We sat in one of the dining rooms on the second floor. I first checked out the wine and drink list. The wine list has about two dozen choices, reds and whites. There are wines from California, Australia, France and Italy. Though the selection is small, the prices are inexpensive, with most bottles less than $25. They also carry a full bar with a number of different martinis.
Besides their usual food menu, there was a list of specials as well, including an appetizer, several entrees and a dessert. The regular menu contains appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, house specialities and more. It is a diverse menu so everyone should find something that appeals to them. Prices seemed reasonable, with many entrees under $20. They do have a lunch menu as well, which is even less expensive.
We started off with an appetizer, the Onion Strings ($5). Now, what we received was not really onion strings. They were actually onion rings. Onion strings are supposed to be extremely thin. But this minor point did not really matter for we received a huge mound of onion rings! I could not believe how many onion rings there were. There were enough for four people at least. And they were delicious, with a nice fried batter and sweet onion taste. This was my first indication of one of the key elements of the Loft, huge portions.
We also received warm, fresh rolls with whipped butter sweetened with honey. They were very good as well, and I enjoyed the sweet taste of the butter. And for two people, they brought four rolls, rather than the three you sometimes see at restaurants.
When our entrees came, I had further confirmation that the Loft serves huge portions. I had the lobster mac and cheese ($18), a dish for which they have some renown. This was a huge portion of mac and cheese, using four cheeses, with plenty of pieces of lobster. The macaroni was cavatappi, a kind of cork screw pasta, which was cooked well. I think that was a nice change from the usual elbow macaroni. I would fully recommend this dish! My wife had the steak and cake oscar, which is a 9oz top sirloin, topped by a crab cake, large roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes ($20). Another huge plate of food! I sampled from her plate. The sirloin was an excellent cut of beef, tender and tasty. The crab cake was good too. She had to take some of her meal home in a doggy bag. And we were too full to contemplate dessert, especially considering that desserts were probably huge too.
Service was very good, especially considering that our waitress had to handle a couple of large parties. She was pleasant and courteous.
If you are hungry, and want some good comfort food, come to the Loft. Their prices are even better than originally thought when you consider how much food you will get. This is a true value restaurant. And it is not a case of quantity over quality. The food is clearly of good quality too. I definitely recommend this restaurant. You won't be disappointed.
The Loft Steak and Chop House
1140 Osgood St. (Route 125)
North Andover, MA
Phone: (978) 686-0026
