Sammy's Roast Beef & Seafood, 17 Canal St, Salem, MA 01970

When you drive through Salem it's hard to miss Sammy's sign whether its day or night. We are here to see if you should follow that beacon to better beef pastures or keep moving on down the road.  

Bun: The bun started out decent. First bite was flavorful and buttery, but lacked any crunch. Each subsequent bite revealed the bun to be tiresome. The texture was a bit odd, dense and crumbly.  This was the weakest part of this sandwich and by the end I would of preferred a fork.    Score: 2

Beef:  TENDER. Thinly sliced and juicy. This beef had it all. Lots of au jus flavor, and it melted in your mouth. My super beef had copious amounts of beef as well.    Score: 5

Sauce:  The sauce has good amount of tang with black pepper spice. No complaints. Score: 5

Overall:   Amazing beef, horrible bun. Score: 3

Notes: Spicy fries were tasty but over salted.

Bonus guest review

Kate's Jr Beef Extra Sauce:

Bun:            

"No flavor, blah"  Score: 3

Beef:  

"Hands down 5! I wish I didn't get extra sauce because the beef is so good. " Score: 5

Sauce: 

"Sauce plenty but not over bearing. Very peppery."  Score: 4

Overall:       

 "I'm between 3 and 4 but the beef pushed it over" Score: 3

Land n' Sea Restaurant, 67 Lynnfield St, Peabody, MA 01960

Paul Revere famously said "One, if by land, two, if by sea", Well here at Beef Day we say you can keep the sea, just give us the beef.

Bun: No onions due to being a regular beef, but more on that later. This bun Smelled of butter before I unwrapped it. A smell that became overwhelming once unwrapped. The butter flavor was so intense that it seemed fake, like butter flavored Pam spray. The upside to all that Pam was an amazing crust, but the roll was dense and chewy and over all a huge detractor.  Score: 2

Beef:  Extremely Tender! Melt in you mouth goodness! There was a light garlic flavor that was delightful. Oddly enough despite being so tender, it was a bit dry.  Score: 4

Sauce:  The sauce has strong tomato sweetness with black pepper spice. It's tasty, but this sandwich need more. Score: 4

Overall:   The fake butter flavor ruined this sandwich for me, I can still taste it hours later. Reminding me a lot of Kelly's but  with beef elevating the sandwich to a... Score: 3

Notes: I ordered a super beef, I received a regular beef. To be fair they charged me appropriately, but they should listen more closely. They were also heavy on the mayo, something I don't mind. 

Review Redo: Route 110 Roast Beef and Seafood, 66 Haverhill Rd, Amesbury, MA 01913

As you know we like to check in sometimes and do a review redo, especially when its one of the few restaurants to hold a 5 star rating! Let's see if Route 110 is still making a top notch beef. 

Bun: I can't believe how well this bun was executed today. The entire sandwich had tremendous amounts of crunch. Even the center was super crispy. The flavor was a perfect pairing of strong butter and onion with a hint of poppy seed.  Score: 5

Beef:  Tender, but not melt in your mouth, this beef had just a bit of bite in it. Lots of natural beef flavor here.  Score: 4

Sauce: So much sauce. This time the vinegar tang came through, This could be due to the massive quantity of sauce on this thing. Either way its an improvement. Score: 5

Overall:  Still one of the best around. Today's example was much messier and larger than the last Super Beef we received from Rt110. Score: 5

Review Redo Outcome: Route 110 knows how to grill a killer bun! 

Rizzo's Roast Beef and Pizza, 3 Church St Wilmington, MA. 01887

Rizzo's is an extremely clean and modern establishment. But that should be expected from George Rozopoulas, You see before opening Rizzo's Wilmington location in 2013 he had all ready founded the chain with two other locations in Peabody and Salem. Needless to say when it was time to open his Wilmington location, he all ready knew what he was doing.

Bun: This might be the fluffiest bun I have come across. Seriously felt like eating a cloud. Which was aided by the fact that the flavor was as light and subtle as the bun was fluffy. There was some light grilling but it needed a substantial amount more. If this bun had a solid crispy layer it would of been a cloud sent from heaven.  Score: 4

Beef: You can tell that Rizzo's prides them selves on not over-cooking their roast beef! They serve it BRIGHT pink, thinly shaven and melt in your mouth tender. I will say that it was so rare that it bordered on the under-cooked side, so if your the type of person that orders a steak medium well this is not the place for you. The flavor was extremely delicate but when you got an edge you could taste the black pepper they use in their rub. Score: 4

Sauce: The sauce had a light spice that builds nicely, but not nearly enough was used. There was on the other hand more than enough mayo. Score: 3

Overall: Rizzo's has definitely put their own stamp on this sandwich. With a little more sauce and grilling this would be an amazing sandwich. As is they are doing better than their neighborhood competition Simard's   Score: 3

Notes: Love that the super came with a fork for all the beef that topples out of this massive sandwich,

Simard's Super Roast Beef, 279 Main St, Wilmington, MA 01887

Simard's doesn't claim to be famous, but they do claim to be super. We went to see if they can hold up to that claim. Located on Rt. 38 in Wilmington Ma, Simard's has a prime location, a drive through, along with a size up on the super beef competition, the King Beef. 

Bun: The smell of onions assaults your nose before you even get the sandwich unwrapped. Needless to say this bun has some serious onion flavor, which is visible by the large burnt onion flecks. The bite is a tad chewy but well grilled with plenty of crunchy golden crust. Warm and delicious equals...  Score: 4

Beef: First bite, Cold. Not even a hint of warmth here. Seemed like it could of been refrigerated before slicing. If you can get beyond that the beef was actually super (I mean SUPER) tender and sliced extremely thin. The flavor was lacking any defining characteristics and the serving size was not overly generous. If hot a 4 as is a... Score: 2

Sauce: There was not enough sauce or mayo to even be detectable never mind review. I actually had to go up and ask for sauce on the side. That being said their sauce is excellent (It taste like they are using James River BBQ to me). Sweet, tangy and black pepper spice. My score here reflects the fact that they were stingy with it.   Score: 3

Overall: Once I received my extra sauce this sandwich was pretty tasty. If I had ordered extra sauce and my beef was warm this would of been a great sandwich. But frankly the flavor here is all in the bun and sauce, the beef just slides through with it's tenderness.    Score 2

Notes: My overall score is reflecting the sandwich I got. If I received warm beef and more sauce this easily could be a 4. 

Pomodori Georgetown, 42 Central Street, Georgetown, MA 01833

Pomodori might be the new kid on the block in Georgetown, opening their doors just about a year ago. But owner Peter Nikolakopoulos has plenty of experience with his other location in the neighboring town of Ipswich, making it easy for him to convert new followers upon his grand opening. The inside of Pomodori's Georgetown is a bit fancier than your average beef shop, with industrial flair to spare, but do they have the beef to back up that glam?  (Compare them to the other Georgetown roast beef shop we reviewed)

Bun: Upon ordering I was asked if I wanted a sesame seed or onion bun with my super beef. Obviously there is only one right answer to that question but I guess we can applaud the right of choice here (This is America). My bun was loaded with onions, poppy seeds, and buttery taste but failed to be crispy. The fact that it was as chewy as a piece of gum didn't help either. Good flavor, bad texture equals a...  Score: 3

Beef: This beef was tender but had no flavor at all. Totally lost in the equation even though the serving was more than generous. Score: 2

Sauce: SUPER SWEET up front with lots of tomato flavor. Yet the strong black pepper and light cayenne notes build as this sandwich goes into a decent burn. Tang was omitted completely. They gave me a huge serving of sauce making me run through a stack of napkins in no time flat.  Score: 3

Overall: If you got a sweet tooth you will love this sandwich between the sauce and the sweet onion bits it is a bit overly sweet for my taste.  Score 3

Beef-Master roast beef & Seafood, 308 Boston Rd, North Billerica, MA01862

Beef-master is a pretty serious claim around these parts, so obviously I needed to pull over and help them qualify that title. Once inside I was immediately surprised by how friendly and familiar the staff was with their customers. When I ordered my "super sauce mayo, please" The cashier quickly (and politely) quipped back "No cheese?" Shortly after my beef was ready, and then as I ate my sandwich something I have never seen in a roast beef establishment before happened, the cashier took some time to go to each table and ask how everything was, then offered extra napkins to those in need.

Bun: Amazingly soft yet a little flat, finished off with a gorgeously golden-brown crisp crust. Surprisingly it lacked much flavor other than an occasional sweet onion. Score: 3

Beef: This beef had great tenderness and was very juicy, but the flavor was extremely mild. It just didn't stick out at all. The serving size was a little below average too. Score: 3

Sauce: Hot and sweet, with little hint of any tang. This sauce dominated the other delicate flavors with a nice building burn. They weren't stingy with the sauce either, they must know it's the star of this sandwich. Score: 5

Overall: Great service with a (very slightly) above average beef. Beef-Master might need to change their name to Service-Master. Score 4

Review Redo: Billy’s (Famous) Roast Beef & Seafood, 1291 Main Street,Wakefield, MA. 01880

A good friend from of mine from out of state came into town to visit this weekend. When it came time to pick a place for lunch I suggested a roast beef. His answer of "Like Arby's? I could do that" left my mouth a gasp. I knew what needed to be done... 

Previous review here

Bun:  Taste super fresh today, with lots of onion and egg flavor. They also added poppy seeds. It needed more grilling so minus 1 on this sandwich. Score: 4

Beef:  Melts in your mouth tender! With the beef flavor I dream about. Absolutely cooked and shaved perfectly.  Score: 5

Sauce: Perfect tang and slightly spicier than last time. Score: 5

Overall: Always satisfying. Score: 5

Notes:  This sandwich was piping hot.

Elliot's first real roast beef Super/Sauce/Mayo

Bun: "Soft, good taste" 

Beef: "Nice and pink!" 

Sauce:  "The sauce mixed great with mayo, some parts were nice and spicy"

Overall: "It felt like eating a warm hug." 

Review Redo Outcome:

Absolutely top notch and very steady from one sandwich to the next. 

Nick's Famous Roast Beef,139 Dodge St, Beverly, MA 01915

Since 1975 the two Nicks (and their families) at Nick's Famous Roast Beef have been roasting and serving excellent roast beef. Because of their dedication to their product, families, and community they have been well recognized by the likes of Phantom Gourmet, Boston's Best, and beef lovers everywhere.   

Bun: Expertly grilled with plenty of crispy, buttery flavor. Light hints of onion come through as well. Perfection Score: 5

Beef:  I've had Nick's a number of times before and this was an off day. But at Beefday we call them as we eat them. Tough and overcooked. Must of been the end or beginning of a roast. That being said the flavor was still there.  Score: 3

Sauce: Super sweet with light tang and moderate spice. The sweetness and tang is similar to what you would find with ketchup, while the black pepper spice builds without ever getting heavier than a threat of heat. Score: 5

Overall: Off day on the beef but this sandwich Nick's absolutely deserves their reputation of being one of the best. Score: 4

Notes:  The chicken fingers will blow your socks off.

Bonus Guest Review

Kate's Junior Roast Beef With Extra Sauce:

Bun: "Bun is really crispy and taste like butter." Score: 5

Beef: "Beef is dry and chewy, but every so often a piece is perfect" Score: 3

Sauce: "Sauce is really good, tangy and flavorful but not too hot." Score: 4

Overall: "An off day." Score: 3

Courtyard Roast Beef, Seafood, and Subs, 192 State St., Route 1 Traffic Circle, Newburyport, MA 01950

Courtyard Roast Beef (which gets it's moniker because it sits in the shadows of Newburyport District Court) comes up often when the best beef question is asked. In fact when you walk in they have a wall of accolades dating back a few decades from various magazines. They claim that their success is due to friendly service and a top secret recipe of special seasonings and twice cooking. The service is unbelievable that is easy to see, as for the twice cooked method? The jury is still out.

Bun: Your number is called and you are all excited about your super beef. You pick the perfect booth, sit down, and rip open the wrapping. Immediately your heart sinks. Sitting there on the white waxed paper, staring back at you is a SESAME SEED BUN . A bun that they further more forgot to grill. Granted it is delicious, and the sesame seeds do add some crunch. But rules are rules.   Score: 2

Beef:  In one word, JUICY. Maybe there is something to this twice cooking business. This beef was so moist and full of beef flavor that I think the top secret seasoning is just more beef or maybe beef broth. The serving size was good but occasionally this sandwich went from super tender to really tough. Score: 4

Sauce: Sauce was the first thing I noticed on this sandwich. It is sweet up front with a little bit of burn on the tail end, and a wallop of vinegar tang in the middle. I wish I had more as I started dipping my sandwich in Kate's extra sauce.  Score: 3

Overall: The staff is worth supporting and this sandwich is more than decent, but next time I'll opt for a Jr with mayo and extra sauce. There is just no reason to buy a super without that onion roll. Score: 3

Notes:  The onion rings are phenomenal but the coleslaw is disgusting.

Bonus Guest Review

Kate's Small Roast Beef With Extra Sauce:

Bun: "Bun is totally average." Score: 3

Beef: "Pretty tender minus one piece, Taste like beef." Score: 3

Sauce: "Wicked tangy with black pepper after taste." Score: 3

Overall: "Decent." Score: 3
 

Route 110 Roast Beef and Seafood, 66 Haverhill Rd, Amesbury, MA 01913

This review marks a first for Beef Day, as it was a take out order. Which makes it even more impressive because the first thing I noticed was how piping hot the roast beef was. Imagine if I had eaten it on location!

Bun: If I wanted to be extra picky (and let's face it we often are here at Beef Day) I could say this bun needed a little more onion. But the fact is the grilling and overall flavor more than made up for a few missing onion flecks. This bun was so crispy that each bite had an audible crunch followed by that delicious buttery flavor we love.  Score: 5

Beef: Perfect beef is hard to come by. It need's to be tender, just out of the roaster warm, and full of it's own beef flavor. That's what Route 110 Roast Beef and Seafood was able to serve up here. The natural beef flavor shined through this sandwich with every bite.  Score: 5

Sauce: If you like sweet, this sauce is for you. Tons of tomato sweetness up front with very little vinegar taste. Which is a little bit of a shame because you loose that tang. The spice seems to be mostly black pepper based, so not much burn up front but a nice build up as the sandwich progresses Score: 4

Overall: Wow I'm impressed. A great sandwich with it's own flavor profile, that's what I like to see! Score: 5

Notes:  Oh serving size was great as well, two bites in and I had beef falling all over the place!

Jimbo's Famous Roastbeef and Seafood, 616 Main St Tewksbury, MA 01876

Jimbo's looks like consummate professionals with their matching red polos and drive through, but The amateur mistakes that this sandwich had made me wonder what kind of experience they have. Here is to hoping that my sandwich (while tasty) was a poor example of what they do. 

Bun: If you like onions, this bun was for you. The top and bottom of this bun was loaded with so many big pieces of onion that you could feel them as you chewed. Needless to say the onion flavor dominated but a nice hint of poppy seed and a good deal of butter flavor made it through as well. Truly delicious. Unfortunately this bun was as far from crispy as you can get. Good flavor but no crisp equals...  Score: 3

Beef: First thing I noticed was that the beef was NOT HOT! It was actually almost cold, a cardinal beef sin! A huge shame as the beef its self was pink, had a melt in your mouth tender texture, and had decent flavor. But come on, it needs to be warm! Score: 1

Sauce: Black pepper was the dominating spice here with decent spice build up. They had a good amount of sauce on the sandwich but not enough to penetrate through all the beef, leaving some bits quite dry. Good Flavor but average. Score: 3

Overall:  I don't know if I am being generous or hard on Jimbo's with this score. On one hand if they fixed the cold beef and grilled the bun this could easily be a 4 star sandwich. If they also added more sauce this might be a 5 star as all the flavors are there. On the other hand cold beef and no bun toasting is for amateurs.  Score:  3

Notes: Did I mention the drive through? 

Royal House of Roast Beef, 464 Lowell St, Methuen, MA 01844

This was a blind walk in. I had never heard of Royal House of Roast Beef before, but as I was driving up 93 on my way to Dracut I began to see signs for Royal House of Roast Beef. With a name that claims such pedigree I had to try it out.

Bun: The bun was the star of the sandwich and definitely where most of the flavor came from. It is a nice fresh egg based bun with tons of nicely charred onions on top.  While it looked fully grilled to a golden color there was no crisp, keeping this bun just inches away from a perfect score.  Score: 4

Beef: Juicy, tender, pink. This beef had all the hallmarks of a perfect beef. Except flavor, it was just lacking.   Score:4

Sauce: Great sauce with lots of upfront spice, good sweetness and tang. My major complaint here was there was not enough! Score: 4

Overall:  A solid 4! surprisingly great for a place I had never heard of. Score:  4

Notes: This is a cash only establishment, but they do have an atm inside

Niki's Roast Beef & Pizza, 7 Central St, Georgetown, MA 01833

If you find yourself driving thorough Georgetown with hunger pangs keep an eye open for a giant black bull statue and pull over. But be warned, after a super beef from Niki's it might be a long while before your hungry again.

Bun: Perfectly crisp, right up to the last bite. The flavor was super buttery, but lacked any onion flavor at all. Still delicious Score: 4

Beef:  SO MUCH BEEF. This sandwich had to be 2 inches thick of solid packed beef. But I must say this was a quantity over quality situation, as the beef was fairly dry and lacked much flavor. But while it was in my opinion over cooked, with just a little bit of pink remaining, it was tender and sliced perfectly. Score: 3

Sauce: Lot's of sauce and mayo, the sauce was James River BBQ but it almost seemed like they added something to it, as it was slightly more peppery than I remember.  Score: 3

Overall: Talk about a super beef! They don't take that name lightly the serving size was huge. I think this sandwich could easily be a 3 all day long but the serving size and the buttery bun bump this up to a ... 

Score: 4

Notes: The owner of Niki's Roast Beef has a little bit of beef heritage behind him. Before opening Niki's in 2008 he worked for eight years at Nick's Famous Roast Beef in Beverly.

Review Redo: Harrison's Roast Beef, 80 Chickering Rd, North Andover, MA 01845

Kate and I met up with Laura and Tim (an original Beef Day 2012 contributor and a beef connoisseur in his own right)  this weekend to kick off our first review redo post. Our target Harrison's Roast Beef got great marks a while back (here) scoring an over all of 4. Let's see if they keep it up?

Bun: Once again this bun was too flat. This time it lacked the crisp edges it had going for it before. Score: 3

Beef: Beef was a little cold today, might not of been a fresh batch. Score: 3

Sauce: Sauce is still great, this time they were heavy with the mayo which prevented the spice from getting out of control  Score: 4

Overall: I think this was an off sandwich for this establishment, but not bad at all.  Score: 4

Notes: Overlooked in my first review but defiantly a nice touch, Harrison's slices all these sandwiches in half for you.



Tim's super cheese mayo extra sauce:

Bun: "Flat, no texture, but good onion and butter flavor" Score: 3

Beef: "A little overdone today. It also didn't fill the bun, all the beef was piled in the middle. Still tender but needs better presentation."  Score: 3

Sauce: "extra generous with the portion, strong but not over powering" Score: 5

Overall: "Cheese was negligible but sauce and overall flavor makes it worthwhile" Score: 4



Laura's super cheese mayo extra sauce:

Bun: "Chewy and spungey,"  Score: 3

Beef: "Tender nice flavor and the perfect amount" Score:4

Sauce: "Delightful, I really like the tang and spice"  Score: 4

Overall: "a real good one today!" Score: 4




Kate's super extra sauce:

Bun: "Didn't taste fresh, I actually ate some of the sandwich without the bun. Overall flavor was fine but not enough onions"  Score: 2

Beef: "Really tender, wish it was a little less shaved." Score: 4

Sauce: "Very Spicy!"  Score: 5

Overall: "Too bad the bun was so bad because the overall flavors were great, and the fries are awesome!"  Score: 4



Review Redo Outcome:
Harrison's is a great sandwich, just don't go looking for a killer bun or presentation. This place is all about the sauce.

Jillie's Family Restaurant, 600 Rogers St Lowell, MA 01852

Jillie's looks like a dive. The street it is on looks like a good spot to get hit by a car, but if you can get past the Lowell aesthetic this place is worth stopping in for a few minutes. If you really don't want to stay long hit up their drive through (yeah they got one) because the sandwich here is far from average.

Bun: One of the most amazing bun's I have ever had. It tasted as if it was fresh baked that morning. Incredibly soft with ton's of nice charred onion's on top. And here is the first place where Jillie's adds some flair. Poppy seeds! The strong onion flavor mixed with poppy added a lot of interest to this sandwich. Actually the only reason I didn't give it a five was there was no toasting on this example. Let me tell you, it wasn't missed much, I was tempted to give it a five anyways Score: 4

Beef: Tender, bright pink, and almost ground instead of shaven slices. I got one small piece that was fatty and chewy but the rest of the 6 oz was delicious. This beef was nicely seasoned with garlic overtones. I just wish it wasn't so ground up. Score: 4

Sauce: Spicy! Heavy on the black pepper flavors but not overly sweet or tangy. This lead to a strong spice buildup that gets intense while eating the sandwich, to the point of numbing you lips a little, but by the time I left and got back into my car it was gone. They also gave you a good serving of sauce and mayo. Score: 5

Overall: This could of been a five. It might be a five. It was at least a four and a half. There were so many unexpected twist that makes this not your regular roast beef (poppy seeds, original sauce, beef seasoning) yet nothing seemed to break tradition. Overall Delicious. Score: 4

Notes: Jillie's calls their super beef a giant beef, that being said I ordered a super beef and they didn't skip a beat. Also the pizza smelt great, and I want to try their spicy fries,