Central House Tavern and Restaurant - Westborough, MA

The Central House Tavern and Restaurant is located at 44 South Street in Westborough, MA.  There is street parking and a public lot next door. Most recently owned and operated by the Van Dam family since 1974, The Tavern has roots going back 60 years when Agnes and Effie Moynihan opened their doors.  Interestingly, only men were allowed to enter the bar room.  The Van Dam’s changed all that, even building a ladies room.  The Tavern remains in the family today, managed by Dan Flood, a Van Dam grandson.

The building is a 3 decker on the corner of South Street and Cottage Street.  The Tavern is on the first floor.  Heading inside, we noticed the classic beadboard walls that complimented the thick pine table tops and chairs. There is a floor to ceiling fieldstone fireplace just beyond the bar.  A cast iron steam heat radiator was nestled against a wall.  We sat at a table near the bar, where eight drafts were being offered today.  A full bar is also available. 

There is also an adjoining room, a dining area, with an upright piano and dart boards hung on the wall along with two Cricketeer chalk scoring boards.  Truly a multi-function room! Big screen TV’s are located in both areas.  The walls are sports themed, including a picture of Ted Williams and Rocky Marciano, two Boston area sports legends!

Our server, Dan, took our orders. We started with the Broccoli Bites appetizer and the following beers;

Two Hearted Ale from Bell’s Brewery, Comstock, Michigan is an American Style IPA (clear) named after a river in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  It weighs in at 7.0% ABV and has a nice balance of hop aroma and taste with enough malt base making it a very drinkable beer.

Cloud Candy IPA from Mighty Squirrel Brewing Company, Waltham, MA. This is a New England style IPA (hazy) with a deep orange color, tropical fruit aroma and slightly sweet taste. At 6.5% ABV, It features a nice head and moderate carbonation.

Goody Two Shoes German Style Kolsch by Exhibit “A” Brewing Company, Framingham, MA.  At 4.5% ABV it is almost a session beer.  Clear light blonde in color, there is a hint of lemon in the aroma and at the finish.  A very satisfying Kolsch.

The Broccoli Bites, prepared with chopped broccoli in fried dough were served with Jalapeño ranch dressing and paired very well with our beers.  A great appetizer! The lunch menu offered a variety of sandwiches. We chose Pastrami and Swiss sandwiches served on thick toasted white bread and Fries…tender, moist and delicious!  The Central Burger; hand formed beef patty, thick and mouthwatering. Served with bacon, Swiss cheese and fries.

And speaking of fries, these were some of the best we’ve had in our travels.  Hand cut and fried with parsley flakes and just the right amount of seasoning.

Chef Leslie came by our table to chat and we complimented him on his culinary expertise.  We easily saw how dedicated he is to his profession and the pride he puts into his creations.  He informed us that The Tavern also offers Sunday Brunch from 10 AM to 1PM.   A Catering / Function menu is also available.

We found our lunch very relaxing in The Tavern’s casual atmosphere and enjoyed engaging with the friendly staff who really know there stuff.  They make you feel right at home.  With creative and delicious menu offerings and a very impressive offering of local craft beers, it is easy to see why The Central House Tavern and Restaurant has remained a local favorite to the folks in Westborough and throughout Metrowest.

Visit www.thecentralhousetavern.com for more information about the Tavern, or their Facebook page at The Central House

The Horseshoe Pub & Restaurant - Hudson, MA

The Horseshoe Pub & Restaurant is located at 29 South Street in Hudson, MA. Owned and operated by the Pizzimento family since 1980, the pub has been open for 39 years and is a fixture in the town.  Ample parking is available in their private lot.

 

After entering we explored the bar area that prominently displays the 80 taps for the draft beverages being offered today, and every day!  Nice combinations of low and high top tables along with seating at the bar are available here.  Another dining area features cozy booths that will please those who prefer wine.  Each booth display style names from Burgundy to Zinfandel!  Other tables in this area surround a massive brick fireplace.  There is also an upstairs function room that we would learn has the capacity to host events for up to 100 people. There is also an outdoor seating area enclosed in decorative wrought iron fencing.

     

But beer is king at the Horseshoe Pub and Restaurant!  Many signs and framed wall décor celebrate local and international beers and breweries. We decided on the bar area and were greeted by pub staffer Danielle, who guided us to a window table that gave us a great view of the beer taps.  We reviewed the draft offerings and found over a dozen styles of beers, cider and even Mead! (An ancient alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey.)  Simply put if you like beer, there is something on the menu for you!  A wide selection of bottled macro beers is also available.  For the non-beer drinker a full liquor service and wine selection is available.

Our beer selections today all hailed from three New England States. Mass Whole Lager is from Wormtown Brewery in Worcester, MA.  A session beer at 4% ABV, it’s light and refreshing and brewed with hops and barley grown in Massachusetts.  S.W.A.G Summer Wheat Ale is from Black Hog Brewing Co. in Oxford, CT.  Brewed with grapefruit peel that is evident in the aroma, it comes in at 4.7 ABV.  Hazy gold in color the wheat base is managed well with the citrus component.   #9 is brewed in South Burlington, VT at Magic Hat Brewing Company.  This pale ale is one of the brewery’s It boasts hints of apricot in aroma and mouthfeel with a dry finish. ABV is 5.1%.  Scrag Mountain Pils is a Czech style pilsner brewed by Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, VT.  There is a hint of sweetness that is well balanced by the hops.  Medium bodied and flavorful at 4.8% ABV, it is brewed using local water deep below Mt. Scrag in Waitsfield.

The pub’s menu is vast including multiple selections of appetizers, soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches. A variety of beef, pork chicken, seafood and pasta dishes round out the menu.  Several menu items use beer in the preparation like the Guinness Beef Stew and the salad dressing that uses raspberry lambic in the oils.

Danielle served our lunch orders while we enjoyed our brews. We selected the Shepherd’s Pie. A delicious combination of ground filet mignon, peas, corn and caramelized onions, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese that is skillet baked.  We always like to check out a restaurants style of the Reuben Sandwich. The pub prepares theirs with hand carved corned beef with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing; it is piled high on marbled rye and served with French fries. All the ingredients were well balanced with bread that really held the sandwich together. Thumbs up here!  The tasty French Dip Sandwich also served with French fries and a side order of au jus, features a more then generous portion of tender sliced roasted prime rib topped with a melted mixture of Swiss cheese and Dijon horseradish on a garlic bread roll. 

As we were finishing up our lunches, we chatted with owner Nick Pizzimento about how much we enjoyed his food and beers.  He mentioned that when his father started the restaurant in 1980 he offered basic burgers and sandwiches with three beers on tap. Nick came on board in 1990 helping his father out.  Together they soon added three more draft taps and expanded the menu from the original 10 items. Fast forwarding to today they built a major addition to the building (the way it appears today), continued adding more and more taps, until they reached the current number of 80, and as mentioned above expanded their menu. Nick’s dad is now retired, but still keeps an eye on things! Today Nick and his wife Paula operate the pub. They are active in the community and have supported the Spirit of Hudson Beer Festival for multiple years.  They will host an Oktoberfest at the Pub starting this September. Live acoustic music is featured on Friday nights

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The Horseshoe Pub and Restaurant is open seven days a week and offers an amazing selection of beers and great food.  They make you feel right at home from the moment you pass through the door to the time you leave.  As Nick and Paula like to say, the beer gets you through the door, but the food keeps you there. We could not agree more!

For more information about the pub, visit their website; www.horseshoepub.com or at their Facebook page; Horseshoe Pub & Restaurant  

Gray's Family Tavern - Cumberland, RI

J Gray’s Family Tavern is located at 405 Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI 02864.  Driving into the parking lot you will notice a great landmark for the Tavern, a black silhouette of a prancing horse adorning the chimney on the front side of the building.

The Tavern has multiple dining areas.  You enter into the main dining room that offers an array of four place tables and coordinated chairs that can easily be combined to accommodate larger groups.  The décor features well placed highway signs for Historic California Rt. 66 and Rt. 122 in Cumberland which is actually Mendon Road.  A nice touch is two wall clocks are set to multiple time zones.   A private function room adjacent to the dining room is available to host gatherings of up to 80 people.  The cathedral ceiling in the bar area features a multitude of sports media!  Player jerseys from the Boston Bruins and other teams are mounted high on the wall and team banners from the Boston Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots are draped from the ceiling.

We chose the fourth dining area, a glassed-in lounge.  The tables and chairs are identical to those in the dining room and are a nice compliment to the fireplace and the potted plants placed effectively on the shelf surrounding the area.  A few team pennants for the Red Sox and Patriots on the wall continue the sports themed décor.  A very unique adjustable ceiling mounted sun shade was in use creating a comfortable lighting level on this sunny June day.

Gray’s was pouring a nice combination of craft and macro beers as well as ciders today. We chose Loose Cannon IPA from Heavy Seas Beer out of Baltimore, MD.  At 7.25 % ABV, it is a triple hopped strong beer that does not overpower because of a blended use of malt in the brewing process.  Golden in color, it possesses a floral and grapefruit aroma and a nice creamy head.  Seasonal Summer Ale from Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA. is legendary at Sam Adams.  The original recipe remained unchanged for over two decades. It was modified this year adding pureed oranges, limes and lemons for a more rounded citrus flavor without abandoning the original profile of the beer.  At 5.3% ABV it remains an extremely drinkable hot weather beer.  Redbridge Gluten free Beer is from Anheuser Busch located in St. Louis, MO.  Beers qualify as gluten free by using Sorghum Malt in the brewing process instead of barley based grains.  This style is quite popular in South Africa.  Redbridge has a hoppy aroma reminding you of an IPA, but surprises you with a sweet mouthfeel ending with a hoppy finish.  At 4.00% ABV it qualifies as a session beer.  Give it a try!   In addition to beer and wine, a full service bar is also available at Gray’s.
   

We enjoyed our beers with the Tavern’s Buffalo Chicken Dip appetizer, a tasty baked blend of chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce.  It paired very well with all of our beer selections.

In addition to their wide selection of starters, the Tavern’s menu offers something for everyone!  Soups and Salads, Sandwiches, Flat Bread Pizza, Quesadillas, a Vegetarian Menu, Steak, Chicken and Seafood dishes, Pasta, Kids Meals and desserts.  There is also a late night menu served late hours Friday and Saturday nights when Gray’s hosts live entertainment.
  

After considerable thought, we decided on the Spicy Pastrami Reuben Sandwich served on rye bread, cole slaw and Russian dressing which is a nice variation to a traditional corned beef reuben. The Grilled Buffalo Bleu Burger served on a generous bulky roll that easily contains this healthy sized sandwich.  Adding buffalo sauce really amped up the flavor and showed the creativity of the chef!  We added our own level of creativity by ordering the Classic Gray’s Burger and loading it up with the available bacon, mushroom and cheese toppings. We chose fries with both burgers that were crisp and deliciously seasoned.  All of our dishes were prepared perfectly to our orders.

Co-Owner Jay LaScola stopped by our table to check how we were enjoying our lunch and stayed to chat for a while.  We asked about the origin of the Tavern’s name.  He represents the “J” in the name; “Gray” comes from his business partner Gary Gray.  Jay started in the restaurant business when he was 15 years old. Before opening the Tavern in 2011, he was the executive chef at several restaurants. He is proud that Gray’s staff is made up of many family members (his Mom makes all the desserts!) and that customers are treated as family as they enjoy Gray’s  Traditional American Cuisine.

We couldn’t agree more!

For more info about Gray’s visit their Facebook Page at J Gray’s Family Tavern