amounts of clams, as the lobster bisque was equally as delicious, and radiated a delightful creamy, butter flavor. Turners did not skimp on the amount of clam or lobster they put into their soups… a huge bonus.

Drinks:
The beverage selection at Turner’s was rather impressive, offering a variety of wines, spirits, and beers. Wine was served by the glass ($4.75 - $7.95) and by the bottle ($15 - $62). Spirit choices consisted of a variety of whiskey, scotch, bourbon, and gin. Turner’s also had an extensive selection of beer on tap and by the bottle ($3.25 - $5.25), including Blue Moon, Guinness, Black & Tan, Harpoon UFO, and Miller Lite. I started the evening with a glass of Pacific Rum Riesling, ($6.75) while my companion ordered a Samuel Adams Seasonal, which was Winter.

Dinner:
The dinner menu at Turner’s Seafood Grill & Market gives all guests the opportunity to enjoy a variety of dishes while adding their own seafood flare. The menu includes a raw bar with oysters ($1.99 each) steamers ($13.99), Cherrystones & Littlenecks ($1.25 each), and Shrimp Cocktail ($8.99).  Guests also have the option of ordering Dijonnaise, Belgium, or Provencal mussels steamed to their liking.  Furthermore, the menu includes a Create Your Own Pasta section as well as specialty entrees.

For dinner, I ordered a Create Your Own Pasta dish, which gives guests the option of having linguine or penne pasta scampi style, fra diavolo style, or marinara style in a bistro ($4.99) or a large ($6.99) size. Guests can add a fish or meat element to their pasta.  Choices include: Medium Shrimp ($5), Chicken Breast ($5), Fried Baby Shrimp ($4), Calamari ($4), and Mussels ($5). I ordered the Linguine Pasta, Scampi style, with Sea Scallops. The Create Your Own Pasta dish is a unique seafood entree that is not necessarily on the menu. There were plenty of sea-scallops cooked within linguine scampi style-pasta. The pasta had the perfect amount of spice in it - adding just enough flavor.

My companion ordered the Tuna Sashimi dinner ($25.99); other delicious options included Japanese Salmon (20.99) and Baked Stuffed Shrimp ($18.99).  The Tuna Sashimi dinner consisted of yellow fin tuna crusted with black and white sesame seed, pan seared rare, sliced and served with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger. The dinner was also accompanied with a side of rice, carrots, spring beans, and zucchini. The Tuna Sashimi dinner looked like a sushi dish, however, it was lightly seared, and therefore the fish was not entirely raw. This meal was a delicious masterpiece and the portion size was more than plenty for one person.

Dessert:
After an evening of scrumptious seafood, my companion and I ordered the Apple Crisp for dessert. The warm apple crisp with cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla ice cream was the scrumptious ending to the evening at Turner’s Seafood Grill & Market.

Assessment:
Located on Main Street in the heart of Melrose, Turner’s Seafood and Gril l& Market is a popular location for the locals offering both dine-in and to-go options for its guests. With a bar area and dining room, Turner’s Seafood Grill & Market is a reliable restaurant to get up-scale meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

Address: 506 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176
Phone: 781-622-0700
Website: http://www.turners-seafood.com/
Cuisine: seafood
Price:  $1.99 - $29.99
Hours: Restaurant: Lunch: Tue-Sat 1130am-3pm; Dinner: Tue-Thu 5pm-9pm; Fri-Sat: 5pm-10pm; Sunday 1pm-8pm (Sept - June); closed Mondays

Oyster Bar: Tue-Thu 1130am-9pm; Fri & Sat 1130am-10pm; Sun: 1pm--8pm(Sept - June); 4pm-9pm (July & Aug); closed Mondays

Market: Tue-Thu 9am-9pm; Fri & Sat: 9am-10pm; Sun: 1pm-8pm; closed Mondays
Features: Raw Bar, Dine-In, To-Go
Recommendations: Tuna Sashimi, Sea Scallops, Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque
Public Transit and Parking: Public Parking behind the building across the street
Reservations: call-ahead waitlist
Payment Options: all major credit cards