October 8th 2016: Partaking in the Fall Foliage

We started out this morning with breakfast at Birchtree Bread Company in Worcester, getting a Pumpkin Spice Latte, an Almond Croissant

and the Justino's Quiche (roasted sweet potato with spinach and ricotta, served with side salad).

The croissant was pretty buttery and tasty, although there wasn't much almond filling. I think my wife's one is still better. The quiche was pretty good as well.

From here, it was on to my next meal at Sunburst Restaurant, a small town diner at 484 Main Street in Sturbridge for older folks with a somewhat cosy feeling, though in an archaic way.

I got the only interesting thing on the menu, the Sunburst Quiche with Fruit,

which I did not take to because of the peppers in it, and because I already had a much better one this morning.

Next, it was on to the town of Union CT,

Goodhall Pond, 11 Mashapaug Road

going on a short hike at Bigelow Hollow State Park. The path I took here is shown below in brown.

I drove around to get pictures of Bigelow Pond

And Mashapaug Pond,

Then parked and hiked to Breakneck Pond.

Nice walk in the woods, to say the least.

Next, it was on to the town of Woodstock,

Keach Pond, 270 Old Turnpike Road

Where I went to grab lunch at Sherwood's Restaurant and Bar, a sports bar in town,

Where I got the Chicken Pesto Penne (Sauteed sliced chicken Breast and grape tomatoes in creamy Pesto sauce tossed with penne pasta),

Which came with a side salad as well.

Pretty creamy and tasty, actually,  not bad for a sports bar.

On that back, I passed through the towns of Dudley

First Congregational Church of Dudley

Nichols College

And Oxford.

28 Charlton Street

Next, we decided to go for a short hike at the Moore State Park in Paxton.

Unfortunately, due to the drought,  none of the waterfalls were flowing today.

Next, we visited the Rutland State Park in Rutland for a bit,

Then on to Barre, where we chanced upon the Harvest Festival going on at the Carter and Stevens Farm.

We got to see pumpkins being launched into the air to try to hit a car below,

And also got a Harvest Festival Grass Fed Beef Hot Dog with Carrot and Ginger Slaw and Cornbread,

which did not really taste any good, especially at the price we paid for it.

After leaving the farm, we drove around the entire Quabbin Reservoir, and decided to stop for dinner at the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield, which apparently is one of the best restaurants outside of suburban Boston and Worcester.

We got the Harvest Sangria (Pinot grigio, ginger brandy, fresh local cider, apples. pears),

 

that was just alright I guess. I really liked the platter of bread they provided for starters though.

For food, we got the Baked Oysters Casino (red bell pepper compound butter, bacon swiss cheese, dill crumbs)

and the Rosemary Duck (seared duck breast served medium rare with duck leg confit and rosemary maple demi-glaze, accompanied by arugula, strawberry salad with toasted pine nuts and chopped shallots).

The oysters were a little on the salty side, and the duck leg was a little dry, although the flavors were very good. Not sure why this place is one of the top restaurants in the area.

                          

October 7th 2016: Greek Lunch at Corner Cafe, Newton

We were in the Newton area today, and decided to grab lunch at the Corner Cafe, a small Greek place in town. We got an Iced Coffee

and the Chicken Souvlaki Sandwich.

The coffee was a little watered down, while the sandwich was just so-so. Not coming back here again.

October 6th 2016: Ribs at Hunter's Grille and Tap, Grafton

Dinner tonight was at Hunter's Grille and Tap, a new restaurant that has taken the place of the old one at the Grafton Inn in Grafton. The decor has not changed at all, but there were a ton of people here tonight. Thankfully, we had called ahead to reserve a spot. We just got the Full Rack of Ribs (Baby Back, BBQ Glaze),

which was fall-off-the-bone delicious. Definitely a better replacement for the old restaurant which I visited once before.

October 4th 2016: More Burgers at Red Robin, Millbury

We went to Red Robin in Millbury tonight, getting the Banzai Burger (Glazed in teriyaki and topped with grilled pineapple, Cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo ) and Sweet Potato Fries.

Really delicious, they split the burger for us, and the fries were bottomless as well, but most of all, they did not force us to get a drink, and the total price was not too high either. Goodbye Jimmy's Tavern, Hello Red Robin for our weekly burger fix.

October 3rd 2016: Our Last Burger Nite at Jimmy's Tavern, Shrewsbury

It was Burger Nite at Jimmy's Tavern in Shrewsbury tonight, and as always we went, getting the McKenzie's Pumpkin Jack Hard Cider,

the Basket of "O" Rings

and The J Burger (Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions. Rosemary aioli).

Pretty good burger, although we were warned that we could no longer split the burger between the 2 of us. 

At this point, it was decided that we would not come back again for Burger Nite, as we have to order a drink and the place is always crowded on Mondays.

October 2nd 2016: Ice Cream from Hershey's Ice Cream, Auburn

We were shopping in the Auburn Mall in Auburn today, and I decided to grab a Strawberry Fields (Creamy strawberry ice cream with chunks of real strawberries) from Hershey's Ice Cream, located in the food court.

Not bad, but nothing special.