Looks Can Be Deceiving by Anna Duffy

            The first thought I had when I tried a bite of somebody else’s Caesar salad was, “thank god I did not order this”. I went to the Cape Ann Brewing Company on Tuesday March 10, 2015. This restaurant is located on 11 Rogers Street in Gloucester Massachusetts, and serves homemade alcoholic beverages and simple menu items that consist of seafood and American fare. This humble restaurant also includes live jazz music.

            The Cape Ann Brewing Company has a fun and comfortable feel to it, however the food is not so hot. Most people that I was with ordered a Caesar salad to start off with. I did not, but when they brought over the glossy white plates containing salads that looked like they were made from god, I knew I had to try a bite. The first few seconds after the bite were pretty good. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy, and dressed nicely. However, the dressing was unfortunate tasting. I thought I was being poisoned when the so-called Caesar salad dressing hit my taste buds. It tasted like rubbing alcohol, and I am not exaggerating. I immediately stopped eating the salad, and prayed that the buffalo mac and cheese I ordered for my main meal was as good as it sounded.

The service was very quick and each meal was presented extremely well, with spices sprinkled around the edges in a very collective and pretty matter. Therefore my meal came in a timely fashion, and looked beautiful. It was presented inside an oval dish, with penne, chicken chunks, breadcrumbs, and vegetables; all drenched in buffalo sauce mixed with varies melted cheeses. I took my first few bites and thought, “wow this is really good”. However, as I kept eating it, it got old. Quick. The sauce was so rich making it so I could not eat a lot of it. Also, there were celery and carrots chunks mixed into it, which goes well in dishes were its just buffalo chicken. However, it did not mix well with the other foods in this dish. The only upside to this restaurant was the fun environment, service, and food arrangement.

            The Cape Ann Brewing Company has an enjoyable and relaxed environment, with awful food. Its poisonous Caesar salad, opulent buffalo mac and cheese with unnecessary vegetables, great music and low-key feel, service and the presentation of each dish make me give this restaurant 3 stars out of 5. I recommend going to this restaurant if you are looking for a laid back and fun time. However, if you plan on going to this restaurant purely for the food, do yourself a favor and go somewhere else.