Jim Barbarie’s

For some customers, Jim Barbarie’s is a prime rib place. The King Cut size is one magnificent slab of beef — the juiciest, tastiest prime rib you will find for miles around.

Others think only of lobster when they walk in the door of this old tavern / restaurant. Various sizes of whole lobster are available, from one to four pounds, and sometimes up to eight pounds. They are ravishing lobsters: tender, aromatic, moist and ocean-sweet. If whole steamed lobster with butter to dip it in is not your cup of tea, Jim Barbarie’s also offers baked and stuffed lobster and lobster tails.

For non-committal types, the menu lists all kinds of surf & turf options, including Black Angus top sirloin and lobster tail, prime rib and king crab legs, filet mignon and stuffed shrimp, and half-pound sirloins with broiled scallops.

Please note the shrimp cocktail: it is a four-jumbo classic, well worth ordering … unless you like oysters on the half shell, which also are wonderful. The menu is big, including pastas of all shapes and sauces, sauteed chicken breast topped with prosciutto and mozzarella, succulent pork chops, and gold-crusted fish and chips. One memorable evening, the day’s special was six-hour lamb shank — a long cooked, on-the-bone hunk of ridiculously tender and deeply flavorful meat that literally fell off the bone when gently poked.

Warning: on weekend nights, Jim Barbarie’s tends to get very crowded. Be prepared to wait for a table.