Appearances Are Deceiving At The Yankee Doodle Inn

Although the Yankee Doodle Inn has been in existence 10 years, it remains relatively unknown; frankly, it is difficult to decide whether that is good or bad.

At first blush, the restaurant has everything going for it: a venerable fieldstone building that dates from the early 1800s; high-backed wood booths for intimacy; oil-fed lamps flickering on every table; foot-thick walls and massive ceiling beams to give a sense of solidity, and a menu that appears entrancing.

But there is less to the Yankee Doodle than meets the eye. During a recent visit, an unusual use of wood room dividers created a cramped atmosphere, the room temperature seemed to hover in the high 80s, the food was almost uniformly disappointing and the service was anything but friendly. Other than that, as they say, things were just fine.

Dinner began with a dish of chilled vegetables - crisp carrot and celery strips and clumps of cauliflower and broccoli flowers that were beginning to go to seed - accompanied by a sweet, creamy mayonnaise-based dip. A loaf of fresh bread was nicely warmed and came with foil-wrapped butter pats at room temperature instead of the frozen butter served at most restaurants.

Broiled shrimp Dijonnaise ($6.25) were five jumbo shrimp wrapped in bacon and served with a mustard dipping sauce mildly flavored with horseradish. Although the shrimp suffered from a mealy texture, they were nicely presented on a large romaine leaf garnished with a bright yellow lemon crescent.

Confused clams casino ($5.35) were a half-dozen overcooked clams with a thick, crusty topping that was a jumble of bread crumbs, onions and other ingredients but with no identifiable flavor; they were nicely served, however, on a pewter plate garnished with lemon.

A chilled, fresh salad of mixed greens, sliced cucumber, grated carrots and red cabbage and a cherry tomato came with very good homemade blue cheese and creamy Italian dressings that may have been the best part of this dining experience.

If the veal had not been chewy or overcooked, veal saltimbocca ($14.95) - scallops of white veal rolled with prosciutto and melted cheese and bathed in a tasty sauce heavily flavored with sherry - would have been the best dish of the evening. Linguine with lobster and shrimp ($12.95) was a pile of overcooked pasta with a meager sprinkling of tough pieces of lobster and shrimp in a thin, flavorless, but homemade tomato sauce. For the price, you can do better elsewhere.

Eight overcooked snow pea pods and glazed carrots were the vegetable choices, hardly anything to attract interest.

Peanut butter pie ($2.50), so heavy the filling stuck to the roof of my mouth, was topped with sprinkles of chopped nuts and drizzled with chocolate. Cheesecake (also $2.50), a better choice, was moist and tasty with a pleasant creamy texture.

YANKEE DOODLE INN

520 Shoemaker Rd,

King of Prussia, 265-7047.

Open: Lunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; dinner 5-10 p.m. Mon.-Fri., until 10:30 p.m. Sat., 5-9:30 p.m. Sun. Brunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sun.

Price range: Appetizers average $4, entrees $13

Credit cards: Major cards

Nonsmoking section: No

Facilities for handicapped: Yes

Atmosphere: Cramped Early American