Joan and Ed's Deli, Natick, Mass., to Close After June 20, 2010

Article by Eric H.    


I read the sad news on the Joan and Ed's Deli Web Site today that its famous and beloved Natick, Mass., New York style delicatessen will close its doors after June 20, 2010. How sad, just goes to show that our favorite restaurants, for the most part, do not live forever.

Joan and Ed stated on their Web Site that the "economic conditions have made it impossible to go on... Joan & Ed will begin an early retirement." We wish them the best -- what nice, nice people and what fantastic breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts they have brought to us through the years. I was always impressed, too, how Joan and Ed would walk around the restaurant and talk with customers. This wasn't some forced, fake interaction, the way you see at some other local restaurants. They were the real deal, sort of like your nice grandma and grandpa with considerable culinary talents and vision deciding to open up a restaurant.

Joan and Ed's has been in business for more than 33 years. Formerly located in Shopper's World in Framingham (with beginnings in 1977), Joan and Ed's eventually moved, in 1994, to the Sherwood Plaza in Natick. The entrance was most interesting and unique with Judaica gifts, the lively deli counter (always bustling) and the huge display cases of desserts. They had quite a few "personalities" working at the restaurant, including the loud, affable, pony-tailed man at the deli counter and waitresses that could converse with the best of them  while always giving extra special attention to the many kids who would rather skip the meal and get right to the dessert.

We will greatly miss the "Jewish" comfort food and yummy desserts. Some dishes I will greatly miss: cheese kugel, latkes (potato pancakes), meat knishes, the Turkey Crier (Turkey, Swiss, onion, and tomato and Russian dressing), lean pastrami, chicken stew and meatloaf. Actually, I could go on and on but you get the picture -- this was homemade food at its finest and with an upkeep in quality that belied its generic strip mall location.

Although I am not a sugar fiend, I must say that the thing I'll miss the most at Joan and Ed's are the desserts. The fresh apple strudel, eclairs, blueberry pie, chocolate cake and strawberry cheesecake --amongst the myriad of other incredible treats -- always served as a staple of our dining experiences here.

People say that New York City delis are the best in the country and that places like Boston couldn't compare. Sometimes, I wonder, though, if we took Joan and Ed's deli selections, put them in a New York deli, and didn't tell anyone about the switch if they would know the difference. Bottom line: Joan and Ed's really set a high standard in Jewish deli food, and they are to be commended for making us dining customers happy through the years. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!

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One Brontosaurus Burger, Please!

Article and photo by Eric H.

There's nothing quite like a good sub shop with a dinosaur theme.

First Sandwich Shop Owner Tom Dugdale, a local expert on dinosaurs who once appeared on the David Letterman Show, serves up interesting decorations of dinosaurs, cavemen and other prehistoric elements to go along some mighty fine pizza, pasta and subs at this downtown Walpole, Mass., location. The displays are simple, not overwhelming as you won't find, say, talking troglodytes or some guy dressed up as Fred Flintstone serving your pizzas. The food prices are also simple with some amazing prices -- $5.99 for a large cheese pizza, at this writing. Our favorite dish is the hearty chili, bursting with a tangy, meaty flavor. First Sandwich Shop also offers "meal deals" at $4.99 -- sandwiches or small pizzas that include potato chips or cookies, and a drink. It's a terrific value.

The First Sandwich Shop certainly isn't a major tourist attraction, but rather a friendly, little hometown sub shop with an interest in dinosaurs. Now how many sub shops can offer that?

First Sandwich Shop
975 Main St.
Walpole, MA 02081-2965
(508) 668-7335

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The Friendly Commons Cafe and Eatery, Foxborough, MA

Article by Eric H.
If you're looking for a restaurant that brings you back to a time when friendliness and good manners mattered, then the Commons Cafe and Eatery fits the bill without having to pay a big bill.

Located in quaint, downtown Foxborough, MA, with its classic New England look of tall white steeple churches, a scenic town common, public school, old homes, and little shops, the Commons Cafe and Eatery specializes in hearty, well-prepared breakfasts and lunches at budget-friendly prices. Small in size and big in heart, the cozy Commons Cafe and Eatery does have that yesteryear look with plain carpeting, booths, tables and a diner-like counter where the locals strike up good conversation over cups of coffee with the staff. The food ranks up there with the best of the "townie" restaurants, but what's most prominent about the Commons Cafe and Eatery is the good feeling you get while dining there. The wait staff goes well beyond the stock "Hello, how are you?" greeting by building friendships with the local crowd, creating new ones with the first-time customers, and maintaining their graciousness with all people throughout the whole meal. How many times can we remember, at other restaurants, initially being treated well and then being completely ignored -- sometimes waiting 15 minutes for the check? At the Commons Cafe and Eatery, it's almost liked you've arrived at a favorite relative's home. This is a place to, say, take the family after church on a Sunday morning or relatives from out-of-town, have a business lunch or for an out-of-town trucker looking for a down-to-earth dining spot along the way. It's the ultimate diner without technically being a diner.

As mentioned, the food is very good -- you can't go wrong with the chocolate chip pancakes, omelets, muffins, club sandwiches, wraps, turkey dinner, baked haddock, Greek salad loaded with feta cheese or apple pie with maple syrup and vanilla ice cream, as examples. Admittedly, you could find this type of food at other places, but the nice people at the Commons bring this popular Foxborough restaurant to another level. We don't personally know the staff, but felt like we did -- and will, no doubt, get to know better at ensuing meals. It just goes to show that friendliness and good manners never go out of style. Isn't this small- town America goodwill to customers ultimately what brings them back?

The Commons Cafe and Eatery
20 Central St
Foxborough, MA 02035
Tel. 508-543-4432

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Rating Barbecue Restaurants in Eastern Massachusetts

Article and Photo (of Memphis Roadhouse) by Eric H.

Recently, City-Data.com featured an interesting post on the best barbecue restaurants in eastern Massachusetts. Readers could not come up with many quality places, although a few dining spots really received high honors.

I concur with much of the City-Data feedback, and came up with a ranking below of barbecue restaurants. My criteria for a great barbecue restaurant is that "barbecue" is the specialty of the house, that they slow-cook the food to bring out the best flavors, that there's kind of a dusty, rural informal feeling to the place, and that the chefs try their best to recreate what Memphis, Kansas City and other famous barbecue city and town destinations do so well. Not that I've been to these famous barbecue places out west or down south, but as one who always asks questions, I have been able to ascertain through people in the business and those who have been to Memphis, Kansas City and other barbecue havens what makes an authentic barbecue restaurant.

Here is the list in order of quality, from best to just "OK," largely based on barbecue chicken and ribs:

1. Blue Ribbon Barbecue, Arlington, MA (910 Massachusetts Ave.
Arlington, MA 02476. Tel. 781-648-7427)

2. Memphis Roadhouse, South Attleboro, MA (383 Washington St.,
Attleboro, MA 0270. Tel. 508-761-5700)

3. Firefly's, 350 E. Main St, Route 20, Marlborough, MA 01752-5422. Tel. 508-357-8883)

4. Redbone's, Somerville, MA (55 Chester Street, Somerville, MA 02144 Tel. 617- 628.2200)

5. Clyde's, Walpole, MA (642 Providence Highway, Route 1, Walpole, MA 02081. Tel. 508-660- 2206)

Note that there's a real drop-off in quality after Firefly's. While Redbone's and Clyde's are capable of creating a good dish or two, the overall experience -- including some inconsistent service -- results in these two dining spots faring nowhere as well as the top three. Blue Ribbon is far and away the best of the bunch, creating slow-cooked barbecue dishes over oak and hickory hardwoods that people I've talked with say rival the best of Memphis. It's the smallest-sized restaurant of the restaurants mentioned here -- almost more of a take-out place -- but who cares when you have what has been called by some as the best barbecue food north of the Mason Dixon line? The Memphis dry-rubbed ribs, North Carolina pulled pork, the Texas brisket and Kansas City burnt ends are simply amazing!

The Memphis Roadhouse (an independently-owned restaurant) fares quite well, too, a notch below Blue Ribbon, with a large Outback Steakhouse-like dining room and a real wood fire pit that turns out some superb ribs and chicken. Firefly's is very good, too -- the winner of many barbecue awards, but my taste buds tell me that the food is not quite up to par with the Blue Ribbon and Memphis Roadhouse. The loud and cramped Redbone's used to be right up there with Blue Ribbon, but the dried-out chicken I had the past few times suggests this once terrific place is resting on its laurels (and perhaps Hardys). Clyde's is merely average -- there's really no hint of a slow-cooked barbecue meal here, at least not the way Blue Ribbon does it.

Of course, my favorite barbecue restaurant in the northeast is a big, loud fun family-friendly place in Oneonta, NY, called Brooks' House of Bar-B-Q where the barbecue chicken and St. Louis ribs are phenomenal. Brooks' also features, reportedly, the longest indoor barbecue pit in the country at 38 ft. in length!

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Delicious Dives: Tee T's Restaurant and Lounge in Walpole, MA

Article and photo by Eric H.

Everyone is an expert on life at Tee T's restaurant and lounge in Walpole, MA. Customers and staff talk about the economy, politics, social issues (mostly women), sports, and the direction of their hometown, sometimes with more clarity and sincerity than your local radio talk show host. It's a place where one can talk about the good old days of playing sports at Walpole High School while wearing your now tight-fitting varsity or junior varsity sports jacket.

The conversation flows as well as the beer. The news on the television further elicits strong comments about our society where some Tee T's customers pointedly talk back at the television. Tee T's is indeed Moe's Tavern (from the Simpson's) come to life. And without the music ever playing, you can hear "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen blaring in your head as the unofficial soundtrack for Tee T's.

On one visit, three older men talked about their health woes, one, unfortunately, having recent bypass surgery. They talked about trying to become healthier, and then proceeded to order burgers, fries and beer. What's more, it always seems like there are as many people smoking outside the restaurant as those inside eating and drinking.

Tee T's ambiance is low on the HGTV decor chain with one long, narrow worn-out bar and one long, narrow worn-out dining room separated by a long, narrow, worn-out thin wall, Tee T's will certainly never be mistaken for your trendy, upscale dining spot with an attitude. Oh, you do get some attitude here, but it's mainly in the form of a gruff but sincere "What would you like, honey?"

It's nice when real people serve real food -- like oversized meatloaf dinners, prime rib, chicken sandwiches with mounds of cheese, burgers, perfectly done french fries, and, somehow, a very good iceberg salad. Of course, beer is a signature item at Tee T's. You won't find anyone drinking Romanee Conti Red Burgundy here.

I usually dine at Tee T's when my car is being fixed (so, lately, I've been going to Tee T's more often). The result is always good, as I leave with a satisfying all-American meal and a taste of Walpole in its true "townie" form.

Tee T's
943 Main St
Walpole, MA 02081
(508) 668-9855

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The Quiet Boston Suburb: Norfolk, MA

Article by Eric H., Photo by Joan H., at VisitingNewEngland.com


Rare is the opportunity to live in a suburban Boston town like Norfolk, MA, with its population of less than 10,000 and no areas that touch a major highway. Anchored by a nice town common with gazebo, a brand new library, a big white church with a tall white steeple, and the surrounding area with ponds, lakes and country roads, Norfolk has little commercialism, and isn't on any EPA Superfund list. There's a skating rink, Jane and Paul's Farm for fresh produce and three good full-service, family-oriented restaurants -- the Eagle Brook Saloon, Guido's and Horse and Carriage. Stony Brook Reservation features an impressive boardwalk system that allows you to walk the edge of Teal Marsh for a great view of turtles, fish, muskrats, and great blue herons.

With some good-looking homes under 400K, a great school system (part of the King Phillip Regional public schools at the middle and high school levels) and very low crime for the Boston area, we highly recommend southwest suburban Norfolk as an affordable, quiet oasis that is within 45 minutes of Boston, MA and Providence, RI.

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Budabing's 50s Cafe: A Case Against Calorie Restriction

Article by Eric H., at VisitingNewEngland.com

I love a happy restaurant -- a place where food is served in ample portions, kids are everywhere except the assigned dining table, waitresses crack jokes, music plays off the jukebox, and you can get away with making funny sounds with the plastic ketchup bottle.

What a pleasant alternative to the crowd that uses the search engines in the afternoon to find "great 18th century artist" information and then claim authority of the subject during conversation at your local snob restaurant requiring an attitude and second mortgage for the meal. At Budabing's in Millis, MA, everyone seems to be having a good time, including the waitresses -- and the brave cooks working by the 100,000 degree wood-fired oven. The restaurant walls are even fun with "I Love Lucy," Elvis, Three Stooges, Texaco, Speed Racer and other memorabilia signs. The jukebox lends authenticity to the 50s look, with further nostalgic validation created by the long counter with stools. Most of us, however, like to eat in the informal, spacious booths with tables big enough to accommodate the large portions of food.

Not a place for calorie restriction researchers, Budabing's serves big pizzas, big chicken, steak and seafood dishes, big sandwiches and wraps, big salads and very big desserts. My favorite dish is the mixed greens salad with a variety of greens with grilled chicken, shrimp and steak tips. The dish is about as big as Millis! Other favorites: the foot-long hot dog, chicken pot pie, tuna melt on rye, grilled Reuben, cheeseburger club, barbecue chicken, steak tips, perfectly-formed fries and the amazing hot fudge brownie sundae. The only items I don't like are the too-salty clam chowder and the rather flat-tasting, oversized onion rings.

Some sophisticates might say Budabing's is not for them, but you just might see those people sneak in and order a burger and shake. For the rest of us, we revel in the concept of a joyous, welcoming, informal restaurant with enough excellent food to feed an Army. So, pass the plastic ketchup bottle, and enjoy this down-to-earth gem in tiny Millis!

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