This Is Framingham

On 135 across from La Cantina is “Trolley Dogs”.  Sorry, I didn’t think of taking a better picture of the whole trolley but if you drive by there you’ll see it in the parking lot.  It’s open for lunch from 11-4 and closed on Sundays.

They also have other items besides hot dogs.  I think it is in some way owned by La Cantina and the trolley offers La Cantina’s great minestrone soup.

I just got a simple hot dog. Pretty good, basic hot dog and the guy in the trolley was really cheerful and friendly, which is always nice. ?? ??? ??? ?????

I think this is great to have in this area for a quick bite. ????? ???????

We went to Firefly’s for lunch last weekend.  I’ve heard it’s the best BBQ around from Phantom but sometimes he’s not 100% trustable or I question if he’s paid off. 
I’m not a huge BBQ person, not that I don’t enjoy it but I know I’m not a connoisseur either.  It definitely smells like BBQ when you walk in, which really gets you in the mood. ???
We sat in the bar area and out waitress was attentive and friendly.  She explained that there is a condiment bar to get sauces and toppings. 

On the condiment bar were beets, baby corn, three bean salad, hot peppers pickles and a few other things I forget.
I got the sliced brisket with grilled asparagus and sauteed vegetables. 

Ethan got BBQ steak tips with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables.

Ethan said the tips were really good.  My brisket was a little dry but I put some BBQ sauce on it and it wasn’t bad.

I was glad there wasn’t a lot of people when we went (after the lunch rush).  I can imagine that place being really loud on the weekends.  It also reminded me of “Coyote” a Texas style BBQ/steakhouse place that was where Liam’s Tavern used to be and where “Ipanema” is now. ???? ???????? ???????   I used to wait tables there and just being around the smells and atmosphere brought back some funny memories.

Firefly’s isn’t bad, not outstanding but next time I get a BBQ craving I’d go back and try something else besides the brisket.

We went to Uncle Cheung’s on route 9 last Saturday.  I always forget about this place but decided to revisit it to check it out.  I haven’t been here in probably 15 years.
We got there soon after they opened around 11:45am.  I’m not sure if it’s every day but they only had combination plates available.  The plates come with rice, egg roll and soup. can i use ivermectin on my cat
I got egg drop and Ethan got hot and sour.

The soup was really good, almost too good.  I found out later that they use MSG in their food.
For lunch I got sauteed Chinese cabbage (baby bok choy? ivermectin interacting with mosquito ) and Ethan got some sort of spicy chicken like kung pao.

The food was good, although probably not worth the minor reaction I get to MSG : (
The service was very good and friendly though. It’s clean and comfortable inside too.

Sunday we decided to try Friendly Pizza on 135 near the Natick line.  I think I had been there a few years ago if this is the same place that was in the supermarket plaza on 135 where the Harley Davidson store is now.  I get Family Pizza and Friendly pizza mixed up since they’re so close to each other but I have been to one of them a few years ago.
 We just got a small pizza with peppers and onions.

Whenever we get pizza I ask Ethan if he thinks it’s Greek or Italian style because I’m still not clear what the difference is.  He said it’s pretty much Greek but the crust was actually lighter and airier than a typical Greek pizza so I don’t know really what you’d call it.

It was okay, I liked the crust.  I thought it could have had a little more sauce under the blanket of cheese but that’s just me.  Ethan said he thought it was pretty good. ?????? ?????
I think after we tried a place a few weeks ago and agreed it was the worst pizza we ever had,  we’re always pleasantly surprised when a pizza is at least what you expect, and if it’s extra good it a plus. ????? ??? ???? ????   The guy at the counter was friendly enough too.

Since Ethan doesn’t eat sushi, I always save going out for it with my friends who do like it.
My friend Jill and I decided to try Wasabi, it’s a little place on route 9 east right before the ramp up to Framingham State. ????? ????????
Wasabi is one of the few places to get sushi in Framingham, I think it’s about 9 or 10 years old. ???? ????? ??? ??   I had never tried it before so I read up on reviews online.  There were more good than bad but I still wasn’t sure what to expect.

The inside was a lot better than how it looks on the outside, which was good for starters because one of the reasons I’ve never been here before was because of how the outside looked to me.

We got some sake and started with seaweed salad which was great. Very tasty and just enough chili flakes (which I don’t usually like) to not be overbearing like some places make it.

For the dinner we got salmon sashimi, a salmon-avocado-cucumber roll and a rainbow roll that was featured on the special board.


The sushi tasted very fresh and high quality. ????? ?????? ?????? They have a very limited menu and do not have super creative rolls like at Oishi (which is an incredible sushi experience but I limit this blog to Framingham so that’s I’ll say about Oishi) although it says on the menu that if you don’t see something you’d like they welcome requests for the chef.

We were really happy with our selection and the service was excellent, unlike one of the reviews I read, so we were pleased with everything.  I shouldn’t have avoided this place for so long!

We went to Riley’s Roast Beef a few months ago and I just never got around to posting about it until now.  (The summer and fall just flew by!)

I remember always seeing Riley’s because it’s right near my uncle’s house but never been in there.  No one I knew ever talked about it and I never heard any word on the street about it either, yet it’s been there for a long time so I figured it must be in business for a reason.
Inside was interesting, it’s decorated with car memorabilia and photos from “cruise night”. ????? ?????? ???????  

I figured I should get a roast beef sandwich, I didn’t really know how to order it and just asked for horseradish sauce on it but I guess I should have asked for lettuce or something.

I noticed the people who ordered after me were definitely regulars and knew how to order their sandwich the way like it , so I’ll have to try again.  It wasn’t bad but I feel like it was missing something and probably because of my lack of experience. ????? ???? ????

Ethan got a fried shrimp plate, with fried and onion rings that was pretty decent, not amazing but not bad either.

There’s a separate ice cream counter that serves frappes as well as ice cream which I will have to try next time but maybe not until next year.  I think I’m still paying for eating ice cream everyday during the summer!

Saturday was so nice out we decided to walk downtown.  While we were there we went to Anastasia’s. 
Anastasias is one of the more welcoming storefronts downtown with its bright colors and modern light fixtures seen from the street and seems to be fairly new/renovated.

We’ll get the pizza sometime (as it’s been advised by some readers) but that day we were in the mood for steak and cheese subs.  I got mine with mushrooms and Ethan got his with onions and peppers.
Here’s mine:

The cheese is under the steak, which I always think is a little weird but it tastes just as good and maybe that’s how its supposed to be done.  It was pretty much what I expected, nothing spectacular but not disappointing either.  It hit the spot and I’m glad this place is walkable from home. 

I’m looking forward to trying the pizza sometime.