Western Massachusetts Best Kept Secret: The Fireplace Feast!
Out west, not much more than an hour’s drive, is western Massachusetts best kept secret: The Fireplace Feast!
Imagine this: you and friends and family, just finished a New England style horse drawn wagon ride on a 600 acre farm. To warm up, waiting inside the 18th century farmhouse, is a warm glass of mulled apple cider. As you sip this sweet deliciousness, you are gazing at a GIANT fireplace, roasting your prime rib. You lend a hand in stirring the huge cauldron of seafood chowder. For dessert, hot apple pie, served with home made whipped cream. Is this a dream? No, it’s real. I experienced it last Saturday.
It’s the Fireplace Feast served each weekend at the iconic Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield.
Salem Cross Inn
I think they say it better:
Relax by the fire as dinner is prepared for you in colonial style. Stir the chowder as it bubbles in our cast iron cauldron over a crackling fire. See your prime rib, roasted ‘to a turn,’ as the only known authentic Roasting Jack still operating in America rotates slowly over a crackling fire of wild cherry logs. Beware the brimming bowl of freshly whipped cream – the perfect complement to New England’s best apple pie. While your dinner is cooking to perfection, enjoy a horse drawn wagon or sleigh ride through the valley on the Inn’s pristine 600 acres. Shake off the chill with warm mulled wine or cider upon your return.
EVERY second of the experience, was wonderful. The staff and crew at the Salem Cross Inn make every moment magical. You can see Evan and Martha, below. Their smile and enthusiasm is authentic and contagious.
My First Date
Did I mention the most important part of this wonderful night? Last Saturday’s amazing dinner, was a wedding anniversary gift from my amazing wife, Heidi.
Many years ago, Heidi decided to surprise me for a first date. She drove. I found it funny that she asked me to put on this blindfold. When we arrived to this restaurant, I took off the blindfold: my jaw dropped. My first date is at the Salem Cross Inn? She had NO idea that the Salem Cross Inn was my FAVORITE restaurant. My Mom and Dad were best friends with the Salem family. I consider the family, my cousins! How did she know? Well, that was my first date with this amazing person. I knew that moment, that we’d be back someday, together, forever. True story.
So, now it’s your turn. Let’s crank up the time machine and take a virtual trip back in time to western Massachusetts best kept secret: The Fireplace Feast!