Restaurants in Ludlow

Though Michael Anderson has worked in the kitchen for more than three decades, he hasn't always worn the title of executive chef. Like many great chefs before him, Anderson began his career as a dishwasher, working his way up through practice and education before finally earning the prestigious role of head chef at Chandler's Tavern. With this culinary accomplishment under his belt, Anderson decided he was ready to fulfill his dream of opening his own restaurant—naming it for the chef he studied under as a dishwasher all those years ago.

Today, a panorama of white-linen tablecloths and chandeliers stretches across Tucker's dining hall, bar, and private banquet rooms. Anderson still works in the kitchen, overseeing staff as they prepare gourmet pastas, meats, and seafood from noon until nightfall. The restaurant opens its two elegant banquet halls for weddings, birthday parties, and upscale games of dodgeball.

Red Rock Pizza's chefs whip up a staggering menu of pizzas, sandwiches, and traditional italian pastas. Their pies come in classic configurations, such as hawaiian and pepperoni, as well as unique, Mediterranean-inspired concoctions such as the greek with feta and olives or the moussaka with eggplant, meatballs, and mozzarella hand-pulled by Zeus. They also sauce up more than 15 customizable pasta entrees and fry or bake shrimp, fish, and scallops for more than a dozen seafood dinners.

Drive-in movies. Car hops. Rock 'n' roll. Though human nature compels us to view the past in varying shades of gold, the 1950s almost transcends nostalgia. For those who were there, the smallest of triggers can set off waves of fond memories: a ringing bell leads the mind’s eye back to the polished counter of a soda fountain, and an oldies radio station evokes weekends spent passing quarters through the jukebox slot.

On September 11, 2001, in the midst of tragedy and after 19 years as a flight attendant, Brenda Stranberg decided that she was tired of playing back memories of America’s greatest decade in her head. Looking around her at a cultural landscape that her childhood self would hardly recognize, she teamed up with old friend Naif Makol Jr. and founded Skooter’s, an old-fashioned diner and coffee shop inspired by the simple pleasures of life more than half a century ago. Though somewhat of an anachronism, the diner’s open kitchen has proven wildly popular among the various generations that frequent the sit-down counter to sample thick milk shakes, loaded hot dogs, and burgers topped with fried onions. Between bites, guests can toss coins into the antique jukebox or admonish the diner’s soda jerks for callously dousing their friends with fountain drinks.

The aroma of seared Atlantic salmon, new york strip steak, and pork tenderloin waft through the dining room as each cut arrives simmering atop a volcanic stone heated to more than 750 degrees. This dramatic presentation is based on a European tradition more than 2,000 years old, and it creates an interactive dining experience that encourages guests to tend to their own sizzling proteins until they're either grilled to perfection or evaporate into a meaty mist. Hot-rock cooking forms the culinary foundation for Europa Black Rock Bar and Grill's menu, which also highlights Mediterranean-inspired pastas and flatbreads and Portuguese specialties such as paella and salt cod. For guests in search of a different kind of heat, the restaurant also hosts live music and the scorching beats of live DJs every Friday and Saturday night.

Umi Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar's chefs sling hot meat and veggies across tableside hibachis in showy displays of culinary prowess. As chopsticks busy themselves with vegetables and fried rice, meat such as lobster and filet mignon sizzles on grills just barely out of reach. Chefs also arrange sushi rolls on beds of seaweed in ribbons of eel, red snapper, tuna, and other raw or tempura-battered seafood. Blond wood inlays and sleek glass panels encircle the dining room, whose walls are sprinkled with shadowboxes of traditional Japanese art.

More than 30 LCD televisions and an 8-foot high-definition projector surround Maximum Capacity, where patrons enjoy 19 beers on tap downstairs and groove to the beat of live performances by DJs and cover bands upstairs. The venue’s list of performer’s has earned acclaim from The Valley Advocate, especially for bringing in big-name stars such as Vince Neil of Motley Crue. While taking in show or a Pats game, diners munch on classic pub favorites such as one of eight specialty sandwiches, five types of burgers, and eight signature pizzas.