Kennedy’s

Sometimes you go to a restaurant because you're looking for something new or you're craving a certain type of food. Sometimes what you want from a restaurant isn't just to be soothing and have a big menu so you can choose from a wide variety of options. When I'm in that kind of a mood I pop over to Kennedy's in Marlboro.

"Kennedy's restaurant is a dream of my grandfather. So, in 1981 he opened here in Marlboro and 43 years later my parents and my uncles have continued it."

Danielle Doherty is third generation of the family that runs this restaurant. You don't see that too often in this industry.

"There is no place like here. It is an Irish Pub feeling. Right when you walk in you’ll see a nice fireplace to set that cozy and very welcoming tone, it's a special environment. We have the opening dining room and we also have a really night bar. That was something that was really important to my grandfather, to create an atmosphere. The patio has been a really awesome addition. We just opened a new bar out there as well. It gives us a little more of a modern feel, so we offer a lot of different spaces."

Kennedy’s is known for their popovers and you can get them in a few ways. I don’t know of another restaurant where you can get popovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We have a lot of different ways we have expanded offering them. For breakfast we have a stuffed French toast popover, so we use that there. For lunch, we use our popovers in our dish called the Carolyn’s Favorite, that’s for my grandmother. So it’s a fresh opened popover with nice sliced roast beef, covered in a house made gravy. For dinner, it’s usually the fresh popover and you can decide between beef broth, maple syrup and butter, which really gives a different experience with each side. It seems so simple, but putting it all together is absolutely delicious."

At Kennedy’s, I know I'm going heavy on the entree. So I like to go a little lighter on the appetizer like this ahi tuna.

"So, the ahi tuna is seared and then coated in sesame seeds. It goes on top of a cucumber and avocado salad tossed nicely and then a side of wasabi aioli." It is smooth, you get a little bit of that texture with the salad. It's really a nice dish. "

If you're here with a hungry group, you may want to get the Irish egg rolls. These things are stuffed with corned beef cabbage and Swiss cheese served with a spicy mustard for dipping. That's a hearty way to get started.

"That one's also probably something that you're not going to be able to find anywhere else. People love that, especially for lunchtime. So, essentially we were able to come up with  the egg roll idea, stuff it with Ruben. We use our house made corned beef cabbage and Swiss cheese and we serve it with a sweet and spicy mustard for dipping."

At a place like this with a soothing vibe and a fireplace, I'm thinking French onion soup, one of my favorite foods. I love that beef broth , and the bread and the cheese and especially what I call the side cheese. That's that little cheese that comes over the top of the crock gets all brown and crispy get to pick it off with your spoon. Takes a little bit of work but it's totally worth it.

This is the Chicken Supreme. It's a chicken cutlet covered in a white gravy served with mashed potatoes and some cranberry sauce.

"It is the combination of a juicy fried piece of chicken with a warm gravy on it. I  mean that it's a classic, it tastes absolutely delicious, it's comfortable. And again, that's never something we could take off the menu."

I find that any restaurant that serves prime rib is a restaurant that I like. Here they do it only on Saturday and Sunday. But look at that big, beautiful piece of medium rare prime rib. Comes with Delmonico potatoes, that means it has both cheese and breadcrumbs so it's both soft and crunchy with the famous popover and the au jus sauce all served on the wooden tray. I'm telling you, old school dining does not get any better than this.

"When you get prime rib here, it’s unlike anywhere else. The seasoning is fantastic, the temperature they are cooking it to is wonderful, it is juicy, it is tender. It is a wonderful choice."

If you're a real popover freak you can get a popover for dessert. Now I think the best desserts have both hot and cold, crispy  and smooth. This one fits the bill.

"It’s a warm popover, that they open up and we fill it with premium vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top. It totally works together. It’s delicious."

So if you want to go to a restaurant that has comfortable food, comfortable service and comfortable surroundings, pop over to Kennedy's in Marlboro.