Shakespeare’s: Serving up old-world charm
Franco Putignano opened up Shakespeare’s, a Tudor style building on Main between John and Victoria, in 1969.
Although originally a pure steak house, the scope of the restaurant has shifted through the years to include more seafood and a wider variety of meats.
The dining room has stuck to a Tudor theme with stained glass windows, dark wooden beams and walls, white ceilings — and white tablecloths, of course. Fine dining, to be sure, but with character. Shakespearean character, to be exact.
The bard’s portrait hangs in a place of honour, over the fireplace, and large, framed paintings of either him or his characters can be found throughout the dining room, lit from above by black metal lanterns.
We studied the menu, which opens with a quote from “The Passionate Pilgrim” and a picture of — you guessed it — Shakespeare. The dishes listed led me to believe that he was probably not a vegetarian. There’s the King Henry VIII cut of prime rib (22 ounces) as well as Cordelia’s Content (half rack of lamb) and Hamlet’s Joy (5 ounce filet).
To seafood or to red meat: that was the question.
We could choose from a variety of seafood dishes (crab, scallops, sole, salmon), as well as a few pastas. The appetizers included a few steak house classics such as Caesar salad and shrimp cocktail.
Our server expertly rhymed off the specials and took our drink orders. He returned after a short time to drop off our champagne cocktails, which were pleasantly dry with a hint of citrus, and took our food order, answering questions while maintaining a professional efficiency.
As we sipped our drinks, another server delivered a white plate with three sections containing mellow Kalamata olives, dill pickle spears with a tangy zip, and a salty, creamy feta. A bit of a sodium fest but quite enjoyable.
Soon after, an older man came over to deliver the bread. He had on a chef ’s coat that was labelled “Franco.” The owner, I was told later by our server.
When our appetizers were brought out, we said yes to some black pepper and our server brought one of the largest pepper mills I’ve ever seen — the bazooka of pepper mills.
A large romaine leaf served as the base for a lemon wedge, a tomato and a couple of asparagus spears on one side, and a succulent looking mound of octopus in a radicchio cup on the other. It was, without exaggeration, the most tender octopus I’ve ever had. Simply dressed with a light olive oil, it was incredible.
My companion’s bowl of Manhattan clam chowder was set before her, with two Ritz crackers on the saucer. A muted tomato and clam base with plenty of clam. Not as zesty as many chowders I’ve had but a nice version.
On to the mains. The 10-ounce junior rib-eye was more than enough for me. It was a bit on the salty side, but done perfectly with neat grill marks with some red pepper rice as a nice accompaniment. The veggies on the side (broccoli, carrot and asparagus) could have been cooked a bit more, however.
Another plate was set before my companion, this one with two butterflied shrimp that had been grilled in the shell, a baked potato, medley of vegetables and a rack of lamb.
Again, the meat was cooked perfectly and the mint sauce, served tableside, was full of character — a little sweet, the mint soft but insistent. The shrimp, with a squeeze of lemon, were fine. The surprise of the plate was the potato: just the right texture, not falling apart but clearly cooked through, rich sour cream on top. Melt-in-your-mouth good.
This went perfectly with our half bottle of wine — a 2012 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. Deep and rich, it had mellowed enough to let the food marry beautifully with it.
The tiramisu square for dessert was a bit too saturated, and a little lean on the custard. However, the cappuccino that came with brûléed milk was amazing.
And as we finished, our server brought over a giant goblet filled with candy. A dentist’s nightmare but delightful to us.
While we were finishing up, I saw Putignano speaking with his servers. He was clearly fond of them, smiling and patting them on the shoulder.
Early on, when I commented to our server, “You seem like you’re a pro here. Have you been here long?”
“Longer than you think,” he replied. A total of 29 years, in fact.
When I expressed surprise, he said he was married to Putignano’s daughter, adding that the staff are either family or had been there long enough to be almost family.
For instance, the cook toiling in the back started one year after his father-in-law opened the restaurant.
That explained the feeling. Shakespeare’s is run with dedication and the joy of serving customers.
We were charmed, and though it isn’t inexpensive to eat there, I could see why it has become a Hamilton institution.