This Is Framingham

Doug Stephan of Eastleigh Farm (used with permission)
According to their site, Eastleigh Farm has been okayed (again) to sell raw milk starting in March.
There are people who think it’s a good idea and those who think it’s a bad idea but what it comes down to is that it’s a choice people can make, just like people choose how well they want their burger done.
Personally I’m not a big milk drinker, but I do enjoy cheese made from raw milk and I know there are lots of people who prefer to drink raw milk. I think it would be great for Framingham to be known as a location where you can get raw milk and support a local farm. When I talk to people who don’t live in town they’re surprised when I tell them we have actual farms here – they think Framingham is just crime and shopping.
I had the pleasure of talking with Doug Stephan a few weeks ago and he said the milk will start off being available as milk shares and then in a few months most likely be available by the bottle and then move onto cheese, yogurt and ice cream as well.
Everything you’d want to know about this, like why people want to drink raw milk, and more about the farm can be found on their website: http://www.eastleighfarm.com

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!

I was looking to get my awesome Jordan Marsh print framed and I didn’t really want to go to AC Moore or Michael’s because there is something weird to me about always offering 50% off framing, they don’t do their work in-house and I like to use local businesses. I’ve never had anything framed before and some people recommended Framed in Time in Saxonville so I thought I’d check them out.
When you walk in, you can see there are a ton of options for frames.

Right from the start, the girl behind the counter was so incredibly nice and helpful when I explained what I was looking for and the budget I was working with. She picked out a few suggestions based on the colors of the print and the thickness of the frame that would be needed due to the larger amount of glass that would be need as this was a larger poster rather than a small desk top item I was looking to frame.

I picked a light wood frame even though the interior of our house has dark wood trim, I thought the light wood went well with the print. I went to pick it up today and when I saw the finished product I realized I made a mistake and I just knew Ethan wasn’t going to like it in the house.

As much as I hated to do it, I asked the guy “So….what if I needed this re-framed? How much would that cost?” and instead of rolling his eyes or sighing, which I was afraid he would do, he said “Oh, if you pick a frame that’s in the same price range, there’s no charge at all”.  I told him I was so sorry but now that I’m looking at it I just know my husband won’t like this and I guess I’m not crazy about it either.
The guy said no problem at all and that it’s big enough that he can cut it up to use for something else and that infact he just got a new frame in this price range that is the same thing but in a walnut color. He brought out the frame sample and it was perfect.

It was so nice of him to not only to be so accommodating to me changing my mind after the frame was done, but he didn’t try to up-sell me on a more expensive frame and he was really nice!
I know we’ll be happy with the new frame and I’m so glad I went here. Such a nice small business in town, they get to be filed in the “yay” category of the blog!

Check out their site for more info: http://www.framedintime.com

Yesterday I asked my boss where she got her scarf and she said Red Rover Clothing, which is  a building away from our work and she said “I should bring you over there sometime”.  Later in the day I was looking at it and asked her how much it was and she put down her pen and said “Lets just go over there! 1xbet ???? ” So we walked over and she introduced me to the owner, Cindy, who makes almost everything herself and is really nice and showed us her workspace upstairs.
The shop is small but neatly stocked with all sorts of really cute fleece clothing, gloves, scarves, bags and jewelry.

Red Rover Clothing is at 9 Vernon St. ???? ??????? ???? ???? ????? and you can check out the site at http://redroverclothing.com

Today I went to get the mail at the Trolley Square plaza like I do everyday and was expecting to peek into the window of the soon-to-be-open produce market, like I do every day, except today it was open for business!
It was great to see the store I had watched progress all summer, fully functioning. what is mectizan used for They did a nice job inside:

The produce, as expected, looked fresh and crisp:

They have a variety of breads including their own that they bake fresh every day:

In addition to lots of imported jarred and canned goods, they offer plenty of cheese, cured meats and smoked fish, whole, cut and sliced:

Just walking through this place is fun, you could make a project out of trying something new every week. I spoke with the owner for a little bit and when I asked him why he chose Framingham to open this store he said “because you needed it”. He has been in the specialty food business for many years and most of them were in New York, where he imports a lot of his items from. where can i get ivermectin tablets
Like the cakes, which looked fantastic:
This place is everything I hoped for and I think it will do well because of the unique items that can’t be found at the bigger markets. Their site isn’t quite up and running but they’re at 855 Worcester Rd. and the phone is (508) 872-7272.

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.