Eagle Brook Saloon
Sometimes, in business and in life, things just don't make sense. This is a cowboy themed restaurant that serves South Shore bar pies in the shadow of Gillette Stadium, but it's been a massive success for 50 years. I think you got to check it out. Eagle Brook Saloon in Norfolk.
Eagle Brook Saloon is the place for the locals to hang out. So the menu is really designed to be super friendly, affordable, the kind of place where you may go in more than once a week.
Ara Yarian and his brother Evan, have been coming here since they were little kids. so when it came up for sale, they made their saloon dreams come true.
“So the Eagle Brook opened in 1981 family run saloon restaurant, and for my whole life, living local, I've been coming here.
“The Eagle Brook is the local spot for people, for the last few generations, I think a lot of locals, they have their first beer here with their dad when they first turned 21 and it's just a place where everybody gathers every single night.”
Eagle Brook has a really fun choice of appetizers, but I recommend the potato skins… These are big spuds, they fill them with Wisconsin cheddar, put a ton of crumbled bacon on them and serve them with some sour cream.
Eagle Brook does a lot of different flavors of wings. This being a cowboy theme bar, you may want to go with the buffalo wing… But if you ever looked at a restaurant menu and wondered what a Wing Ding is. That means they take the wing and they bread it and fry it. So if you're looking for a little extra crunch, little extra flavor, you may want to go with this one.
“It gets like a golden crisp. Breading on the outside comes out nice and hot. Typically, we serve it with a honey mustard dipping sauce. So very simple, very basic, but still sometimes the most basic is the most delicious.
“That has to be one of our number one items. People love it.”
“They come from all over. It amazes us how far people come just just to check out those wings.”
“They're really known for their South Shore bar pies here…. Usually have sort of light red sauce and a really high quality cheese. And the sauce and the cheese go all the way out to the crust.”
“We make our own sauce, we make our own dough, we blend our own cheese. So I think that that alone translates to the plate and the guest experience, and we use a chain convection pizza oven so it makes sure that it's cooked perfectly and even every single time.”
Notice how thin it is. That's the essence of a South Shore bar pie, but it's really handmade, crispy, delicious dough, high quality sauce and that cheese you can really smell…
Eagle Brook does some interesting innovations on the traditional South Shore bar pie, including the pastrami they take that cured beef, slice it in house.
There's no red sauce. They add Provolone and mozzarella cheese and a Dijon mustard to really bring out the flavor of that pastrami.
The white buffalo pizza features buffalo chicken, a ranch base, blue cheese and some banana peppers to give it a little bit of heat.
Beside the bar pies. They're known for their soups and stews here.
I did not expect to find this item at a saloon. It is New England style, clam chowder in a bread bowl with scallions, bacon and french fries. Why french fries? The manager accidentally drops some into the chowder, like the flavor and the rest is food history.
That's one delicious accident.
I'm from Boston, so I've never actually met a cowboy, but I imagine them eating this. A glass of whiskey and chili. This is an all beef House made chili with onions, just the right amount of spice, and a whole bunch of chips to make sure you don't miss any of that chili flavor. The regulars almost never come here and don't get this chili.
“The house made chili one of our more popular items. It's not too too spicy, so it's approachable for anybody."
“bold flavors, you can tell it's house made, and just a little bit of spice, just a little kick, but not too, too much.”
“It's a meal fit for a cowboy.”
If you're craving Hardy cowboy fare, you may want to get the steak tips. The owners buy a higher quality steak tip than most restaurants do, and they marinate it in a sweet marinade, which I really like, comes with a side of broccoli and a big side of mashed potatoes that pair perfectly with those steak tips.
I think being in a country restaurant makes you want to eat beef like the Dalton…. It's thinly sliced prime rib with Swiss cheese on French bread with a big bowl of au jus for dipping.
“It’s a traditional French dip. So you get the savory of the meat and the bread I always get mine with cheese and the au jus is also made in house
“It's delicious. You've got to try this.”
On your way in or your way out, make sure you take a selfie with one of these cowboys.
“Lots of places have bar pies. Not every place is a cowboy themed saloon, and I also have a very warm, friendly staff that have been here for years. Whether you're a regular since 1981 or it's your first visit, I think you're going to get that that warmth and that feel, that family feel, that we try so hard to make sure you get to experience when you come to see us.”
