nelena's Profile
Butterfly, Hadley MA: Best Chinese Food in the Valley?
Try the roast chicken off the gourmet menu at Great Wall. Very simple dish, perfectly seasoned and cooked.
Thoughts on the Pioneer Valley
Truc's in West Stockbridge is very good. Pho Saigon in Lee is like home cooked Vietnamese - not great, but satisfying and fresh and the soups are not greasy like the ones in Springfield- and it's also 1/2 the price of Truc's.
BTW, Veracruzana has a new cook and the food went way downhill, when I see the heavyset woman cooking, I leave.
Thoughts on the Pioneer Valley
Yes- Mulino's is very good, I was wondering why no one had mentioned it. I agree also that di Paolo's is excellent. And I've spent time in Italy, and in Mexico. Also lived in the bay area of California, and I like Veracruzana. It's not the west coast, but most of the food is very good. But then, I accept that prices are different here. I think Woodstar makes the best lattes around, with Essalon as a second. Vietnamese food in Springfield is very mediocre, try the Berkshires. Butterfly in Hadley is outstanding. Blue Heron used to be great but I haven't been there i a while - the last time I was there the service was terrible. (It was excellent on many previous visits.) Pioneer Grill in Chester, the west edge of the Valley, is outstanding for inexpensive, high quality, fresh made food.
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Blue Heron Restaurant
112 N Main St, Sunderland, MA 01375
Local Burger and Fries - Northampton
I like well done burgers. When I ordered, that's what I asked for, also specifying: not burned. The burger was raw to rare on the inside and burned on the outside. That was a couple of months ago. I have had no desire to go back.
Haven Bakery and Cafe, Lenox, MA
I'm a local and I love this place. I've tried several of the pastries and they have been excellent - they have a sour cream coffee cake that is almost as good as my grandmother's recipe that I now make, and I haven't run into that quality anywhere else. A molasses cookie of theirs was one of the best I've had, their biscuit studded with ham and gruyere was fabulous. Lenox tends to be expensive, but I didn't think this place was nearly as pricey as many places there. I've only had the opportunity to have one sit down meal there, but am looking forward to going there for breakfast soon. It is baffling to me that someone found the look of the pastries unappealing - to me they look fresh and homemade. And that's how they taste.
What's good in the Berkshires
My husband and I tried Castle Street on a week night for light fare before heading home. The chicken parmesan had an after taste of rancid oil. The creme brulee lacked it's candy-like crust and instead was burned, which they attempted to hide with powdered sugar. We were too disappointed to go back.
Pittsfield, MA Chinese, steaks, burgers and Italian
Since you mentioned moderate prices, even tho' it's not right in Pittsfield, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Pioneer Grill in Chester. I don't know of any place around that gives you better value for the money. Everything is fresh and made from scratch. The pot roast is excellent - tender, flavorful, with a house made gravy and real mashed potatoes and whatever fresh vegies they're cooking up perfectly that day. It comes with a side salad - the house salad is so good I don't think we've ever branched out, or a soup, always homemade, always good, usually excellent. Their Chicken Francais is outstanding, and even tho' it's no longer on the menu they'll make it for you if you ask. The pork is also a favorite. The black bean burger is great. The Italian dishes are not made with traditional Italian seasonings, so they could disappoint, but are very good if surprising versions. The burger is seasoned, which is never to my liking, and I think the turkey burger and chicken quesadilla are not interesting, but my husband likes the latter. House made excellent desserts. If this were in Lenox or Barrington the prices would be double. and I wold still go- just not as often. It's truly a gem.
Name your favorite burger joint!
20 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA makes a Kobe beef burger that's the best burger I've ever had anywhere. I like mine well done, and few places seem able to do that. Theirs was actually juicy.
They have a whole pages of burger choices- different cheeses, toppings, and vegies.
New Brunswick to Portland
I posted this elsewhere, but don't want it missed. I had the worst pricey meal of my life at The Riverside. The ambience is fabulous, but the fish was very overdone, the pork was chewy, and the cake was so stale it must have been stale for days. Go to the Homeport in Lubec in you want a good meal. Their food is reliably excellent.
Any recs for Portland, Bar Harbor, and way Down East (Wash Co.)?
I had the worst pricey meal in my life at Riverside Cafe and would suggest people avoid it. The fish was drastically overcooked, the pork was chewy, and to top it off they served a cake that had been stale for days. For an excellent meal, not cheap but not nearly as pricey as Riverside, and dependably terrific, go to the Homeport in Lubec. Cohill's, also in Lubec, has good food, with fabulous pies made by an elderly church lady who whips the cream by hand. We were told that the lobster shack in Eastport has excellent lobster rolls, but we didn't make it there on a day they were open. My husband's niece brought us to Silly's in Portland, and we are still sad we don't have anything like that near us. It's a cafe with superb sandwiches and a chocolate cake that rivaled my own- first ever.
Pittsfield, MA Chinese, steaks, burgers and Italian
Brix is lovely- if you go be sure to have the lavender creme brulee- very delicate and truly excellent. I also like Trattoria Rustica, but it is pricey. I know that this is a bit far afield, but the best burger I've ever had was in Great Barrington at 20 Railroad- they cooked the kobe beef burger well done AND juicy- and I've been having a real problem finding anyone to cook a burger well done without burning it. Also, I know this isn't what you asked, but the Indian restaurant on North Street is very good. For those of you missing Vietnamese food, check out the home cooking at Pho Saigon in Lee. The prices are so reasonable that we eat there a lot, and the food is very good- fresh and healthy.
