The other day my son and I were coming home on Rte. 122 from Petersham, passing through Barre as we always do. We were on the lookout for a place to get apple pie, of course. After all, it's fall and that is one of our favorite weekend rituals for this time of year.
Things didn't look too promising because it was Sunday afternoon. Few things in the country seem to be open. Even the Petersham General Store, which had a new sign touting its new hours (open Sunday) wasn't open. The sign boasting of the convenient new hours stood ironically in front of the locked door.
Suddenly, a tiny restaurant loomed into view. Cheerfully decorated in a country style, the Open flag and the "Breakfast All Day" sign caught my eye. We pulled into the parking lot.
What a cute little place! Cheerful and clean, I could tell that it was new. It turns out that they had only opened four days earlier. The shop was decorated in posters of old movies, with a life-sized cutout of the characters from the Wizard of Oz being the most prominent. "Oldies" music played in the background. The restaurant was comprised of tables, with the cashier counter in the center. It had shelves on it with necessities that a person might have to buy in a pinch: things like cat food, crackers, and dish soap.
We ordered slices of homemade pie. I had apple (heated) and my son had pumpkin. Each one was only $2.50, and was made "a la mode" for only an additional fifty cents. The pie was delicious and so was the huge cup of coffee I had.
The owner, Karen Varney, may well be a familiar person to many, as she is owner of Waterwheel Realty. In fact, the Country Cupboard and the adjacent Waterwheel Village are also hers. She was so friendly, spending quite a bit of time listening to my son's many stories, and talking to us about home schooling. She has done some substitute teaching herself and seemed to enjoy children very much.
Karen also explained to us some of the philosophy that guides her little restaurant's hours. They are open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. (I have lost the flyer/menu that I brought home, which tells the hours. I think it was 10 to 5 pm). Her thoughts were that since so many restaurants are closed on weekend afternoons and on Mondays, she would be open to meet that need.
After eating our delicious dessert, we went over to the adjacent lot where there were two statues of horses placed realistically in a green, grassy yard. A large old-fashioned grader (i.e. construction vehicle) was placed in a landscaped garden as part of the decoration. A large tent was next to the grader, where one could sit and eat at picnic tables. (It was like a wedding tent, so in all honesty I don't expect it to be there beyond the good weather.) My son enjoyed climbing on the grader and playing imaginatively in the yard. We were there for about an hour altogether, having turned a stop for pie into a time for play and closeness. And we enjoyed meeting and talking to a new business owner, the friendly Karen Varney.
I would definitely stop there again, only this time in addition to dessert I would like to try lunch or breakfast. The prices were very reasonable. Like I said, I can't find the menu, so if you want to know more about this restaurant (such as whether they take credit cards) you can call them at (978) 355-6715. The address of The Country Pantry is: 2291 West St, Barre, MA.
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