Sometimes you just want a tuna melt with fries and a cold beer.
But where to go for that no-fuss meal on a Friday night in Newburyport? It’s not as easy it sounds considering the city is populated with a slew of chic eateries that charge you more than $20 for a burger and fries, never mind the cold beer.
The correct answer for anyone living in and around Newburyport is…. The Park Lunch on Merrimac Street, of course.
That’s where I found myself a little less than two weeks ago with my girlfriend who also was craving something simple yet satisfying.
When we arrived around 6 p.m. the parking lot was packed and there wasn’t a seat to be had in the dining room. Lucky for us, we prefer bar seating and found two in the far left corner underneath one of the restaurant’s many TVs. As it turned out, my seat came with no legroom and was basically the corner of the bar. At least there was a place to put our coats, which was helpful considering mine is about the size of a sleeping bag.
For anyone unfamiliar with The Park Lunch’s decor, it is replete with sports banners, wood paneling, cushy booths in the dining area and framed photos of area sports legends.
Within a minute of getting situated, one of the two bartenders came over to us and grabbed our drink order (we each got a cold beer). The beverages came very quickly but not so fast that we needed more time to order dinner.
As we waited for our tuna melt (me) and chef salad (her), our attention was divided between the dueling meteorologists on different TVs describing when the impending winter storm (the one that dumped almost 2 feet on us) would begin around the region. Once the news got repetitive we began honing in on some of the conversations taking place.
At the bar, one guy was telling another dude that sometimes folks are so paranoid and/or distrustful that when presented with a sure thing, they will balk at the chance.
“Here, I want you to have this bag full of money for free,” the storyteller said holding out a hand. “I dunno, there’s got to be snakes in it or something.”
Against the wall near the exit, another guy with the raspiest voice we’ve ever heard was also deep in a story. It was hard to tell what he was saying based on the fact that it sounded like he was using a voice box.
At one point the bartender mentioned that it wouldn’t be a Friday night at The Park Lunch without an appearance by retired Pentucket Coach Tom Flaherty. When I asked if he was there that night, the bartender motioned over to the dining room and pointed out the legendary coach.
Halfway through our meal, someone next to my girlfriend departed, allowing us to slide over one seat and giving my legs some breathing room. A few minutes later, a muscular guy with a short beard and hoodie approached us and asked if the seat with no leg space was free. After telling him it was all his, I said something like “just so you know, your legs won’t like sitting there.”
He smiled and said “Yeah, I know, I’ve been here before,” and then proceeded to order a chicken parmigiana sandwich from the bartender who obviously knew him.
My girlfriend will talk to anyone and sure enough began chatting up our new neighbor almost immediately. I’m not as adventurous as my better half when it comes to engaging in small talk, but on this occasion, I loosed up a little and asked some questions myself. It didn’t take long for us to learn that he worked on outdoor Verizon lines and that his hands are as strong as steel.
After finishing our meals, we quickly finished up our second round of drinks and asked for the check. We were tempted to spend the rest of the evening at The Park Lunch, but we had plans to hit another area institution, The Winner’s Circle in Salisbury, to play a few rounds of pool (I lost to her badly).
I’ve lived in Newburyport for more than 10 years now and while there are plenty of restaurants that serve up fancier drinks and meals, I can’t think of a better way of spending a Friday night here in town.
The tuna melt was fantabulous, by the way.