May 28th 2021: BT's Fried Chicken and BBQ, Worcester

 While working late today, we decided to get takeout from BT's Fried Chicken and BBQ in Worcester, which has its original location in Sturbridge, which I visited once a long time ago. This time, I got the Three Meat Platter (Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, Sexy Grits, BBQ Beans and Cornbread)

and the Buttermilk Cake for dessert.

Pretty good meat, especially the brisket and the crispy fried chicken. The beans and cornbread were tasty too, as was the dessert, which was a mildly sweet cake. Large portion, could not finish half of it.

May 27th 2021: Dining In at Lakeside Bar and Grille, Shrewsbury

 Today, we decided to have dinner at Lakeside Bar and Grille in Shrewsbury, which we got takeout from recently. This time, we got the French Onion Soup,

the Black & Bleu Salad (Our house salad, topped with marinated steak tips, roasted red peppers, & crumbled bleu cheese. Served with bleu cheese dressing.),

the Haddock Française (Fresh haddock or chicken dipped in a seasoned egg batter, sautéed with sun-dried tomatoes, capers in a lemon sauce. Served over penne or linguini.),

the Brenna Salad ( house salad topped with fresh sliced strawberries, spiced almonds and feta cheese.), which I did not get to try,

and the Molten Lava Cake for dessert.

The soup was a tad salty, a the beef a little burnt, although the egg batter for the pasta dish was not bad actually, going well with the sour sauce, and the dessert, though not up to "molten" standard, was pretty good, by my little one's standards. Overall though, just an alright meal, after 3 times at this place, still the same result. Will try not to come back if possible.

May 26th 2021: Che! Empanada and Golden Pockets, Worcester

 Today for lunch, I decided to check out the Kelley Square area in Worcester, getting from Che! Empanada, an Argentinian empanada place, 

the Bacon (Honey ham, mozzarella and parmesan cheese),

and Golden Pockets, a Mediterranean cafe next door, 

getting a Combo Markook Wrap (mix of chicken and beef shawarma served with hummus, garlic sauce, lettuce tomato, onions, pickles, parsley, tahini).

The empanada, which was interestingly shaped like a pie, was surprisingly crispy and tasty, while the wrap was a tad sour with the sauces and pickles. Overall, filling lunch for cheap.

May 23rd 2021: Visiting the Natick Mall after 2 Years

 Today, we decided to visit the Natick Mall in Natick, something we have not done for over a year now due to the pandemic. A lot of people walking around today, although a lot of the restaurants are no longer around.

I got a Kit Kat Shake (vanilla ice cream, Kit Kat pieces, strawberries, strawberry syrup) from Milkshake Lovers here, which is the new name for I Love Milkshakes, the Everett branch of which I visited a long time ago.

Not bad presentation and taste, although I thought it would be chocolate instead of strawberry flavored.

For dinner, while in Worcester,

Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium

Polar Park

we got takeout from I Love Frankie's Worcester's Best Pizza, getting the SALAMI SUPREME (Salami, Roasted Red Peppers, Black Olives, Green Olives, Garlic, Red Onion, Basil, Feta Cheese and Ricotta Cheese),

and from Sushi Miyazawa, getting the Christmas Maki (Shrimp tempura inside w/ salmon, tuna & spicy sauce on the outside. Spicy sauce on top contains Crabstick & Spicy Tempura Crumbs Mayo.),

the Volcano Roll (California Roll (crabstick, avocado and cucumber) base with a baked topping of crab, kanikama, scallop, masago, and creamy spicy mayo sauce)

and the Miso Soup (Soybeans soup w/ tofu & seaweed).

The pizza is definitely not Worcester's best, though big. The sushi was not bad although the miso soup was just alright.

At least we had a good time at Natick Mall today. Hope new restaurants come soon.

May 22nd 2021: Checking Out Ponds in Winchester

 Today, while waiting for my other half to be done with her errands, I decided to check out two ponds in Winchester, firstly Leonard Pond,

located at the back of Leonard Field,

then Mill Pond, 

which is right in front of the Town Hall and the Public Library. The first pond was just alright, but I never realized that there was a nice waterfall at Mill Pond.

May 21st 2021: Redoing Hikes in Westborough

 This morning, while in Westborough,

Sandra Pond/Bowman Conservation Area

I decided to revisit the South Cedar Swamp area, where the path I took to get to the water body we missed out on the last time we were here is shown below in pink.

Still pretty overgrown, but at least the view of the pond was decent although the pond itself was nothing much to speak of.

Next, I revisited the Upper Jackstraw Brook Reservation, this time starting at the end of Primrose Lane away from Gilmore Pond, which I visited a long time ago. The path I took to get to the water body here is shown below in pink.

Nothing to see at the bridge here though.

Oh well, another wasted day of hikes in Westborough.

May 20th 2021: Inhouse Coffee, Northborough

 Today, while in Northborough,

Wesson Lion Fountain,
4 West Main Street

my other half got a Green Tea Frappe from Inhouse Coffee, the Worcester location of which I have been to in the past.

Pretty refreshing drink on a hot day, along with a Raspberry Pastry.

May 19th 2021: A Fruitless Day of Hiking in Hopkinton

Today, we decided to go on a few short hikes in Hopkinton. The first place we checked out was the Ora Cheney Conservation Area, where the path we took to check out the water body here is shown below in pink.

The water body here was nothing to speak of though.

From here, we headed to the Fruit Street Fields area, which is actually part of Fruit Street Conservation Area, the southern part of which I visited a long time ago. This time, we checked out an area which is not even marked out on the map to try to get to the water body here, shown below in pink.

absolutely no sign of the water body here, 

and I even trespassed on private property trying to find it. An utter waste of time hiking in Hopkinton today.

For dinner, we decided to head to the Westborough Korean Restaurant in of course, Westborough, which I have visited several times in the past. This time around, along with the side dishes,

we got the Yook Gae Jang (spicy shredded beef vermicelli noodle vegetable soup),

the Jajangmyun (hand made noodles, black bean sauce, pork, vegetables)

and the Bossam (steamed pork belly), which isn't even on the menu, but we happened to spy on someone else's dinner table.

Really good and authentic Korean food, the noodles not being too salty, and our little one loving it to no end. The pork especially went really well with the sauces provided. Another good meal after another bad day of hiking.

May 18th 2021: Failed Hike at South Cedar Swamp, Westborough

 Today, we decided to go on a hike at South Cedar Swamp in Westborough, the trailhead of which is located within St. Luke's Cemetery at 24 Hopkinton Road.

The path we took while here to try to get to Cedar Swamp Pond is shown below in pink.

 

The start of the hike was decent I guess, with okay views of the open fields here.

It then started getting very overgrown, and we went totally off track as well, only getting stopped by the high water levels. Backtracking, we found the right path into the forest to get closer to Cedar Swamp Pond, but we got stopped again by high water, and there was only one okay view of the swamp here.

A long hike in overgrown paths, with nothing much to show for it. Unfortunately, I realize that I missed the other water body on the map. Will have to go back again some time. Apparently, Cedar Swamp Pond can only be accessed by foot during winter when the swamp is frozen.

From here we headed into the town of Hopkinton,

Morgan's Harbor to Hill Seafood Market

having dinner at the 110 Grill in town.

We got the Blood Orange Drop (Ice Pik vodka, blood orange liqueur, lemon juice, sugared rim),

the Chicken Piccata Gnocchi (FRIED CHICKEN SERVED WITH SAUTÉED GNOCCHI AND SPINACH, TOSSED IN A LEMON CAPER PARMESAN BUTTER SAUCE WITH FRIED SAGE),

which came with a 110 Cyprus Salad (ICEBERG LETTUCE AND BABY ARUGULA WITH CUCUMBERS, BANANA PEPPERS, RED ONIONS, OLIVES, GRAPE TOMATOES AND ROASTED RED PEPPERS, TOSSED IN A RED WINE VINAIGRETTE.),

and the 110 Little Grillers (2 Cheeseburger Sliders, Sweet Potato Fries, Cucumber, Juice, Scoop of Vanilla).

Except for the drink, which tasted like medicine, everything else was exceptionally good especially the cirspy chicken with tangy sauce, and even the sliders and fries for my little one. At least the meal saved the day for us after the terrible hike.