Coach Grill: A Compelling & Historic Upscale Steak & Seafood Spot in Wayland

Around 1934, the first Red Coach Grill restaurant opened in Wayland, owned and operated by James H. McManus, and located adjacent to his famed ice cream stand. In the summer of 1939, McManus opened a second location in Hingham, and then a third, in1943, in Boston. At some point, these restaurants were purchased by Howard Johnson's, which expanded it into a major chain. 

While rummaging through some items in our home, we found the above matchbook from the Red Coach Grill. It is from 1939-1943, when there were only two restaurants, one in Wayland and one in Hingham. The matchbook stated that the Red Coach was "New England's Most Famous Steak House" and noted that "Bonded Liquor Served Only."

As a child, I regularly dined at the Red Coach Grill, primarily at its location on Route 1 in Saugus. The chain now no longer exists, but a connection to its past remains. The Wayland location burnt to the ground around 1976, and about 18 years ago, the Coach Grill was constructed on the original site. Two fireplaces survived the 1976 fire, and now adorn the interior of the Coach Grill, a nice connection to the past. The Coach Grill is part of the Tavistock Restaurant Collection, which also owns Abe & Louie's and Atlantic Fish Co.

After the onset of the pandemic, the Coach Grill temporarily closed and recently reopened, after updating and renovating the restaurant. I was invited to visit as a media guest, and it invoked a touch of nostalgia, hearkening back to pleasant childhood memories of the Red Coach Grill. However, I was also looking at the restaurant with different eyes, a more critical view than the eyes of a young child.

Within the Coach Grill, located on a wall near the bathrooms, is a frame holding a copy of a Red Coach Grill menu from 1955. It's a fascinating look back over 60 years ago. On the menu, some of the items included Filet Mignon ($4.50), Red Coach Club Sirloin Steak ($5.50), Broiled Spring Lamb Chops ($3.00), Frog Legs Sauté ($3.50), Fried Cape Scallops ($3.20), Fried Lobster ($4.95), Boiled Live Maine Lobster ($3.70), and more. Such a wonderful slice of history. 

It's easy to reach the Coach Grill, as it's only a short distance off Route 95, on Route 20 (Boston Post Road). As you pull into the parking lot, you can't miss its sign, which has the iconic red coach atop it, which was a well-recognized symbol of the original Red Coach Grill. 

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The front entrance to the restaurant.

Currently, the Coach Grill has erected a tent for outside dining, and they also have some limited interior dining space. 

The interior of the restaurant is typical of many upscale steakhouses, plenty of dark wood and leather, though they have also added a bit of a library motif. It has a nice elegance to it, and it's also spacious and comfortable. They have ensured that the interior conforms to socially distanced guidelines, and have also updated the décor of the dining, bar, and restroom areas, featuring new artwork, lighting, touch-free fixtures, and more. 

When you're seated, the only item atop the white tablecloth of your table is a small bottle of hand sanitizer. When guests finished dinner and left their table, the staff was quick to sanitize the table and chairs. Hygiene and safety precautions seemed very important to the staff, and it helped provide a feeling of safety for the guests. 

The Food Menu is extensive without being overwhelming, presenting a nice selection of primarily steak and seafood dishes. There are 9 Appetizers, such as Waygu Beef Carpaccio ($22), Nueske's Bacon-Wrapped Scallops ($15) and Crab & Lobster Louie ($19). There are a couple Soups, including Baked Onion Au Gratin and New England Clam Chowder, and five Salads, such as Classic Caesar Salad and Burrata & Beefsteak Tomato. There are also some Fresh From the Sea starters, including Shrimp Cocktail ($17), Colossal Lump Crab Meat Cocktail, ($19) and Chilled Seafood Platters ($47/$88).

For your Entree, you could choose one of the four Classic Entrees, such as Chicken Milanese ($25) or a Surf & Turf ($49). There are ten choices for their Steak & Chops, including Filet Mignon (10oz $42/8oz $39), Bone-In Ribeye (20 oz/$43), Chargrilled New Zealand Lamb (16oz/$38), and Australian Waygu NY Strip (10 oz/$66). You can also order Enhancements, from Crab Oscar to Au Poivre, Blue Cheese to a Cold-Water Lobster Tail. 

There are eight Seafood options, such as Fresh Local Sea Scallops ($35), Pan-Seared Sea Bass ($39), and Crab-Stuffed Shrimp ($29). There are also twelve Sides, from Asparagus to Green Beans, Hand-Cut Fries to Lobster Risotto. 

Their available Drinks include Seasonal Cocktails ($11-$14), 7 Draft Beers, 11 Bottled Beers, Hand-Crafted Soda, Infused Lemonade & Ice Tea, and more. The Wine list is extensive, with nearly 30 wines available by the glass, in either 6 oz ($10-$25) or 9 oz pours ($15-$37.50). The Wine List by the bottle is heavy on well-known labels, including plenty of California Cabernet Sauvignon. France and Italy also have a significant presence on the list. Personally, I would have liked to see a little more diversity on their list, wines from other countries like Spain, South Africa, Portugal and such. 

Generally, the wine prices are reasonable, commonly about two times the normal retail cost, which is significantly lower than many similar upscale steakhouses where wine prices can easily range from three to four times retail. That price difference has the potential to significantly lower your bill, easily by $50-$100, dependent on the wine you purchase. 

Complimentary warm bread was served, which is always an excellent start to a meal. A nice crusty exterior with a softer and chewy interior. The bread is initially baked at a local bakery, and the process is ended before it is finished. Its then delivered to the restaurant, where they bake it for the final eight minutes.

A pet peeve of mine is when restaurant serves frozen pats of butter with their bread, which are so hard that rather than spread on the bread, it rips apart the bread. In this case, the butter was soft and easily spreadable, enhanced by salt, which may have been Himalyana pink salt. 

I opted to begin the evening with the Coachman's Margarita ($13), which was made with strawberry, peach, jalapeño, lime, and Sauza Blue Reposado Tequila. This was a pleasing cocktail, with bright elements of peach and strawberry, balanced with a spicy kick and agave notes. It was fruity without being overly sweet and was a refreshing start to dinner.

Our dinner then began with the Chilled Seafood Platter ($47), a plentiful serving consisting of Duxbury Bay Oysters, Clams on the half shell, Shrimp cocktail, lump Jonah crab meat, and a half lobster. Served with cocktail sauce, a mignonette, and a Dijon sauce. The seafood was fresh and tasty, and I especially loved the briny oysters and the ample mound of sweet crabmeat. An excellent start for your dinner, and there's plenty for two people to share. I like ordering these type of platters as you get plenty of variety, rather than just an order of oysters or a shrimp cocktail.

With our entrees, I ordered a bottle of wine, the 2017 Haute Pierre Delas Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($97). As this wine usually sells at retail for $55-$60, the mark-up was very reasonable, and even could be considered a bargain. Made from 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, this was an alluring and compelling wine, with delicious flavors of ripe plum, blueberry, and blackberry, along with both spicy and earthy notes, silky tannins, and a lengthy finish. An excellent choice for steak and hearty dishes, though it can pair well with some seafood dishes as well. 

For my entree, I opted for their Signature Steak, the Bone-In Filet (16 oz/$62), with the Coach-Style Enhancement, which adds blue cheese, onion strings, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. I ordered the steak rare, and it was cooked perfectly, and I loved the melted blue cheese atop it. The steak was tender and juicy, with plenty of meat next to the bone. Definitely a quality steak, comparable to any other upscale steakhouse. The accompaniments were tasty as well, from the crisp onion strings to the garlic-rich potatoes. 

The Pan-Seared Atlantic Halibut ($39) was accompanied by lobster corn succotash and tarragon butter. What a delicious piece of fish, flaky, tender and moist, with a crisp and buttery coating. You don't find Halibut on enough restaurant menus but it should be there as it can be such an excellent tasting fish. The succotash was very flavorful with ample pieces of lobster and plenty of pieces of fresh veggies.

For a side, I selected the Corn Pudding ($9), which reminded me of a savory soufflé, light and fluffy, with a rich corn taste. 

The Dessert menu has seven choices, priced $9-$12, and includes choices such as Skillet Cookie (a sundae atop a warm chocolate chip cookie) and a Seven Layer Chocolate Cake. As soon as I read the list, there was really only once choice for me, the Butterscotch Bread Pudding ($10), a buttery brioche with a butterscotch custard. I've raved before how I wish more restaurants served bread pudding, which I consider a very under-appreciated dessert.

This led to the only misstep of the evening, as it wasn't served quite as hot as it should have been. However, the taste was excellent, with a nice firm consistency to the bread pudding, and a rich butterscotch taste, enhanced by the vanilla ice cream. It was also good-sized, and could have even been shared with another person. I would definitely order this again, though the Skillet Cookie sounds tasty as well. 

With dessert, I had a glass of Glenmorangie 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch ($20), a superb Scotch and one of my personal favorites. And it paired well with the butterscotch flavors of the bread pudding. The Coach Grill has a nice list of Single Malts, as well as other After-Dinner Drinks, from Port to Grappa, Cognac to Amaro. 

Service was excellent, and our server, Kevin, who was very knowledge of the menu, was personable, without being obtrusive. The rest of the staff was pleasant and professional as well, and all seemed well-cognizant of proper safety measures. 

Overall, the Coach Grill is like an upscale Boston steakhouse, but a bit more affordable, especially considering their reasonably priced wine list. The food menu offers plenty of options, enough for most any preferences, and both steak and seafood lovers will be very pleased with their selections. It's a good place for a special occasion, a date night, or just a night-out with some friends. And during this pandemic, I feel the restaurant is doing much to make their guests feel safe. And that's extremely important right now.

Check out the Coach Grill, get in touch with a bit of history, and savor a juicy steak or tender piece of fish while drinking a fine wine.