Showing posts with label Framingham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Framingham. Show all posts

Saturday, January 11, 2014

January 11th 2014: 2 Meetup Meals in a Day

Today, I had both a meetup lunch and dinner to go to, so I planned my day around it. I first headed to the Callahan State Park in the town of Framingham to check out Packard Pond and Beebe Pond in the fog.

The path I took to check out Packard Pond is shown below in pink.

There weren't any good views of the pond, being obscured by trees, although I managed to take a picture of the dam area, which is unfortunately on private property.

Heading back to my car, I drove to the parking lot on Edmands Road,  whereupon the path I took to go up Gibbs Mountain and view Beebe Pond is shown below in pink.

There were no views to be had at the top of the "mountain", while the pond wasn't that impressive either, especially with the heavy fog.
I have also realized that I missed out on the water body located in the Baiting Brook Welch Reservation, which can only be accessed from the stae park. Guess I need to go back there in the near future.

From here, it was on to the town of Wayland,
Heard Pond, 243 Pelham Island Road
Dudley Pond, 14 Priscilla Path













where I decided to do one last hike for the day at the Hazel Brook Conservation Area. The path I took to visit the water bodies here is shown below in pink.

The paths here were a little slippery with ice on the ground, and the ponds here seemed like they were about to overflow, although they were frozen.












After leaving Wayland, my last stop was at the Stony Brook Basin, which was on private property at the end of Gate House Lane in the town of Weston.











My lunch place was at the Border Cafe, a Mexican bar restaurant located in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge.

After parking in Allston nearby, I walked over to the place, crossing over the Charles River in the process.
Being a little late, almost everyone was seated already by the time I got there. For food, I decided to get the Pastelitos (Flaky pastries filled with a chicken-cilantro mix. Made in-house and served with a Chimi Verde sauce) and the Shrimp and Crawfish Quesadilla (A fresh flour tortilla is stuffed with shrimp, crawfish, bubbling Monterey Jack cheese, and Cajun chef Floyd's secret sauce).
Pastelitos
Shrimp and Crawfish Quesadilla














I wasn't too much of a fan of the pastries, the chicken being a little dry, although the Quesadilla was pretty good. I also got to try my friend's Chimichurri Steak (authentic Argentinean style flank steak grilled over mesquite wood, cooked medium, sliced and served with choice of chimi verde sauce or chimichurra sauce), which was really tasty as well.

After my lunch, I headed back to my car, then went to Boston, where I decided to visit the Museum of African American History. This place is pretty small, and photography is actually not allowed here, but I still managed to sneak in a few pictures.











By now, it had started to rain, so I gave up sightseeing for the day and decided to check if reservations for the meetup dinner at Trattoria di Monica in the North End later had been made. Apparently they had not, and there were no more spots available. Thankfully, I was still able to make a reservation for the same time and number of people at Pomodoro, another good Italian restaurant close by at 319 Hanover Street, and subsequently tried to inform everyone who was coming about the change.

When I got to the place, I realized it was pretty small, and they would not allow me to stand in the doorway while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, so I was forced to stand outside in the rain. Thankfully, one person came soon after. With that, I decided to go to the other place to check if anyone had not read about the change in venue and had gone there instead. Lo and behold, one person had indeed gone to the other restaurant and was standing outside when I arrived. I brought him back to Pomodoro, and we decided to go in and take our seats, even though we were still waiting for one more person. Thankfully, she had read the message and came into the restaurant soon after. We then got down to ordering, with me ordering the Steamed Mussels (In saffron scented fennel stew) for appetizers for everyone to share, and the Tiger Shrimp and Salt Cod (with artichokes, potatoes, calamata olives and parsley leaves tossed with farfalle) for myself, while my friend got the Seared Chicken Breast (with a marsala scented wild mushroom ragu, tossed with papardelle noodles).
Steamed Mussels
Seared Chicken Breast
Tiger Shrimp and Salt Cod














I did not get to try the chicken, but apparently it was good according to my friends. The mussels did not seem very fresh though, and I wasn't too impressed by my own dish either.

The restaurant did provide complimentary desserts of Tiramisu in the end however, and that was actually pretty good.
Overall, I would say that I have had better food at other similar restaurants in the area.

That wasn't the end of the night though. My friend asked me to hang out for a bit at his place and play video games, and I ended up having a second dinner as well, where my hosts cooked Ma Po Tofu and Stone Crabs for us to eat, as well as shaved ice dessert.

I ended up going home at midnight. Today was a pretty gloomy day in terms of weather, but at least I had a good time eating all day.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Recommended Places to Visit: Framingham

Recreation
Parks
Garden in the Woods
180 Hemenway Road

Farm Pond Park/Peace Park
Dudley Road Between Dr. Harvey L Cushing Way and Fountain Street

Cushing Memorial/Tricentennial Park
Eden Road and Jeremiah Donnelly Road

Gallagher Park
~390 Concord Street


Water Bodies
Framingham Reservoir #1
Salem End Road between Temple Street and Cherry Oca Lane

Foss Reservoir
Country Club Lane and Worcester Road

Framingham Reservoir #2
262 Fountain Street


Museums
Danforth Museum of Art
123 Union Avenue


Beaches
Saxonville Beach
Lake Road near Old Connecticut Path

Waushakum Pond
Nipmuc Road and Wood Avenue

Learned Pond
Shawmut Terrace and Brigham Road


Shopping Malls
Shopper's World
1 Worcester Road


Hiking
Callahan State Park
Millwood Street near Winch Road


Architecture
Monuments
Minuteman Statue
Union Avenue and Main Street

War Memorial
Guadalcanal Road and Concord Street


Places of Worship
221 Concord Street

New Life Presbyterian Community Church
73 Union Avenue

Framingham 7th Day Adventist Church
252 Edgell Road

St. Bridget Parish
830 Worcester Road

Saint Tarcisius Church
562 Waverly Street

Church of the Nazarene
115 Edgebrook Road

St. Jeremiah Church
41 Brook Street

First United Methodist Church
360 Water Street

St. George Catholic Church
74 School Street

Armenian Church of the Holy Translators
38 Franklin Street

First Baptist Church
1013 Worcester Road

Plymouth Church
87 Edgell Road

Catedral de Adoracao
74 Pearl Street

Philadelphia Baptist Church
259 Concord Street

Wesley United Methodist Church
80 Beacon Street

First Church of Christ, Scientist
887 Concord Street

Edwards Church
39 Edwards Street


Bridges
Danforth Street Bridge
Danforth Street near Stearns Street


Commercial Buildings
Sheraton Hotel Framingham
1657 Worcester Road

1001 Worcester Road
1001 Worcester Road

Northeast Community Bank
35 Edgell Road


Schools
Framingham State University
100 State Street


Town Facilities
Town Hall
150 Concord Street

Police Department
1 William Welch Way

Saxonville Fire Station
End of Watson Place


Dams
Saxonville Dam
Central Street between Centennial Place and Water Street

Framingham Reservoir #1 Dam
Winter Street between Long Avenue and Maple Street


Historical Buildings
Saxonville Mills
Central Street and Elm Street

Edgell Memorial Library
3 Oak Street

Old Framingham Train Station
417 Waverly Street

Framingham Savings Bank
Park Street and Franklin Street

Framingham Center Village Hall
2 Oak Street


Restaurants
Highly Recommended:
Mexican
Blue Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina
270 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Horchata
Fish Fajitas
Pina Caribe


Western
Top Shelf Restaurant
250 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Seafood Chowder
Lollipop Lamb Chops
Chicken Bruschetta (if available)
Top Shelf Nachos
Berries and Cream (if available)
Fried Matzo Balls with Bacon


British Beer Company (Chain)
120 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Chicken and Leek Pasty Pie
Stout Onion Soup
Mahoney Twist
Key Lime Pie

Ken's Steak House
95 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Scallops Wrapped in Bacon
Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms
Escargot in Herb Butter
Caprese Salad
Lobster Bisque

Angry Ham's Garage Bar and Grill
2 Beacon Street
Recommended Dishes:
Chicken Teriyaki
Salami and Mushroom Pizza


Chinese
Red Pepper
17 Edgell Road
Recommended Dishes:
Sliced Beef and Tendon with Chilli Sauce
Dry Braised Lamb with Spicy Sauce in Hot Pot
Cumin Flavored Lamb with Chilli Sauce
Deep Fried Chicken with Dried Chilli Peppers
Shredded Pork with Spicy Garlic Sauce
Pork Blood, Beef Stomach and Soybean Sprout Stew
Tea Smoked Duck
Dry Braised Mushrooms with Spicy Sauce in Hot Pot
Stir Fried Kai Lan
Stir Fried Pea Shoots
Poached Fish with Cabbage in Hot Chilli Sauce

Sichuan Gourmet (Chain)
271 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Old Sichuan Chicken
Chinese Eggplant with YuXiang Sauce

Eo Noodle
1245 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Fishball with Meat Sauce Noodles


Mediterranean
Aegean Restaurant
257 Cochituate Road


Tried:
Breakfast
Carrie Anne's Modern Diner
186 Waverly Street
Recommended Dishes:
Irish Eggs Benedict
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake

Eggcetera Etc.
665 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Do-it-yourself omelette
Bacon and Cheddar Panini


J and M's Diner
665 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Jack Daniel's (if available)


Japanese
Samba Steak House and Sushi
1138 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Samba Special Clay Pot Curry


Indian
Punjabi Grill
1243 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Lamb Curry

Welcome Indian Cuisine
770 Worcester Road

Green Chili
1 Nicholas Road
Recommended Dishes:
Lamb Dosa
Mutton Curry


Mexican
Acapulco's (Chain)
1656 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Pacifico Chimichanga


Western
Gerard Farm
447 Water Street
Recommended Dishes:
BBQ Drumlets
Apple Pie
Custard
Chicken Soup



Chinese
Chef Orient Restaurant
1583 Worcester Road


Brazilian
Extravaganza Pizza and Bar
47 Beacon Street
Recommended Dishes:
Mousse de Muracuja
Brazilian Grilled Picanha
Surf and Turf Pizza

Oliveira's Steak House
290 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Brazilian Buffet

October 26th 2013: Horseback Riding in Princeton

Today, I had an appointment with a friend to go horseback trail riding at the Cornerstone Ranch in the town of Princeton.

Before heading to pick my friend up, I decided to do some sightseeing in Framingham. The first place I went to was the Hop Brook Natural Area. The path I walked while here is shown below in pink.
The water body at end was just okay looking though.
After getting back to my car, I headed to the Cushing Memorial Park in town, which had been under construction the last time I was here. The end result is pretty nice,










Cushing Memorial Chapel
along with the fall foliage here.









Lastly, I visited the Framingham Reservoir #2 at ~262 Fountain Street









before going to pick my friend up.

We headed to the town of Sudbury first for an Indian lunch buffet at Soul of India. The decor here is pretty decent,
as was the lunch buffet, which had a pretty good variety of food,

 especially in terms of soups (3) and desserts (3).
After eating our fill, we headed to the ranch, arriving a little early.

We waited a while for the previous group of riders to come back with their horses, and while they were busy eating hay,
the leader matched us to our horses for the day based on our level of experience and size, with the small kid getting to ride on a pony. I was given a female horse named Shiloh.
Using a step stool, we mounted our horses, and waited for the trail ride to start.
Soon, it was off into the woods.
At times, I tried to get the horse to go faster, but somehow it refused to listen to my kicks. We would often stop along the trail to wait for everyone to catch up, and the horse would automatically start to eat the grass around it.
The views along the power lines were beautiful, as can be expected of Princeton.
Other than that, it was a nice ride through the woods in the fall.

After getting back to the ranch and dismounting our horses, I decided to bring my friend to see a few scenic places in town, heading to the top of Mount Wachusett nearby, where the views were awesome this time of year.


















We visited the Wachusett Dam in Clinton next, where the sun was about to set.




















This time, we decided to venture to the other side of the dam, which I have never done before.

The views here are pretty good too.









From here, my friend had to go shopping for a Halloween costume, so we headed to Natick where there is a Party City branch. After she finally decided on a costume, we decided to head to Oga's, a pretty upscale Japanese restaurant located close by.

After a short wait, we were ushered to our table, which was nicely shielded from public view by shutters and curtains.
The shutters did make getting in and out from out table a little more troublesome though.

For food, my friend decided to get the Sake Ishiyaki Don (Fresh salmon sashimi, roe and seasonal vegetables over a bed of rice served in a hot stone bowl), while I decided to get appetizers only, getting the Enoki Beef Maki (Sliced beef roll with enoki mushroom and asparagus smothered in teriyaki sauce), the Oga's Clam Chowder (Saikyo white miso, Ume sauce, and wasabi for spice), and the Foil-Yaki (Shrimp and Japanese mushrooms baked in a foil wrap with sake and butter).
Foil Yaki
Foil Yaki opened











Oga's Clam Chowder
Sake Ishiyaki Don
Enoki Beef Maki











The clam chowder was delicious, especially with the Japanese touch, while the Foil Yaki was interestingly good in taste and presentation. The beef roll would have been good if the beef itself was not dry, while the rice did not have enough sauce, and the fish and roe did not taste so good once they started getting cooked by the hot stone bowl. I guess that is why they never serve fish roe cooked.

We also got Black Sesame Sorbet for dessert, which was actually pretty good as well.

Overall, definitely a restaurant I would recommend.

With that, I dropped my friend off home and headed back myself to get ready for food truck stuff tomorrow.