Boys’ night out at Michael’s Sports Pub & Grill

John Volo

I think the longer I’m married, the more I appreciate a boys’ night

out. The allure is huge: sports on the big screen, a complete

disregard for table manners and instant male bonding.

This, however, was a mandatory excursion; I was exiled from my

home because my wife was hosting a pampered chef party. So I grabbed

my two best buds, my 8-year-old and 5-year-old sons and headed to

Michael’s Sports Pub & Grill for dinner and games.

What drew me to Michael’s was the trumpeting of a gourmet chef (so

says the menu), and that they had a kids menu.

We navigated our way in the dark, past the front tables, then past

the extra long picnic benches (perfect for softball teams) until

settling into a booth. Our server stopped by with crayons and a

sports-themed activity sheet for the boys, and a warning for me: I

only had 10 minutes left to order a 34-ounce draft beer at happy hour

prices ($5.50). Since my 8-year-old was somewhat reluctant to take

the wheel at night, I passed on the gigantic beer.

I also passed on that night’s special (albeit reluctantly), a

sauteed red snapper in a caper/lemon butter sauce.

In the mood for something zesty, I elected to go with the spicy

sausage and penne ($8.95). It was advertised as spicy Italian sausage

sauteed in a creamy white wine and paprika sauce, tossed with penne

pasta and garnished with freshly chopped tomatoes and Parmesan

cheese. However, the sauce wasn’t thick enough to be creamy, the

tomatoes were forgotten and the cheese rationed. It looked like

American chop suey.

Nevertheless, this ended up being a very tasty meal. The sausage

was spicy, the penne was cooked al dente and the sauce complemented

both. Garlic bread topped with melted cheese, filled out the plate.

All kids’ meals ($4.95) include a soda and vanilla ice cream for

dessert. We got one hamburger meal and one chicken fingers meal, both

coming with fries.

I don’t believe kids meals can be fairly judged by the food alone.

My oldest said the good-sized burger was “burnt.” No biggie; he

drowned it with ketchup and then devoured it. The fingers were

similar to those that dominate the frozen food aisle at every

supermarket, yet my youngest ate them till full.

For the little ones, it’s the little things that make the meal:

the cherries in the soda, the non-droopy fries the kids pretend to

smoke when they have a drop of ketchup for a flame, the chocolate

syrup on the ice cream, the boxing on the big screen and the promise

of an after-dinner game of shuffleboard -- provided they eat well.

I subsequently returned to Michael’s to try the homemade meatloaf

($8.50) with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. I was impressed.

Flavorful, dark brown gravy that was neither too watery, nor too

thick, covered a mound of hearty mashed potatoes and a half dozen or

so thin slices of meatloaf. The meatloaf had an underlying tangy

tomato taste with a hint of pepper. The steamed veggie quartet

(squash, zucchini, carrots and broccoli) retained their flavor and

firmness.

I’ve also tried the appetizer combo platter ($10.95). The chicken

fingers -- same as the kids’ meal -- are nondescript and no amount of

marinara sauce can save the mozzarella sticks, but the buffalo wings

are big and meaty and the Tex-Mex egg rolls (filled with spicy

chicken, corn, black beans, peppers onions and cheese) with jalapeno

dipping sauce are great beer drinking accompaniments.

Michael’s also serves up sandwiches, burgers, soup, salads, pizza

and calzones. The Cajun chicken sandwich, the Philly cheese steak and

the white pizza are all pretty popular, according to the waitress.

We had so much fun; I can’t wait for my wife’s next product party.

* JOHN VOLO is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, e-mail [email protected]