Seafood, Salad and Sinatra

Call me old fashion but I would much rather walk into a restaurant that has a sense of history to it than a brand spanking new place with a minimalist vibe and no past. Just like you'll hear better life stories from a wise older person than a teenage ingenue, I find that the tried and true food at more established restaurants tend to be better than places that have just opened their doors.

is named after the paternal grandmother of the present owners. The Web site claims, "When you walk through the doors of Charlotte's Restaurant, you step back to a gentler time. A time of Victorian values and turn-of-the-century hospitality."

It was indeed hospitable and I did feel like I was stepping back in time, but not back to the turn-of-the-century. Walking into the dining room of Charlotte's and hearing Sinatra standards like "My Way" on the piano made me feel like I was in a scene from Goodfellas (obviously when The Hills were living high on the hog and before their downfall).

The menu features mostly seafood (although there is a "meat, poultry and steak" section of the menu) so I brought two seafood lovers with me.

We began with one of the specials of the evening, fresh oysters on the half shell ($9.95). They were plump, briney and much of the sweet liquor was left in the shell. We also had Prince Edward Island mussels in marinara sauce ($7.95). These, too, were plump and delicious.

Old school favorites like Rockefeller oysters ($9.95), Philadelphia snapper soup ($3.75/cup; $6.95/bowl) and shrimp cocktail ($10.95) are also available. For the more adventurous diner, classic French offerings including escargot ($9.95) and frog legs provencale ($9.95) may fit the bill.

For entrees, we had the enormous broiled seafood platter ($28.95), the potato crusted salmon ($18.95) and the linguini with white clam sauce ($17.95). All three entrees came with a fresh garden salad with seasoned croutons, tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumbers, carrots and radishes. They offer almost any dressing you can think of but we chose old standbys, thousand island and French.

The seafood platter was big enough for two people. It came with salmon, flounder, cod, clams casino, lobster tail, stuffed shrimp, scallops and shrimp salad. The whole lot made my dinner companion cry "uncle." I had never seen him leave food on his plate until that night.

The potato crusted salmon in a fresh dill beurre blanc was a large thick fillet of salmon, topped with grated potato and herbs. The crust was crisp, the fish tender, and the sauce rich and creamy. Salmon, potatoes and dill are one of my favorite combinations and this dish was a must-have for me.

The linguini with clam sauce was a mountain of noodles and a double dose of chopped clams. We ended up taking home about half of it.

The extensive menu features almost every creature of the sea prepared in almost every way imaginable but I will take the time to point out some crowd favorites. Charlotte's famous crab cake is made with a shrimp and scallop mousse and jumbo lump crabmeat served with a champagne lobster sauce ($22.95). Baked crab imperial ($21.95) and whole lobster ($28.95, was sold out when we were there) are notables as well.

We were stuffed to the gills (pun intended) so we decided to skip dessert and coffee.

The wine list is good with ample wines offered by the glass. I had a Mark West Pinot Noir ($8) with my dinner which was a fine choice. A chilled glass of Riseling or Sauvignon Blanc would also go well. There is a fully stocked bar for other alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and juices.

The decor is warm, nostalgic and features large leather booths, dimmer lighting, dark carpet, frosted glass and plenty of wood moldings. There are TVs by the bar and a piano near the entry to the dining room.

It was a strange juxtaposition having a pianist bang out jazz standards like "Sunday Kind of Love" while the flat screen flashed bright images and graphics at the other end of the bar. 

Charlotte's is a restaurant with a storied past and rich history that operates in modern times. They are the most successful when keeping their traditions intact (unparalleled hospitality) while offering the same high-quality cuisine of their elders (seafood classics of yesterday). Maybe if Henry Hill had also followed the example of his elders, he might not have lost it all.