Longfellow's Wayside Inn, Sudbury
Aug. 16th, 2008 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bex77My friend Lois is turning 80 years young tomorrow, so I wanted to make today special for her. I showed up at the nursing home with flowers and chocolates from Wilson Farms, the wonderful farm stand/grocery store in Lexington. I offered to take her out for lunch, and knowing her love of American food, I suggested Jimmy's Steer House in Arlington or the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, if she wanted a drive in the country as well as lunch. She picked the latter. We picked up my folks and headed out along Rte. 128 to Exit 26, then took Rte 20 West about 10 miles.
You dive off the highway onto Wayside Inn Road into a patch of Colonial America that was preserved for posterity by Henry Ford. You can explore the Longfellow Garden, tour the Inn, Mill, and Schoolhouse, or sit for a picnic lunch next to Hop Brook. You can stroll over the old stone bridge, and take a walk down history lane!
There is an Inn if you'd like to stay awhile, with Colonial dining rooms and a modern wing built on the back. We settled in there, as it is wheelchair-accessible.
You can see the classic American lunch menu at http://www.wayside.org/dining/lunch
They also have a Saturday lunch 3-course special, where you choose a soup, entree and dessert from a short list for $19.95. Dad and Lois opted for that.
We started with their warm bread basket that contained completely pedestrian dinner roles, and some incredible corn muffins. The muffins were so good that my Mother (who normally eats like a bird) ate two! Lois enjoyed a lovely glass of red wine.
Lois had a delicious bowl of clam chowder. Dad and I also ordered it. When I think of the perfect bowl of clam chowder, this is what it tastes like - creamy, full of potatoes and clams, needing only a little pepper and some oyster crackers.
She went for the special shrimp and scallops in parsley butter sauce, served with squash and fries. My folks went the beef route - London Broil for Dad and prime rib for Mom, both with squash and potato. I tried the turkey dinner with cornmeal stuffing, gravy and squash, with a baked potato on the side. It was exactly as it's supposed to taste. I find American food rather boring, but this was as good as it gets.
The interior is lovely, classic, simple and Colonial. Each table along the perimeter has a window looking out over the grounds. The service was excellent - the waitresses are all older ladies who know their stuff and love chatting up the guests.
I managed to chat about it being a big birthday for Lois, so the waitress came out with a lovely little cake and candle and helped us sing. She said the cakes are the leftovers from the pastry chef's wedding cake baking for the day. This was a little chocolate gem, rolled in pecans. Lois gave us each a taste. She got peppermint ice cream as part of the 3-course deal. That tasted like pepto-bismol to me and was just as pink. Not to my taste, but Lois loved it. Daddy tried the Indian pudding with vanilla ice cream. It tasted like pumpkin pie mixed with oatmeal - yummy.
The prices were very reasonable, especially for a special occasion sort of place. I didn't see the final bill, but I think it was under $20 a person...a bargain these days.
Lois said it was a very special place...she used to drive the church ladies out there for special days long ago. And it seemed perfect for today - a lovely drive and completely familiar, unchallenging menu.
You dive off the highway onto Wayside Inn Road into a patch of Colonial America that was preserved for posterity by Henry Ford. You can explore the Longfellow Garden, tour the Inn, Mill, and Schoolhouse, or sit for a picnic lunch next to Hop Brook. You can stroll over the old stone bridge, and take a walk down history lane!
There is an Inn if you'd like to stay awhile, with Colonial dining rooms and a modern wing built on the back. We settled in there, as it is wheelchair-accessible.
You can see the classic American lunch menu at http://www.wayside.org/dining/lunch
They also have a Saturday lunch 3-course special, where you choose a soup, entree and dessert from a short list for $19.95. Dad and Lois opted for that.
We started with their warm bread basket that contained completely pedestrian dinner roles, and some incredible corn muffins. The muffins were so good that my Mother (who normally eats like a bird) ate two! Lois enjoyed a lovely glass of red wine.
Lois had a delicious bowl of clam chowder. Dad and I also ordered it. When I think of the perfect bowl of clam chowder, this is what it tastes like - creamy, full of potatoes and clams, needing only a little pepper and some oyster crackers.
She went for the special shrimp and scallops in parsley butter sauce, served with squash and fries. My folks went the beef route - London Broil for Dad and prime rib for Mom, both with squash and potato. I tried the turkey dinner with cornmeal stuffing, gravy and squash, with a baked potato on the side. It was exactly as it's supposed to taste. I find American food rather boring, but this was as good as it gets.
The interior is lovely, classic, simple and Colonial. Each table along the perimeter has a window looking out over the grounds. The service was excellent - the waitresses are all older ladies who know their stuff and love chatting up the guests.
I managed to chat about it being a big birthday for Lois, so the waitress came out with a lovely little cake and candle and helped us sing. She said the cakes are the leftovers from the pastry chef's wedding cake baking for the day. This was a little chocolate gem, rolled in pecans. Lois gave us each a taste. She got peppermint ice cream as part of the 3-course deal. That tasted like pepto-bismol to me and was just as pink. Not to my taste, but Lois loved it. Daddy tried the Indian pudding with vanilla ice cream. It tasted like pumpkin pie mixed with oatmeal - yummy.
The prices were very reasonable, especially for a special occasion sort of place. I didn't see the final bill, but I think it was under $20 a person...a bargain these days.
Lois said it was a very special place...she used to drive the church ladies out there for special days long ago. And it seemed perfect for today - a lovely drive and completely familiar, unchallenging menu.
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 03:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 11:23 am (UTC)I went to the Wayside once with my ex and his family when I was still at MIT. I absolutely loved it.
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Date: 2008-08-17 12:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 02:38 pm (UTC)I've been there about 3 times, myself, and loved the atmosphere.
Glad you had fun!