Reviews of New Restaurants in Tyngsboro and Nashua

413 Middlesex Road
Tyngsborough, MA 01879
978-649-6660
http://www.bahamabreeze.com/

So, there is a new restaurant in Tyngsboro! It is located right on 3A, where the "On the Border" used to be - just before the Pheasant Lane Mall.

Bahama Breeze is a chain, owned by Darden Restaurants (the same group which owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse and several other brands). This location is their first foray of the Bahama Breeze brand into New England (the next nearest ones are in New Jersey and Pennsylvania).

We were a little hesitant to go, since we had heard mixed reviews form a few others. However, the issues may have been due to the normal issues with a new opening. When we went, this past weekend, the service was quick, efficient and friendly. We were greeted immediately on entering, seated directly and our waitress was at the table, taking our drink orders in less than five minutes.

My daughter ordered the burger - and it was cooked perfectly. Medium rare (as desired) with cheddar cheese and pickles - the rest of the toppings were left off, by request. The fires were crispy and my daughter declared the Bahama Breeze to be her "new favorite restaurant".

My wife ordered the shrimp sandwich, an interesting creation which she also thoroughly enjoyed and I ordered the fresh fish lunch special (which I was told is essentially a regular option). I had a choice of salmon, tilapia or mahi-mahi; grilled or sauteed with a choice of pan-fried, almond crusted or shrimp saute. (I chose almond crusted tilapia (with a lemon butter sauce.)

Both of our meals were excellent. The wait for the food was not too long (just long enough to assure us that the food was freshly prepared to order, not pre-made). The food was tasty and the waitress checked on us several times to ensure that we had no further need of her.

They have a regular "happy hour" (M-F) and some of the drinks look fruity and colorful. They also informed me that they have a special brewed Aruba Red (beer) made just for the chain by Anheuser-Busch.

Shanghai Osaka
295 Daniel Webster Highway,
Nashua, NH, 03060
http://shanghaiosaka.com/

The second restaurant is also a "replacement". Shanghai Osaka recently opened in Sun Plaza, the former location of the Osaka Tea Garden. The old Osaka Tea Garden was solely japanese cuisine, but the new restaurant, as suggested by the name offers both Chinese and Japanese. The sushi bar remains, but the rest of the restaurant has been re-done, removing the small "tea room" booths and opening the space up with modern tables and art.

The food was excellent. They offer typical sushi along with bento box lunches in addition to standard chinese-american favorites like General Gau's Chicken, Kung Pao, Orange Beef, etc. They also offer somewhat more traditional Chinese dishes like the Sichaun sliced beef that I had as an appetizer.

It was very quiet while we were there... so I can't judge the usual wait staff behavior, but both our waitress and the hostess were extremely friendly, chatting with us after taking our order. We enjoyed our meals, including half-price appetizers during the Mai Tai special time. The Mai Tai drinks themselves were a little weak; I would probably order a Tsingtao or Sapporo the next time, but the food made up for it.

Another restaurant that we'll be going back to!