Massachusetts Restaurants with Old School New England Character
We’ve all seen those commercials that portray the smiling family with white teeth and perfect haircuts eating out and having the time of their lives at the local chain restaurant with the perfect food and lively atmosphere.
However, when we eat at these places, sometimes it’s as much fun as watching the local gas station change tires on a Friday night or watching a Pauley Shore TV marathon.
The lack of value for mediocre food, a characterless atmosphere, and an overall generic, soulless feel have often led us to seek out “real New England” restaurants, the kind that make you feel good about living in this region while serving the kind of food that taps into our traditional side. No hand-rubbed this, garlic-infused that, and no scripted waiters sitting next to you and saying, “Hello, my name is Elmo and I’m your waiter for the evening. I really don’t like you, but my corporate training program forces me to sit next to you. Since I can’t find another job, I’ll just take your order and hope I never see you again after this meal. Now, let me tell you what I have on the menu (as if they own it and create the food themselves). !)”
Phew! Let’s go back to a simpler time exploring classic New England eateries with fresh regional fare, not-so-cool waiters, and a refreshing atmosphere that would have pleased everyone from George Washington to his nephew with the Palm Pilot surgically placed in his hand:
The 1761 Old Mill, Route 2A, Westminster, Mass. (North Central Massachusetts), Phone (978) 874-5941 — This former sawmill, built in 1761, is itself a major New England attraction with its beautiful duck pond and waterfall, walkable covered bridge, antique wooden front porch, and charming dining rooms that make you say, “Yeah, I’m in New England now.” With a roaring fireplace (except in the summer), vintage post-and-beam design and hardwood floors in the lobby and dining rooms, and a creaky stone-floored gift shop in the basement, the Old Mill is your quintessential New England restaurant. Now none of that would mean anything if the food wasn’t good, but the food is good, plentiful and excellent value for money. A few standouts: the sweet and sticky pecan rolls, the chicken pot pie, the roast duck, and the “Old Mill Sizzler,” a thick cut of rib-eye grilled with peppers, onions, and mushrooms on a hot plate, with teriyaki sauce. For dessert, save room for the amazing Homemade Apple Crisp! Equally impressive is the Sunday morning buffet with its homemade corn fritters and pecan rolls, carved ham and roast beef, breakfast specials, and a wonderful array of homemade desserts.
The Salem Cross Inn, Route 9, West Brookfield, Massachusetts. (Central Massachusetts), Phone (508) 867-2345 — This is the colonial dining version of the “Sound of Music,” situated on 600 acres of rolling hills, fields, meadows, and woods in a truly beautiful, untouched, and underrated region of Massachusetts called the Quaboag Hills. In operation since 1961 and with the main house built in the early 1700s, Salem Cross Inn received its name from the witch mark found on the latch of the inn’s front door. You won’t find any witch-like service or green beers in a tub, though, just great New England fare like ribs (cooked in a restored 1699 beehive oven), Yankee roast beef, chicken pot pie, Atlantic salmon, apple-raspberry roast duck, Indian pudding, pumpkin, pumpkin rolls, homemade breads, clam chowder, and the amazing pecan pie and apple pie. In addition to the delicious food, The Salem Cross Inn almost seems like a community unto itself with multi-course fireside banquets, apple pie contests, herb tasting, fireside roasts, a Murder Mystery dinner theater, and hayrides and sleigh rides at various times of the season. The atmosphere is also wonderful within its three charming floors: the Chestnut Room features a massive stone fireplace and a 42-long chestnut beam ceiling; the old hay barn boasts splendid views of the woods and meadows; and smaller rooms filled with old books, maps, documents and other curiosities create a New England scene that will stay with you long after your visit to this memorable dining spot.
Longfellow’s Wayside Inn, 72 Wayside Inn Rd., Sudbury, Massachusetts. (in the western suburbs of Boston), phone (978) 443-1776, toll free: 1-800-339-1776. What could have been a tourist trap given its history is thankfully one of the best dining options in Massachusetts or New England. Rustic rooms, cozy fireplace light and warm, expert service combine with delicious fresh homemade breads, clam chowder, Boston schrod, lobster pie, Yankee Pot Roast and deep dish apple pie to create one of the best traditional “New England” dining experiences. Best known as the meeting place in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1862 “Tales of a Wayside Inn,” the Wayside Inn has been in business since 1716 (it’s also a quaint inn for lodging) and keeps the old look and tradition intact: The rustic “Old Bar Room,” for example, looks like a colonial version of “Cheers!”