By Margaret Locher, Contributing Writer
Westborough – It had been a bad day. I hadn's slept well. My commute was almost twice its normal length and everyone at work had been in a foul mood. But, when my boyfriend suggested we have dinner at Harry's, I immediately felt better. I imagined ordering a burger, or maybe fish and chips, or a tuna melt? something that would wipe away the day's troubles. Harry's is that kind of place. It's comforting.
Harry's Restaurant and Dairy Bar has been a local favorite since 1946. It's famous for its fried clams ($10.95 – $12.95 for strips or bellies), and its menu has a fair share of fried options, but the restaurant has added many healthy choices too. The menu is huge. You can eat guilt-free or sink your teeth into something comforting like pot roast or meatloaf.
Harry's has dinner specials daily, and Monday night's was lobster rolls, but I wanted comfort food. I had mentioned on the way to Harry's that a burger would make me feel better about my bad day. I must have put the idea into my boyfriend's head, because he ordered the Texas burger, which comes with bacon, barbeque sauce, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and onion rings on a pretzel roll ($8.99) with a side of fries. The onion rings sold him??”Harry's onions rings are his favorite.
I had a few things in mind, maybe the black bean burger ($4.75)? or maybe I would get an omelet. I love that Harry's serves breakfast all day; sometimes breakfast for dinner makes you feel good. But I chose one of my favorite meals instead: chicken parmesan on angel hair pasta with a side salad ($13.95).
Service at Harry's is fast, and our waitress set our dinners in front of us just as our stomachs really began to growl. The pretzel roll that the burger was served on looked perfect and I swiped an onion ring before turning to my own dinner. The chicken cutlets were crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and covered with the perfect amount of mozzarella cheese. Conversation ceased while we worked on our meals.
I was already feeling much better. My dinner portion was big enough that if I stopped now, I could bring half to work tomorrow for lunch. Maybe Harry's would work its charm in the office too! And, more important, saving half meant saving room in my stomach for pie. Harry's always has a selection of homemade pies. Save room??”they are delicious. I ordered a pumpkin pie with whipped cream. The pie and the whipped cream were fresh. Like always, I left Harry's feeling happy.
Harry's is cash only. The diner is located on Route 9 West at 149 Turnpike Road in Westborough. It is open from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. Friday. Harry's opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 508-366-8302 or visit www.harrysrestaurant.com.
