Independent Restaurant Collaborative

Today's Telegram & Gazette features an article outlining a newly-formed collaborative among independent restaurants in the area to jointly market some of the non-chain dining options available in our region. What a great idea! I was particularly struck by the statistic that these restaurants donate approximately $250,000 to local causes, which I'd imagine is a lot more than places like Appleby's do for our area...

The article cites the following as members of the group:

In Fitchburg - Slattery’s

In Leominster - The Border Grille & Bar, Cristina’s Restaurant, The Cornerstone Restaurant, Gondola Restaurant (located at 428 Lancaster Street), and The Monument Grill (my prior review can be found here)

In Lunenburg - Sean Patrick’s Family Restaurant and The Bootlegger Restaurant

In Westminster - Old Mill Restaurant (my prior review can be found here), Joseph’s Bistro (located at 97 Main Street), and Wachusett Village Inn/Wachusett Mountain

In Gardner - Carmela’s Restaurant and Southside Grille & Margarita Factory

In Ashburnham - The Victorian House Restaurant

In Princeton - Sonoma Restaurant

I've had the pleasure of trying quite a few of these places and have returned for many enjoyable meals. The Border Grille & Bar, for example, is the restaurant my husband has deemed as his choice for "if you could eat at only one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?" Yet I'm struck by the number I've NOT yet tried! Unfortunately, my budget isn't such that I can race out and try a new one every night, but I definitely intend to gradually work my way through the list and will report back here. Anyone out there have any recommendations for where I might want to start?