A Little Slice of England

Smack in the middle of Sayville is Cricket's. It's as much a restaurant as a town institution. It's warm with a lovely, family atmosphere and always full of people and activity. Despite the ever-present busy rush, the waitstaff is friendly and efficient.

The cuisine is supposed to be English. I have never been to England so I can't judge.

I've been to Cricket's twice, both times with The Boyfriend. The food is fairly consistent and filling and there are high as well as low notes.

The first time, I ordered stuffed shrimp (noticing a trend here?) with a side of baked potato. It came with soup and salad. The soup was a little on the salty side for me, and as The Boyfriend would tell you, I'm a salt fiend. Still, it was pretty well turned out, the broth rich and smooth. The salad was well executed. It wasn't anything major, just some fresh lettuce and veggies, but it was covered in a yummy Caesar dressing and tasted like a salad should taste, healthy and a little bit naughty. Their baked potato was perfect, baked just long enough that the flesh softened into a creamy consistency and not so long that it was mush. With some oozing, melting butter, it made the Slavic potato lover in me a very happy femme. The shrimp was a bit of a letdown. The shrimp itself was great, pink and tender and sweet. But the stuffing... oh the stuffing... It was large mushy lump deposited on that wonderful butterflied shrimp meat. The crab meat didn't have any firmness to it and just to underscore that there was way too much breading. Maybe if there was less stuffing per shrimp, it would have been better, but as is... I was disappointed.

The Boyfriend, of course, had meat. A steak. It had too many fatty strips in it but he hates any fat on his steaks so his opinion is skewed. I had a bite of it and I thought it was very good, moist and tangy-sweet with caramelization.

The second time The Boyfriend also had meat. He had a burger with fries and everything came in the family size option. Cricket's definitely does not skimp on portions. The fries were hot and crispy and The Boyfriend told me the burger was meaty and awesome.

I had a salad and a baked potato. The potato was the same perfect execution. The salad... well... the first thing I must say is it was huge. I could not eat it in one sitting. It had lettuce and various veggies, and everything was crisp and fresh. The waitress gave me two containers of dressing right off the bat without any requests.

The best part? Not only is the food generally good, but it's also very reasonably priced. The trick is, I think, to stick to simpler fare.

-Vixen

Cricket's Restaurant
98 Main St.
Sayville, NY 11782
(631)563-6345