FOOD NEWS - 

JK Crossroads - E.Templeton (formerly Olson's) It is rare to find a restaurant that fires perfectly on all cylinders and gets everything right, but Crossroads is it. Crisp fresh side salads, quick seating even on a busy Friday night. Fresh oil in the fry-olator for some of the best fish and chips in the region and a perfect prime rib -- all at reasonable prices. At the intersection of Route 2A and 101 in East Templeton.

New Salem General Store - Full deli with soup and good take-out sandwiches. Boar's Head meats. Pizza on Fridays. "Home cooked" breakfasts. No place to sit inside.

The Country Store - in Petersham open with good soups and a creative sandwich menu until 3 p.m.

1880 House - Closed - The 1880 House in Orange, a great stop along the way for a sandwich and coffee, closed. The restaurant offered an interesting menu of salads, wraps, grilled wraps and 11 different toasted paninni. 

Tea Garden Asian Grill, the former Chef Wok near Athol Town Hall and Starrett's. Quick service, food served hot and reasonable lunch prices.

Anne's Dairy Drive-in, on 2A -

ASIAN CHOICES are to be found in the region and China Gourmet, just east of the Route 2 Rotary on Route 2A in Greenfield need apologize to no one. It is the best of the regional bunch. A robust banquet of traditional Asian offerings has been augmented by fresh sushi dishes. Just a good place for those who aspire to eat with chopsticks.

Looking for Lunch in Gardner? Stop in for the buffet at Yen Yen near Ocean State Job Lot and Aubuchon Hardware. Fresh Bok Choy and gingery sauces on offer along with a bottomless bowl of tasty hot and sour soup. Lunches under $10.

Shelburne Coffee Roasters on Route 2. Pastries and  locally roasted fresh coffee. A good quick stop when out on the road.

Tea House Restaurant, 326 East Main, Orange. A friendly staff  along with a broad selection of typical Asian food dishes makes The Tea House a permanent and much welcomed addition to the area's list of restaurants.

The Big Fish - Inland Waterway - Miami, FL. If you get to Miami, definitely go to this place. Sit outside on the stone quay by the canal and watch the manatee chase the minnows. The tug boats and cargo ships alone are the best show in town. Even if the Italian seafood was not excellent, this would be worth a visit.

Yummy Garden - South Barre - Uninspiring but capable presentation of Sichuan and Cantonese dishes. Capable service and fresh ingredients. The hot and sour soup is pretty good and lunch from the special menu is under seven bucks.

McCusker's Market - Miller's Falls, a grocery with a deli full of tasty sandwiches and dishes. McCusker's is busy on spring and autumn weekends, packed full of good energy. A great place to stop for a sandwich and some soup with coffee. The deli has a broad selection of tasty cheeses.

202 Restaurant and Driving Range - Herrick's Tavern. On the Daniel Shays Highway near Route 2. Enthusiastic young staff delivers reasonably priced entrees for lunch, at the outdoor window and in the Tavern. They also have batting cages and live music.

New and/or Noted

The 110 Grill at the Market Basket plaza on Route 2A in Athol is  billed as a "trendy" American restaurant, Chelmsford-based 110 Grill presently has 12 locations and four more on the drawing board including the new Athol location. The dinner menu ranges from $16 to $32. Judging from the number of cars parked outside at mealtimes, the place is doing well.

Red Tomato Pizza on the Common in Barre is the former Quabbin Pizza under new ownership.  The restaurant offers good thin crust pizza and signature Italian meals.

Pho Keene Great - Keene NH - This new Vietnamese restaurant near the town common caused a bit of a stir in bustling Keene with its choice of a name but that has settled down. Pho Keene Great dishes up Vietnam inspired soup dishes and more with an attentive waitstaff.

LOCAL FAVES

Quabbin Woods - sit down here for a family friendly menu right here on Barre Road. When the flag is out, it's open. Weekend breakfast  is a big draw.

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Hardwick House of Pizza - Pizza and subs are standard here but on Fridays, the scallops are the best around - but don't wait, they often sell out. If that happens, a good second choice is the fish and chips.

Miller's River Cafe (inside Trailhead Gifts in Orange) -- sandwiches, etc.

Miss Saigon - Next to the fire station in Amherst in a strip mall and hard to see as you drive by, but certainly worth stopping for an extensive Vietnamese menu including Vietnamese hot and sour soup  and Pho. If you haven't found it, find it. Try it.

Hardwick House of Pizza in Gilbertville. Go there on Fridays for the seafood. Pizza store ambiance.

Northeast Pizza in the Quabbin shopping plaza on Route 122 in Barre offers no surprises, no excitement, just a dependable standard offering of pizza, salads, subs and Calzones. A small sub monthly special. The food is hot and good and served quickly with a smile. Prices are average.

McKusker's Market, Shelburne Falls, produces fresh and healthy sandwich choices for residents and travelers. Dean's Beans supplies the coffee and the cookies are to die for.

The Ale House - downtown Gardner - is a comfortable space that has operated in the past as Papillon and as Il Forno.  In this incarnation, the same brick walls are the main decoration. A retort for micro-brewing has been added at the rear. We stopped for lunch the other day and tried a rack of ribs, a pastrami reuben and a burger. Beverages included two cups of coffee and a lemonade. The ribs were the best of the three offerings with a thick sauce. The service was excellent and the ribs were good. The burger was pedestrian and the pastrami decidedly middle of the road. For $57 (including tip) we  expected better.

Patriots Roast Beef and Grill, East Templeton. Settled into an extended doublewide trailer on the edge of an auto repair shop parking lot, the owners have been serving up great pastrami, ribs and roast beef and have recently added pizza. Modest prices and quick service combine to make this a real surprise. Across the street from the Cumberland Farms on Patriots Road.

Judie's - 51 N. Pleasant St. Amherst. Busy, bustling, traditional and not so. Try the popovers. Heavens, they're tasty.

Latchis Grille, 6 Flat St., Brattleboro VT. New American cuisine, elegant, relaxed. On-site brewery.

Miss Saigon - Main Street, Amherst. Excellent for those who appreciate Vietnamese food.

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 Pizza Factory - Center of Orange - Another as expected menu with quick service on subs and pizza. Takeout and delivery available.

Amherst Chinese - Fresh, local and organic in season - a large vegetarian menu. A tasty institution.

Athol House of Pizza - aka AHOP -A veteran with the expected toppings and reasonable prices for sandwiches and pizza. A wide selection of dinner items. Moderately priced. Open 7 days. Delivers in Athol.