Carol's Dairy Bar

Good news – Carol’s is open for the season, both the food and the ice cream components! I thought I saw the lights on over the weekend but was definitely surprised when I called tonight (Tuesday, it’s about 32 degrees outside) and discovered they were open until 9:00. Needless to say, I had no trouble figuring out what to do for dinner. For those of you not familiar with Carol’s Dairy Bar, it’s located at 310 Summer Street in Fitchburg (at the intersection of Summer Street and John Fitch Highway). They offer soft and hard serve ice cream with lots of sundae, frappe, and “blizzard”-style options. My favorite is a sundae they make with hot fudge, peanut butter sauce, and the most amazing crumbled peanut butter cup chunks, though a simple dipped cone is great as well.

I happen to come from a family where it was perfectly acceptable to have a giant ice cream sundae for dinner, but for those who feel that ice cream’s intended only for dessert, Carol’s also has a full menu of traditional fried foods, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.. Personally though, I feel that the best frialator treat at Carol’s is the fried dough…why wait until the autumn fairs come around?

Because it’s early in the season, I’d suggest calling to confirm hours before heading out specifically to go to Carol’s. The number is 978-342-9675. What a great way to celebrate the official start of spring!

Dutch Kitchen Bake Shop

It takes quite a few visits to the Dutch Kitchen Bake Shop at 12 John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg to be able to claim that you’ve sampled even a fraction of the bakery’s offerings. This place has an amazing array of pastries, cookies, cakes, and breads from which to choose. The bakery is known for its signature Dutch vanilla cream frosting – a great way to sample it is to try one of the cupcakes. Be aware though that the delicious cake is topped with an inch-thick layer of rich, sweet, buttery frosting that will fill you up far more quickly than expected based on appearance alone! Some other outstanding offerings include specialty cheesecakes (try the Oreo), cream puffs, a wide variety of cannoli, and an entire display case filled with different types of cookies. Prices are very good; for example, you can purchase a full-sized lemon meringue pie for only $7.

In addition to the bakery, Dutch Kitchen Bake Shop features a small deli, with sandwiches, soups, and salads served at lunchtime. Catering platters can also be ordered. Deli meats and cheeses are available to take home, as are items such as potato salad. We picked up some tortellini salad today, which is a great accompaniment for a barbeque. The shop provides tables, making it a nice place to relax with a cup of coffee and a pastry. The phone number is (978) 345-1393, and hours (which for some reason aren’t posted anywhere) are 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. on Sundays. Enjoy!