Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott

On Valentine's Day, a beautiful and sunny day here in Boston, Dish Mom and I decided to take a mini-day trip up to Swampscott and have lunch on the water. I grew up West of Boston, and my family now lives on the South Shore, so the North Shore is foreign territory to me. But I absolutely adore it. I did some quick research online and found Red Rock Bistro, a restaurant right on the water with a beautiful view of the water and the Boston skyline:

The crowd definitely skewed older. Older couples, and "ladies who lunch," dominated the scene, but as Dish Mom also speculated, I have a feeling the large, four-sided bar gets quite crowded at night.

We decided to split the cuban sandwich, and the duck confit salad with arugula and goat cheese. I had been craving a cuban sandwich for a looong time, and this one was spot on. Salty pork, lots of pickles, and tangy mustard, on perfectly grilled and buttery bread. And AWESOME, crispy, fries to top it off.The duck confit salad was OK; I almost would've preferred if it was just the arugula. The duck was a little dried out, and I forgot there was even goat cheese in it until I found the small ball of it beneath all the greens. But the bitter greens were a good complement to the super-flavorful cuban sandwich.

Red Rock is only about 20 minutes from Boston, yet seems worlds away. If I had a car, I would be tempted to visit often. A cold beer, a killer ocean view, and some yummy french fries-- is it summer yet?!?