April 30th 2021: Paku Lounge Restaurant, Worcester

 Today, we decided to have dinner at Paku Lounge Restaurant, a Puerto Rican bar restaurant in Worcester which has taken over from Paku Paku Asian Restaurant, which I visited once before. Nice decor inside, although no one inside was wearing a mask, which worried me a lot in this time of pandemic.

We got the Cuba Libre (rum and coke),

the Mofongo Chicharron Cerdo (Mofongo with Fried Pork)

and the Dulce de Coco (coconut dessert) for dessert.

The food was not bad, though not good or interesting enough for me to come back to this ghetto area.

April 27th 2021: Hiking at Great Meadow Conservation Area, Grafton

 Today for lunch, we got takeout from Grill 352 in Worcester, this time getting the Beef Gyro and Lamb Gyro Rollup (syrian bread, lettuce, tomato, grill onion, green peppers, pickles, tzatziki sauce).

Pretty good, although the raw onions might have given me heatburn for a bit. 

Later in the day, we decided to go for a hike at Great Meadow Conservation Area in Grafton, where the path we took to get to the water body is shown below in pink.

The going was simple at first,

but due to misintepretation of the somewhat poorly drawn trail map, and lack of trail markings, we went southwest instead of going west at the trail intersection, only realizing our mistake when we arrived at the Great Meadow swamp area, which luckily was the best view we would get of the entire area.

From here, I was able to get us back on track, having to trudge through the wetland area to get to our target water body. However, when we arrived in the area, we got dioriented and did not identify our target water body, getting lost and even going around in a circle. Eventually I figured it out, although the water body we were looking for was nothing special either. Thankfully, we were able to find our way back out, although the path we took was still not my intended path as we got lost again. Overall, a nice view of the swamp, but not a great hike.

After getting back to the car, we decided to get dinner at Grille 122, a bar restaurant in the Linwood area of the town of Northbridge. Pretty typical decor for a bar restaurant.

We got the Hawaiian Margarita (pineapple, Triple Sec, coconut rum, tequila)

and the Mediterranean Chicken (spinach, sun dried tomato, feta, lemon garlic wine sauce, linguini).

The drink was a tad strong, while the pasta a tad sour. Overall, not that great a meal here. Not feeling satisfied, we decided to head across the road to Pirate's Cove, a takeout place serving ice cream and seafood.

we got the Banana Split (chocolate peanut butter, coconut, strawberry),

the Clam Chowder

and the Clam Cakes.

The clam cakes were crispy, but did not have much clam meat, and were a little on the salty side. The soup was not bad, as was the ice cream, although a tad overwhelming with sweetness after a while. Overall, an okay day out for hiking and eating. At least my other half got to try a banan split for the first time.

April 25th 2021: More Takeout from Thai and I, Shrewsbury

 Today, we decided to get takeout from Thai and I in Shrewsbury again, this time getting the PAD SEE-U (Stir-fried with wide noodles, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and bean sprouts).

It was alright I guess. 

April 24th 2021: Third Time at Red Heat Tavern, Westborough

For breakfast today, we decided to get some food from Birchtree Bread Company, getting the PBLT (crispy pork belly, greens, tomato, basil, dill aioli, caraway onion rye)

and the Expresso Caramel Almond Macaroon.

The sandwich was excellent with melt in your mouth prok belly fat, although the macaroon was a tad too chewy. Overall, still really good food from this place as always.

Later in the day, we brought our parents to Red Heat Tavern in Westborough, as we had enjoyed our meals there in the past.

This time, we sat outside, and got the Berry Lemonade White Sangria (pinot grigio, stoli blueberry, st. germain elderflower, strawberry juice, lemon juice, fresh lime),

the Grilled Cheese (Cucumbers, Fruit Kabob, Orange Juice, BBQ Sauce, Pudding Cup),

the Mediterranean Rice Bowl (quinoa rice mix, portabellos, lemon chickpeas, red peppers, mesquite tomatoes, spinach, olive blend, local feta, greek dressing),

the Creole Shrimp Alfredo (grilled shrimp, roasted tomato, roasted asparagus, creamy alfredo sauce,

herbed bread crumbs, skillet baked),

and the Cilantro Lime Turkey Tips (hand cut marinated turkey tips, ancho cream dipping sauce, mexican street corn, cilantro rice).

The cheese sandwich was just alright, although the drink and the other dishes were excellent, especially the corn and the turkey, which wasn't dry at all. Glad our parents liked the meal too.

April 23rd 2021: KFC and Ice Cream

 Today, we got takeout from the KFC in Shrewsbury, getting among other stuff the KFC Chicken Sandwich (An extra crispy filet with premium pickles, mayo, on a brioche-style bun.Spicy)

and the MAC & CHEESE (Elbow macaroni covered in a rich, creamy cheddar cheese sauce). Pretty good lunch for cheap. After lunch, we decided to get some ice cream from Gibson's Dairy Farm in Worcester, getting the Coffee, Strawberry and Green Tea flavors.

Pretty good, although the green tea tasted a little minty, not sure if they gave us the wrong fkavor.

April 21st 2021: Acacia Grill, Worcester

 Today, we decided to get takeout from Acacia Grill, a new Kenyan cafeteria style restaurant in Worcester,

 getting the Samaki Wa Kukaanga (Fried Tilapia served with Kachumbari (Salsa) and Fish sauce),

the Mbuzi Mchuzi (Goat stew),

the Maharagwe (pink beans, black beans, chili beans), Chapati (Buttery Kenyan flatbread), Ndizi Kaanga (Plantain fried to perfection),

Sukuma Wiki (Collard greens), Wali Wa Nazi (Rice made in coconut milk).

The fish was jsut alright, being fried, while the goat stew and sides were not bad, though nothing really special. Overall, an okay meal by my standards.

April 20th 2021: Checking Out the Longfellow's Wayside Inn Area, Sudbury

For breakfast this morning, we got takeout from NU Kitchen in Worcester, which we have been to several times in the past, getting the Oahu Acai Bowl (organic acai blended with oat milk, cold pressed apple juice, bananas, topped with strawberry, banana, granola, toasted coconut, cacao nibs, and honey),

the Sweet Potato Quinoa Muffin,

and the Maple Pecan Pastry.

Everything was pretty good, especially the interesting taste of the muffin.

While in town, I went for a quick hike at Crow Hill to check out the water bodies here that I missed in the past. The path I took is shown below in pink.

Very muddy today, and nothing much to see.

For lunch, we decided to head to the Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury. 

Pretty nice old decor inside.

 

We got the Mocha Raspberry Martini (vanilla and raspberry vodka, Baileys and Chocolate liquor),

the Grilled Cheese Sandwich (French Fries) for our little one,

the Yankee Pot Roast (jardiniere sauce)

and the Prime Rib of Beef (Luncheon Cut, au jus).

The starters which had corn muffins were really good,

while the grilled cheese was very buttery, and the meats flavorful. Only the drink tasted like medicine. Overall, a really good meal here.

After lunch, we headed outside,

checking out the garden

and the ice house pond here, where people were flyfishing.

 

From here, we went on a hike to find Carding Mill Pond, where the path we took, along with our stroll at the Old Grist Mill area, is shown below in pink.

Pretty nice views of the pond here.

From here, we headed to the Old Grist Mill area,

which I have visited before in the past, this time going to check out the Grist Mill Pond here.

With that, we called it a day here. Pretty good day spent at the Longfellow's Wayside Inn.