By Margaret Locher
Contributing Writer
Westborough – There aren's a lot of places like Harry's left, and that's a shame. The restaurant reminded me of diners I used to hang out in, chatting with friends or stopping in before or after a movie to order burgers, fries and ice cream sundaes. Harry's has those staples, plus a whole lot more.
On a recent rainy night, two friends and I headed to Harry's for dinner. We seated ourselves in a booth under a painting of a smiling clam and scanned the specials board, which advertised plates like a homemade salmon burger with homemade chips ($10.99) and a new offering for Harry's: fruit smoothies.
You could eat at Harry's every night for months and not repeat a meal – or break the bank. In addition to the new burger combo plate with options like the Tex Mex, the Greek and the German burgers ($8.99), there are weekday specials. Monday is clam strips with fries and cole slaw ($10.95) and, being a traditional kind of place, Harry's has fish and chips Friday ($9.79).
But it was Thursday's Mac N Cheese Madness night special that most made my mouth water. I told my friends we have to come back on a Thursday to choose from the almost a dozen varieties of the comfort food. A traditional mac n cheese ($8.99) might do for some, but not when you can order fancier versions like the Steak Bomb with peppers, mushrooms and onions, the Buffalo Chicken, or the Veggie Delight with onions, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms and peppers (all $9.99). There is even a lobster mac “n” cheese with lobster ($16.99).
And if it sounds like Harry's serves food that might stall a diet plan, don's despair: The Summer Sizzler special menu includes lighter options such as the shrimp and baby spinach salad ($13.99) and chicken and pear salad ($11.99).
The menu didn's seem to present a tough choice for my friends: One was sold on the Monte Cristo ($7.50) as soon as he saw it on the menu. He said it's hard to find, especially as a dinnertime option. And since Harry's is most famous for its fried clams, my other friend opted to tackle the Big Clam Strip Plate ($13.95). I finally decided to go simple: a cup of clam chowder ($3.99) and a tuna melt ($6.25). Harry's is about your comfort food favorites, after all.
Our plates were set gently in front of us at record speed. The chowder was terrific, especially on such a rainy night. Everything was so good that we ate without speaking for a while. Takeout customers steadily came in past us and were greeted and served by waitresses in T-shirts that read “Fried Is A Food Group.” Toward the end of our meal, families were stopping in for one of the dozens of ice cream flavors and dessert choices. After our waitress recited a list of homemade pies, I hopped on the dessert bandwagon, savoring a warm slice of apple pie a la mode before heading back out into the rain.
Harry's is located on Route 9 West at 149 Turnpike Rd. in Westborough. It is open from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. Friday, and open at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information or to put in a take-out order, call 508-366-8302.
