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Rustic roadside dining between 2 mountains not far from Boston

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Rustic roadside dining between 2 mountains not far from Boston


Visitors to New Hampshire have a lot of destinations to choose from, with some of the better-known areas being the Lakes Region, the White Mountains and the Seacoast Region. But one of the most interesting parts of the state doesn’t get nearly as much press, and it really doesn’t have a specific name. The part of southwest New Hampshire tucked away by the Massachusetts and Vermont borders is often called the Monadnock region (from the rather imposing mountain by the same name in Jaffrey) while some also call it “Currier & Ives Country,” which can lead to confusion because there’s also an official Currier & Ives Scenic Byway in another part of the state.

While not commonly used, the Currier & Ives label certainly does apply to this area, which includes picture-perfect New England villages, scenic winding roads, rolling hills and countless lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. It makes for a perfect setting for road trips, and a number of old-fashioned roadside restaurants seemingly pop up out of nowhere on many drives, feeding hungry travelers and locals alike.

One such place sits just outside a tiny village near the Massachusetts border, and while it’s little more than an hour from the Greater Boston area, Emma’s 321 Pub & Kitchen is a place that feels far, far away, reflecting the rustic quality and slow pace of this little pocket of New Hampshire.

Rindge is a rugged, deeply wooded town that lies in the shadow of Mount Watatic, a nearly 2,000-foot peak just to the east in Ashburnham and Ashby, Massachusetts. It’s also a short distance south of the aforementioned Mount Monadnock, which rises well over 3,000 feet, towering over the surrounding landscape. Rindge itself is one of the higher communities in the state and feels like an outback town of sorts, with its blink-and-you-miss-it village center off Route 119 that doesn’t have so much as a restaurant or a general store.

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A few businesses can be found near where Routes 119 and 202 meet, however, including Emma’s, which is just north of the intersection and just south of the beautiful Pool Pond, with spectacular views of Mount Monadnock and its summer homes and cabins. Emma’s itself has the look of a cabin (albeit a large one), with its weathered wooden exterior, warm and welcoming outdoor lights, multiple chimneys and stacks of firewood, all shaded by massive trees that surround the place.

The cozy country look of Emma’s’ exterior is just a taste of things to come, as its interior is a bit similar to the better-known colonial-style restaurants found throughout New England. But unlike some of those which tend to be a tad on the upscale side, this restaurant is definitely more casual, low-key and family-friendly. Several rooms make up the place and all have a lot of charm, include a large dining area to the right which extends back with views of the woods, a charming bar in the middle, another dining area through a doorway to the left and, beyond that, a room that has the look of a fully enclosed four-season porch, sitting high above the land below.

Wagon wheel lights, checkered tablecloths, old-fashioned sconces, rough-hewn wood and windows that give a glimpse of rural New England just out back all give Emma’s a look and feel of yesteryear, and really make you think you’re much farther away from the urban canyons of Boston than you really are.

PHOTOS: Roadside dining in rural NH at Emma’s 321 Pub & Kitchen

Even before you look at the menu at Emma’s, you’ll probably get an idea of what it has to offer simply based on the overall look of the place, and the offerings are indeed familiar and will probably not come as a surprise to anyone.

Classic comfort food and regional faves are the name of the game here, with highlights being a hearty bowl of chili with just a bit of heat; a Caesar salad with a house-made dressing and parmesan crisps; loaded potato skins with bacon (or chili) and cheese, scallions, sour cream and salsa; greasy and crunchy fried pickle chips that come with a spicy aioli; quesadillas with bacon, diced chicken and lots of cheese; extra crunchy deep-fried mozzarella sticks with a dusting of parm along with marinara and ranch on the side; chicken marsala in a rich wine sauce and served over a bed of linguini; a large plate of eggplant or chicken parmigiana with plenty of sauce and mozzarella; a decadent bacon-wrapped meatloaf with plenty of brown gravy; the ever-popular “build your own” burger with such topping options as onion strings, blue cheese, bacon jam and mushrooms; a classic turkey club with lettuce, tomato, bacon and mayo; and an old-school turkey melt that includes a couple of hefty pieces of sourdough.

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New Hampshire doesn’t get the credit it deserves when it comes to its breweries, but there are some very good ones out there and Emma’s indeed serves up some options from beermakers across the state. The offerings are always changing, but depending on when you go, you might find beers from Spyglass, Stoneface, Northwoods and Great North, to name a few.

Cocktails are very popular here, particularly the margaritas, martinis, mimosas, mojitos and rum punches, and a variety of their own concoctions that range from fruity drinks in the summer to drinks that will warm you up in the late fall and winter can be had as well.

Long ago, New Hampshire had a lot of rustic old restaurants like Emma’s 321 Pub & Kitchen, but many of them are gone now, including such iconic spots as the Longhorn Palace near Franconia Notch in Lincoln, a cafeteria-style steakhouse that was legendary back in the day and had a similar vibe. The loss of such places makes Emma’s all the more important these days, as it harkens back to the days of unpretentious roadside family restaurants focusing on service, value and food that’s good for the soul.

The southwestern part of New Hampshire is a wonderful area to visit whether for hiking, paddling, snowmobiling or simply enjoying the rural scenery from behind the wheel, and Emma’s is easily one of the most interesting options for dining in the entire region.

Emma’s 321 Pub & Kitchen, 377 US-202, Rindge, NH, 03461. facebook.com/Emmas321

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David Pastrnak, Bruins earn 3-2 overtime victory over Nashville

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David Pastrnak, Bruins earn 3-2 overtime victory over Nashville


The Bruins may not liked how they got to the end result on Tuesday night at the Garden, but results are all that matter right now.

For the second night in a row, the B’s could not protect a lead that they held after 40 minutes. But unlike the verdict in Manhattan, the B’s were able to get the full two points on the table in overtime.

It took just 15 seconds into OT.

Mark Kastelic won the opening faceoff and Charlie McAvoy skated with it into the offensive zone. Marat Khusnutdinov jumped on for Kastelic and, after some razzle-dazzle, McAvoy sent a backhand pass toward the top of the crease to David Pastrnak for the redirection goal for the 3-2 win. It was an all’s-well-that-ends-well kind of night for Pastrnak, who took a costly penalty late in the second period that helped Nashville get back in the game.

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The day was an interesting one for the B’s.

The schedule gives and it takes away, and Tuesday was a night when the B’s were at a distinct disadvantage. Because of flight issues related to the winter storm, the B’s could not fly out of New York on Monday after their overtime loss to the Rangers and were forced to bus back up to Boston, arriving back home around 1:30 pm on Tuesday.

The Preds on the other hand, last played on Saturday afternoon and chartered into Boston on  Saturday night to beat the blizzard.

The team chefs arrived with meals at Hanscom Airport to help the players fuel up. Skills coach John McLean, who doesn’t travel with the team, also went the airport and shoveled out the entire traveling party’s cars, no small task with the amount of snow dumped on the region.

“We owe him a couple of beers,” said Morgan Geekie. “It takes a village and everybody stepped up today no matter how it was. Happy we could get the win.”

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With all the help they did get, coach Marco Sturm wasn’t going to allow his players an out if they did lose in OT.

“It doesn’t matter if we lost the game or whatever. That shouldn’t be an excuse,” said Sturm. “Guys were ready to go today. You’re not always perfect Our third was definitely better than (Monday). Couldn’t close it but guys came back and showed character and at the end of the day, we need to take all the points we can get….I’m just happy the way the last couple of weeks went.”

Dating back to their New Year’s Eve win in Edmonton, the B’s are 11-2-1 in their last 14.

Despite the travel complications, the B’s were the ones to score the lone goal in the first period, which came off the stick of Sweden’s newest Olympian, Hampus Lindholm. The defenseman took the puck down from the left point to the circle and sent what looked like a harmless shot toward the net. But working the net front after winning the faceoff back to Mason Lohrei, Fraser Minten went for the tip and missed, but that seemed to distract Juuse Saros enough to allow the puck to get behind him for the 1-0 B’s lead at 13:16.

They made it 2-0 early in the second period, thanks to the simmering stick of Geekie. Pastrnak first danced around Roman Josi just inside the Nashville blue line and then shoveled the puck along the left boards to Geekie. Geekie took a few strides toward the net and, from the bottom of the circle, snapped a shot that beat Saros off the far post and in. It was Geekie’s 30th goal of the season and fourth in three games while Pastrnak extended his point streak to eight games.

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Though the game was a snoozer, the B’s appeared to be in full control. That is until their season-long problem raised its ugly head again – penalties.

Late in the period, Pastrnak took a bad slashing on Josi in the neutral zone. It was the B’s fourth penalty to that point and, this time, the Predators made them pay. From above the right dot, Josi’s low shot got under Jeremy Swayman’s glove with 35 seconds left in the period, changing the complexion of the game just like that.

“Obviously I know it’s a bad penalty and I apologized to the group and moved forward,” said Pastrnak.

To make matters worse, the B’s lost Elias Lindholm to an upper body injury off a faceoff late in the period and he did not return. Sturm did not have an update after the game but said the centerman would be getting some tests on Wednesday.

In the third, the B’s had a great chance to regain the two-goal lead when Casey Mittelstadt, from behind the net, found a wide-open Viktor Arvidsson a the top of the crease,  but Saros stoned him.

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And with 6:43 left in regulation, the Preds tied it. After matching roughing minors, Nashville scored on the ensuing 4-on-4 when Nick Blankenburg used the extra room to roam free out high and he beat Swayman with a long shot under the blocker.

It stay deadlocked after 60 minutes. It got unlocked 15 seconds later. On the winner, another non-uniformed member of the B’s had another big assist. The plan, as usual, was for Kastelic to take the opening draw and jump off the ice. This time Khusnutdinov was set to jump on. Only problem was, he was missing a skate blade.

Equipment manager Keith Robinson heard assistant Matt Falconer yell out “Khusy needs steel!” As soon as Robinson snapped the blade in, Khusnutdinov jumped onto the ice and joined the weave in the offensive zone, dropping the puck for the circling Pastrnak,  who then executed the pretty give-and-go with McAvoy for the winner.

As Geekie said, it takes a village.

Loose pucks

Hampus Lindholm will be going to the Olympics after all. Due to the injury to Jonas Brodin, Lindholm was named to Team Sweden on Tuesday, where he’ll join Bruin teammate Elias Lindholm. Other Bruins going to the Games in Milan, Italy will be Swayman and McAvoy (USA), Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha (Czechia), Henri Jokiharju (Finland) and Providence Bruin Dans Locmelis (Latvia).

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“Any time you put (the Sweden jersey), it’s such a cool jersey, it has so much history tied to it. I haven’t had any opportunity for the Olympis for me in my career, so it’s going to be a great honor to go there,” said Lindholm… Alex Steeves was scratched in favor of Mikey Eyssimont, who played his first game since Jan. 11…Nikita Zadorov, who missed Monday’s game with a lower body injury, returned to the lineup and saw 21:53, second most on the B’s to McAvoy’s 27:14.

 



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Families of two killed in US boat strikes near Venezuela file wrongful-death suit in Boston – The Boston Globe

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Families of two killed in US boat strikes near Venezuela file wrongful-death suit in Boston – The Boston Globe


The lawsuit against the federal government was filed Tuesday morning by lawyers from the political advocacy group American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Samaroo’s sister, Sallycar Korasingh, and Joseph’s mother, Lenore Burnley.

Maritime lawsuits can be filed in any federal court in the US, the ACLU noted, and they said they chose Boston because of the long history of such suits here.

The complaint alleges the deaths amount to extrajudicial slayings, or the unlawful killing of an individual by a government.

“I miss him terribly. We all do,” Burnley said of her son, in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “We know this lawsuit won’t bring Chad back to us, but we’re trusting God to carry us through this, and we hope that speaking out will help get us some truth and closure.”

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The strike that allegedly took both men’s lives came on Oct. 14, as they made the short journey to the island that’s only a handful of miles off Venezuela’s coast.

For Joseph, according to the lawsuit, it was to be a long-delayed homecoming. The farmer and fisherman had been in Venezuela since April for work, as sometimes happened with him. On top of that, the suit said, he had a hard time finding a boat back to the small fishing village on Trinidad’s north coast where he lived with his common-law wife and three children.

On Oct. 12, he called his wife to tell her the 20-mile boat trip was finally happening: He’d be back in two days, according to the lawsuit.

He’d be with Samaroo, a coworker and fishing buddy who had moved to Las Cuevas a year earlier after his release from prison. He was imprisoned for 15 years for his role in a killing, according to the lawsuit. Media reports say it was the homicide of a street vendor, but don’t provide further detail about what happened.

Samaroo told his sister he was returning on the Oct. 14 boat because he wanted to see their mother, who had fallen ill.

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Neither man, their families and the Trinidadian government claim, was involved in the drug trade.

Korasingh, Samaroo’s sister, said he had “paid his debt to society and was just trying to get back on his feet again” when the strike killed him.

“If the U.S. government believed Rishi had done anything wrong, it should have arrested, charged, and detained him, not murdered him,” she said in a statement. “They must be held accountable.”

On Oct. 14, the news came in the form of a social-media post from the president of the United States.

Trump posted that he’d authorized a “lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) conducting narcotrafficking” in international waters near Venezuela. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.” Six “male narcoterrorists,” Trump said, died in the strike.

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If was the latest of what would ultimately be more than 30 such strikes on boats near Venezuela, whose leadership Trump has blamed for the influx of drugs coming into the United States. Ultimately, tensions escalated to the point that US military forces entered Venezuela and arrested its president, the dictator Nicolas Maduro, in a raid earlier this month.

In the Oct. 14 post announcing the strike, the president attached a video of the men’s last moments. A small boat appears to sit in the middle of the frame. Suddenly, a dart of light comes from off the screen above, striking the boat, which explodes into a fireball.

Joseph’s mother, Burnley, saw the reports of the strike on the news and called her son’s wife.

“They immediately feared that Mr. Joseph was aboard this boat, as the timing of the strike directly coincided with Mr. Joseph’s journey by boat from Venezuela to Las Cuevas,” lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.

They called his phone, but it was dead. And, the complaint said, “The line remains dead to this day.”

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Their remains were not found. Both families have filed missing-persons reports and sought more information, but non has been available. Both families, according to the lawsuit, have held funerals.

As justification, Trump has said that the US is essentially in conflict with the large drug-trafficking organizations that smuggle drugs into the United States.

In the lawsuit, the families allege the strike was illegal because drug traffickers — even violent ones — do not qualify under international law as an entity that a country can claim it’s in armed conflict against. But even if that were the case, the suit claims, the government should not target civilians.

“As a result, even in the context of an armed conflict, the killings of Mr. Joseph and Mr. Samaroo would constitute a grave breach of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and thus a war crime, making its perpetrators punishable under federal and international law,” the complaint states.

The lawyers are suing under the century-old Death on the High Seas Act, which allows family members of people killed in international waters to sue for wrongful death.

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Ultimately, this suit is seeking unnamed monetary damages for the families. The complaint is not seeking an injunction ordering the government to change its behavior.


Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com. Follow him @cotterreporter.





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Blazers Have No Luck Against Celtics in Boston

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Blazers Have No Luck Against Celtics in Boston


The Portland Trail Blazers lost an ugly game to the Boston Celtics on Monday night, with a final score of 102-94. The game seemed over before it began as Boston took a massive lead early. Portland was able to make a couple pushes to make the game closer, but were never able to take the lead or seriously threaten to steal it.

The Blazers were led in scoring by Jerami Grant’s 19 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line. Toumani Camara added 18 points and Jrue Holiday had 14. Only two Blazers shot 50% or better from the field: Robert Williams (3-3) and Sidy Cissoko (1-2).

The Celtics were led by 23 points from Payton Pritchard, including buzzer-beaters to end both the first and second quarters. They also got 20 points from Jaylen Brown and 18 points from Derrick White.

Donovan Clingan finished the game with 9 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. He made three of his four shots from inside the arc, but attempted five threes and made just one. His rebounding and shot-blocking abilities were on full display and he was very important for Portland’s pushes throughout the game.

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Clingan’s effectiveness inside the paint takes a hit in Deni Avdija’s absence, as he doesn’t get quality shots. However, he was still efficient with the attempts he did get.

It’s hard to win games when you lose the first quarter 32-11. A 4-21 shooting performance from the field and 1-12 from deep in the quarter put the Blazers in a massive hole from the get-go. Boston didn’t do anything incredible, 54% from the field and 29% from three, but it was enough to go up huge on Portland.

It marked the second straight game that the Blazers set a season low in first quarter points after logging just 12 points in the first frame against the Toronto Raptors. They also set a new season low for points in a first half with just 37.

Portland just could not get the lid off the basket in this game. They shot just 42% from the field, 26% from deep and 67% from the free throw line. Without any consistency scoring the ball, every run quickly ended as the misses began to pile up.

While the Blazers played good defense throughout the game, Boston was able to win by just making a couple more shots and ride their huge first quarter to survive every push Portland made.

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Portland stays on the road to face the Washington Wizards tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. PST.



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