B and I had a long arduous day and we found ourselves in Lincoln MA, famished, at early dinner time and we needed a break from our local pub. We grabbed Spring Onion from school and found a new-ish place, Tack Room, in the old Real space and before that, AKA Bistro. A cursed space (?) but it’s a pleasant room. As I almost uniformly say about our meals out, nothing earth shattering, but I think a useful place if you find yourself out that way, maybe at the Decordova or the lovely little town library and need some sustenance. Mussels - I always say, it’s hard to mess up and I gotta believe a money maker for restaurants - were expectedly good despite the tiny mussels. Thickly sliced grilled bread accompanied. Spring Onion devoured his salmon (but didn’t touch his delicious carrots and barely ate his mashed potatoes). Grilled mushroom panini for me, spilling over with a nice mushroom mix, burger for B. The waitress said it would be a smash burger when B tried to order his preferred medium temperature. Oddly, it was not a smash burger. Hmmm…that was the only blip. The most delicious McDonalds-esque fries accompanied my and B’s meals. Good beers and wines. We were the first ones in but the room started to fill up with people much better dressed (we were in scuzzy hoodies and most likely covered in a fine layer of dust). But we felt quite comfortable and welcome there. We will surely be back as we are in Lincoln quite often. Afterwards, we stopped into Donelans in the same plaza for a few odds and ends (one of SO’s best friends had Pringles in his lunchbox today so SO wanted to try them, too; I bet mom and dad might be cracking into the dill pickle cylinder at some point…but when the hell did the label/Pringles guy change?!)
Grew up shopping at Donelan’s in Littleton. They would put the bags in a tote then onto the conveyor belt that took it outside of the store. You drove up and the staff put your bags in your car.
Probably don’t do that anymore.
They did something similar at the River St (Cambridge) Whole Foods and I remember a similar set-up at my local Aldi in Chicago many years ago. I think they were trying to prevent shopping cart theft?
The Wegmans in Burlington has that fun shopping cart escalator that Spring Onion enjoys (does anyone remember this at Ann & Hope in RI?).
Anyway, at Donelan’s Lincoln yesterday, I loved that they had fresh herbs that were not boxed up in those annoying tiny plastic clamshells (Wegman’s in Burlington does the same so I stock up there). I bought mint for, hopefully, a Vietnamese dish this week. Because I am one of those people who can somehow kill mint, an herb that supposedly grows like weeds… Until they meet me. So I have to buy it.
Oh I just realized B’s mussels photo made the banner without me even trying! If I remember correctly, a photo has to open your post in order to get a chance at the banner. Well whatever… I should’ve opened my post with the Pringles shot!
River Street in Cambridge Whole Foods is on the second floor, above the parking “carport.” You can’t take the shopping carts out of the store including not on the elevator. I’m not sure if they are still doing the conveyor belt thing during Covid because we always carry our bags out on the down escalator. Once years ago we were watching as our box came out on the conveyor belt…and crashed onto the asphalt. Not a good experience.
I hate the clamshells for fresh herbs. I need to try Medford Wegman’s again to see what they have.
Your Tack Room meal sounds decent and we may try it; we and son love the de Cordova and I hope to get back there soon. Thanks for posting! Haven’t looked for Pringles in years. The new carton is quite a shock!
@clovenhoof the “evolution” is so interesting, as with all marketed goods. I grew up with the 1986/1996 versions. Why did the ‘86 and ‘67 versions have reddened cheeks? Were Pringles once marketed as a bar snack? Or were they just very happy to be eating Pringles?! Lol
Oh and I just noticed that the ‘67 version is “Pringle’s.” Who was Pringle?! I feel a new thread coming on about food-related icons through the years. I don’t think we’ve done that here on HO yet?
Yes, that’s what I remember, but I’ve only been there once, after someone I trusted told me that the hot tables there had much more interesting food than the ones at my local Fresh Pond location. They didn’t, and I’ve not trusted him since.
Another place that did this was what is now the Star Market on Mt. Auburn in Cambridge (it’s been other things over the years). They were only half a level up, but it still made getting groceries out slightly problematic.
(First-world problems, of course, but that’s where we’re so fantastically lucky to be.)
The mascot’s name originated with a Wikipedia hoax; in 2006, an editor inserted the then-hoax ‘Julius’ into the Pringles Wikipedia article, which was subsequently picked up by other news outlets. Prior to this the mascot was officially known only as “Mr. P”, no first name. By 2013, the name had spread and Kellogg formally acknowledged Julius Pringles
I haven’t tried the hot tables for years, because the last time I did try, really under seasoned and uninteresting bland food.
Years ago, the individual WF stores had interesting local specials, such as real BBQ from Blue Ribbon at River Street. Then they all lost all “local” interesting stuff and it’s all the same, everywhere.
Fresh Pond WF is larger I think than River St, and has some items River St doesn’t, but I’m talking about produce and things like chicken bones for stock, etc, not the bland hot table stuff. I haven’t been to Fresh Pond since the pandemic began, so I have no recent knowledge.
I went in recently to Star Market on Mount Auburn while going to my eye doctor nearby. They do have a wide range of produce and other items that I don’t find closer to home in East Somerville near Sullivan.
Yes, First World problems, and that’s where we live, while we do all we can to help non-First World problems.
Yes, it’s not a bad place and they now carry wine. For years after we moved to Cambridge they were our supermarket. Then the Fresh Pond WF opened and for the years that they were good we switched to them for produce and meat, but stuck with whatever the now-Star was called then for Al foil and suchlike.
(Sorry again @digga for tackily wandering again from the the subject of the thread.)
I might be daft, but what specifically there would suggest that the “hoax” wasn’t true? (another six minutes of my life wasted on clickbait level media).
I thought that Fresh Pond Star market always had wine and also liquor. When we went pre pandemic to WF Fresh Pond, we stopped by the wine store right next to WF.
