New England dining >>> Anne's Lakeview Farms, Bellingham, Mass.

Ann's Lakeview Farms delights the young and old with its fresh turkey dinner

Article and photo by Eric H.

BELLINGHAM, MASS. -- Ann's Lakeview Farms Family Restaurant proves the old cliche "You can't always judge a book by its cover."

Easily mistaken on the outside as another ice cream stand with a restaurant attached, Lakeview Farms, in the rural Blackstone Valley community of Bellingham, Mass., goes against the grain by serving food every bit as good as the fantastic Bliss Farms ice cream they serve at walk-up windows to countless children of all ages. Besides the ice cream, the main draw at Lakeview Farms is the fresh, delicious turkey. They have their own turkey farm, and that means turkey every bit as good as your Thanksgiving Day feast. Moist, flavorful and abundant, Lakeview Farms' turkey is the real thing -- not the slimy kind found in the supermarkets, or the dried-out disappointments offered at some high-caliber restaurants that should know better. The turkey dinner ($9.95), along with homemade stuffing, fresh vegetables, real mashed potatos and top-of-the-pack
  
gravy is worth a special trip from anywhere in New England. The same can be said for the equally fresh turkey pie ($5.95), which is prepared to an art form with its perfectly baked crust and enough turkey and vegetables to feed the surrounding Blackstone Valley.

On a recent visit, we found Lakeview Farms's New England clam chowder as good as any we've tried in Maine, which is the clam chowder heaven of New England. A veal piccata special was on par with the best Italian restaurants in the region, and the meatloaf, prime rib, fried clam plate and chicken broccoli alfredo all looked marvelous at other peoples' tables. We can hardly wait to try them.

Regarding the desserts... all is we can say is try the forest berry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Forest berry consists of a blackberries, raspberries and strawberries in a freshly made pie crust. Although the serving is generous, the overwhelmingly great flavor leaves you wanting a second slice. New England may have its share of great pie places, but Lakeview Farms forest berry pie is a "slice" above the rest.

As mentioned the ice cream created by Bliss Farms, of Attleboro, Mass., is terrific, especially the coconut almond, vanilla and rich chocolate chip. The soft serve is not just a little ice cream and a lot of air -- it is thicker than the norm and tastier.

Lakeview Farms is a friendly place with a pleasant staff, informal surroundings (wood floors and walls), picnic benches outside, a goat farm that will delight the kids (no pun intended), and hayrides by appointment. The takeout section does a great business and a viable option for those who do not want to wait in line for a table. Lakeview Farms also serves breakfast on the weekends. One local told us with eyes bigger than Rodney Dangerfield when asked about the breakfast, "It's good, it's really good."

Lakeview Farms is a thoroughly enjoyable experience from the great food and prices to the family atmopshere. We'll be going back many times, and suspect you will too, once you try the fresh turkey dinner, or anything else for that matter.

Ann's Lake View Farm, 1048 South Main Street (Route 126,) Bellingham, Mass., Tel. (508)883-5003

 

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