Acapulcos, Mass Style

Good Mexican food is hard to find this far from the border. Being a native to Arizona, I know good Mexican food. It's my favorite food. Being this far from a Mexican restaurant on every corner has been tough. However, it is comforting to know that located right in the middle of Main St. in downtown Franklin, MA, there is a cozy little cantina where you can get all the authentic sights, sounds and tastes without the 3,000 mile commute. 

The people that work at Acapulco's are terrific. Friendly, attentive, personable and you can count on the same smiling faces every time. It's almost like family, if you're like me and you're there every Friday. 

Our Fridays, for the past year have typically ended with Margaritas and Chimichangas at our favorite restaurant. A pitcher of the house margarita will run you about $25 for about 8 glasses full. They offer a mild salsa just for the kids, so they can feel like the adults with their own salsa. 

If you have had enough of tasting things and would like your taste buds to go numb for the next week, you can request a bowl of the habenero to go with your fresh chips. However, if you would like to taste... ever, I would suggest sticking to the real salsa, which you will not regret.

If you haven't filled up on the chips and salsa, you'll want to stick around for some very tasty entres. They make excellent refried beans, so anything you order including the beans will be phenomenal. An item I would recommend, that you won't find on the menu... a bean and cheese chimichanga. Yes, that's right, a bean and cheese chimichanga. A delightful bean burrito on crack! As much as I have missed having all my different Mexican restaurants in Phoenix, I will deffinately miss my bean and cheese chimi more. 

The next item that I recommend is the Tacos El Pastor, with pork. These tacos come filled with finely minced, marinated pork that will tantalize your taste buds. These require a little work, as all the ingredients arrive separate on the plate, but it is for the best with this combination. Your receive a cilantro/onion mixture, shredded cabbage, and a special sauce which is made especially for this meal. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a perfect combination of tangy, spicy and sweet. With your 3 very full tacos, you get a hearty helping of their delicious refried beans, and rice, as well as a serving of a sweet, tangy mexican cole slaw, which always finds it's way onto my tacos. This plate will run your about $11, and you'll have enough food left over for lunch the next day. Unless you're like me, and eat like a fish.

Just a heads up, do NOT eat your entire meal. Request a box right from the get go and force yourself to stop half way in. You will NOT want to miss out on desert.  Most people think, Fried Ice Cream. Yes, that is a very delicious option and an addiction to a certain individual in our party. However, there is another option that will make you think you died and gone to heaven. A sweet, Cinnamon Apple chimichanga. Yes, you're thinking at this point, the diet jumped out the window about half way into the meal, but one bite into the Apple Cinnamon Chimi and it will no longer matter. It is worth every bite. 

So, next time you're in Franklin, stop by the Accapulco's and tell my friend Chuy, "Hi".

You Can't have Perfection All the Time

Location, Location, Location....and nothing more.

Bellinos, located in the heart of Downtown Franklin, MA features a great Italian atmosphere and a very "Ritzy" feel, but not much more. 

The menu features a very appealing array of options, including Pizzas, Pastas, Salads and combinations there of. 

Our meal began with slices of bread that were absolutely worth the trip. Moist pillows of bread with a very tasty olive oil used for dipping. Dinner was looking promising.

I ordered a glass of the house Cabernet, which was tasty, and in a full glass, which I appreciated. However, I would not be able to tell you what kind it was, because their wine list simply stated....  "Cabernet Sauvignon". If you don't want to be burdened with choices, you'll love your full glass of $6 "Wine". 

While my son's personal child's pizza was not half bad, unfortunately, I did not order the personal cheese pizza. 

My dinner was a lemon chicken with a side of Spaghetti with marinara. First of all, after hearing the waiters glorified description of the meal, I imagined a tender, moist chicken breast drizzled with a garlicky lemon wine sauce,(possibly with capers) garnished with a twisted slice of lemon and a sprig of Parsley. On the side, a nicely portioned serving of al dente thin spaghetti with a hearty marinara sauce, (and in my head of course, it would be dressed with chopped basil or shredded Parmesan). This is what I image for $14.

What I received was somewhat different.  I was handed a very large plate, made up mostly of green bushes and garnished with a very thin dehydrated piece of chicken. The chicken was obviously marinated in something yellow, but I'm not sure what that would have been. It tasted as if it were heavily covered with lemon pepper seasoning and left on the stove while the cook took his break. The noodles were bloated and retaining water, and covered with what tasted like a Chef Boyardee pasta sauce... watered down to stretch, just in case the other patron ordered marinara. After drizzling it with a little balsamic and pouring so much Parmesan on top that it almost qualified as an Alfredo, it was almost edible. 

One would think, I may have just ordered the wrong thing. However, this being the 3rd chance at redeeming themselves, I don't hold out hope for a Five Star cuisine at Bellino's.

By all means... Go, enjoy a glass of "Wine" and the bread basket in the cozy Italian atmosphere, but when hunger strikes, consider moving on, there is a McDonalds right down the street. 

JJ Mulligans Bar and Grille -Braintree, MA

941 Washington St.

Braintree, MA 02184

781-849-7007

Our reason behind going to this establishment was originally because of the name. We thought that a restaurant with the same name as one of our favorite brother in law’s couldn't be too bad.

 When you walk in, you notice the place resembles a sports lodge at an old country club or something. I could just envision the good ole boys sitting around, smoking and talking about the game that was on. This was probably easy to envision considering it did smell as if this was NOT a smoke free bar. Bad for those who don’t care to be in that environment, but good for those who want to be able to smoke when they go to a bar… (Which I feel they should be able to.)

We were promptly seated by a very friendly waitress, in the dining area, which was separate from the bar. Perfect since neither I or my 3 year old were in the mood for a cold draft at that hour in the afternoon. (Mostly him, I would have suffered through it.) The waitress, who did not wear a name tag, was very thoughtful, removing all sharp objects from the short males seating and bringing him a cup full of crayons and some coloring pages.

As soon as I opened my menu, my eyes were drawn to the Tuscan Chicken Wrap. A tortilla filled with fresh grilled chicken, and leafy greens mixed with tomato, feta and a creamy balsamic dressing.  Yes, I do have a sixth sense on items involving balsamic, that should be apparent if you have read more of my blogs.

My husband decided he would branch out from his normal routine and try a cheese burger. Yes, that was a very sarcastic remark.

The food arrived within a very reasonable time. The presentation of everything was very appealing. I couldn’t wait to dig into my delicious looking wrap. Lucky for me, I was able to “control taste” the burger which was left abandoned as my husband was on a business call in the parking lot. Finders keepers, I say.  The burger was delicious, obviously made from quality meat and grilled to perfection. Unfortunately, my idea of ‘grilled to perfection', differs from that of my husbands. Knowing that he would have just removed the still pink-ed meat and eaten a katsup sandwich, I waived that waitress over and explained that as perfect as it was for me, my husband would require much more burning. She was completely understanding about this and expressed that she also feels the same. The burger was completely remade fresh for him within a few minutes.

My wrap was perfect. The perfectly seasoned chicken was grilled to perfection and the salad mix that it was wrapped with was very fresh and crisp and the creamy balsamic dressing tasted light and homemade. All in all, our lunch was delicious, and only cost $22 for the 3 of us.

 

 

Items on the menu include

Salads - ranging from $4 for a half size, up to $12 for a steak and Portobello topped salad

Burgers and sandwiches all priced at $7-$8

Pizza with your choice of toppings, starting at $7

Entrees ranging from Pasta to Chicken or steak from $8- $15

Kids meals all priced at $5

 

I did notice all your usually suspects on tap including Guiness, Bud light and your Samuel Adams.

 

You could play Keno or buy yourself some Scratchers in the vending machine if you felt lucky, or you could just kill some time with the sports themed arcade games in the bar. TV’s are also available at every angle. So sit back and relax, enjoy the atmosphere, your company and the great food at JJ Mulligans. Tell them that The Diva Mom sent you!

 

Happy Eats!

 

 

The Alamo - Tex Mex in Milford, MA

The Alamo

Location

55 Medway Rd. 

Milford, MA

West off exit 19 from Hwy 495 

This is a very quaint little family owned restaurant, located in an old Victorian house right on

 Medway Rd. Its a family owned establishment. Remember this kid? His father is the owner of this little Tex Mex joint in Milford. 

If you're looking for some great Tex Mex for a great cost, you come here. The chips and salsa are always fresh and tasty and you won't break the bank, no matter what you order. 

They have entrees ranging from $5-$12. They also have an al a carte section which allows you to get a taco for around $2. Get a terrific bowl of Black Bean Soup for around $4, but make sure you have something to drink, it's got a kick.

The meals are made to order, so you get exactly what you want, and you know it's made fresh. 

Upstairs is a full bar and Karaoke every Thursday.

If you're looking for some fresh Tex Mex or a fabulous Cadillac Margarita, go visit The Alamo! Tell them The Diva Mom sent you.

Weight Watchers Chocolate Cake

In my attempts to find something absolutely scrumptious to help me through the pre-menstral times of my diet, I picked up these little weight watcher treats. I must admit, I was expecting something MUCH larger. But sad to say, I believe the picture on the box is a very accurate likeness regarding size. I was expecting them to taste a little like those sad little Entamenns brownies. 

I was completely shocked when I took a bite and it actually tasted like a chocolate cake! 

It certainly isn't a large chocolate cake, but I'll take 90 calories worth of individually wrapped heaven any day!

I highly recomend these moist, chocolately goodies! 

Four Stars. I would say Five, but I'm docking it because of the size. ;)