Tuesday, April 30, 2013

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, including the town hall and public library which are essentially the same building, in town.
Cornerstone Church
First Baptist Church










Graziano Gardens
First Congregational Church












St. Luke's Greek Orthodox Church
8 Center Square



Recreation Department and Council on Aging
Westfield Bank







The central rotary
St. Michael's Church











East Longmeadow Town Hall











Public Library
(other side from Town Hall)


Pond at Heritage Park
Mute Swan
















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.
Venison Au Poivre
Pasta Fagioli Soup
Pan Blackened Diver Scallops











Caesar Salad
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.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Recommended Places to Visit: Chelmsford

Recreation
Shopping Malls

Ginger Ale Plaza
14 Littleton Road



Water Bodies

Russell Millpond
~300 Boston Road



Beaches
Freeman Lake
End of Grant Street

Heart Pond
Pond Street near Acton Road


Beautiful Scenery
Lance Corporal Jesse Patrick LeDrew Park
Willis Drive near Groton Road


Architecture
Monuments
Town Common
Wright Street and Princeton Street

Armenian Genocide Memorial
~180 Old Westford Road

Veteran's Memorial Park
250 North Street

Penham Park
Academy Street and Westford Street


Places of Worship
Center for the Arts
1 North Road

Public Library
25 Boston Road


Restaurants
Highly Recommended:
Italian
Rufina's
170 Concord Road
Recommended Dishes:
Gamberi Arrabiatto
Salmone di Senape


Tried:
Italian
Omega Pizzeria
170 Concord Road
Recommended Dishes:
Tropical Pizza

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Recommended Places to Visit: Natick

Recreation
Water Bodies
Fisk Pond
~126 West Central Street

Lake Cochituate
43 Commonwealth Road


Shopping Malls
Natick Mall
1245 Worcester Street

Christmas Tree Shops
1298 Worcester Street

Jordan's Furniture
1 Underprice Way


Beaches
Dug Pond
Windsor Avenue and West Street


Hiking
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
280 Eliot Street


Architecture
Monuments
Town Common
South Main Street and East Central Street

War Memorials
South Avenue and North Main Street


Places of Worship

Eliot Church
45 Eliot Street


Schools
The Tobin School
73 Cottage Street

Wilson Middle School
22 Rutledge Road

Riverbend School
6 Auburn Street


Town Facilities
T-Station
1 Walnut Street

Town Hall
13 East Central Street

Morse Institute Library
14 East Central Street

Fire Department
22 East Central Street

Bacon Free Library
58 Eliot Street


Dams
South Natick Dam
Mill Lane and Eliot Street


Historical Buildings
Old Sacred Heart Parish
19 Eliot Street


Restaurants
Highly Recommended:
Thai
Maxwell's 148
148 East Central Street
Recommended Dishes:
Crab Curry
Kafir Lime Seared Scallops and Curry Eggplant with Basil


Chinese
Ten-ichi Dynamic Kitchen
1400 Worcester Street
Recommended Dishes:
Xiao Long Bao
East Coast Grilled Maki
Tropical Maki
Dynamite Maki
All-You-Can Eat Hot Pot


Western
Sel de la Terre
1245 Worcester Street
Recommended Dishes:
Creamy Radish and Potato Soup
Duck Liver Terrine
Duck Confit Ravioli with Spinach

Met Bar and Grill
1245 Worcester Street


Kelly's Roast Beef (chain)
2 Underprice Way
Recommended Dishes:
Roast Beef Sandwich


Mediterranean
The Grillin' Greek
3 Union Street
Recommended Dishes:
Lamb Gyro


Dessert
Melt Gelato and Crepe Cafe
1245 Worcester Street
Recommended Dishes:
Strawberry Royale Crepe
Andalusian Crepe
Forbidden Fruit Smoothie


Japanese
Minado
1282 Worcester Street
Recommended Dishes:
Sushi Buffet

Oga's Japanese Cuisine
915 Worcester Street
Recommended Dishes:
Oga's Clam Chowder
Foil-Yaki
Black Sesame Sorbet
Sake Ishiyaki Don
Enoki Beef Maki


Tried:
Western
Spalla's Chicago Italian Beef
229 North Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
The Overload
Chicago Dog
BBQ Zang Dog
Beantown Dog


Italian
Natalie's Italian Kitchen
319 North Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Mozzarella sticks
Fried chicken wings
Linguini carbonara

Chinese
Master Wok
1245 Worcester Street


Indian
Gourmet India (Chain)
1245 Worcester Street

Minerva Indian Cuisine
1318 Worcester Street

April 28th 2013: Touring the Modvic Steampunk House, Sharon

Today was my first full day of sightseeing that I have had in a long time now. I started off by going on a short hike at the Fork Factory Brook area in Medfield, hoping to find a nice view that I might have missed out on the last time I hiked at Rocky Woods which is right next door, passing by Fisk Pond at ~126 West Central Street in Natick along the way.
When I arrived at the spot in Medfield, the path I took to explore Fork Factory Brook is shown below in pink.
I basically followed the orange trail all the way, except to climb up a small hill which had no views, and to visit the mill site, which did not have much to show either.
Old Mill Site
After a pretty wasted hike, I decided to head into Boston to visit the Boston Marathon Memorial at Copley Square.











The tulips were in full bloom here as well, and there was an interesting patch where there was one red tulip in a sea of yellow ones, probably symbolic of what happened during the bombings.











I also took this opportunity to peek inside the Trinity Church, which was having its Sunday service.











After leaving the area, I decided to check out a few places in the south of Boston, including the Cochituate Standpipe at Highland Park before heading to Norwood for lunch.
Timothy Baptist Church
Alvah Kittredge Park,
Highland Street and Linwood Street











United Baptist Church

View from Highland Park
Cochituate Standpipe,
Highland Park
Cochituate Standpipe from afar












When I reached Norwood, the Thai Boo Cuisine Restaurant was still not open for business yet, so I decided to check out the Perks Coffeehouse nearby first, getting a raspberry mousse, which was pretty good, in this nice looking cafe.








After finishing my cake, it was time for lunch. The place was pretty empty as it had just opened, but the decor was pretty nice.
For lunch, I decided to get the Larb (Minced chicken with mint leave, cilantro, scallion, onion and rice powder tossed in lime juice), the Duck Love Boo (Crispy boneless half duck topped off served with Fresh Ginger Sauce), and the Thai Donuts for dessert.
Larb
Duck Love Boo









Thai Donuts
The Larb was pretty tasty, although I did not know how to wrap it with lettuce properly, while the duck was crispy and delicious with the giner sauce, although I did not like any of the vegetables on the plate, so I ate only the duck. The donuts were presented pretty well, and were a good, sweet finish to my meal.

From here, I headed to Sharon to visit the Modvic Steampunk House. For those of you new to the steampunk concept, it is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century, where old machinery are infused with modern technology to give them new life in the modern age.

The owner of the home was really proud of his creation, giving us a short presentation on the concept of steampunk before giving us a tour of his house which is filled with tons of interesting looking but functioning furniture and appliances. Pictures follow.
The Steampunk House
The TV
Interesting clock












































Modernized old stove
Puffins























Computer desk
USB Thumbdrive






















The submarine door
After the tour, it was time for tea and biscuits, which were pretty good.
The biscuits
Tea Cups









I left soon after, having enjoyed my experience here in Sharon. On my way to Canton, I passed by the Sharon Memorial Park, a large and beautiful Jewish cemetery in Sharon,








and the Knollwood Memorial Park right next door in Canton, yet another large cemetery.








The Last Supper

From here, it was on to my next meal at Junction Bar and Grille, a typical bar restaurant in town.

I decided to get a French Onion Soup and the Chicken Carbonara.
French Onion Soup
Chicken Carbonara

Both dishes were pretty decent, though a little salty, but average overall.

From here, it was back to Boston, passing by a few places in Dedham along the way.
Mother Brook Millpond,
~235 Colburn Street
Charles River from Riverdale Park
In the Hyde Park area, I visited the Dell Rock Urban Wild on Dell Avenue and Hyde Park Avenue, which had semi-decent views when I got to the very top of the rocks.
At Sprague Pond at ~240 McDonald Street, I chanced upon a father trying to teach his kids how to fish, and the little girl actually caught a fish while I was there.
Next, I visited a few churches in the West Roxbury area of Boston.
St. Matthew's Syrian Orthodox Church
Emmanuel Episcopal Church West Roxbury









Stratford Street United Methodist Church
I also visited Havey Beach and Rivermoor Park at the end of Rivermoor Street in this area which had okay views of the Charles River, but they were pretty overgrown and hence not much of parks.
At Havey Beach
At Rivermoor Park









Millenium Park is situated on a hill with three levels of trails. The beautiful views from the top reminded me of Skyline Park in Brookline, but the views were better here, especially of the Charles River in the distance. Pictures I took in this large and beautiful park follow.













Prudential Tower and John Hancock Tower in the distance











I decided to leave at this point to head for one last meal at Ghazal Indian Cuisine in the Jamaica Plain area, but ended up passing by a few places where I could not resist but stop to take pictures.


Wind Cup Structure,
Corinth Street and Belgrade Avenue

Alexander the Great Park,
Robert Street and Belgrade Avenue
St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church




















The restaurant itself is relatively small, though nicely decorated.
I went with the Machhi Pakora (Fresh salmon fish with spices, deep fried in chick-pea batter), and the Rack of Lamb (marinated in yogurt and clay oven cooked), which came with a side of curry as well.
Machhi Pakora
Rack of Lamb









The salmon was really dry, but the lamb was pretty good, going well with the curry as well. Overall, I would give this place a recommend, but skip the fish pakora.

With that, I finally called an end to my day of sightseeing. Back to work tomorrow.