The Puritan

Very few things in Manchester are more quintessentially Manchester than The Puritan Restaurant.

I went here with a friend, but generally it's visited by families and the elderly looking for a traditional New England meal, and that's generally what you're going to get here, so I decided to try one of the more traditional offerings on the menu in the broiled chicken tenders.

I had gotten the regular chicken tenders before and enjoyed them, unlike most chicken tenders, The Puritan's tenders are not crispy and barely breaded. For the most part, the non-breaded broiled tenders tasted similiar, but I have to admit there were a few pieces that were inedible to me.

That's the dilemma for me on judging this dish. The first few bites were great, the last few bites were awful: the bites were gamy and gristle filled to the point where they were difficult to swallow. The "special sauce", a terriyaki-ish reduction that actually drew me to my order intially, was positive, as was the side of French Fries, which was more than enough, but for the $11.95 price tag, I was not satisfied in the least given the quality of the chicken I was given.

I've had plenty of good meals from here, so i'll try the Puritan again in the future, but I can't recommend the broiled chicken tenders after this encounter.

Meal: Broiled Chicken Tenders

Price: $11.95

Speed of Service: 15 minutes (sit down)

Time of Day: 12:30 PM, weekend