A meal sometimes isn't as much about food as convenience. You're not up for a Burger King and in too much of a rush to waste tears if a balsamic reduction is too tart or the crumb scraper is out being repaired. We were catching the show at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, so what could be handier than AJ Dylan's, the restaurant right beneath it? We'd had a couple of good appetizers there at the cabaret the summer before, after all.

You're not set up for anything fancy after walking in: knotty pine wainscoting, silk ivy dangling from wicker baskets. No worry about inhaling half a pack from a nearby table, a risk in restaurants where smoking and non-smoking sections are set cheek by jowl, like high school dance class debs and thugs. Smokers at AJ's are banished to the bar in a separate room. The atmosphere is assertively casual, down to the clam shack paper napkins. We slid into a booth next to the salad bar. Its Formica table was perfect for an enthusiastic eater like me, who's been known to leave an oil ring under his salad bowl.

The salad bar at Dylan's is one of the reasons to come. Unlike many of the lamer versions in New England, theirs is closer to the Southern tradition of putting out a grandmother's pantry worth of goodies -- 30 items by their count and eight salad dressings. There are the usual suspects, but also cottage cheese to have with sliced peaches or pineapple; three pasta salads; spiced beets and a marinated
three-bean salad, though the latter two were bland. The rolls were kept warm. The salad bar is included with your appetizer in lieu of a cup of soup, or it can be added for $2.95 per appetizer, filling out a light meal centered around a couple of starters.

Speaking of which, we ordered the AJ Dylan's appetizer sampler ($12.95) to check out a few of them for you, Dear Reader. Five items: four littleneck clams casino, light and buttery, rather than the too-frequent pasty blob; mushrooms marinated to a vinegary tang, dusted and fried; a couple of mozzarella sticks with a marinara sauce, which went nicely with two fat chicken fingers so moist that they impressed Johnnie -- no small accomplishment. The calamari was last. We'd enjoyed Dylan's traditionally prepared calamari on our prior visit, but this time it was terrible. The problem seemed to be overused oil that tasted of fish, and this didn't bode well for their fish and chips. We abandoned the calamari after a couple of tastes, a first for me.

The lobster bisque, on the other hand, was great. And I'm not exaggerating for the sake of keeping the universe in balance after the squid. Creamy, dense enough, with bits of the shellfish for full flavor, unlike the usual puree that leaves no evidence of the active ingredient. A cup is $2.95, a bowl $4.50, and you'll wish they had a tureen rate.

For main courses, there are a half-dozen steaks, twice that number of seafood choices, plus chicken and veal. A page of sandwiches is available for lighter appetites at dinner. Johnnie chose the little necks Mediterranean ($13.95), having it with penne rather than linguini. The 10 in-shell clams were fresh and abundant enough. There were artichokes and roasted red peppers, as well as green bell peppers, in the marinara sauce. I like my pasta al dente, but it wasn't too soft for my counterpart.

I figured I'd try a signature dish, to encourage the kitchen to be at its best. I enjoyed the chicken a la Dylan ($13.95), consisting of two lightly breaded pieces of chicken breast under melted Swiss cheese and a couple of grilled tomato slices, but the sautéed mushrooms were few. Our waiter was thoughtful enough to offer brown gravy for my mashed potatoes. The zucchini and squash were steamed and uneventful.

We chose strawberry shortcake, rather than a wedge of cheesecake or the three-layer carrot cake that looked so good. (All desserts are $5.) The square of yellow cake was OK, but the strawberries went the way of my mushrooms -- there were only a half dozen pieces.

Dining life, Mr. Gump, isn't so much like a box of chocolates as a gustatory roller coaster. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down, and you can't always anticipate which one it will be.

Bill Rodriguez can be reached at billrod@reporters.net.

Issue Date: July 5 - 11, 2002