Zaytoon Clinton, MA

 

One of the more interesting places in the small town of Clinton, MA besides the Russian icon museum, is Zaytoon, a Lebanese restaurant. It's at 72 High Street and it is well worth a visit.

This image, from the Zaytoon website, gives a sense of the rich variety of dishes.

Each time I've gone there I've become so involved with the food that I have forgotten to take photos.  That is a very good sign. I have borrowed the image above to give a sense of what dishes are available. The entire menu is here: https://www.zaytoonclinton.com

The list of dishes is extensive and includes a good variety of the classics: kabob, schwarma and biryani.  The weekend buffet shows off a large number of the dishes and is well balanced with vegetables, meats, salads and dips. Tea and soft drinks are available but no alcoholic beverages.

I've gone with several people now and each time the food is on the table and everyone has taken a few bites a hush sets in while people explore the savory, piquant, mellow and spicy flavors. Then come the groans of pleaure. I've probably tasted a good 15 of their dishes and have not run across anything I didn't like. Grilled salmon, beef, lamb and chicken are all on offer in several preparations including soups. For those who crave kibbi, they have four different kinds and a mixed plate.  Overall the flavors are well balanced, the dishes are attractive and the surroundings are casual and very pleasant.  The staff is helpful and friendly.

I've noticed several things I haven't commonly seen and the most interesting so far are their dolmas, which have been stuffed zuchini each time I have had them, but a staff member told me that they stuff a number of different kinds of vegetables. These are such a nice break from the grape leaf dolmas [they have that kind too] that I have had them each time I have gone. I want to try all the vegetables!  Most of the attraction of the dolmas is the perfectly cooked and seasoned rice, which is an exquisite comfort food. The texture is slightly toothy so that it surpasses even the best potatoes because of the way it takes in the flavors of the vegetable juices and doesn't sink into complete texture-free mush.

Most of my companions praise the lamb dishes, which include stew and kabobs.  I have been wowed by the smokey babaganoush, hummus, tzaziki, tabouleh, lebneh and the pickles! These are just the standouts.  It's all quite good.

Check out the list of sandwiches and wraps - I haven't tasted them yet because I keep getting caught up with other parts of the menu, but I trust that they will be high quality fare based on what I have tried so far.

Tea and baklava make a perfect ending.

The surroundings include quite a lot of calligraphic and other kinds of artworks.  There are booths and tables to fit small and large groups.

LorreBob sez: check 'em out!!

Mountainside Cafe - Princeton MA

For those of you who used to scoot east of Barre to Princeton for nice lunches at the Mountainside Cafe, here's a review of the new place.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure, here is your introduction and review.  It's a couple miles north of town up Mountain Road from the main crossroads in the village. This photo of the front shows off the gently sloping lawn. There are plenty of tables, benches and chairs for dining on the very pleasant grounds.

They also have indoor dining available, but it just can't beat this beautiful space on a very nice day. It's a good place for a family outing and many families bring their pooches as well.

There's nothing to be done about paper and plastic these days, so presentation is not as enticing as one might like, but my companion says this carrot and quinoa soup is very delicious. I indulged in a tomato basil soup on a subsequent visit and was very happy with the blend of flavors, the textures and the lovely aromatic basil.  I would happily try any of their soups.

Their delicious sandwiches are accompanied by chips and a pickle. I know the sad take-out presentation doesn't do this sandwich any favors. This one is a little weak, with kale slaw and pulled pork. I thought the cooks should have tasted a bit more diligently and given the pork the sauce it need to be decent BBQ.  I've had many sandwiches in the old place and a couple now in the new place that are better, and the staff strives for creativity in dressings, toppings and condiments. They offer a good variety of meat sandwiches and plenty of alternatives if you don't always want a sandwich.

Each time I've gone I've managed to be just in front of the line that forms out the door, signaling that the good people of Princeton know a nice place to have lunch when they see it.  There's a trail head right next door to the cafe and those omni-present Mass country road bikers seem to have Mountainside on their minds as a mid-ride break and lunch spot too.

Their menu is small - one sheet- and they have plenty of daily specials to add to it.  Currently there are sandwich and quiche breakfast items plus the bakery breakfast treats, soups, sandwiches and salads. They like to have a grain bowl option. They have teas, coffee, beers and wines plus sodas in the refrigerator cases.The  breakfast and lunch offerings can be pre-ordered for pickup or can be ordered on a walk-in basis on site.  They also offer a pre-order weekly dinner menu for pickup. The details and menu for those meals are on the website.

They are taking orders at the main counter with open cases holding drinks, ready made foods and a few deli items like in the old place. Orders are packaged and there is a pickup counter.

It is basically still a bakery that opens at 7 and closes at 3 Wed - Sun.  Their bakery treats and breads are very good and beautiful, and stock dwindles as the day moves along, so if that is your interest go early. But by all means go and check them out. For casual dining, this little cafe will provide many a pleasant meal.

Here's a nice video regarding how they moved to this location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhXmkSWfq8

We asked if they would move to Barre, and they turned us down flat.

Mountainside Bakery Cafe

https://www.mountainsidebakerycafe.com

213 Mountain Road - Princeton MA 01541

(978)464-0300

 

Review: Still Four Corners in Rutland, MA

                                        

I always enjoy a well-designed outdoor dining space and this nice country restaurant fits the bill. There's a bit of a trick to the driveway but once you can actually see it by the Mobile station on the highway, Bob'your uncle. This is a seasonal place, so check the web site for opening and closing dates.

The restaurant is back from the highway and has good signage to help with getting to the right place to order food or ice cream.  It has a screened porch and an open shaded deck and a full sun deck.  So on a hot summer day it's a nice place to hang out while enjoying the food and frozen treats along with your friends or family. There is a full history of the place on their website, so if you want all the details, make a visit. It is clean and very well kept, and that along with the nice out door seating makes it an attractive spot.

There's a lot of menu to try. There are vegetarian options and since the whole menu is online, you can check before you go to see if everyone in your group should be able to find something. Sandwiches, wraps, casadillas, seafood, chicken and daily specials line up to make for a good variety.  There are 10 different kinds of burger and a variety of sandwiches and Coke products for drinks, plus tea and coffee. The service involves order and pickup windows, and I found that the staff is both cheery and helpful. 

 In my experience everything is ok, and I mean that in the sense that it's ok to eat and also in the sense that it's not anything I would rave about. If I would take a McDonald's as the standard, I would say that Still Four Corners fits the standard almost perfectly.  You can pretty much tell what you are going to get, nothing above or below standard. If I think "taco salad" I'm going to be able to imagine perfectly what the taco salad will be like. The same goes for "loaded tater tots". When you look at the meal in the photo above you can tell exactly how it will taste. So I'm guessing that's largely why it's popular. Also the ice cream list has a good variety of flavors without being overwhelming or silly. And there's sherbet and frozen yogurt, but not a wide variety of flavors in those treats. And yes, there are frappes, floats, and something they call a cooler, which is sherbet and soda.  I took a bit of time with a couple flavors of those on sunny days.

It's been bustling every time I've stopped in. The outside setting makes for a great place to hang out with friends in the warm weather. Beers and wines are also available. It will definitely remain on my mental list of ok places to go for a pleasant meal. The menu looks to me like it has been carefully shaped to make sure that everyone in a family is going to find something that they like, which is really good when everybody wants to go somewhere casual to eat.  The variety of outside settings make it a very good place to take children. 

All in all it's a nice place.  I'll be going back when I want to sit outside and enjoy some casual eats.

https://www.stillfourcorners.com

224 BARRE-PAXTON RD.

RUTLAND, MA 01543

Let me introduce myself...

 

My home base is the region called Central Massachusetts.  It's fly-over country, and that's good.  There are beautiful farms on rolling hills, which in general means world-class fresh food, and we are lucky enough to have large markets nearby to support organic agriculture. Northeast Organic Farmers Association/ Mass is centered a couple miles down the road at the moment, so there are all kinds of workshops and other kinds of farming related activities close to home. Most of all, there is a real thriving culture of producing good food.

After writing a blog about food around Albany, New York for several years I moved to Massachusetts.  It takes a while to figure out the food scene in any given place, so I have been roaming around Massachusetts for a few years - enough time to begin writing about what's happening here.  My project is to prowl around the state and report about farms, food, and restaurants. Since Massachusetts is so tiny, I'll be going beyond the immediate region to explore as much as I can of this adorable little state.

The restaurant scene bears some study. The state of Massachusetts doesn't have big theme parks and gaudy vacation spots so much as charming New England villages with commons and little boutiques. Tourists tend to want quick food but also the extraordinary, so I'm looking forward to sampling and writing about all of that. But I've also been living in a region where hardscrabble farmers and working people aren't really interested in the fancy stuff and have inherited a disdain for ostentation.

I'm hoping to write stories that will describe all our foodways, modern and not so modern. We've got everything from the awful to the glorious in Massachusetts, so my mission is to help readers enjoy learning about what is here. There will be reviews of restaurants, reports of food festivals, tasting tours of the region by types of food, farm tours, reviews of farm stores and stands and probably things I can't even imagine at this point.