This Is Framingham

Last night my cousin Amy and I went to check out Papa Razzi on route 9 which has replaced Bennigan’s. Right away you can see they’ve done extensive renovation and now have an open kitchen.

As with any new restaurant, they were out to make a good impression. There was a team of greeters. One that opened the front door, one that opened the inside front door, the person who asked us how many and the person who sat us. All said welcome to Papa Razzi and asked how we were. It was funny to be asked that 4 times before we even sat down. Definitely a cheery group though. We were sat within hearing distance of the host desk and one of the hostesses sounded really excited when people walked in and would say “Hi! How ARE you?” and say things like “You’re getting an AWESOME table, you’ll LOVE it!” We joked that she must be exhausted at the end of the night.

Our server was nice, forgot a few things but as Amy and I have both worked in restaurants since we were in highschool, we know how mistakes can happen. Amy can be a little less forgiving, although she’s done some hard time in the business, from casual to fine dining to catering and has some amazing stories she could probably write a book about.
Before our server came over, one of the managers came over and asked how we were and said our server will be over shortly, which she was. We both ordered a wine flight. I got red and Amy got white. I felt that there might be problem with the order since our server didn’t really seem to know what a flight was. She might have been so overloaded with information from training that she got confused, but we had to explain and point out on the wine menu what we wanted since she didn’t recognize what we ordered by the name of the flight, which is fine but then she asked which wine on that flight we wanted, and that we get to pick one. We nicely explained again that it’s three wines and then she got it, but showed up to the table with two flights of white wine. I felt a little bad that one of the managers was at our table when I said I got one of the red flights, I didn’t want her to look bad in front of the manager but it was easily solved. I got the “Elegant and Fruity” flight which was really good:

The meal started off with bread sticks that our server said are handmade right in the restaurant.

I’m not one for hard, dry breadsticks but I understand that is the style these are supposed to be.
We really liked the focaccia bread though.

We decided to split a salad, they were nice enough to divide the salad into separate bowls and half was a perfect size for both us.
My half-salad:

The runner who brought the salads didn’t bring any dressing (we asked for different dressings on the side) Amy raised her hand for one of the managers who was scanning the dining room and he came right over and had someone bring over dressing.

For dinner, Amy got spinach and ricotta filled ravioli. It comes with a red sauce but she asked if she could just get olive oil and garlic on it instead, to which our server said “absolutely” and it came out just like Amy had asked.

I got the gnocchi. I always feel like it’s a gamble with gnocchi because if it’s too dense it’s like eating playdough but these were perfect. They were light and soft and the creamy-tomato sauce was very good as well:

We were too stuffed for dessert but I would definitely come back because I’d like to try their pizza. I didn’t see any pizza out in the dining room, but I’m curious to see what it’s like.
The pizza oven:

I think aside from a few little bumps like I mentioned (and Amy found cork and foil in one of her wines) I think it’s a pretty good place. The one thing I think they could work on is getting the staff to ask if you’re done with something before they take it away. A few times during the meal, different staff members would come over and quickly take something off the table without asking, like the breadsticks, the salad dressing that we were using to dip the bread in, something else-now I forget what, but things like that.
I know it’s another chain restaurant, I’d love to see a local business owner open up on a place on the strip but I think the reality is that this part of route 9 won’t financially accommodate a lot of small businesses.  So for what it is, I think Papa Razzi is leaps and bounds above Bennigan’s and I’m happy with this replacement.
Here’s their website for more information: http://www.paparazzitrattoria.com

Tonight we went to check out Terra Brasilis on Waverly St.  This used to be D’angelos and before that it was originally a restaurant called “Howdy’s”.  We used to go to Howdy’s all the time with my grandmother in the late 70’s/early 80’s and that’s what I think of when I go by this building. stromectol price baikal-pharmacy.com   I’m sure if my grandmother were alive today she probably wouldn’t even remember Howdy’s or care that it was in this building but that’s my little memory of this spot.
Anyway, tonight was about the here and now and now it’s Terra Brasilis, which is Brazilian cuisine (in case you couldn’t tell from the name).   The set up is nice and open with the buffet at the back of the restaurant.

Half of the buffet has cold items like salad and melon and the other half is hot dishes. 

Next to the buffet is a meat carving station where they offer beef, chicken, and lamb off the rotisserie.

I got a little sampling of fried pollock, collard greens, beets, broccoli, chicken and vegetable saute, a type of shepard’s pie (ground meat and mashed potatoes), some kind of fried chicken dumpling, fried banana and of course, french fries.

 I think my favorite was the fried pollock, it was lightly breaded and very moist and flakey inside, really good. ivermectin horses persistance   I also really liked the collard greens.  Normally I don’t eat collard greens because I usually see them stewed or over-cooked to death, but these were just cooked enough so that they maintained their lively green color. ivermectin wool mites   I like to cook kale the same way so I really like that.  The shepard’s pie was also good.  Maybe the chicken and vegetable saute was a little mushy due to conditions that occur to less popular heated buffet items but I know that happens sometimes. Fried banana was okay.
We got someBrazilian soda to go with our meal:

These are the same flavor but different brands. I really liked this because it was sweet but light, almost like carbonated fruit juice and I felt it went well with the meal.

As you may have noticed from the blog, I don’t eat a lot of Brazilian food but I do like trying different things and I’m glad we came here.
Here’s their website to see their other locations and their daily buffet items: http://www.terrabrasilisrestaurant.com

Bertucci’s on route 9 has recently been renovated, we decided to use our gift card and check out the changes inside.
Walking in, the first thing I noticed was the bar area, as with the rest of the restaurant,  it has new colors on the walls and new light fixtures. I liked the earthtone colors they used.

The rest of the dining room seems a little more metropolitan/sophisticated than before, there are no items like baskets, old photos or bottles olive oil  on the wall anymore.  Instead there are more earthy colors and an accent wall in the back that has the same pattern as the awnings out front.

It is a bit darker in there than before but it’s not bad, it’s nice and the only drawback was that the pcitures cameout a little dark (I didnt want to use the flash) Here a comparison by the open kitchen
Before:

After:

I got something called Chicken Anna Maria, which was really good and I ended up taking half of it home )which was great the next day too): Chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes with a light cream sauce:

Ethan got grilled Salmon with broccoli and mashed potatoes which he said was simple but also good.

For drinks I got a glass of Sangria which was perfect to have on a hot summer night.  Ethan got a Limoncello martini, which was a little too strong/tart for me but Ethan enjoyed it.

Our server was very pleasant and timely, which is always nice.   My sister goes to Bertucci’s all the time and alway ssays how great the servers are so they must do something right in their training.

Panache Coffee recently opened at 680 Worcester Rd. (Ski Market Plaza).   My mom was over and it was so nice out, we decided to walk down to check it out.
Inside has been renovated nicely with lots of neutral colors, big windows and a little nook with a fireplace. vacuna ivermectina
 

The guy at the counter was very patient with my mom who likes to ask lots of questions.  She asked about all the different “fancy” drinks, what kind of syrups they use and what “WiFi” is.

She ended up getting and iced coffee (w/ cream, pictured on the right) and I got an Iced Americano with a shot of chocolate.

My mom, who is very particular about her coffee, said her iced coffee was “really good”.  I was very happy with my Iced Americano as well.  I don’t know where they get their beans from but it tastes like they chose a good quality supplier.  There is also a case with a typical pastry assortment if people want a little something to go with their coffee. la ivermectina daña el hígado humano

I’m really glad Panche opened here.  It’s so nice to have a small coffee house that has great coffee, looks good inside and is close by.  I’m looking forward to supporting this local business.

A new Italian style pizza and dessert place opened up on route 30, (661 Cochituate Rd.) called “North End Treats”.
It is a take-out only place that serves pizza, pasta, sandwiches, pastries and gelato.
Inside is small but large enough to serve it’s purpose since there is no seating.

We got 2 individual 9″ pizzas.  One Bourbon Steak Tips with peppers and one Caramelized Onion with feta and pine nuts.
Steak Tips:

Caramelized Onions (they forgot to slice it and the picture is blurry)

The steak was good but I really, really enjoyed the caramelized onion pizza.  It was excellent. The natural sweetness of the onions with the salty feta was a perfect match. how long does ivermectin keep killing scabies    
These are especially good pizzas for people that like crust because there’s plenty of it.  I feel like a plain pizza would be very satisfying as well. 
Of course while I was  waiting I couldn’t help but look at the pastry case:

I decided to bring home a little assortment of a peanut butter brownie, cannoli and mini-lobster tail:

I never had a lobster tail before but it was awesome, pastry filled with whipped and Bavarian cream.  It was light (tasting) and so creamy- a very nice treat!  I’d tie that with the peanut butter brownie which is intense and I recommend letting it almost get to room temp before eating since the top layer of chocolate is so thick.  The cannoli was pretty good two but if I had to choose 2 out of the three, it would be the lobster tail and brownie.  I will be back to try the gelato and some pasta dishes. ivermectin demodectic mange

This is such a great addition to Framingham pizza/food options. ivermectin 12mg tablet uses in hindi   My only wish is that it was downtown, it would be perfect in one of the storefronts down there! 

Laurie Lee hosted a little “Thank You” lunch for the ladies who pitched in for her campaign at the Columbus Club.  I’ve always wanted to go here but never got around to it or something weird happened, but today I finally got to go and experience the Columbus Club.Inside was exactly what I expected (and hoping for) an old-school, no-frills set up with wood wall panels, stackable chairs and a whiteboard as it’s only menu.  I got the “mac & meatballs” which is ziti and meatballs:This was awesome.  The sauce is excellent and the meatballs were perfectly moist and soft.  Simple but delicious.Some of the other dishes people got were Lasagna and Sausage:Chicken Parm:Chicken noodle soup:Selectman Dennis Giombetti came by our table and jokingly asked if anyone was going to try the tripe, which I guess is really good if you like tripe but even he didn’t suggest it for people who haven’t had it before.  He shared some nice memories of spending time at the club growing up too.  I got to talk with our new Town Moderator, Ed Noonan, who seems like a very sharp guy and has a clear plan on how he’s going to run town meeting.  I’m looking forward to watching him in action this year.  I had such a great time meeting people I’ve heard of but never met and seeing people I know from town meeting. The Columbus Club definitely has a “club” feel but also a strong sense of community and places like this are hard to find – and the food is delicious too!  A nice little gem in Framingham.For more info on the Columbus Club check out their site:http://framinghamcolumbus.org/

We decided to be adventurous and go to Shopper’s World (cough cough) on a Saturday to try Joe’s American Bar and Grill.  I think(?) I went to one years ago just for drinks and although I’m usually not a fan of chain restaurants, it’s kind of local with most of their places in Massachusetts and only two reaching as far down as New Jersey (and I’ve heard it was a decent place).
We were greeted by the manager who was very polite and professional as was the hostess who sat us and our server.
It was a rainy, windy day so we felt like getting some thing warm and satisfying.  My interior picture didn’t come out so well but I liked the dark wood and vintage-looking lighting they have.  
I got a grilled meatloaf sandwich that was served on challah bread with a side of horseradish sauce.  It comes w/ a peppercorn mayo but I loathe pepper so I asked if I could switch that for something else and the server was very nice about it.

Now, looking at this, I wish I took a better picture but this was a great sandwich.  Nice and toasty on the outside, hot sliced meatloaf on the inside and the hand-cut fries were oh so nice.

Ethan got a Bacon Cheeseburger.  It looks a little mauled because the sever asked him if he wouldn’t mind cutting into it to make sure it was cooked to the temperature he asked (it was).  Ethan said the burger was very good and thought the cheese was “very cheddary”.

This meal really hit the spot, but what really made an impression was after we left and were buckling up in the car, the manager appeared with Ethan’s hat that he forgot inside.  I thought that was really above and beyond since it was a total downpour outside and he didn’t even have a menu over his head or anything to protect himself from the rain – he just ran out to make sure Ethan got his hat.  That was really nice, so all around we had a good experience here.