The clan at J&J
Yeah, we are in NY now, but I wanted to mention some of the places we ate at – both sit-down and takeout – while we were in Oakham. Because we had two exceptionally good meals and one exceptionally bad meal. I want to tell you about the great meals so that you will patronize those establishments. And I want to warn you away from the exceptionally bad place.
Let’s start with the bad. We did takeout from Northeast Pizza in Barre MA. I had a fish and chips dinner. Jett ordered chicken fingers. Both were terrible. The fish was one flat piece of overcooked whitefish, with a side of soggy frozen French fries. The chicken fingers were overcooked to the point of being burnt. Inedible. Jett tried to feed them to the dog but he walked away. Don’t ever waste your money on a meal at this place.
The good meals: dinner at the Castle Restaurant in Leicester and breakfast at J & J Family Restaurant in Barre. In both cases we had family with us, so this is not just our opinions; everyone who ate at both places raved about the food.
The breakfast meal was the simpler of the two. Everyone had some variation of eggs and/or pancakes, with coffee or tea. Jett opined that the pancakes were the “best ever.” My 2-2-2 breakfast (two eggs, two slices of bacon and two pancakes) was exceptionally good, though possibly not the best ever. And the coffee was praised by everyone. Jett takes her coffee very seriously and she usually can’t finish her coffee when we go out. She had 3 cups at J & J. And the total tab for a breakfast for 8 was $72. Very reasonable.
The real surprise, though, was dinner at the Castle. I wasn’t expecting much. The building is old and looks the way a castle would look if was built as a ranch. Tacky on the outside while the inside is disorganized and screams “we stopped caring years ago.” But they haven’t stopped caring about the food. I ordered a haddock special as part of a 3-course dinner for $23. The fish was flaky, fresh and delicately seasoned and was accompanied by a very nice wild rice. Jett had a filet of beef which she said was “perfect.” I ordered chowder for an appetizer and a strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. The chowder was very good. The pie was also very good, but unbalanced – too much strawberry and not enough rhubarb. But, overall, it was one of the finest meals we have had all year. And the service was superb.
It was sad to see how few people were in the dining room on a Saturday night. This is a place that deserves respect. I think Gordon Ramsay could do wonders with this restaurant because it is already top-notch in both the cuisine and the service. All he would have to do is organize the dining room and figure out a way to market it.
Castle haddock
Sis-in-law Kim goofing off