Boston Globe | Boston Magazine | Calendar | Dining Out

Calendar - January 1998

"Why is it fun American food? my friend wondered aloud, reflecting on the "FUN AMERICAN FOOD" sign in the entryway of the 4-month-old Sky restaurant.

"We hope people have fun in the entire experience." said Stephen Corcoran, Sky's president.

The restaurant experience derives from Sky's dining "concept," Corcoran said. For 11 years, he managed restaurants for the Back Bay Restaurant Group and noticed "there were no casual, fun, moderately priced, quality food restaurants in the area."

The menu might best be described as playful. "We try to take traditional food and put a creative twist on it"

Hence, appetizers include "Baja egg rolls", a wonderful cross-cultural item in which Chinese egg roll wrappers are stuffed with spicy chicken, cheese, roasted corn and black beans; and "exploding shrimp", a festive-looking platter of huge shrimp rolled in confetti-like shredded phyllo dough.

There are surprises, too, even in the salads. Sky's version of house salad - so often mundane in medium priced restaurants - was jazzy, featuring fresh tossed greens, thinly sliced red onions, and crumbled blue cheese with a refreshing balsamic dressing. An uncommon spinach salad sported roasted red peppers, thin slices of prosciutto, and an adventurous gorgonzola pest dressing.

Desserts are above average. We loved the homemade taste of the apple blueberry crumble. All in all - dare we say it? - the sky's the limit when it comes to what this restaurant has to offer the suburbs around Sudbury.

- Linda Matchan