Bites Nearby: Lum's Roast Beef

Early Tuesday evening, Amy and I were driving around Seekonk looking for somewhere new to review. We found Lum's. Google lists it as both Lum's Restaurant and Lum's Roast Beef, but the sign and menu just read Lum's. I'm not exactly sure how long Lum's has been there in its current form, but on Tuesday, I caught it out of the corner of my eye at 717 Fall River Ave. in Seekonk. The only thing I knew about it walking in was from the sign out front: they've got famous roast beef sandwiches. 

Roast beef sandwiches are exactly where we started. I love a good roast beef sandwich. I will reliably order a french dip off a menu, and Amy and I have a warm spot in our hearts for Arby's. Amy and I ordered two roast beef sandwiches and an order of onion rings. She got a soda, and I ordered a beer, mostly because they so proudly mention on a couple signs that they're "Now serving beer and wine!"  The woman being the counter was very hospitable and polite. I just wish she could have recognized a couple newbies and walked us through some specialties. Usually I ask, but I wasn't feeling quite so talkative. 

Once sitting, we got a good look around. I got a strong feeling that Lum's similar to some the places you can see on the Travel Channel or Food Network. Its a freestanding building on a main travel road in Seekonk. If you didn't know exactly where you were, you could be on a main road in any of thousands of towns in the country. The interior was spacious, bright, and clean. And it'd be a great place for a family outing. Not far from the counter where you order is a sink to get kid's (and adult's) hands cleaned up before people digging into hot dogs and roast beef sandwiches. 

The sandwiches came out quick enough and they were quite good. Lum's uses a special seasoning on top of the sandwiches and onion rings that I presume to be seasoning salt. They were a great size for the value, and the seasoning gives them a little edge and separation from the plain and simple roast beef at a place like Miller's or Arby's. The sandwiches were great smothered in catchup and I'll definitely go back again. While eating, Amy noticed the t-shirts for sale reference the famous roast beef sandwiches and hot dogs steamed in beer. Although I certainly didn't need it, I had to try one.

I ordered one, and I was asked what I want on it. Not being an expert in the menu, I said I'll take it plain. While waiting with Amy, we browsed the paper menu, and saw sherry kraut and chili were the typical toppings offered. It came out plain and I tried my first bite. You could definitely taste the beer, and it was an interesting flavor addition to a hot dog. I collected on my topping offer and got some chili. Vast improvement. The nice fat hot dog was fantastic as a chili dog. 

The experience at Lum's was very enjoyable. Upon reading the menu (and on the wall in the restaurant), they have a line that says "Welcome back to the Lum's you loved and remembered."  It got me curious enough to go to their website to read about how they started and where it went that it needed to come back from. I was hoping for a little background on where the name Lum's came from, but no such luck. We got away with our meal costing about $20 for two people with a beer.

From there, we craved just a little sweet to end the night. It was a short drive around the corner to Sundae's. Its a ice cream place on Route 44 that you'd undoubtedly recognize if you've driven on the road more than a couple of times. I'm sure its been a staple of Seekonk families in the summer time for years, but it was Amy's and my first time there. Essentially it is like a dairy queen with out the brand name. A long list of flavors was written in on a dry erase board.  Amy and I got there at exactly the right time, because right after we got in line, it near tripled in length. My strawberry Sunday really hit the spot. The small was plenty big enough for me and I was a big fan of the strawberry topping. Amy got a soft ice cream cone with vanilla and coffee twist. Kiddie size was more than enough. I can't imagine what the large must look like. 

It was a nice summer night of great local Seekonk offerings. Lum's and Sundae's are both great places with or without kids in tow. Whether paired together or separate, they are both very casual comfortable places to stop. Especially in this hot time of year, it beats firing up the stove in my kitchen.