Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Disappointment Turns to Happiness on July 3

What a great weekend July 4 was, weather-wise. We took advantage of it on Sunday, July 3 by going to a Nashua Pride baseball game. The Pride is a triple-A caliber league that is independent, and the brand of ball was very good. And the stadium is terrific. If you like baseball, this is about as good as it gets.

After the game, we hit the farmstands around beautiful Hollis, NH, then headed toward Parker's Maple Barn in Mason for dinner. Only one problem: Parker's is no longer open for dinner. I was saddened by this, as I used to love going to Parker's Maple Barn on a warm summer night, have an old-fashioned dinner, then wandering around the gift shop before heading back to Boston. No more...what a shame.

Getting hungrier by the minute, we headed down Route 13 and stopped at the Riverside Cafe in Brookline, NH. The Riverside looked promising; a quaint old place by the river in a wooded setting. But alas, they were closing early for the holiday. Famished, we drove through Townsend, Groton, Littleton, and Acton, but there weren't many places that looked decent.

By the time we hit Maynard, my blood sugar was lower than Roger Clemens' ERA and I needed something soon. And there it was: In a charming old house just outside of town was an Indian restaurant called Monsoon Indian Bistro. And what a restaurant it was. From the lentil soup to the chicken dosa and Indian bread, everything was incredibly fresh and tasty. And while Monsoon may not be the best Indian restaurant I have been to in Boston (that title goes either to Classic India in Quincy or Punjabi Dhaba in Cambridge), it sure comes close.

My disappointment in Parker's Maple Barn being closed for dinner didn't turn out to be such a bad thing after all...

-MH