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Owner Bobbi Aliff prepares Thursday s lunch special at Calico Jack s Seafood in Newberry Township, which is buy one fish and chips meal and get the second half off.<br />&middot; <a href="http://w2.ydr.com/forms/sendPhoto.php?photo=26617">E-mail photo</a><br />&middot; <a href="http://ydr.mycapture.com/mycapture/lookup.asp?originalname=051707-bil-bobbi.jpg">Order photo reprint</a><br />
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May 24, 2007 — It's not easy to find a seafood lunch for less than $10, so I don't eat much fish on these assignments. But there are always exceptions.

I stumbled upon Calico Jack's Seafood by accident, and accidents produce the best meals.

After looking for a nonexistent restaurant that was listed in the phone book, I tried to get back to Interstate 83 using unfamiliar back roads. That's when I found familiar Newberry Commons via Old York Road.

I spotted Calico Jack's Seafood and decided to give it a whirl. It was about 2 p.m. on a Friday, so it was fairly quiet. I walked up to the counter, grabbed a paper menu and scanned the offerings for lunch.

With $10 in my pocket, I contemplated the spicy shrimp wrap ($6.50) with a side of fries ($1.25), but then I saw the grilled tuna steak salad ($7.95) and the broiled lump crab cake sandwich ($6.95). There were

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too many items to choose from. It was almost my turn to order when my eyes caught the special board.

Owner Bobbi Aliff said she tries to offer a few sandwiches, a wrap, a salad and some platters for the daily lunch specials. A grilled haddock sandwich with a side - choice of fries, onion rings, hush puppies, red potato salad, macaroni salad, veggies, rice or cole slaw - was only $5.95. I quickly settled on haddock with french fries.

The lady behind the counter took my order, rang me up and got my soda. I sat down at one of the four-person tables at the front of the store. I read the newspaper while I waited and before long, my plate was dropped off at the table. The haddock was draped over a large Kaiser roll. The lid of the roll was topped with a tomato slice and a lettuce leaf. Crispy fries filled the rest of the plate.

I devoured every morsel of that firm and flavorful fish. It was done perfectly, not too dry, and had a mild flavor of spices.

In addition to counter service and take-out meals, Calico Jack's has a full-service seafood counter and party platters. Aliff said the daily specials can vary from a blackened shark wrap served on heated flat bread to a crab cake Caesar salad.

"We've also been doing a pasta of the week," she said.

In addition to serving spicy vegetable crab soup and New England clam chowder, Aliff said she always makes a soup of the day.

"We have shrimp and roasted corn chowder every Friday," she said. "I don't like set days for soup, but we had to for that one because everyone was asking for it so much."

Aliff said she thinks the scallop and corn chowder is just as good.

I didn't have the soup, but I was certainly delighted with a bill of $7.67 for a fresh, healthy fish sandwich with a side of fries and a beverage. It was a tasty meal at a reasonable price.

Cheap Eats is a biweekly column on local restaurants' meals under $10. Suggestions are welcome. Reach Nicki Lefever at 771-2101 or nlefever@ydr.com.

If you go

CALICO JACK'S SEAFOOD

LOCATION: 100 Newberry Commons, Newberry Township

CUISINE: Seafood

NICKI'S PICK: Broiled haddock sandwich with one side (french fries) special $5.95 and soda $1.25

PARKING: Ample available in lot

HOURS: 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and closed Sunday

PRICE RANGE: Sandwiches and baskets starting at $4.50 to $19.95 for Calico Jack's Combo with crab cake

ALCOHOL: BYOB

SMOKING: Nonsmoking

ACCEPTS: Cash and credit card

TAKEOUT: Available

KID'S MENU: $3.95 for choice of fried fish fingers, fried shrimp, tender clam strips or chicken fingers. Each meal comes with fries and sauce.

RESERVATIONS: No

DETAILS: 932-5313

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