April 24th 2014: Dinner at Nadim's Mediterranean Restaurant and Grill, East Longmeadow

After work today, I decided head out west to have dinner at Nadim's Mediterranean Restaurant and Grill in the town of East Longmeadow. Before that, I headed to the Opacum Woods in Sturbridge. The last time I was here, I failed to notice the old stone shelter used by native Americans to avoid storms, so I decided to try to find it this time around. The path I took this time is shown below in pink.

The brochure said that it was near the western intersection of the blue trail and the yellow trail, but it was nowhere to be found in that area.

In fact, I had already given up and started walking back when I found it, located closer to the intersection of the blue and green trail next to the bend in the blue trail before it goes to meet the yellow trail.

At least I did not waste my time here.

My next hike was at Tantiusques in town, the path I took here shown below in pink.

There is an old mineshaft here, closed to the public.

I also tried to get to Leadmine Pond, but right at the end, I realized I was coming onto private property right by the shore, so I decided to give up.

Leaving Sturbridge, I passed by the reconstructed First Church of Monson  in Monson

on the way to the Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Hampden. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

There are okay views of the small pond here.

On the way to dinner, I also passed by a cannon at the VFW Post 9397 at 190 Main Street in town.

Dinner itself was located within a shopping mall, but boy was I amazed at the decor, considering that this is a pretty small town.

I was to be even more amazed at the food I would get. The Mediterranean Onion Soup was pretty much like French Onion Soup, but pretty good all the same.

The Beef in a Blanket (sambosik, ground beef, onions and parsley, handfolded and fried in homemade dough) appetizer was pretty well presented, the beef being quite tasty as well.

The best dish of the night was yet to come though. The Scallops (large scallops pan seared with cauliflower, in a creamy garlic sauce and served with Nadim's rice (beef, almonds, cinnamon)) were delicious in their own sauce. I was apprehensive about the cinnamon in the rice, but it turned out to make it really flavorful. Excellent, simple excellent.

I was not done yet. The waitress came over with her plate of desserts to choose from,

and I decided to go with the Rice Pudding, which came presented on a fried pita chip, the best rice pudding I have had to date,

and the Baklava, of which there were 3 different ones.

I had to take the baklava home though, as I was way too full by then.

I'm glad I came all the way out here to try this place. A definite recommend if you happen to be in the area.

Recommended Places to Visit: East Longmeadow

Recreation

Hiking

Tried:
Campbell Conservation Area
Fern Glen Road and Fernwood Drive

Brown Farm Conservation Area
54 Hampden Road

Parks

Heritage Park
3 Dearborn Street

Architecture

Places of Worship

Cornerstone Church
15 Kibbe Road

First Baptist Church
50 Parker Street

St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church
400 Prospect Street

First Congregational Church

7 Somers Road

St. Michael's Church
128 Maple Street

Town Facilities

Town Hall/Public Library
60 Center Square

Council on Aging
328 North Main Street

Commercial Buildings
8 Center Square
8 Center Square

Westfield Bank
382 North Main Street

Graziano Gardens
280 Elm Street

Restaurants

Highly Recommended:
Western
Nadim's Mediterranean Restaurant and Grill
60 Shaker Road
Recommended Dishes:
Mediterranean Onion Soup
Beef in a Blanket
Scallops
Rice Pudding
Baklava

April 30th 2013: Dinner at Horizons Restaurant and Bar, Wilbraham

Today after work, I decided to have dinner at Horizons Restaurant and Bar in the town of Wilbraham, but before that I did some sightseeing in various towns, passing through Charlton,

Harrington Healthcare at Charlton

Ludlow,

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

584 West Street

Springfield,

St. Jude's Church, 221 Main Street

Immaculate Conception Church

and Wilbraham itself

Evangel Assembly of God

before heading to explore the town of East Longmeadow.

I decided to go on a hike in the Campbell Conservation Area, the trailhead located at the junction of Fern Glen Road and Fernwood Drive. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

The trails were almost indiscernible, being a little overgrown, but still manageable thankfully, so I did not really get lost any time of the way. There was nothing to see here though, and I decided to head out through Mayflower Lane on the other side and walked back to my car along the roads using my GPS as a guide.

I went to the Brown Farm Conservation Area at 54 Hampden Road as well, having to drive all the way up the dirt road to the farmhouse, hoping I was not trespassing. The path to the trail was not as obvious here, but I still managed to find it after going round to the back of the farm buildings. The path I took here is shown below in pink. Again, nothing to see here.

Disappointed with my hiking today, I explored the rest of East Longmeadow, finding a mute swan swimming in the pond at Heritage Park at 3 Dearborn Street

among other interesting buildings,

St. Michael's Church

Westfield Bank

First Baptist Church

Cornerstone Church

St. Luke's Greek Orthodox Church

First Congregational Church

8 Center Square

 including the town hall and public library which are essentially the same building, in town.

East Longmeadow Town Hall,
60 Center Square

Public Library

(other side from Town Hall)

Recreation Department and Council on Aging

Graziano Gardens

With that, I called it a day for sightseeing and headed to the restaurant with pretty nice decor in Wilbraham.

After looking at the menu, I decided to get the Caesar Salad (crisp romaine leaves, artichokes hearts, croutons,freshly grated percorino and hard cooked eggs with our own classic dressing),

which I thought came with the meal but was in the end charged separately as a new dish, the Pan Blackened Diver Scallops (creamy horseradish sauce, garlicky spinach) appetizer,

and the Venison Au Poivre (whole grain crusted medallions, mushroom three pepper cognac cream, spinach, mashed potatoes),

which came with a Pasta Fagioli soup as well.

All the food was really good, the eggs being a nice touch to the salad, the scallops looking burned but tasting wonderful, especially with the horseradish sauce, and the pepper covered venison was cooked just right and rare for me. The soup was so-so I guess, but overall, a delicious meal.

I could harldy finish everything, though, and I still had dessert to go, so I had to give up and box the venison, getting the Bailey's Torte in return, a chocolate cake which was pretty good as well.

With that, my day of sightseeing after work came to an end. Not a bad day to say the least.