December 27th 2023: Rawson Mill Brook Reservoir, Shrewsbury

 Today, after checking out several water bodies southwest of Worcester,

Smiths Pond,
Gerald Court, Leicester

Tinker Hill Reservoir,
42 Tinker Hill Road, Auburn

Texas Pond,
149 Southbridge Road, Oxford

we decided to go for a short hike to look for Rawson Mill Brook Reservoir in Shrewsbury, parking at 318 Prospect Street. A new dam structure with a gurgling brook alongside the path, but nothing much else here.

 

Recommended Places to Visit: Oxford

Recreation

Beaches
Carbuncle Pond
497 Main Street

Hiking
Recommended:
Hodges Village Dam
48 Howarth Road

Sacrarrappa Pond

End of Lovett Road

Water Bodies
Lowe's Pond
~6 Huguenot Road

McKinstry Pond
Waite Street and Forest Street

Sigourney Pond
20 Clara Barton Road

Texas Pond

149 Southbridge Road

Museums
Huguenot Steamer No 1 Fire Museum
655 Main Street

Architecture

Monuments
Vietnamese War Memorial
Water Street and Main Street

Pig Bus
Southbridge Road and Leicester Street


Places of Worship

St. Ann's Church
652 Main Street

Oxford United Methodist Church
465 Main Street

Grace Episcopal Church
270 Main Street

First Congregational Church
355 Main Street

St. Roch's Church
332 Main Street

Oak Hill Bible Church
40 Sacarrappa Road

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
49 Old Webster Road

First Baptist Church
693 Main Street

Sarva Dev Mandir
6 Main Street


Schools
Oxford High School
495 Main Street

Historical Buildings
28 Charlton Street
28 Charlton Street

Town Facilities

Town Hall
325 Main Street

Oxford Public Library
339 Main Street

Restaurants

Highly Recommended:
Breakfast

Half Baked and Fully Roasted
578 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
The Crabby Benedict

Western
Oxford's Casual Dining
2 Millbury Boulevard
Recommended Dishes:
Steak Chimichurri


Italian

J. Anthony's Italian Grill
206 Southbridge Road North
Recommended Dishes:
Italian Wedding Soup
Corn Chowder
Pork Cannelloni

Tried:
Deli
Isador's Organics
261 Main Street

Recommended Dishes:

Demon BBQ Chicken

Chinese
Meiji Asian Cuisine

291 Main Street

Recommended Dishes:

Eggplant and Tofu in Garlic Sauce

Western
Whistle Stop

291 Main Street

Recommended Dishes:

Fall Harvest Chicken

Breakfast

N and J Donuts
315 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Maple Donut

Big I's (closed)
578 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
The Pirate


Carl's Oxford Diner
291 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Pastrami and Cheese Omelette

Recommended Places to Visit: Leicester

Recreation

Parks

Town Common
Paxton Street and Washburn Square

Towtaid Park

Church Street and Towtaid Street

Farms

Cooper's Hilltop Farm

515 Henshaw Street

Waterfalls

Greenville Pond
~713 Pleasant Street


Water Bodies
Smiths Pond

Gerald Court

Kettle Brook Reservoir #2
Mannville Street and Paxton Street

Kettle Brook Reservoir #3
~530 Paxton Street

Sargent Pond
1230 Main Street

Waite Pond
~85 Manville Street

Clark's Mill Pond
~137 Baldwin Street

Lynde Brook Reservoir
End of Reservoir Street

Kettle Brook Reservoir #1
Mulberry Street and Chapel Street

Burncoat Pond
End of Town Beach Road

Cedar Meadow Pond
395 Rawson Street

City Pond
~81 Chapel Street

Rochdale Pond
~1066 Stafford Road

Bouchard Pond
Pine Street near Charles Street 

Hiking

Tried:

Shaw Pond (private)

65 Watson Street

Southwick Pond

Walbridge Road near Cutler Road, Paxton

Frank Cooke Forest

250 Manville Street

Architecture

Monuments
Leicester Lions Park
Main Street and Bottomley Avenue


Places of Worship

Leicester First Congregational Church
1 Washburn Square

St. Joseph's Church
759 Main Street

Leicester Church of Christ
2 Church Place

Christ Episcopal Church
1089 Stafford Street

Greenville Baptist Church
674 Pleasant Street

Leicester Unitarian Church
5 Washburn Square


Schools
Becker College
964 Main Street


Town Facilities

Leicester Public Library
1136 Main Street

Town Hall
3 Washburn Square

Police Department
90 South Main Street

Restaurants

Higly Recommended:
Breakfast

Uncle Jay's Twisted Fork

509 Stafford Street

Recommended Dishes:

Hot Chocolate

Shrimp Scampi Omelette

Twisted Benedict

Tried:
Breakfast
B Law's Diner (closed)
15 South Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Egg Cheese and Bacon Sandwich
Hot Chocolate

Farmhouse Diner
15 South Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Mac and Cheese

Mike's Donut Shoppe
1181 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Honey Dipped Donut

Pleasant Street Diner
310 Pleasant Street
Recommended Dishes:
The Jason

Tiny Tim's Cafe

1137 Stafford Street

Recommended Dishes:

Hash

Italian
Northeast Pizza (chain)
1205 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Sweet and Sour Chicken Pizza
Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Dressing Pizza

Uncle Sam's Pizza
1072 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
BBQ Pit Pie
Pastrami Hot Sub

Dessert
Wicked Wings and Ice Cream
15 South Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Spicy Ranch Wings
Sticky Sesame Wings
Spicy Fried Pickles
Sundae

Western

Castle Restaurant
1230 Main Street

Eller's Restaurant
190 Main Street, Cherry Valley
Recommended Dishes:
Clam Chowder
Triple Sec Ravioli

Joe's Drive-In Restaurant
1673 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Veggie Burger

Hot Dog Annie's
244 Paxton Street
Recommended Dishes:
BBQ Hot Dog

Barber's Crossing (chain)
861 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Flowering Onion
Lobster Roll

Yankee Pot Roast

BBQ Texas Beef Ribs

Chicken Marsala

Castle Cantina Tapas Bar and Restaurant

1230 Main Street

Recommended Dishes:

Tostones Rellenos

Aguacate Rellenos

Del Mar Paella

Papajotes

Karol Corner Take Out
610 Pleasant Street
Recommended Dishes:
Chicken Marsala

Rochdale Burgers, Subs and More (closed)
610 Pleasant Street
Recommended Dishes:
Spicy Thai Peanut Wings
Steak, Cheese, Mushrooms, Pepperoni Sub

Recommended Places to Visit: Bolton

Recreation

Wineries

Nashoba Valley Winery
100 Wattaquadock Hill Road


Museums
Bolton Historical Society
676 Main Street

Animal Adventures
336 Sugar Road

Parks
Town Common
717 Main Street

Golf
The International Golf Club and Resort
159 Ballville Road

Farms

Bolton Spring Farm

149 Main Street

Recommended Dishes:

Apple Cider Donut

Beaches

Little Pond
Hudson Road between Main Street and Mill Road


Hiking
Recommended:
Morse Sawmill Dam

159 Forbush Mill Road

Taggart Property

40 Forbush Mill Road

Bower Springs
Flanagan Road

Fyfeshire Conservation Area
499 Wattaquadock Hill Road

Bolton Flats
Main Street, 42.457524, -71.648896

Bolton Overlook
92 Wattaquadock Hill Road

Danforth Conservation Area
Danforth Lane

Rattlesnake Hill
Danforth Lane

Randall Vinger
441 Berlin Road

Tried:
Powder House
663 Main Street

Vaughn Hills
Green Road near Bare Hill Road

Welch Pond
376 Wattaquadock Hill Road

Wilder Pond
978 Main Street

Annie Moore
98 Annie Moore Road

Northwoods
6 Ledgewood Circle

Zink Trail
44 Corn Road

Gould White
End of Randall Road

Architecture

Places of Worship
Trinity Church
14 Wattaquadock Hill Road

First Parish of Bolton
673 Main Street

Schools

Florence Sawyer School
100 Mechanic Street

Nashoba Regional High School
12 Green Road

Emerson School
50 Mechanic Street

Town Facilities
Public Library
738 Main Street

Restaurants

Recommended:
Cafes
Bolton Bean
626 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Loaded Baked Potato Salad


Tried:
Italian
Fotini's
544 Wattaquadock Hill Road
Recommended Dishes:
Homemade Clam Chowder
Fresh Haddock
Butternut Squash Ravioli

Dessert
Colonial Candies
47 Sugar Road
Recommended Dishes:
Dark Raspberry Fudge Truffle
Caramel Pecan


Western

J's Restaurant
100 Wattaquadock Hill Road
Recommended Dishes:
Azule
Antique Orchard Apple Salad
Pork Belly
Sticky Toffee Pudding
House Smoked Statler Chicken Breast

Slater's
356 Main Street

Recommended Dishes:
Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza
Beef Brisket
Spicy Wings

The Fireplace Room
159 Ballville Road
Recommended Dishes:
Bucatini and Meatballs
Short Rib Benedict

December 26th 2023: Two Hikes in Bolton

 Today, we went for hikes at the Forbush Fields area in Bolton, where the path we took to check out the Morse Sawmill Dam and the Taggart Property is shown below in pink. 

From the first parking spot at 159 Forbush Mill Road, it was a short walk to the Forbush Mill Dam, the waterfall of which could already be seen from afar.

From here, we headed further down to 40 Forbush Mill Road for the longer part of the hike. We headed all the way to the dead end at the pond,

only then realizing we were on the wrong path, then backtracked to get to the other side of the pond, which was a little better in terms of views.

Overall, a pretty nice hike on a relatively warm winter day.
 

December 16th 2023: Kalasha Bubble Tea and Chicken, Framingham

Today, we decided to have lunch at Kalasha Bubble Tea and Chicken, a somewhat hole in the wall Korean restaurant at 855 Worcester Road in Framingham.

We got a bit of everything except bubble tea, getting the Cheese Ramen (ham, cheese bean sprouts, carrot mushroom, lettuce),

the Original Egg Drop Sandwich (Veggie and Egg)

and the Korean Spicy Fried Chicken Wings.

The ramen just reminded me of how I used to make my instant noodles in college, with cheese, egg and frozen vegetable add-ons, while everything else was not bad, although I would have liked the sauce on the wings themselves and not on the side. Crispy yet moist though. Not bad overall.

December 14th 2023: Revisiting Pho and Thai, Westborough

Today, being hungry, we decided to have dinner at Pho and Thai in Westborough, this time getting the Hot Basil (fresh basil leaves, onions, green peppers stir fried in fresh hot spicy chili sauce)

and the Slow Cooked Beef Noodle Soup (Thai style braised beef cooked with five spices served with bean sprout, scallion and cilantro, topped with garlic oil.).

The soup was pretty good, the beef tender, although the other dish was just so-so. At least our little one ate most of the noodles.

December 13th 2023: Peppers Indian Cuisine, Northborough

 Today, we decided to have lunch at Peppers Indian Cuisine, a new Indian restaurant that has opened in place of Kumar's, which we visited once in the past. Decor looks pretty much the same, albeit with balloons.

We got the Madras Filter Coffee (South Indian filter coffee),

the Peppers Special Goat Soup (Chef special spicy slow cooked goat bone-in soup topped with coriander leaves.), which was complimentary,

the Garlic Naan (Bread baked in Tandoori Clay Oven topped with butter, garlic),

The Mutton Roast Boneless (Boneless goat fried and tossed with green chillies, curry leaves & spices)

and the Butter Chicken (Chicken cooked with spices, herbs and butter sauce).

Pretty good, especially the mutton and the soup. The coffee was not too bitter either. Definitely better than Kumar's.

 For dinner, we decided to check out the relatively new Terra Brasilis location in Shrewsbury, which apparently has moved from Worcester.

We got our food by weight.

The meat was dry like before though. What a disappointment.

December 11th 2023: Pad Thai from Non-Thai Restaurants in Shrewsbury

 Today, while in Shrewsbury, we got Pad Thai from two place, both non-Thai restaurants. The first one was from Pho Sure, a Vietnamese place,

and the second one was from Sawa Hibachi, a Japanese hibachi place.

Definitely not the best choice to order Thai from non-Thai places.

December 9th 2023: Dave's Hot Chicken, Framingham

 Today, we decided to check out the new Dave's Hot Chicken fast food location in Framingham.

We got the 1 Tender + 1 Slider With Fries (tender served with sliced bread, pickles and Dave's sauce, slider served with kale slaw, pickles and Dave's sauce),

which was pretty good I must say. No wonder they have so many locations across the country.

December 8th 2023: A Day of Junk Food in Westborough

 Today, I started off with a Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treat from Yummy Mummy Bakery in Westborough,

then the Chicken Hash Brown Scramble Burrito 

and Frozen Lemonade from Chick-Fil-A,

Then the Pretzel Baconator from Wendy's in town,

then visited the Taco Bell nearby for the first time,

getting the Crunchwrap Supreme,

then McDonald's nearby,

getting the 4pc McNuggets Happy Meal and Holiday Pie.

Finally, we got a Margherita (with light marinara, fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil) from Tavolino.

What a day of junk food in Westborough.

December 2nd 2023: Lunch in Cambridge, Dessert in Somerville

 Today, we decided to have lunch at Changsho, a pretty fancy Chinese restaurant in Cambridge, apparently affiliated with Lotus Blossom in Sudbury, which I visited once in the past.

We got the Soup Dumplings with Pork (thin-skinned dumplings filled with ground pork and supreme aspic served with aged black vinegar and julienne ginger),

the Crispy Shrimp (salt and pepper),

the Szechuan Mapo Tofu (in a spicy peppercorn suace with minced pork)

and the Sauteed Seasonal Greens with Garlic (Pea Pod Stems).

Really decent Chinese food here, especially for the little one who had his fill.

Later on, while in Somerville,

Starbucks,
711 Somerville Avenue

 we stopped by Forge Baking Company and Ice Cream Bar, a cafe in Somerville,

getting the Ube with Toasted Coconut and Mocha Chip ice cream flavors.

Wasn't as much a fan of the coconut flakes, but the mocha chip flavor was pretty good. Overall, a good day for checking out new restaurants in Cambridge and Somerville.

December 1st 2023: Fast Food in Northborough and Westborough

 Today, after picking up my little one's artwork

from ClayTime in Shrewsbury,

I had a quick bite from Moe's Southwest Grill in Westborough, getting the Chicken Club Quesadilla (chicken, bacon, lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded cheese and chipotle ranch dressing with a side of pico de gallo and sour cream.)

which was actually pretty decent.

Later, we also got The Best Quesonario (single beef, green chile queso, fried onion strings, tomato, jalapenos, Mayo) from Mooyah in Northborough. 

Not too bad for fast food today, and my little one got his picture with Santa at Mooyah, who just so happened to be there tonight.

November 29th 2023: Dinner and Dessert in Brookline

 Today, we got dessert from The new Lakon Paris Patisserie location in Brookline, the Newton location of which we visited once some time ago. Pretty small here.

We got the Passionfruit Coconut Mousse,

the Butter Croissant and Strawberry Shortcake Cube.

Pretty good texture for the croissants, with interesting fillings.

Next, we decided to get food from Mojo Ramen and Rice, a takeout place nearby, 

getting the Drunken Noodle

and the Mojo Ramen Mojo Ramen (Chashu pork and Pork Gyoza served with Tonkatsu broth topped with seasoned egg, corn, scallion, and sesame seeds.)

Pretty good for a takeout place.