Greater Boston friends I need help. Our dear friends just had their 4th (I know! HUH?) kid today. One set of parents is here to help out and we want to bring food but I cannot cook that much food (so 4 adults, 3 kids + newborn). Where should I order from? We’re in Arlington, they are in Lincoln so I was looking at both Neilio’s in Lexington and Il Casale Lexington. Is there someplace in this corridor that does delicious family meals to-go? Our friends are definitely “food folks” while the parents and the kids have conservative palates so I’m trying to find something tasty but on the massive side.
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I know Neillio’s gets some love but I have been unimpressed with what I have gotten there. Have had some good meals at Il Casale but not takeout and no recent intel. Not at the same level as Il Casale AT ALL but Jackson’s Kitchen (Mass Ave, Arlington/Lexington border) is consistently reliable and does family meals (you will likely not have tried it because they are not veggie-friendly which is pretty much my only criticism of them). And don’t overlook Cookie Time (fka Lakota Bakery) for dessert! A completely different idea and maybe not for conservative palates is loading up at the Middle Eastern markets in Watertown. I have done that for friends and it has been a huge hit. Most kids I know seem to like lamejun and veggie grapeleaves and hummus.
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@digga not a restaurant rec but a thought - if there are nice grocery stores or delis by you, a couple of trays of something simple for the grandparents and kids - mac and cheese, rotisserie chicken / chicken tenders / chicken parm, roasted veg / salad might be one way to go.
Then for your friend and spouse, you could add something homemade or interesting from elsewhere.
New moms sometimes have food constraints, so maybe keep that in mind (for indians - nothing is eaten that might cause colic - so no beans, no cruciferous veg, and so on).
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Wegman’s in Burlington has some pretty good prepped meal options. Asian dumplings, fried chicken, italian. Might be a consideration. The charcuterie is pretty good too.
Congrats to the family!
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I have once seen that somebody ordered larger/family style dishes at Hometaste (Warertown) to go. Hometaste is great food fir a reasonable price (not sure if the one in Arlington has the same quality but Watertown isn’t too far away)
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Blue Ribbon BBQ on the Arlington/Lexington line. Scope out Trader Joe’s while you’re there. A few frozen Tartes d’Alsace would surely be welcomed. The canned Greek eggplant is handy. It can be used for sandwiches or added to tomato sauce for a heartier pasta sauce. A nice assortment of unusual jams, like the watermelon and the pineapple, would also be nice.
Hopefully the Great Pumpkin hasn’t yet pushed the regular favorites off the shelves yet.
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I had another thought: Via Lago in Lexington Center. Heaven knows I ate their food 4-5 times a week for ~9 years prepandemic because they delivered to our office daily (yeah, tech, daily catered lunches, what can I say, although that’s probably gone forever now). Not gourmet but very reliable if you stay away from their idea of Asian food. American comfort food classics is their forte on the catering side. In my experience they are pretty flexible and accomodating too. Their website is a nightmare but don’t let that by itself deter you.
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I live within a 3 minute walk of that TJs. And the Great Pumpkin has made an appearance. One half of the new parents (well, new for the 4th time) is from El Paso and knows his BBQ. But I am leaning towards Blue Ribbon - I always forget about it because I don’t do BBQ (but my husband does once in a blue moon). The visiting grandparents are from Nebraska and my guess is they would like it. Thank you @greygarious
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I live within walking distance of the Arlington location and I love it. I’m not sure it’s the right food for this crowd though but thank you for the recommendation.
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I’m totally getting some cookies for them! Along with red wine that goes amazingly well with some of their chocolate-based cookies.
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As far as I know, there’s no basis for colic-inducing food. When I was a new mom (and as a scientist) ~ 7 years ago, I waded through a lot of advice and Internet surfing and came to the conclusion that nearly everything is conjecture and to go with my gut. It’s worked for me. My friends with the 4 (oy!) kids are equally “go-with-your-gut” 
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I always wind up with a burnt ends BBQ burrito, which is easily enough for two meals.
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The set meal deal for 6 is a huge amount of food- easily feeds 12, so if the BBQ is a hit they’ll have several meals worth for lunch sandwich leftovers.
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I forgot to report back. I ended up getting the mid-sized “feed bag,” and I could’ve gotten the largest sized family meal. 5 adults and 4 kids ate well (we joined them) and then there were just enough leftovers for lunch for 4 adults. For proteins, we got brisket, BBQ chicken, and an extra pulled pork. Sides were mashed potatoes and rice and beans. Cornbread, dinner rolls, their usual sauces to round it out. The Nebraskan grandparents LOVED everything. Which pleased everyone because they have basically been doing everything for the last 3 weeks or so (cooking, cleaning, chauffeuring, and otherwise occupying the kids before the new baby arrived). Thank you @greygarious !
Yesterday I made and brought over a chicken pot pie. And good beer and wine. They need it - grandparents left today. But they’ll be back.
Edited to add: I didn’t have time to get cookies @GretchenS. Next time.
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Similar to what @Saregama is suggesting, this is what I dropped off for a friend after surgery, from a nice grocery store that’s something like Trader Joe’s.
Chicken pot pie
Everything Bagel labneh dip
hummus
Montreal bagels
Brie
A local cheddar
Pita chips
Fresh strawberries
Pineapple (in a container)
Refrigerated pasta sauce
Ravioli
Cookies
I filled a reusable fabric bag with all the stuff.
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Sounds perfect
