Bishop's in Lawrence, Mass.

During its heyday, Bishop's in Lawrence, Mass. served the best Middle Eastern food and French fries in New England.

That's right, Middle Eastern food and French fries. The lamb kabobs, hummus, babba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves and, yes, perfectly cooked, shoestring french fries had no rival. The atmosphere was memorable too, with, as someone described, a dining room that resembled an aircraft carrier. Bishop's always had amazing service, with many "career" waiters -- the professionalism showed. We never thought Bishop's would close, but it did, and we had to find another restaurant to call a tradition for a revered annual family birthday celebration.

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Finnerty's Country Squire, Cochituate, Mass.

Finnerty's Country Squire closed in 2005, leaving behind wonderful dining memories of a large, traditional New England restaurant that pleased many for generations. Finnerty's was the type of place where one could feel good to dress in their Sunday best for a family meal or larger function and never walk away disappointed at the straightforward chicken, steak and seafood selections.

With Finnerty's closed, it brings up the retrospective question, "Why didn't we go there more?" The food was consistently solid, management ran a tight ship, and the slightly out-of-date country decor, too-long hallway, the spacious dining rooms, wall-to-wall carpeting and relaxed New England country feel brought one back to simpler times. The "business closed" sign in front of the door for many years read like an indication of "It's a Wonderful Life," where cold Pottersville had taken over charming Bailey Falls.

Although we didn't dine there much, Finnerty's will always have a place in our hearts as an integral part of New England dining.

Old-time tradition seems to slipping away from the New England dining scene, and that's sad.

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