We treated ourselves to a pre-Valentine’s outing to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, with lunch beforehand at Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall. I am delighted to report a delicious experience, with better food than we experienced there pre-pandemic.
That day we had a lot to choose from: late lunch gave us our pick of the lunch menu, the dinner menu, and a menu of special dishes for the day (not sure if that last one was offered because of Valentine’s Day). We ordered from the lunch menu and were glad that we did.
Started by sharing six oysters (not pictured): three Glidden Point and three Weskeag. Exceptionally fresh because, as we’d learn later, they were trucked in from Maine just that morning. My only quibble was the oysters were not served with a mignonette, not that it was actually necessary. Cocktail sauce and horseradish were provided but they are not our thing.
My lunch was a Jonah crab cake made with a generous sides of sautéed spinach and garlic as well as potato wedges. I liked the spinach and garlic a lot. Less of a fan of the potato wedges—they are fine, but next time I’ll pick a different side. You’ll see the crab cake is in scoop form rather than the traditional patty. The shape kept the delicate crabmeat from drying out.
My husband wanted fish and chips. He remarked that the fish was excellent. Fry job was good on the (ordinary) chips.
We were so well-fed that we skipped the sticky toffee pudding we’d been eyeing for dessert.
Oh, and our beverage of choice was the Czech black lager on tap from Salem’s very own Notch brewing.
During our meal, the manager shared that Turner’s has upped its emphasis on food quality, plans to renovate the bar, and add a 3-season patio at the rear of the Lyceum Hall property.
Then away we went to the PEM to see Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools, an exhibition of Flemish paintings that does a fantastic job of explaining the significance of the art.
Fun escape for a few hours, and not far from home.
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