This Is Framingham

I haven’t posted since April 1st?  This month has flown by,  jeez!
I get emails now and then about the apparently very missed KFC on 135 which closed maybe a year ago now.  I never went there and don’t miss it but people sometimes ask me what’s going in there so I’m happy to have a report.  As I was running by the location by last Monday I saw this sign for “Carrie Anne’s”.    I’m pretty sure I was the only one of the 27,000+ running by here thinking “Hey! I’ll have to blog about that!”.  I just got around to it today and  I tried googling them but just got a facebook result.  On their info page they describe themselves as “Homestyle breakfast, drive through and more”.  There are photos of the extensive work being done for remodeling and what looks like some practice runs of baking (the donuts look awesome) and they look like a happy crew looking forward to opening up shop there.  I wish them the best and can’t wait to try it out.  They certainly have been putting in the hours to make this happen.  Search for them on FB if you’d like to check out their photos.

Zaftig’s (of Brookline) opened a branch in Natick.  It’s just on the line of Framingham and replaces a former Framingham deli that moved there so I felt it was worth posting about, so I did

I actually went there twice in the past week (a rarity these days of going out at all, never mind the same place). Once with my friend Rachel and once with my aunt and uncle so I’ll have pictures form both days.
First I’ll say they did a nice job with the remodeling.  It’s pretty much the same layout but have added more food cases and a sit-down counter.
When you get seated, a server brings over bagel chips and a cheese spread:

The chips are light and crispy and they spread is lightly seasoned.  It’s easy to snack on these until they’re gone.
When I went with Rachel we got a sample plate and some potato knishes.  The sampler had a meat knish, slice of kugel, potato latke and cheese blintz.

I was a huge fan of Joan and Ed’s meat knishes and while everyone does knishes a little different, I always find myself comparing them to J&E’s (and my own).  The knish was pretty good, I thought the dough was great and the filling was pretty good but a teeny bit dry (compared to…) but flavorful and enjoyable.

Everything else on the plate was good, not amazing but not disappointing either.
Although Rachel really didn’t like the potato knish because she felt is was too creamy with just bits of potato instead of it being more of a thicker mashed potato filling that she was expecting:
Last night my aunt and uncle split a Ruben with coleslaw instead of sauerkraut

They both thought it was great and complimented the potato salad too.
Ethan got a grilled cheese with challah bread and bacon that he said was as good as it looked (and it looked amazing)

I would have taken a bite but I had enough going on with my smoked fish plate:

I decided to get challah toast instead of a bagel and chose a combo plate that offers your choice of three fish from their list of 8.  I got nova, belly lox and a scoop of whitefish salad.  Everything was so good. I love whitefish salad and they did a great job with it, not too salty and not too much mayo.
I forgot to mention we also got some matzo ball soup, which again was great and the matzo ball is nice and soft like a matzo cloud!

I think Zaftig’s is a welcome addition to metrowest. It’s not cheap, and I know the place has got mixed reviews because of that being worth the food but I think it’s easy to go anywhere else and pay as much for lesser quality food.
We liked it and while I won’t be there all the time, I’d consider it a treat to go back and would love to try breakfast items like chocolate brioche french toast.  Everything on the breakfast end looked delicious.  Also the service might be hit or miss. Rachel and I had a rude waitress who didn’t seem to care about her tables but last night we had a polite and courteous waiter.  Both times it was not very busy and as someone who has waited tables since I was 19, there is just no excuse for being rude. Regardless of the possible service issue (maybe that girl won’t last long), I’m looking forward to someday going back.
Also for all information including menu with prices please check our their website: http://www.zaftigs.com/

On Wednesday, April 6th, the FHC fundraiser Marathon Pasta Party will be hosted by two of the nicest guys in town - Charlie Sisitsky and Mike Grilli.   Dinner will be served from 5:30-7:30pm at Historic Village Hall (2 Oak Street).
The cost is $26.20 (for the 26.2 miles I’ll be running).

All proceeds to benefit the Framingham History Center.
There will be a variety of pastas, sauces, salad and desserts and it’s sure to be a fun time

Space is limited and we’d like to make sure we have enough food so if anyone would like to come you can make your reservation by emailing me at michelle@framinghamhistory.org

Or click below to buy tickets now:

Or…Checks can be made out to FHC and mailed to:
Framingham History Center
P.O. Box 2032
Framingham, MA  01703  

I feel like I never get to Target that often but last week I happened to visit which happened to be the week they unveiled their new grocery section.

They have everything from produce to frozen food to meats and dairy.  It’s a well-rounded grocery department with average prices.  I don’t know how often I’ll use it but I’m sure it will come in handy.
I also noticed they added a Starbucks

I used to think Starbucks was dumb and annoying, but now I don’t care, so good for them.  It looks nice and I’m sure it’ll get a lot of business.
The layout of the store is pretty much the same but a map at the front of the store helps find the items in the few departments that got relocated.  I don’t know of any Targets that have closed but it’s  nice to see them making an investment in the Framingham Store.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t normally go for Indian food but someone wrote to me and asked me to check out Green Chili in Pinefield Plaza (1 Nicholas Rd.) and said it’s really great food. I figured it was worth trying so my friend Lisa and I went there for lunch today.

The first thing Lisa pointed out was how clean it was inside and it really was.   The walls are decorated with photos of India and facts about Indian history and culture:

The owner, Tony, was very friendly and made suggestions based on what we were looking for.  I’m not into very spicy food but I know Indian food isn’t all super spicy but needed some guidance.  Lisa and I both thought the Chicken Tikka sounded good.  She got the pizza version and I got the crepe version:
Pizza:

Crepe:

I was a little overwhelmed when I first saw it but the dough is so light and crispy and serves as a nice “vehicle” for the filling.  Tony said traditionally you eat it with your hands so I tore off pieces of the dough and scooped up the chicken inside.
The crepe came with a type of vegetable soup and coconut sauce.  I also got some almond milk that Tony makes to order and it’s so amazingly good.  While you wait he blends, the almonds and water, strains it adds a little bit of almond essence and extract and  a sprinkle of sugar, but he can leave out the sugar if you want.
The chicken was in a sauce of blended spices and paprika and I thought it was great.  It was just spicy enough to have great flavor but not to make my eyes water or anything.  The almond milk was a perfect compliment to it too.

We talked with Tony for a little bit about his background. He’s been cooking since he was a teenager and specializes in South Indian cuisine.  We also talked about Framingham and how it’s tough for a lot of restaurants but he’s particularly dreading the return of Water St. construction and was telling us about other construction projects that are pretty much quarantining the plaza.  I feel for the guy.  He’s super nice and the food was really good, and I don’t even usually like Indian food.

So I’d like to thank the reader who convinced me to check it out.  If you like Indian food (or even if you don’t) and are looking for somewhere new to try, check it out.  They also have a website where you can see the whole menu: http://www.greenchiliframingham.com/

Tonight I went to the Sheraton Tara (even though I know it’s not called the Tara anymore) for the Taste of Metrowest event. I was there for work, manning the History Center’s informational table.  Of course one of the benefits of that was being able to walk around and sample all that the event had to offer and it was delicious.
I’ll give a quick pictorial run down because there was so much it was a little overwhelming and this isn’t even half of what was there:
Ice cream:

Noodles:


Tuna tartare with seaweed salad:

Burritos:

Desserts:

Walking candy table lady:

Crepes:

Dips:

Mini crab cakes:

There was just so much more but it was tough taking pictures in there. It was really packed with people and a little tough to navigate in there even though it wa sin the spacious “Grand Ballroom”.  I wanted to say hands-down the best thing I had tonight was from Tomasso.  Creamy polenta with braised shortrib and Parmesan cheese.  It doesn’t look like much but it was amazing!

I’ve never been to Tomasso because it’s pretty expensive, but I might just save up or request it for a birthday dinner or something because if the rest of their menu is this good, it would be worth checking out!

So congrats to the Metrowest Chamber of Commerce for having such a successful event and for having it in Framingham so I could blog about it. And thanks for my work for having me work some delicious over-time

A few days ago I was going by the old Lloyd’s diner that had been taken over and oddly named “Tropical Cafe”.  I saw that it has been in fact changed back to -and what I feel like it should be - a diner!  I’m sure a lot of people will be happy to see that it’s even under old management too.  I always felt like the whole Tropical Cafe theme just didn’t fit the diner well.

Yesterday we had to drive down Rt 9, which I always can’t stand but that’s where DCU is and we were being productive getting errands done.  Anyway, as we drove by the former site of Brozetti’s I noticed there was a new sign up:


Something called Top Shelf that will be moving in.  They have the beginnings of a website with some information here: http://www.topshelfdining.com/

Then we passed the old Pacific Buffet:

and saw this:

Far East Buffet, not much to say about that, I think we can all envision what this will be like but I’ll still probably check it out to see if there are any pleasant surprises.  I’m glad to see at least something is opening up in this location since it’s been vacant for so long.  It’s always interesting when something goes out of business and something similar moves in.  Like how Sewfisticated Fabrics moved into the old Fabric Place, Zaftig’s replaced Joan and Ed’s and Summit Ski Snowboard moved into the old Ski Market space but I guess some places are meant to serve a certain purpose.  It’s also nice to see business investing in a Framingham location so I wish everyone luck!