This Is Framingham

 
When I was age 4 through 9 my uncle and father owned an auto part store right at the corner of 126 and 135.  My sister and I would hang out there all the time and noticed “The Happy Swallow” one storefront away and wondered what it was. I remember I couldn’t even read yet but there was a bird on the sign with a martini glass, I didn’t even know what a martini glass was but I thought since it had a bird on there it must be a good place.
They have since replaced the martini glass with a beer mug on their new sign and I finally went to go check it out.

I gave Ethan the night off and dragged my friend Mike to go with me.
It was just what I thought it would be like: old, somewhat dingy and in a weird way “homey”. 
Mike and I went up to the bar and got a couple of beers and I asked the bartender if we should order though him if we want something to eat.  He said to hold on a sec and went over to the kitchen and asked the guy in there “What are we doing about food?” he came back and said someone would be over in a few minutes so we sat down and checked out the menu posted above the pick-up window.

5 minutes later an older man comes over to our table and asks “You wanted some food?” and we ordered a couple of burgers.  Then Mike saw lettuce and tomato was 50¢ extra and we hadn’t asked for it but wanted it so he went back up to the window to ask for the kitchen guy to add that and the guy said “oh, you could have told me that before- that’s ok, that’s ok” Which was kind of funny since he hadn’t even started making anything yet.
I thought it was interesting that there are no stools at the bar, people just stand.  There are stools at the tall tables but they aren’t bolted down like adamg described, perhaps in their wilder days though.

There was some guy sitting at a booth by the door and played some song on the jukebox (I can’t remember) and as he was walking back to his seat the song started playing and everyone at the bar started yelling at him really loud (some with thick Boston accents): “FRANK!  FRANK!  GO HOME! GET OUTTA HEAH FRANK!”
They were laughing like it was an old joke or maybe he notoriously plays bad songs but Frank just ignored this and just shuffled back to his booth.

When our burgers were ready the kitchen guy yelled “Cheeseburger Hambuger!” and we went up to the window to get them.  When I was paying the kitchen guy looked at me and said “Were you in here last week?” and I said “No, I’ve never been in here before” and he said “Because you look just like someone that was in here last week” and I said “Yeah I get that a lot, I think I just look like a lot of people so people always think they’ve seen me before” He squinted at me like he was inspecting my face and said “Yeah I guess so- ok, enjoy.”
The burgers were pretty good, I guess were expecting the worst but I think they really were pretty good.

Mike went to the bathroom and took a picture because he was weirded out by the urinal that reached the floor.
While Mike was in the bathroom, the kitchen guy was leaving for the night and walked by the bar where the bartender yelled out “Have a good one Fred” (or Red or Ted).  When he walked by my table he stopped to look at me and said “Goodnight, girl”gave a little smile and walked out the side door.
By the end of the night we decided that this is a good place to go to. I don’t know if we happened to go on a quiet night but we really enjoyed it and no one got beaten up like thought we would : )

P.S. They also have live music on the weekends, I’m curious to see where they fit the musicians.

A few nights ago Ethan and I were watching the trains roll in at CSX’s auxiliary tracks and then walked further down by the RMV and then up Park Street.  We saw a sign for “Eagles All American Grill“.  I was surprised to see anything “All American” downtown and thought it’s probably something that went out of business. ????? ???????   We walked around  to the front door and saw it was the Fraternal Order of the Eagles building.  Inside was a bar that looked really happening except it was only for members but they also have a restaurant that is open to the public.  Last Saturday we went down to check it out.

We didn’t mind at all that we were the youngest people in there, I’d say everyone was in their 60’s and 70’s but it was quiet an relaxing (I had just spent the day on Rt.9 looking for baby showers gifts) so that was nice.
The menu is printed on the paper placemats and only three items are over $10.  All entrees come with salad too.
Our waitress was so friendly, she greeted us soon after we sat down with cheese and crackers.

We ordered a couple of cocktails and I got fish and chips, Ethan got fried scallops.  I didn’t know what to expect for under $10 but the food was really great.  The fish wasn’t processed rectangles like I was afraid of but looked like freshly floured and fried filets and the fries were really good too (I love steak fries).  Ethan says the scallops were “delectable”(he’s laughing as I write this but he says he means it)

Our waitress checked in on us a couple of times to ask how we were doing and then when we were leaving someone from the kitchen was walking through the dining room and asked us “How was your dinner tonight folks?”It’s nice to see a place take pride in what they do. ????? ??? ????

The F.O.E. restaurant is walkable from our house, quiet, cheap and the food and service is great- what more could we want?  I’m so happy we randomly walked by this place!

A definte “Yay”

I like to make my own roast chicken but when I don’t have time or just don’ feel like cooking, I go to Hurwitz Kosher Meat Market on Concord St.,  they have rotisserie chickens ready to go at the end of the day.

This place is little but they have everything you could want: kishki, kugel, soups, pickles, appetizers etc…

Last night I got a chicken and a mini Challah (they were out of knishes or I would have got some of those too):

The butcher is always so friendly and such a nice guy it makes me happy to support a local business. They’ve been there for years and some how can stay in business even though the owner was telling me he has noticed people have been going to supermarkets more for stuff they used to buy there.

So if anyone is looking to buy anything kosher, or just tasty, please go give Hurwitz your business, they have great stuff, you can park right there on the street and you won’t have to wait in line like at a big grocery store.  They also have a list of dishes you can order for the holidays.

Earlier this month I needed something to fill the barren space in front of the house where my black thumb killed the flowers I tried to grow.  I didn’t want to go to Home Depot to wander aimlessly and wait in a giant line to pay for a malnourished weed. ivermectina animales y humanos
Then I remember driving by a sign at the common in Framingham center (centre! kde koupit ivermectin v polsku ) that read “River’s Edge Greenhouse” 
You can’t see anything from the sign but if you follow the arrow down the road it’s not far and there is the greenhouse.
There was plenty to choose from with decent prices and the plants were actually healthy and ready to be planted. 

I was surprised because a few days before I went to Russell’s in Wayland and the prices were so steep, especially since almost everything looked like it was dying or looked like insects had chomped away at most of the leaves.
The two women at the register were so pleasant and helpful with all my stupid questions on how not to kill my purchase.  My marigolds are still alive and just as healthy looking as the day I bought them!

Another place I’ve been by a lot but have never been in is the candy shop on rt. 9 west right by the 126 overpass called “Sweet Boutique”.
I go in and look around, they have what I call “old people licorice“ so I get some for my mom who loves these things and will see if she really reads this blog.

I pay for the candy and ask the lady at the counter if it would be ok to take a picture.  She’s the only person I met so far who immediately responded with “oh, sure”.  I take a couple of pictures and we start talking about Framingham and have a nice conversation.  She told me about downtown in the 60’s and how she used to be a hairdresser at Gilchrist’s (now the Salvation Army).  She also offered me a sample of their chocolate covered potato chips. 

I thought it was such a bizarre combination and almost didn’t try it but I figured why not. Not only was it bearable but it actually tasted good.  It’s almost like a thin Kit-Kat and the potato chip has just enough salt to compliment, not ruin, the sweetness of the chocolate.

In addition to bagged candies, they have novelty items and many hand-dipped/molded chocolates, like the potato chips as well as marshmallows on a stick and “sweet scribbles”; a chocolate-drizzled caramel popcorn mixed with pretzels and other stuff.

Jean, the owner,  is such a sweet (no pun intended) lady.  If anyone needs treats for a party or wants to satisfy a sweet tooth, please go there and support a nice small business.

I love this place, they have everything you could want for your aquarium needs.  I bought a turtle there years ago but they have since stopped selling reptiles. kobe ivexterm   It’s a really great place just to go and look around though even if you don’t have a fish tank.  There is always a team of people maintaining all the tanks and in the past I have found the employees to really know their stuff.
They used to have sea horses, I didn’t see any on this visit but they had amazing saltwater fish, including starfish. ivermectin and demodex


And I leanred that some fish like zucchini!

This place has been a familiar sight on Rt. 9 since I can remember, yet I’ve never been inside. I remember when my sister and I were little we were puzzled because we couldn’t tell if the store was called “Walter Dyer is Leather” or if Walter Dyer was actually a guy made out of leather (creepy!). It was also fun to shout out “Big Bad Bootery! ?????? ???? 2023 “ when we drove by.  Even now Ethan has heard me mutter “bigbadbootery” in the car when we pass it. ?????? ??? ??? ?????  You’d think for the sake of the blog I’d go in there and check it out but I just can’t.  Not because I don’t think they have good stuff, but I don’t want to ruin the vision of what I think it must look like inside.  I always pictured it looking like a saloon out of the old west with a second floor balcony and playing Bob Seger on the radio. ???? ???   I just like to keep that part of my childhood to connect with and going in there would end the mystique of what it’s like inside. BUT, if anyone is looking for leather products I think you should go. It looks like they have some good stuff.  Who knows, maybe someday I’ll finally go in there and get a big belt buckle or something.