This Is Framingham

I’ve been to the recycle drop-off a few times, they recently changed their format from the front of the building to the back.  I think it works much better now especially since there can be lines that back up to the street. ivermectin cattle pour on for sheep mites   I got there at the chime of 11am on Sunday but there was already a good line formed.  Since it was nice out and the line moved relatively fast it wasn’t so bad.

The most impressive part of the operation is that the DPW staff are incredibly nice considering it seems like one of those jobs (RMV, tech support) that they don’t have to be pleasant for any good reason.  I’m always greeted with a “how’s it going? will ivermectin kill ear mites in dogs ” or “Good Morning”, they are happy to answer any questions about what I can and can’t bring, give clear directions on where to go and even wave and say “have a good one” when I drive out the exit.  They will also say hello to dogs : )

This place is very well organized. Depending what you need, they direct people into three different lanes.  The glass, paper and plastic drop off has it’s own lane that goes up a ramp for self serve drop off. 

Some items are extra to dispose of but for $10 a season pass is a great deal.  I’m amazed at some of the things they take like grills, couches and storm doors.  It’s so great to have somewhere to bring all this stuff.

Included with the pass is access to yard waste drop-off which is a 10 second drive down the street and again, the people there are really nice and friendly.  I wonder if they get paid amazing amounts of money or they just happen to just be really happy to do what they do but their attitude makes the whole experience so pleasant. budgie base of neck ivermectin
They will direct you to one of the giant piles of brush or grass to drop off your stuff.

For more info on the town’s recycle program, check out their webpage:
http://www.framinghamma.gov/web/pages/PublicWorks.htm

I had to go to the Social Security office last week, I assumed it was in the Memorial Building but found out it was just a minute walk from there at 100 Concord St.
 I had never been in this building because I just didn’t find a reason to, the businesses visible from the street weren’t anything I wanted/needed. 
There was nothing special about the office, but I was really impressed with the lobby in the back of the building where the stairs are to get to the second floor.  I loved everything about it.  In addition to being cheerfully sunlit by the glass ceiling, there is a large “house tree”, exposed brick walls and wooden railings and bench.  Just something about it that was so different than other buildings downtown, although maybe there are more like this and I just haven’t been in them.

 I wish I had a reason to frequent this building.  It sounds silly but I’d like to just sit on the bench in there with a cup of coffee and a newspaper sometime, it’s just such a neat little area.

I have heard good things about Bronzetti’s pizza.  I was told they bought the recipe from the Union House and make those pizza’s there and that they’re excellent, so of course we had to try it.

Bronzetti’s is not a place I would normally think of going to, it’s kind of the unofficial restaurant of the Econo Lodge which it seems to be attached to.
Inside is a no frills sports bar, but I really like the lacquered wood bar that includes the tree bark all around the perimeter.  There are pool tables and “4-top” tables with castered chairs to sit and eat at .  I also liked the wood paneled walls and that the place is entirely lit by hanging glass lamps.
(bad cell phone pic of inside)

We got the pizza home and wasn’t sure what to think at first because it was messy looking but it was delicious. 

The dough is crunchy on the edges but just chewy enough everywhere else.  It’s almost like there’s butter in the dough, the sauce and cheese were great too, all together it’s a great pizza! casino 888 login
Ethan was so impressed with the pizza he suggested getting it again the next night, so we did. ???  
A definite “yay” for the pizzaquest!

It was Ethan’s birthday so we decided to go somewhere for a nice steak and figured we’d try Metro 9 (30 Worcester Rd.)
I had made reservations and we were seated within a minute or two after checking in at the host stand.
The inside is pretty nice, the lighting is kind of dim but not so much you can’t read the menu.  The bar area looked fun, there were lots of people there and it had a nice layout that wasn’t too crowded looking even though it was full.

The dining room is visually relaxing although the acoustics somehow make it very chatty and it was a little loud at some points but in general it’s a very pleasant dining room.
Our server was professional and friendly.  She explained the menu thoroughly and told us the specials of the night. Everything sounded delicious but we were set on steak so that’s what we got.
We got a couple of martinis, I got an espresso and Ethan pomegranate.

We started off with the chopped salad which was just the right size to split since we knew we were going to indulge at dinner.

For dinner we both got filets, Ethan got a lobster tail and we split some side dishes (which are all a la carte) like broccoli and their lobster macaroni and cheese.  I know this isn’t the best picture but after the first few, I was kind of eager to not take flash pictures of the table.

The broccoli was good, no surprises or disappointments there, although the lobster mac & cheese was oddly off somehow.  It could have been the combination of cheeses or maybe lobster with cheese isn’t so great, I don’t know but it was just ok. I got a side of sauteed spinach that was a little too peppery but that was made up for by the incredible steaks.  They were fantastic and definitely worth the $23.50, which almost doesn’t seem like that much for a such a steak.  Our server brought out different sea salts to try with the steak and it was interesting to try them out.
There was a black salt that was smokey flavored, a red Hawaiian salt and a French white salt that we were told was the most expensive salt in the world (?).  They all added something different to the steak but I did like the French salt the best.

We got a couple of glasses of wine and I have to say I’m just plain confused when the wine list has more than 5 or 6 brands of wine.  I recognized some but I really don’t know that many names so I randomly picked one of the 10 cabernets they offer by the glass.  I’m sure a wine connoisseur would enjoy their list and peeking at their wine room though.

I’d say Metro 9 is great for a nice dinner out (in Framingham).  It was relaxing, we didn’t feel rushed at all and the steak was excellent. I wonder if Ken’s minds this place being right down the street but they are both great in their own ways so I think route 9 has room for two steakhouses.

Oil changes are just one of those things I keep putting off.  I always think about my sister’s friend who put it off for over a year and then her engine finally seized.  I know I’d never let it get that far but that’s what motivates me to get it done.
I was up early Saturday and determined I’d just go and get it done so I decided to try the Clean Machine’s “Kwik Change” on route 9 (1181 Worcester Rd.).
They have parking spots just for people getting their oil changed so I parked there and went in to speak to the guy at the desk in the waiting area.  I thought he was particularly pleasant, only because I sometimes find garages/mechanics/oil change places to be a little gruff so when they’re nice it’s like a bonus.
I paid for my oil change and he gave me a token for a free car wash (which all oil changes come with) and I took a seat.

When my car was done they pulled it up front by the waiting area and beeped the horn.  The guy who pulled my car up told me to have a good day and when I got in my car I saw this piece of paper hanging from the rearview mirror:

Aw, now I’m part of the Clean Machine family!  Probably not important but for some reason I liked that everyone that worked there wore a “Clean Machine” shirt.  Nice sense of teamwork, second only to Oil Can Henry’s.  I happened to be on the west coast and needed an oil change one time and was impressed/baffled by the Edwardian get up these guys wear every day to change oil.  A must try if you ever need an oil change out west.

It was such a smooth transaction that when I got home I told Ethan about how easy it was and and he took his car down there too.  Although Kwik change is not the cheapest oil change you can get at $29.65 (especially compared to “ladies day” at Monroe), I really like that they’re pleasant, no one tries to talk you into getting something you don’t need done and you get a hershey kiss and a free car wash.  Nice to see a local business that appreciates their customers do well.

At 666 (!) Waverly St. is a bar called Bruburger’s. I wasn’t sure what to expect, if it was going to be like a restaurant-bar like the Chicken Bone or more bar-bar like the Happy Swallow.
My “drinking buddy” Mike and I ventured in and found it to be more on the bar-bar side. ?????? (????)   Which is good because Mike is always looking for places like this.   This was what I like to call an “old-man bar”, from the vintage Clydesdale Budweiser display above the bar to the classic jar of pickled eggs, it’s hard to find places like this around here.

The crowd here at first glance seems like it could be kind of rough but the bartender was very friendly and later in the night a guy who had a enjoyed a few beers bumped into Mike, said excuse me and then recognizing we weren’t regulars, started telling us about 25¢ wings on Mondays and half price burgers on Sundays but “you can’t take them with you, you have to eat them here”.  As he was walking backwards from our table to the bathroom, he went on about how “it’s a good…good crowd here” and that we should come back.  Then he finally vanished into the bathroom.

We both got burgers and Guinness, which the bartender made the effort to draw shamrocks in the foam.  I got a mushroom cheeseburger and Mike got one with Canadian bacon (mike’s picture didn’t come out). 

 I have to say, I didn’t know what to expect, even with the word “Burger” in the bar’s name, but they were excellent.  The buns were really good too, nicely toasted on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside- that was another thing the friendly drunk guy told us, is that they get the buns from The Framingham Baking Co.
Mike with his burger: Me with mine: (See Mike, I posted our pictures!)
 

Much like the Happy Swallow, the bathrooms had some character as well.  I liked this little note by the toilet:

My favorite part is that it says “So freakin’ DON’T!” (Note to Ethan:  I’m going to say this all the time so get freakin’ used to it!)

This is a great place.  Would I send my mom here?  Maybe not, but we had a great time and I’ll definitely go back. ????? ??? ????

I had heard for a while that the J&M Diner was worth checking out so this weekend we finally did.  J&M is at 969 Concord St. in that little plaza next to Stop &Shop and Firefly’s.
We went a little before noon and it was packed but we only had a 10 minute wait,in the meantime we watched the waitresses run around in their pajamas.

The hostess was really nice, I’m guessing she was also the manager for some reason.  She asked us if we had even been there before and took our drink order.  The menu was mainly breakfast with a couple of burger specials on the board.
Ethan got a huge pancake with bacon and we split some home fries.

I got the cinnamon french toast.  It doesn’t look like french toast, at first I thought maybe it was pancakes they gave me but after a bite into them I realised it was infact what I ordered. I guess someone walking by thought it looked odd and stopped to ask me if it was french toast, and that it looked “mushy”.  Kind of odd but this is the kind of place where something like walking up to someone’s table and asking them what they got and making a comment about it was ok.

The home fries were really good, plenty of both crunchy and soft potatoes.  Ethan liked his pancake and bacon and I really liked the french toast.  I haven’t had french toast in years so it was nice that it wasn’t disappointing.

The service was ok, our waitress just took our order and left the check on the table when she brought out our food and we never saw her again.  That is typical of breakfast places so it’s fine, but I guess if we had needed something after we took a bite we’d have to flag her down.  Also, a little weird was when Ethan ordered a grapefruit juice, it was over $2 for a bottle of Minute Maid that was only 30% juice (70% corn syrup?).  We thought that was a little pricey for not real juice but it’s not enough to make us never come back, just an observation.

I would definitely go to J&M again since good breakfast places are hard to come by and I liked the feel of this place and the hostess/manager was so nice. 
It was kind of funny, after we left Ethan asked me if I noticed a strong pro-woman theme in there. I didn’t but he said he noticed that everyone working there were all female.  Also, everything hanging on the walls were of women including the old Rosie the Riveter “We can do it!” poster and a version of Charles Ebbets’ “lunch atop a skyscraper” with all women.  It’s funny I didn’t notice the female-strong theme at all but I’d be curious to know if there is a story behind that.  Little breakfast places are not as common as they used to be and the food is good so I’ll be back.