This Is Framingham

I was walking by Sampan the other morning and saw it’s for sale. I wasn’t sure if they’re closed and for sale or still open and for sale. Out of curiosity I called tonight to see if anyone answered and they did, so I guess they’re open while looking for a buyer.
I can’t say I’ll miss it since I only went there once but it’s been there for a long time so it’ll be weird to not see it there.
Also, I saw that Astro’s pizza has closed after just opening last September.

Tonight my friend Miah and I went out for sushi at Samba. I’ve gone here for hibachi and Ethan and I love their Pad Thai, but I’ve never gone here for a sushi evening so that’s what Miah and I did.
We sat in the lounge (also a first) and started off with some drinks, I got a chocolate martini and and Miah got something fruity that the waiter suggested. ???? ??????

We got some edamame and a sushi/maki combo for 2. This was really enough for 3, maybe even 4 and hasd a nice variety of nigiri and maki which was delicious.

I think the best roll was was the spicy tuna maki, which Miah agreed was particularly good. ????? ????????

We had such a great meal here and now have three reasons to go here. ???? ???? Whether it’s for hibachi, Pad Thai or sushi, I’d be happy to go here anytime and it’s good to see that so far Samba hasn’t succumbed to the failed restaurant curse that had plagued this location for previous businesses. Good job Samba!

Everyday I get the mail the Trolley Square post office and about once a week I go to Taste of China (which is in the same plaza) for their Hot and Sour soup.
I know it doesn’t look like much from the outside, and actually it looks like even less on the inside, but I went there a while ago on my friends recommendation and found the soup to be really good.

They do fill up the container, I just remembered to take the picture after I already had some. ivermectin paste for goats and cows?   I’ve tried Hot and Sour soup from a few places in town and this is one of the top contenders.  The only thing is that you have to ask for them not to put MSG in (if you care about that) but they’re happy to leave it out if you don’t want it. ivermectina xarope
I haven’t tried anything else there but for $2.10 (sometimes I’ll get a small order of brown rice for more) it’s such a great bargain lunch. /ivermectin-pour-cattle-

Over the holiday season I got a gift certificate to Acapulco’s, which has quite a few locations, including Framingham, so Ethan and I headed out last night to see what it was like.
The building they’re in at 1656 Worcester Road, used to be the Iguana Cantina and I can’t remember what it was before that, Fortune house or Fortune Cookie. 
I didn’t get a good picture of the outside but it’s always struck me as kind of an odd building to have a restaurant in and inside is a little tight but  they make it work.  The atmosphere in there is really nice and festive but not in-your-face festive.  There was a mariachi band walking around and playing at tables, which I know is in-your-face festive, but they were so laid back, it was comfortable and a nice treat to have on a quiet Tuesday night.

Our waiter was really friendly and attentitive, he started off by bringing over some chips and salsa.

Then we each got a glass of Sangria – which I didn’t see on the menu so I asked the waiter of they had it and he said “the best!”
Which was very good and served in a generously sized Margarita glass.

Since we had a gift certificate for a good amount, we got an appetizer plate called the “fiesta platter” which had nachos, mini-quesadillas, mini-flautas and buffalo wings.

For dinner Ethan got a chicken burrito

I got Pork Carintas in a quesadilla, which I should have just got the dish on it’s own, but it was still okay, the pork was a little on the dry side but not terrible.

I’d wrap up the experience as good.  The food is decent, the guacamole is very good and the atmosphere and service are excellent.  At first when I got the gift certificate to this place I wasn’t thrilled because I’m not a huge Mexican food fan but I’m glad we got to go because it was so nice inside and had a really nice night.
Here’s their website for more information: http://www.acapulcos.net

I was taking a walk one cloudy weekday morning and saw the neon “OPEN” sign at Llyod’s diner.  They’ve always seem to have mysterious hours which I thought had been reduced to just weekends, but here they were open on a Monday morning with all-week hours posted on the sign out front.
I went inside and asked the man behind the counter if there had been a change of ownership (although I had heard the former owners left to open O’Connell’s) and he told me yes and handed me a take-out menu.  It’s now a Brazilian restaurant called “Tropical Cafe” which I thought was funny because “tropical” is not a word that comes to mind when I look at Llyod’s.
The menu I was given was completely in Portuguese except for “11 Fountain St. Framingham, MA” and an item called the “Framburger”.
I am guessing they will keep both names for operating the diner to stay recognizable and the guy did say they will continue to serve “American breakfast” (not listed on the take-out menu).  I’ll try to check it out some time and see what the food is like.
New hours are 6am-10pm.

My friend and I went to check out the newly opened O’Connell’s (address at the end of the post).
Inside is very sports pub like with flags and sports pictures and helmets everywhere.
The bar is the main area you have to walk through to get to the dining or function rooms.
The dining room still is less “sporty” and still has some elements of the previous business, Asia Buffet, like the lit glass designs dividing the booths:
My friend and I sat in the bar, some of the tables have their own TVs and you can change the channels to whatever you want.
We each started off with a Smuttynose pumpkin ale, and looked through the menu which has the type of food you’d expect to be at a pub.
I got fish and chips which was really good:

The fish tasted very fresh and it wasn’t overly battered, which I like.
It came with coleslaw and thick-cut fries which were also nice and crispy.
My friend Jim got a cheeseburger:

This was a good-sized burger and Jim said he liked it although the bun was a little thick for his liking, the burger itself was very good.

The only thing is that the acoustics in the bar are pretty sharp (which is not unusual for a bar, but we left with our ears ringing), so if you want to have an easier time having a conversation you might want to sit in the dining room. I haven’t found a website for O’Connell’s but it’s at 700 Worcester Rd, in the same plaza at Ski Market. I hope they do well, this location is due for a “keeper” and if they keep up the crowd we saw there the other night, they’ll do fine. Good luck O’Connell’s!

Outside of my regular work I also keep my waitressing skills sharp by working at the 400 and pick up an occasional shift at the Columbus Club where Paul Sanchioni runs an all you can eat roast chicken dinner every Sunday. It’s an incredibly good deal: soup, salad, pasta, potatoes and chicken for $9.95.

Paul gets there before the sun comes up and makes everything from the focaccia bread (which is amazing) to the tomato sauce, to the main course. All Paul, all awesome.

If you’re familiar with Paul’s cooking, you know how good it is. If you’re not, you’ll be in for a treat. The Columbus Club is at 11 Fountain St. and the chicken dinner is every Sunday from 12-6pm.