January 17th 2026: Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Northborough and Sonic, Stoughton

 Today, after getting a Detox Island Green (spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, banana and fresh ginger, naturally sweetened)

and the Chipotle Chicken Club (grilled chicken, bacon, tomatoes, romaine, pepper jack and chipotle mayo)

from the Tropical Smoothie Cafe location in Northborough,

we were in Stoughton and decided to check out the Sonic location there.

We got the Double SONIC Smasher, which came with Groovy Fries and an All Natural Lemonade, and Chicken Tenders.

Finally got my taste of Sonic.

December 7th 2021: Swedish and Italian in 1 Day

 Today, while at the IKEA in Stoughton, we had to get more of the Swedish food as always, this time getting the Salmon Fillet (sustainably sourced salmon fillet with a green chili hollandaise sauce, veggie medallion and seasonal vegetable),

and the Veggie Balls (with tahini Romesco sauce, rice pilaf and seasonal vegetables).

Cheap and good as always from this place.

For dinner, we decided to stop by the Olive Garden in Framingham, which I visited once a long time ago.

This time, we got the House Salad (Our Famous House Salad served with our signature Italian dressing),

the Shrimp Fritto Misto (Over a half pound of shrimp mixed with onions and bell peppers, hand breaded and lightly fried. Served with marinara and spicy ranch.),

the Chicken Marsala (Lightly floured grilled chicken breasts topped with savory mushroom and marsala wine sauce. Served with a side of fettuccine alfredo,

and the Shrimp Scampi (Shrimp sautéed in a garlic sauce, tossed with asparagus, tomatoes and angel hair).

The shrimp was a tad salty, with little shrimp to boot and more peppers and onions instead, not my favorite two things in the world. The marsala dish was interesting in that alfredo sauce was used for the pasta and marsala for the chicken alone, which was pretty good though, as was the scampi pasta dish. Overall, at least everyone enjoyed shopping for furniture today.

November 20th 2021: Ming Du, Stoughton

 Today, while in the area, we decided to check out Ming Du, a Chinese restaurant in the town of Stoughton, because the Sonic across the road was closed for renovations.

We got the Long Island Iced Tea (adult ice tea),

House Special Noodle Soup (beef in clear broth),

the Hot and Sour Soup

and the Spicy String Bean with Pork (with pork fried rice, and fried shrimp).

The iced tea was actually pretty good, while the noodles and soup were just alright, although the vegetables were pretty tasty. Overall, just alright at this Americanized Chinese place. Good thing my family enjoyed their meal. Next time, Sonic.

October 19th 2021: Second Time at IKEA in a Month

 Today, we went to IKEA in Stoughton for the second time within a month, this time getting the Pulled Pork Sandwich (pulled pork in a lingonberry sauce with macaroni and cheese)

and the Plant Balls (pea protein plant balls with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, cream sauce and lingonberries)

among other things. Pretty good as always for cheap.

Recommended Places to Visit: Stoughton

Recreation
Parks

Halloran Park
50 Pierce Street

Water Bodies
Pinewood Pond
96 Lakewood Drive

Town Pond
243 West Street

Britton's Pond
486 School Street

Farrington Pond
Farrington Street and Plain Street 


Hiking
Recommended:
Bird Street Conservation Area
End of Bird Street

 
Beaches
Ames Pond
1000 Highland Street

Shopping Malls

Ikea (chain) 
1 Ikea Way
Recommended Dishes:
Swedish Meatballs

Chicken Tenders

Kevita Master Brew Kombucha Ginger
Pear Cider

Plant Balls

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Salmon Fillet

Veggie Balls

Architecture

Monuments

Faxon Veterans Memorial Park
Park Street and Walnut Avenue

Places of Worship

Ahavath Torah Congregation
1179 Central Street

Immaculate Conception Church
122 Canton Street

Faith Baptist Church
18 Stoughton Street

First Parish Universalist Church
790 Washington Street

House of God Church
1271 Park Street

Christadelphian Church
48 Freeman Street

First United Methodist Church
103 Pleasant Street

Town Facilities
Stoughton Public Library
84 Park Street

District Court
1288 Central Street

Police
26 Rose Street

Town Hall
10 Pearl Street

Housing Authority
4 Capen Street

Stoughton Train Station
45 Wyman Street


Historical Buildings
Old Stoughton Water Works Building
~1749 Central Street

Old Belcher Mansion
33 Seaver Street

Restaurants

Highly Recommended:
Italian
Amelia's
217 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Cedar Plank Salmon
Sacchetti


Tried:
Chinese

Ming Du
657 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
House Special Noodle Soup

Hot and Sour Soup

Long Island Iced Tea

Spicy String Bean with Pork

Pork Fried Rice

Fried Shrimp

Japanese

Susu Sushi Japanese Restaurant
408 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Japanese Pancake
Nasudengaki
Takoyaki
SuSu Maki
Seafood Ramen

Breakfast
Ore a Love Story
434 Pearl Street
Recommended Dishes:
Petion Ville
Carmen
Portugues Sweet Bread French Toast

Italian
La Storia Trattoria
577 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Scampi e Fagioli
Siciliana Cioppino

Dessert
Honey Dew Donuts (chain)
458 Pearl Street
Recommended Dishes:
Boston Creme Donut

Deli
Yes, It's All Good
3 Hawes Way
Recommended Dishes:
The All American Wrap
Banana Split Shake

Western
The Last Shot

30 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Steak Tips
Grand Slam

Sonic (chain)
630 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Double Sonic Smasher

Groovy Fries

Chicken Tenders

September 25th 2021: Two Town Festivals in One Day

 This morning, after checking out the new Major Howard Beal School in Shrewsbury as part of the Spirit of Shrewsbury festivities,

we headed to IKEA in Stoughton, a Swedish furniture store which I have visited before in the past.

This time around, we got the Kevita Master Brew Kombucha Ginger (Fermented with our proprietary kombucha tea culture), Chicken Tenders (with fries and seasonal vegetables) and Swedish Meatballs (beef and pork meatballsw tih mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, cream sauce and ligonberries).

The drink was gingery, gassy and not to my liking, but the chicken tenders and meatballs were good as always. My little one was still hungry though.

From here, we headed to Halloran Park in town,

where Stoughton Day was ongoing.

Typical fair, nothing special. From here, we went back to check out the Stoughton Public Library, which is small but nice inside.

From here, it was on to dinner at Arturo's Ristorante, a really nice Italian restaurant back in Westborough that I visited a long time ago, before I even started my blog. I don't remember it being that nice inside.

I don't remember what I got before, but today, we got the SUZY’S RED SANGRIA (Red wine sangria made from Suzy’s own recipe.),

the MISTA (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, kalamata olives, red onions, candied walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, over mixed greens),

the SHRIMP COCKTAIL (Jumbo Shrimp, poached and served chilled with house made cocktail sauce and lemon),

the PASTA DI NAPOLI (shrimp, scallops, lobster, diced tomatoes, citrus and fresh herb cream sauce, fresh pappardelle pasta),

the SPECIAL FISH (Pan seared fresh local striper topped with peperonata (Local grown red and yellow peppers) Served on white bean ragu with crispy green beans).

the ZAZZA (Thin layer of fresh garlic, olive oil, fresh plum tomato and basil topped with mozzarella),

the Mussels (Hollander Mussels from Maine sautéed with garlic and white wine served with a garlic crostini),

the FRUTTI DI MARE (Calamari, Shrimp, Scallops and Mussels sautéed in a spicy tomato sauce over linguine)

and the Tiramisu for dessert.

The drink was alright I guess, but the food was really good. The salad had a good combination of flavors, even from the blue cheese, which wasn't too strong in flavor. The seafood was really fresh, especailly the scallops in the pasta, and the garlicky flavor of the crispy pizza made my day, along with the sauce for the mussels. Only the tiramisu was a letdown, being a little soggy and bitter. Overall though, a good end to a day of town festivals.

September 10th 2016: Woodstock CT

We started out today with brunch at Lock 50 in Worcester. This time, we got the Nitro Coffee,

a Cinnamon Roll,

and a Crepe (Roasted Mushroom | Goat Cheese | Fresh Herbs).

I did not take to the coffee or the roll, but the crepe was actually better than the crabmeat one.

After breakfast, we stopped by the Canal District Farmers Market nearby for a bit,

and then it was off to Southbridge for another quick bite at Happy Dog Cafe, a small town diner frequented by elderly folk. Here, I got a Happy Dog,

which was nothing special, really.

From here, it was on to the town of Woodstock in CT,

Woodstock Town Beach

Beaver Pond, 75 Leavitt Road

North Woodstock Congregational Church

East Woodstock Congregational Church

Evangelical Covenant Church

First Congregational Church of Woodstock

Town Hall, 415 Norwich Worcester Turnpike

Woodstock Elementary School

South Woodstock Baptist Church

Roseland Cottage

Wappaquasset Pond

Palmer Arboretum

Some highlights here included Roseland Park

and Woodstock Academy.

Next, it was on to the town of Putnam CT

Living Faith United Methodist Church

St. Philip's Episcopal Church

St. Mary's Church,
218 Providence Street

War Memorial,
Grove Street and Seward Street

for lunch at 85 Main, a pretty chic looking place in the downtown area.

I got the Grilled Salmon and Peach Panzanella (with citrus honey olive oil, grilled warm spiced salmon, native organic mixed greens peaches, heirloom tomatoes, sliced red onion and warm ciabatta croutons)

and the Spicy Sake Crunch Roll (salmon, avocado, tobiko, peach and tempura crunch with sweet mayo and sriracha outside),

both of which were delicious, especially because of the peach in both dishes. Will definitely come back again some day.

Later in the day, we were shopping at IKEA in Stoughton back in Massachusetts, and decided to try the Swedish Meatballs and Pear Cider.

Tasty, especially the sauce, and for cheap too. No wonder this furniture mall is so popular compared to the Jordan's Furniture nearby in Avon.

Dinner was at Pho 98, a Vietnamese restaurant in Randolph. We got the Rau Muong Xao Chao (Water Spinach Stir fried with fermented bean curd)

and the Mi Xao Don Do Bien (Crispy Yellow Noodles stir fried with seafood and vegetable medley).

Both dishes were just alright though and nothing amazing. Not sure if I will come back given that there are a lot of other Vietnamese restaurants in the area.