Restaurant Review: Jameson T avem By George Benington.

VIEW

BY GEORGE BENINGTON

The Jameson Tavern in Freeport is yet another restaurant in the fashion of aNew England country inn. However, this locale is also an authentic piece of Maine history. In this tavern, in 1820, Massachusetts commissioners met to sign papers making Maine an independent state. These founding fathers couldn't have realized the auspiciousness of their choice of

watering holes - that L.L. Bean would choose the other side of the street and that Freeport would become the outlet capital of the free world - but the current owners evidently had this very much in mind while planning the decor and menu of the Jameson. This is clearly a family restaurant, a place wellsuited to bringing the gang after an exhausting day of shopping. Nothing on the menu is remarkably out of the

TAVERN

ordinary or unpredictable. One dead giveaway is that every entree is served with either baked potato, french fries, or rice pilaf. In fact, many things reminded me of my very first job - washing dishes at the Sir Walter Raleigh Inn. This type of restaurant is formulaic.

However, it is also immensely popular. The evening we dined there, the soup du jour was corn chowder and the special appetizer was artichoke hearts stuffed with crabmeat. Other than that, the selection of appetizers is standard: onion soup, clam chowder, shrimp cocktail, and lobster stew. If the lobster stew is anything like the clam chowder it would certainly be worth trying. The

chowder was rich, creamy, lightly seasoned, and garnished with fresh scallions - great for Friday lunch if you are of that ilk. The appetizer of the day sounded exciting, but was pretty much what one would expect: canned artichoke hearts filled with a breaded crabmeat stuffing and warmed.

The service was remarkable in that it was well-timed and courteous, and the salad was truly family-style, served to the table in a large wooden bowl filled'to the brim. The dressings - French, blue cheese, creamy Italian - were brought in a stainless steel lazy susan. It was pleasant to have the option of eating the salad with dinner, or even after dinner, without fouling up the planning of the server, and many will appreciate the bottomless portion.

The range of entrees is strong on steaks: sirloin, tenderloin, teriyaki and various seafoods: stuffed filet of sole, broiled haddock, and the like. The .chefs "creation" that evening was a broiled salmon cherbourg - undoubtedly the most appealing option - prepared with Gulf shrimp and doused with hollandaise. Its sole fault was that the hollandaise was made with too much egg yolk, probably to keep it thick and to hold it together for the evening.

The beef was well prepared. The tenderloin was very close to medium rare (cooked a little too long at too low temperature).,The filet was a good cut, wrapped in hacon, but it cried out for a

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We could have had cheesecake, mud cake, or some chocolate marbled confection for dessert, but opted for just coffee.

The wine list was unremarkable - a basic "distributor's recommendation," nothing really overpriced.

People have been enjoying the Jameson T avem, in one form or another, for a long time. And with Freeport transfigured as it has been, it will likely do so for some time to come. If you happen to find yourself buying Mikasa china, Hathaway shirts, jerseys with polo ponies on them, or sleeping bags, it's your best bet in the area for a fuel stop before the trek back into town. Appetizers from $1.25 to $5.25; entrees from $9.25 to $14.

copyright 1987 by George Benington