City-Like Dining in Suburban Spaces at The Raven's Nest in Walpole, Mass.
Apple goat cheese salmon with asparagus, rice, and cinnamon and cranberry balsamic glaze from The Raven's Nest, Walpole, Mass. (photo by Eric) Driving into the city for a "date night" out can be such a pain -- fighting traffic and rude drivers, paying more for parking and tolls than a meal, and having our car value go down about 60 percent in one night from hitting pothole after pothole. Fortunately, the past 10 or 15 years have been good to us Boston suburbanites looking for a quality meal, close to home. Many restaurant business types, chefs and entrepreneurs have opened up restaurants in the suburbs closer in concept and quality to those high-profile city restaurants that I think sometimes have more appeal as a conversation pieces than places we'd like to go. We have found a southwest Boston suburban dining gem called The Raven's Nest Pub and Eatery in downtown Walpole, Mass. Built much like the Irish pubs owner Mark McAuliffe grew up with in this ...