2023 New to Us Restaurant #2 of 5: Grove at Briar Barn Inn

Last month, John & I paid a visit to The Grove at Briar Barn Inn or simply "The Grove" in Rowley, Massachusetts, a few towns over from where we currently live.

This is restaurant #2 of 5 of part of my New Year's "Resolution" to visit new restaurants. (You can see my first review here.) 

Let me set the scene. You know when you drive through a neighborhood of ranch-style houses and then smack in the middle is this random McMansion? That's how I view the Grove. We used to live in Rowley and it's a lovely little quintessential New England town. Not flashy and not metropolitan, so this fancy restaurant is somewhat unexpected. It's part of an inn (obviously, based on the name...), so I think it aims to attract visitors from afar that want a unique New England getaway.

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The building on the left is the Grove restaurant and the building on the right is the inn. It has a very small/tight parking lot. Luckily, we had early reservations and didn't have trouble parking, but I've heard from others that they haven't been able to find a space, called the restaurant, and the person that answered asked if the customer could park their car on the town square and walk. While it isn't a long walk, it's not a hop, skip & jump. Another oddity (think McMansion among the ranch houses) was that they were offering valet parking the evening we went. Again, teeny parking lot with half cordoned off for valet parking- strange. And the parking is pretty much right where the photographer of the above picture is likely standing. That IS a hop, skip & jump.

I've noted a few oddities here, but honestly, once we entered the restaurant (barn), I was captivated.

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It's a gorgeous restaurant. You can't really tell from this photo but up in the rafters are all sorts of antiques to gaze at. It's very open and airy with the tables not close together at all. They did a really great job with the decor that lends itself to an upscale, but not pretentious atmosphere.

We started out with our "usual" drinks- a Cosmo for me and red sangria for John.

They were a great start to the experience- delicious!

We rarely get both an appetizer and a dessert, but we went all out here! To start we got the fried pickle appetizer. I'd have to say that while this wasn't bad, per se, it was average and I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to get it again.

They came with an "everything" sauce (which was similar to a Big Mac sauce) and were tasty.

Our entrees were AMAZING. Remember in my last review when I mentioned John said his Bolognese was the best he's ever had. He may have retracted that statement. 😜 He now tells me that they are equally good but different.

I had a really hard time choosing what to get and was torn between the pork chop and a fish special they had (I can't even remember what it was at this point- possibly salmon.) I generally get fish when I go out, so decided to try the pork chop- a little outside of my comfort zone. I am so glad I did! The sauce on the chop made it so moist and tender. The fingerling potatoes and veggies were a perfect complement.

Lastly...the piece de resistance. CINNAMON BREAD PUDDING. Oh.my.god.

To say we scarfed this down in no time flat. I'd say this was one of the best desserts I've ever had.

I realize that at the beginning of my review, it may have seemed like I was taking a negative slant, but between the food and the atmosphere in the barn, I'd give this an A-!

March & April: You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

I can't believe it's already the last day of April! I had planned to write this post in March, but that month flew by, too!

March and April are bittersweet. So many positive anniversaries & milestones, but also a sad one.

March

My maternal grandfather would've been 100 on March 26th! He accomplished so much in his life and I honestly don't think I was able to appreciate it all until I was an adult. 

A son, a brother, a husband, a father (to my mom & her two siblings) and a Papa (to my cousin & me). And so much more! He was an accountant by trade but to me the most impressive part was his service in WWII. 

The town that he lived in/my mom grew up in did a yearly project in which junior high and high school students interviewed town residents and told their stories. The title of his report was, "“Marauder Bombardier – Navigator World War Two." He was proud of his service and throughout the years went to many reunions of his squadron. He was the marshal of the Memorial Day parade in town.

My mom has been living back in Massachusetts for a year as of March! 

This photo was taken on March 11, 2022 after we'd packed up her condo in Florida. We still had miles to go before she was officially a resident of Massachusetts, literally and figuratively. We drove her car from Florida to Massachusetts through some sketchy weather, which as we know, Southerners do not know how to deal with...lol. She flew up and stayed with us briefly before the moving truck arrived with her possessions. Soon enough she was all moved in and has really made the condo her home. (She's really good at that- she was HGTV before there was HGTV!)

I am extremely thankful to have her close by, as John and I both enjoy spending time with her. I haven't done the math, but I'm guessing I've seen her more in the past year than I had in the 30+ years since I left for college!

April

On April 9th, 2022, a funny, cute, fresh Golden Retriever came to our house and stole our hearts. Over the past year, he's settled into his role in our family and established daily routines with us. He's a good boy and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. Even though he's currently in desperate need of a bath and smells like Fritos, he brings so much joy to us. He makes us smile, laugh, and yes, sometimes shake our heads. 

(Yes, I was shaking my head in the above one.... but also laughing hysterically)

Sadly, April is also the month I last saw my dad. It's hard to believe two years have gone by. When John & I drove back to Massachusetts in early April 2021, I fully expected he'd be there when we returned six weeks or so later. I look back at my FB messages with him and I think I was willing him to hang on until we got back. 

For all intents and purposes, this is the last photo I have of him. (I took one a few days later, before we left, but it doesn't look like him/how I want to remember him.) The two most influential men in my life. So different in many ways, but so similar, too. (Both use/d laughter as a tool and are/were very good at it, sometimes to my dismay 😵) 

Even though my dad felt like crap, he still got out when he could and walked as far as he could. I can't thank John enough for his support during my dad's sickness. Not only did he emotionally support me, but he supported my dad and my mom and I am forever thankful for having a rock during that time.

It's somewhat fitting that I post this on the day of the Bruins' game seven in round one of the playoffs. Best regular season and can't close out the first round in less than seven. My dad would have SO MUCH to say about this. (During game six I could clearly see him vehemently shaking his head in disgust.) He hated pressure moments in sports, so part of me thinks he would keep an eye on the game from afar and only tune in if they had it in the bag. 

Let's go B's! 

Pilates Twice Per Week? Oh My!

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I've posted in the past about going to a Pilates mat class once per week. I've been doing that for (eek!), close to five years. (Time flies when you're sweating.)

Last fall, I found a dance class for Grace that I wanted her to try and of course, it overlapped with my Pilates class. I talked to my instructor and she noted there was an opening in the Reformer/equipment class on Thursday night. 

SIDE NOTE: I could've sworn I'd previously posted on this blog about my one time in the Reformer/equipment class and how dizzy I was and that I'd never do it again. Can't find reference to that, but it happened.

Since that was experience was a few years ago, I decided to give it another go, as I didn't want to lose out on my once per week exercise. (When doctors ask if I exercise, I say, "well, I do Pilates." [I just tend to leave out the once per week part....]) I joined on a Thursday night and while I can say I didn't get dizzy (I made sure to leave my glasses on, which oddly was part of the problem, I think), I DEFINTELY had a more intense workout than mat class.

But I soldiered on and kept going. Unfortunately (for Grace), the dance class she was in ended up with dwindling attendance and it was canceled after the holidays. So, I'm back to having my Monday nights free. What to do?

At 50 years of age, I committed to two days of exercise. What the what? Yes, I'm now going to mat class on Monday night and Reformer/equipment on Thursday night. And you know what? I like it. I mean, it's taken five decades for me, but better late than never! (And yes, I realize that two days is ludicrous to some people who work out on the regular, but I have never been an exercise lover. So sue me.) 👊😅

2023 New to Us Restaurant #1 of 5: Buono Bistro

 As a sort of New Year's resolution, I vowed to visit (at least) five "new to us" restaurants this year. What better time to start than my birthday?

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Buono Bistro- North Andover, MA

Italian cuisine is generally not my first choice when choosing a restaurant. I like it but don't love it as much as I love Thai, Chinese, Tapas, etc... However, for my birthday, I wanted my mom to come to dinner and she'd recently had dental surgery, so I was looking for places that had softer food, such as risotto. I asked in my local Facebook group, "Merrimack Valley Eats" for places that had the best risotto. Buono Bistro's name came up many times. I narrowed my choice down to three restaurants, a "safe" choice (one we'd been to before), and two other "new to us" restaurants. In the end, I am SO GLAD I chose Buono Bistro- it was amazing! (My mom didn't end up coming with us, but we'll definitely bring her there in the future!)

Interestingly enough, the website where the photo above comes from is a restaurant review blog and the first sentence of the Buono Bistro review is, "It was a bit confusing trying to find the entrance to Buono Bistro in North Andover." YES- exactly! It's in an unassuming industrial/strip mall type building (you can kind of tell from the photo above.) We went at night, so it was unclear where to turn in and where exactly in the building the restaurant was. When we saw the type of building it was in, I think both John and I said to ourselves- "what will this place look like inside?"

Amazing. It looked amazing inside! The lighting was perfect- dark but not too dark. It had a nicely lit bar and a very large dining area with both tables and booths. We had a table, but I think next time I make a reservation, I'll ask for a booth, as all of the booths are cozily tucked against a wall.

We started with a Blueberry Limoncello martini (for me) and Italian red sangria (for John).

Both were very good! I am a big fan of blueberry lemon drop martinis, so I thought this would be similar. It was and the Prosecco added a little "something." 

We were pretty hungry, so we decided that an appetizer would be a good idea. We chose the Margherita flatbread. 

It was good, but not the "star of the show." Also, bread is served, so this was a double dose of carbs! Funny story about the bread. As soon as we sat down, we were served water and then bread with a balsamic vinegar/oil mixture. We were both dipping in it and going on our merry way eating when all of a sudden, balsamic caught me the wrong way and I basically couldn't speak. I was coughing, gasping, wheezing. Of course, right at that moment, our server came to take our drink order. I'm trying to mime to John what I want and trying to grab the drink menu to point it out. Finally, I was able to whisper my order. Awkward!

There were a handful of specials that our server shared with us (I don't remember them- only the one that I ended up getting.) John chose Pappardelle a la Bolognese (beef and veal with sweet Italian sausage in a fresh white wine tomato sauce and mozzarella.) I was originally planning on getting Butternut Squash ravioli, but once I heard that swordfish was a special, I knew that was the winner!

John said the Bolognese was the best he's ever had and the pasta was very fresh. The swordfish was very tasty. It came with a crab risotto, broccolini, and a corn salad type topping (for lack of a better description.) It was amazing! (No pics of the Bolognese- I let John eat in peace.)

We had looked at the dessert menu online prior to going and weren't wowed by anything in particular, but since it was my birthday, we decided to look one more time in person. Turns out it was a different dessert menu than online. We ended up with tiramisu and it was great! (Can't go wrong with tiramisu.)

All in all, the atmosphere, service, and food scored an A in my book. We'll definitely be back!

Riding the Wave of Grief

Last week I was driving home from some errands and started thinking about my dad. I don't even remember what prompted me to think of him, but I caught myself smiling.

I started to reflect on how far the wave of grief has taken me since his passing on May 11, 2021.

I vividly remember the morning of May 11, 2021. John and I were on our way to Florida, as my dad went into hospice the day before and we knew it wouldn't be long before he passed away. My Mom called me while we were in the airport and told me that hospice had called her and told her to come right away. In hindsight, her telling me this was likely her way of preparing me from the inevitable. We boarded our flight, and I cried off and on during the two-hour journey. 

As the flight landed and started taxiing toward the gate, I turned on my phone. Almost instantaneously, it rang. It was my mom telling me that my dad had passed away. 

At that moment, I remember a distinct feeling of time stopping- but just for me. Passengers on the plane were chatting and looking out the windows. They were carrying on with their lives. Performing normal acts of "being." I thought to myself- how can they do this? Don't they know that a great man is no longer on this Earth? I kept looking around expecting everything and everyone to stop, pause, and acknowledge this unimaginable loss, but it didn't happen. It seemed like I was somewhere between being underwater and having an out of body experience. 

That feeling was SO deep. And it lasted for a day or so. It was so strange. I've never experienced anything like it.

Now, almost two years later, I can look around and see people going about their business and living life and not be resentful or angry. I'm still angry it happened to him. I'm still sad. I still miss him. But I can now smile when I think of him and if you know him, you'd know that's what he'd want me to do. 

Also, I don't want to be the jinx, but I think it's the Bruins' year and I really wish he was here to see it.

Don't Try a New Recipe on a Holiday

Leading up to Christmas, some friends/co-workers and I were talking about what we would serve/eat on the big holiday. One of them related that her husband felt she shouldn't try a new recipe on a holiday. 

I started thinking about that, as I was planning on breaking that "rule." 

I'd been craving stuffed mushrooms and as John doesn't care for mushrooms, I thought I'd make them when I had a wider audience. I started searching for recipes in Pinterest, with the key qualifier, "easy." 

Let's stop here for a moment, shall we?

Apparently, I have lived 50 years (gasp!) only knowing one kind of stuffed mushroom. A mushroom with bread crumb stuffing. Plain and simple.

Pinterest was giving me recipes for mushrooms with cream cheese stuffing (not for me!), sausage stuffing (maybe?), and seafood stuffing (possibly?). I was overwhelmed and slightly annoyed that I couldn't find a "regular" stuffed mushroom recipe.

Then, all of sudden and randomly, I came across this one.

Stuffed mushroom recipe from a Chinese food blog? YES!

I was a bit reticent at first, but this was the simplest, most straightforward recipe I could find for what I wanted.

Prep was easy/straightforward. If you've never made them, do pay attention to the "do not soak the mushrooms" instruction. (My mother reinforced this while I was wiping mine off.)

I will say that I ended up with a fair amount of extra stuffing, so depending on whether you have extra mushrooms to stuff or not, you may want to cut back on that.

I only got a pre-cooked photo, but you can see they are stuffed generously.

They came out GREAT! Cooking time/temperature was just right. Texture/flavor was great. 

They were a crowd pleaser (even John had one!) and I would definitely make them again. Even on a holiday. 😀 I guess I proved that adage wrong!

Thank you Woks of Life blog for coming through!

Consumer Report: January 2023

Hello and Happy New Year! I'm trying to start the year off right by blogging within the first week (it's a Christmas/New Year's miracle!)

Here are some items that I've tried for the first time recently (well, recently as in "within the last six months.") 😉 and my opinions on them.

First up, Cinnamon Crunch Pop Corners:

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I absolutely love Pop Corners. Spicy Queso and White Cheddar are two of my favorites. They're "never fried," so in my mind, I'm eating a healthy snack! (I'm sure they are healthy, but my mind might think they're healthier than they actually are...lol.) I was in BJ's (New England's local version of Costco) and saw a gigundo bag of the Cinnamon Crunch Pop Corners and thought I'd give them a try.

My verdict- they are good! It's rare (for me at least) to find a crunchy snack that satisfies a sweet craving, which this does for me. Not enough to buy a gigundo bag (which I ended up throwing out probably 1/2 of because they got stale). If you can find a normal sized bag, give them a try. However, if you're looking for another opinion, here's what John had to say- "they still taste like cardboard." 🤣 (They're definitely no Doritos or potato chips!)

Continuing the purple item theme (not on purpose!), next up is Tostitos Restaurant Style Salsa.

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I have never been able to find a jarred salsa that isn't chunky. I don't like chunky salsa (neither does John). I like thin (is that the right word?) non-chunky salsa. I saw this in the grocery store but didn't try it until mid-last year. It's several steps in the right direction towards Mexican restaurant salsa. It's not quite there, but honestly, I'll take it. (It prevents me from thinking about blenderizing chunky jarred salsa- no extra step!)

Moving along to other colors of the rainbow...

Next up are some very tasty, canned spirits.

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Cranberry Island Cocktail and Blueshine Lemonade by Maine Craft Distilling.

I absolutely positively love both of these! If I was held at gunpoint and asked which was my favorite, I'd have to say the Blueshine Lemonade (but only by a hair.) They're both refreshing, light and not overly syrupy sweet. These are perfect for the summer, but honestly, they're great year-round. 

Continuing the boozy theme...

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Blake's Triple Jam Hard Cider. This was a bit of a random find for me. Since I live in Massachusetts, I saw the Maine Distilling drinks in liquor stores in Mass and grocery stores in NH, so they were familiar to me. I was looking for another fruity hard cider and started doing some Googling. I stumbled upon this, but once I saw it was brewed in Michigan, I thought I wouldn't be able to find it nearby. Wrong! I found it less than 2 miles from my house, ran out, and scooped it up. LOVE it. Probably love it slightly more than the Maine Distilling drinks. I was really worried this would be overly sweet and heavy, having three fruity flavors. Wrong again! Sweet, but not too sweet. Tasty and refreshing. If you like fruity hard cider, you must try this! (Plus, the can illustration is fabulous!)

I really thought there was one other thing I wanted to review, but at my advanced age, it's not surprising that I've forgotten it. 

Have you tried any of these? Thoughts?

Happy eating and drinking!