I had to bring my car to the dealer in Springfield for service today, so we stopped for dinner at the Chesapeake Seafood House on Clear Lake Ave. We’d been by it many times and have often talked about stopping in to try it, but being from New England, where good seafood is a given, we were skeptical. Plus, we were in the habit of stopping at Gateway to India when we were in Springfield, but as our last trip to Gateway was a disappointment, we decided to try something different.

We were early for dinner, but there were still quite a few cars in the lot. Not sure if there was a function or something going on. It wasn’t crowded at all inside, although it’s a pretty big place. The maitre d’ sat us in a small room (looked like a former porch) off the main dining room. The main room looked more inviting. I guess he was trying to spread the customers out among the waitstaff. The service was excellent, though. Our waiter was attentive, but not a pest.

We both decided on entrees off the early dinner menu. The prices were considerably lower than the full menu, although I suspect the portion sizes were accordingly smaller. I ordered their Fried Fish dinner, which was essentially fish & chips. Sarah went with Baked Cod. Hers came with rice pilaf and broccoli. Sarah had a rather tasteless salad made mostly from the white parts of iceberg lettuce and some bottled blue cheese dressing. I tried their clam chowder, which was ok, but there were more vegetables than clams in it and it was a tad bland. Our entrees were both similarly unremarkable. The food was passable, but nothing to write home about. Anyone who has had really fresh seafood will understand. Still, considering we’re in the middle of the prairies, I guess I shouldn’t be too picky.

After several folks wrote comments Sushi Kame in my review of Kamakura, we decided to try it and see for ourselves. The comments were right. Sushi Kame (on Church St next to Nitaya Thai) is excellent, although the atmosphere is a notch below Kamakura’s. That’s not to say the atmosphere isn’t pleasant, though. Just different.

Tonight we both opted for their Bento Box dinners. Sarah got Teriyaki Chicken and I got Teriyaki Steak. The Bento Box dinners come with soup, salad (iceberg lettuce with a ginger dressing), tempura, California roll, rice, and whatever main dish you pick. It’s a decent meal in a tidy presentation. Both the chicken and the steak were quite good. The tempura consisted of a shrimp, sweet potato, zucchini, and a green bean. Very tasty. According to Sarah, the California roll was pretty good. I’m not big on them, so she got mine to take home.

With the beer I had with dinner, we got out of there for just under $40. Not bad for a very good meal. Next time I think I’ll try one of their full entrees and maybe an appetizer. Check back for an update.

I was recently interviewed for an article in The Morning News, a small local paper in Northwest Arkansas. Greasy Spoons is mentioned about halfway down through the article. The writer got a few things wrong, like the site’s name and the fact that I live in Charleston, not “Champagne.” Still, I’m happy to have been able to contribute.