Unpretentious restaurant with great food at a terrific value.
Bishop's Legacy just opened 6 weeks ago in the former home of La Boniche in Downtown Lowell.
The Mo and I headed there this past Friday for date night. The restaurant had a wide range of clientele from the elderly to young couples with piercings and tattoos.
The restaurant has a small bar area with a few high top tables. On Friday and Saturday nights, that area is mainly for those that are only having drinks or small plates.
On the other side of the wall partition there are regular tables for dining.
Black and white photos from the past are hung on the walls to complement the posted timeline of the restaurant's history that began more than six decades ago.
We started with a round of martini's. The Mo went with a traditional dirty martini and I went with the "Lemonade" which is similar to a lemon drop martini.
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| Martini's $ 10.00 each |
For starters, we got the Lebanese grape leaves with meat as well as the studded clams. The restaurant makes their own signature walnut stuffing and has 4 different variations for their lobster dish, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed shrimps and stuffed clams. It was sooooo delicious!
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| Rolled grapeleaves (Small) $7.99 |
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| Baked stuffed clams $4.99 |
After I finished my martini, I went with the highly recommended special drink, the Moscow mule made with ginger beer, lemon juice and mint. It was was fantastic, I'm definitely a fan!
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| Bishop Legacy Moscow Mule |
We asked our server if we could mix and match the skewers and we were glad to hear that it was allowed. The Mo went with a sirloin tip and swordfish kebab with a side if Bishop's signature fries.
The owner sat down with us and explain the process of the fries. He carefully selects his vendors, orders the potatoes in bulks and has the vendor keep them in a climate controlled temperature with the right humidity and has them delivered a little at a time. Once they are in the restaurant, they are hand cut and cured and kept in the basement.
The famous fries won a prize for top 16 fries in AMERICA. The fries lived up to its hype and expectations, They were prettying amazing. Even the Mo said he didn't need to douse his fries in ketchup to enjoy them.
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| Sirloin tip and swordfish with fries $17.99 |
Chuck, the owner shared a story with us about him helping out his grandmother and a few other Lebanese women in her restaurant. For 10 weeks, he write down everything they did in the kitchen and measured all their ingredients. Of course it was tough at first but they finally got used to pausing for him take measurements. I could relate to this as my family cooks without measuring as well. Chuck brought us a sample of kibbe. The baked kibbe offered on the menu is the same recipe from his grandmother's kitchen. It was tender and flavorful with hints of allspice.
I enjoyed the baked stuffed clam so much so I ordered the baked stuffed mushroom along with a single skewer of the chopped sirloin with cheese. The prices are so wallet friendly that diners could order a few things and not feel like they broke the bank.
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| Baked Stuffed mushrooms $5.99 |
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| Chopped sirloin with cheese and rice pilaf $7.99 |
Chuck insisted we try his vegetarian rolled grape leaves and vegetarian cabbage rolls. The grape leaves had a hint of lemon and had a great texture from the blend of lentils, parsley, rice and quinoa.
After all that food, we didn't have room for dessert. The bill came out to around $100.00 for 4 drinks, 3 appetizers and 2 entrees. We will definitely be back for sure! We had such a great meal.
Here's a pic of me with Chuck Saba, the owner.
The restaurant also has an "In/Out" side that is popular during the lunch rush and before dinner. There are prepared salads, drinks, desserts in addition to fresh made pita bread.
We went back and tried more food for Fifi's birthday!
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The desserts were out of this world and only $ 6.95 each!
