The Simple Man Saloon & Grill in Clinton has been around awhile, though I just discovered it. We were lured there by the prospect of seeing the band Mr. Strickland, which features the esteemed Nikolaus Hunt on keyboards. Readers may know Hunt from piano lessons or from his role as a music tutor and accompanist at the Bromfield School. We had seen Mr. Strickland a month or so earlier at the previously reviewed Wachusett Brewery and really enjoyed listening to them, so we were excited to see the show at The Simple Man.
Our group of four had reserved a table for 6 p.m., which ended up being a smart move on a band night as the place isn’t that big. We were seated in one of the bar height tables arranged in a row that runs down the middle of the space. A bar takes up most of the right side of the place, and a few booths run along the windowed front.
We settled in with beers and seasonal cocktails and then ordered some appetizers—the warm salted pretzel and popcorn shrimp. The pretzel was excellent. Indeed, it was warm and salty (not overly so, which I prefer). It was also super soft on the inside with a buttery outside that had a bit of bite to it. The pretzel was served with a cheese dipping sauce, which was good, though the pretzel was great on its own. The popcorn shrimp was nicely battered and served with tartar sauce.
The Mr. Strickland band rocks! They started with a set of ’70s and ’80s classics, moving into the 2000s for their second set. The first set included a superb rendition of Boston’s “Foreplay/Long Time,” which really got the place rocking (it had been their encore at Wachusett). Every member of the band is a skilled musician, so they play some technically challenging numbers. To use band parlance, they were also “tight,” super in sync with each other. In the second act, the band performed a cool mashup of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Fun!
Back to the food. The Simple Man’s dinner menu has something for just about everyone, from soups and salads to burgers and wraps, flatbreads, and entrees including steak tips, fish, chicken, and several Italian dishes. The website notes their reasonable prices, which is indeed the case. The site’s menu also notes that they serve brunch on Sundays.
I went for the chicken piccata, which can be served over penne or vegetables and with a side of mashed potato or rice. I asked for both penne and vegetables, but no mash or rice, and the modification was made. The chicken was Parmesan crusted, which was a different riff on piccata for me; it was tasty and had a nice crunch, but it did overwhelm the acidic sharpness of the capers that are a signature of the dish. The chicken was on a bed of penne, which had the vegetables mixed in. In all, it was a nice dish for a cold winter night. It was also pretty large; half came home for lunch the next day.
My husband ordered fish and chips, which included a large piece of fish over what seemed to be homemade french fries, which were excellent. He said the fish was good, too. One friend went for the grilled chicken sandwich in a wrap. Sandwiches are served on a bun or roll, with a couple of sandwiches having a wrap option. Gluten-free buns are noted as available for burgers; presumably one could ask for a gluten-free bun for a sandwich as well. Our other friend had the classic burger. Both seemed to enjoy their meals.
Our server could not have been more attentive or accommodating. We thought she was the only server that night, though we later realized there were other, equally attentive servers.
If you are looking for a casual place with reasonable prices, check out The Simple Man Saloon & Grill in Clinton. If you are looking for a fun night out with music, it has a variety of bands scheduled, along with trivia and other entertainment.
Alice Bartram leaves much of the cooking to her husband, though has many Instagram-saved recipes that she’ll get to one day as, really, she finds eating out more fun than cooking.
