Wareham Crossing, 2421 Cranberry Highway Suite 2, Wareham, MA 02571
Distance: 106 yd.
Company description
Pomodores Restaurant & Lounge offers Banquet Halls services in Wareham MA, MA area.
More details
Editorial Text 2
Finding a really good Italian restaurant in the pine and oak forests of beautiful Wareham seems like a challenge posed in a summertime TV reality show. Ah, but there is one! Almost at the end of Interstate 195 East on Route 28 sits Pomodore's, once the popular Zeadey's restaurant. Still a favorite of locals and summer tourists, this eatery continues to earn its way with a rainbow of Italian fare, seafood, pizzas and nightly specials that tempts even fussy appetites. On a recent weekday night, I stopped in on my return from an appointment on Cape Cod at the ring of the early dinner bell. Luckily, there was only a light crowd and a friendly host, Brian, escorted me to a comfortable table in the main dining room. There really is nothing fancy about Pomodore's, but what it lacks in d?cor, it makes up for in its menu offerings. (I can't remember seeing as much wrought iron in one indoor space.) Spartan in its trimmings, Pomodore's needs a Martha Stewart treatment ... but keep her out of the kitchen on this visit. Comfortable at my quiet table, a Frank Sinatra tune was barely audible in the background as my pleasant and ever-efficient server, Leah, introduced herself and took my order for a welcome glass of Gabbiano Pinot Grigio ($5), one my personal favorites. Leah was kind enough to recite the nightly specials that I spied on a large board as I entered. Each sounded more tempting than the next. A veal and shrimp picatta with lemon capers and roasted red peppers ($17.95) was followed by seafood stuffed salmon topped with hollandaise sauce ($17.95). A Greek-style seafood saut? ($18.95) featured shrimp, scallops, mussels, and lobster with artichoke hearts, black olives, broccoli, plum tomatoes, and feta cheese over linguini, and at the top of the list, veal Osso Bucco ($19.95) a wonderful shank braised with a mix of savory vegetables in a Burgundy wine sauce. After a rather mundane tossed salad that had been made earlier in the day (evidenced by soft croutons and onions), I skimmed the extensive menu but could not pass on the Osso Bucco special. What a great choice. The sauce with some unadvertised garlic cloves was a bit too much, but once the five small shanks were removed, the meat proved to be tender, tasty and well worth the quick choice. While this dish is normally served with two or three larger portions of shank, I found the small pieces much more to my liking, scoring high on the taste scale. The side of saut?ed green beans with mushrooms bits and onions was excellent and the baked potato was perfect. Had I opted for something from the printed menu, there was a plethora of Italian specialties ranging from a basic spaghetti and meatballs ($11.95) to seafood Alfredo ($18.95), a classic mix of scallops, shrimp and lobster. Pomodore's offers more than a dozen "house specialties," all served with a garden salad and hot Vienna bread. However, if one opts for the Caesar salad, add a dollar, and the garlic bread will cost you another $1.95. Some of the more unusual choices from the specials menu include a shrimp Augustace ($16.95), saut?ed breaded jumbo shrimp in a Marsala herb sauce with plum tomatoes, wild mushrooms, and prosciutto baked in a casserole and topped with melted cheese. Yum! A seafood medley ($22.95) would satisfy any lover of the ocean's bounty with a healthy mix of scallops, shrimp, lobster, and swordfish in a sherried herb sauce topped with melted cheese on a bed of linguini pasta. Fried seafood comes in singles and combinations topping out at lobster and a choice of any other item for $18.95. Pure seafood choices ran the gamut from Tuscan style Atlantic salmon ($14.95) to the ever-popular baked stuffed jumbo shrimp ($15.95). Steak tips ($13.95) and a full house of surf and turf choices rang in around the $20 mark. I was impressed when Leah announced that the desserts were all made in house. I am not sure that she may have been misinformed. On an earlier visit, I was told that most were not, and only the apple crisp and Grape-Nut pudding were in fact domestic. Choices on my second visit included a brownie sundae, carrot cake, and a tiramisu that I found to be heavy and ever so high on the sugar scale. I admit to not being a dessert lover, and this choice helped to reinforce my aversion to the overly sweet end-of-meal treats. This was a much more pleasant visit to Pomodore's than one I had made a month or so ago. The dining room ranks slightly higher in ambiance than the function room that is used for public dining on weekends, even with its uneven booth spacing. Service this time was excellent, and Leah earns high praise for smiles and efficient service without being obtrusive. While vegetarian choices were lacking, I am certain that the kitchen could easily accommodate children with standard kid's fare. It is important to note that Pomodore's scores high in every area of cleanliness from the rest rooms to the dining areas. My tab without wine, tip or tax totaled $24.45, which I thought was reasonable for a three-course dinner of above average quality and excellent service in a room that could really use a few soft touches. Dine Out's reviewer visits restaurants unannounced and at his or her discretion. The Standard-Times pays for the meals reviewed. The reviews merely reflect one diner's experience. Ratings range from 1 to 5 stars.
