“We could see why the steak sandwich is an award-winner.”
Cheap Eats: Steve's Clam Bar and MT Pockets
By Anne Neville
Updated: 07/25/08 10:45 AM
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- Owner Steve Meli displays a sampling of the seafood items at Steve’s Clam Bar and MT Pockets.
Summer isn’t complete without clams, and when we heard that Steve’s Clam Bar had relocated from its Elmwood Avenue site to MT Pockets — already known for its steak sandwich — we knew we had to check it out.
The cool, dark bar was full of people on a warm weekend afternoon, with others seated at tables on the sidewalk patio. The side room, where the actual clam bar operates, was empty, although set up for a party later. We took over a window table and ordered a bunch of food from the clam bar and the regular bar.
The first offering from the clam bar was a shrimp cocktail ($8.95), ordered by me but shared with John, Dan and Ruth, and there was plenty to go around. Seven large, utterly fresh peeled shrimp were dusted with a bit of cayenne, perhaps? The small cup of cocktail sauce was tangy and delicious. I always get a famous Legal Seafood shrimp cocktail when we go to Boston, and this one was every bit as good, if not better.
A dozen “big” steamers ($9.95) followed, also fresh and plump, with a bit of expected chewiness and a satisfying taste. We tried one Lobster Casino, made with lobster meat, bread-crumbs and seasoning in a clamshell, and while it was delicious and meaty, it was not cheap at $3.95.
John’s fish fry ($7.50) included a nice piece of haddock in a crispy, if a bit greasy, batter. The fish was hot, but the french fries were sizzling, obviously just out of the fryer. A side of crunchy cole slaw completed the plate.
I’d ordered the steak salad ($8), and expected some sliced steak atop a bed of greens. What I got was an actual strip steak, grilled to perfection, tender and juicy, accompanied by a salad of iceberg chunks, tomato slices and cheese strips. It was a delicious, carblight meal.
Dan and I compared steaks and decided that the cut on my plate was identical to the one in his sandwich ($6.75), served in a hunk of fresh, soft Italian bread, garnished with grilled onions and a layer of cheese — he skipped the offered peppers. It was served with a handful of chips.
We could see why this sandwich is an award-winner — tender meat, cooked medium as requested, with plenty of beefy flavor. At this price, it was a Cheap Eats find.
MT Pockets’ kitchen is open from 11 a.m. until roughly midnight daily, with the clam bar closing a bit earlier. The patio is handicapped- accessible, and there is a step or two to enter the door.
Steve’s Clam Bar and MT Pockets
1519 Hertel Ave.; 838-4658
3 pennies (out of four):
