Recycling in Chicopee!

A belated earth day post!

Over a month ago, a large green recycling bin and instructions showed up at the bottom of our driveway.  I was ecstatic!  Over the last few weeks, I have enjoyed driving through my neighborhood on trash day to see everyone's green bins lined up for pick up, many over flowing!  Hopefully you have been recycling in the former small blue containers and are a pro at determining what is recyclable and what is not.  Just in case, here is a refresher.

RECYCLE:

• Metal food cans, glass jars, bottles and plastics labeled #'s 1-7.
• All paper, including shredded paper and paper bags, magazines, soft cover books, all junk mail with envelopes, Christmas wrapping paper (but not metallic or glitter paper), tissue paper
• Cardboard boxes (empty, flat and untied).
• Gift, cereal, shoe and frozen dinner boxes.
• HOLIDAY ITEMS: Gift wrap and bags, tissue paper, cardboard and all gift and shoe boxes, catalogs, greeting cards

DO NOT RECYCLE: 

• Hangers, styrofoam, plastic/clay flower pots, egg cartons.
• Pizza boxes or any container with food still inside.
• Paper plates, napkins, towels, kleenex, toilet paper
• Small appliances, light bulbs, plastic bags, dishes or glasses.
• Scrap metal
• Tinsel, ribbons, bows, packing peanuts, styrofoam

For more information on Chicopee's recycling efforts, refer here. 

Weekend Walks: Szot Park

The weather is taking a pleasant turn towards summer.  The sun is shining longer, the grass is turning green and the flowers are blooming.  We have been exploring some of the local parks with our dog.  Stay tuned for more "weekend walks" posts.

A few weekends ago we went for a stroll in Szot Park in Chicopee.  Szot Park has all sorts of things to do including a pool, bocce courts, tennis courts, athletic fields, basketball courts and more.  Here are some pictures of our trip.

Bocce Courts

There is a free concert in Szot Park tomorrow (Saturday, May 7th) from 12:00 to 5:00 featuring Brass Attack and The Prime Time Players.  Definitely worth checking out!

Main Street Deli

CHICKPEAS: 4


I am desperately trying to catch up on some blogging.  I have gotten too far behind!  Enjoy some of these short posts.  If the restaurant got a 4 or above, you will definitely see a more thorough post when we eventually make our way back!


I went to the Main Street Deli with an Agawam native and another friend.  I was immediately impressed with the selection of sandwich options.  When you walk in, a large board presents creative sandwich combinations along with the traditional classics.  You order at the counter near the front of the restaurant, and are given a number.  There are three dining rooms/areas to chose from, all painted in cozy colors with solid wood tables.

I was not surprised at all when my friend Victoria ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich and a side of sweet potato fries.  I stole one of her fries, they were really good!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich & Sweet Potato Fries

Our other friend (who was kind enough to treat us!) ordered something that I can no longer remember!

I ordered a turkey and cranberry sandwich.  The sandwich was served warm with perfectly toasted bread!

Turkey & Cranberry Sandwich

I will definitely be bringing my fiance to the Main Street Deli, especially this summer since it is pretty close to a driving range we like to go to!

Munich Haus

CHICKPEAS: 4

We love going to the Munich Haus Restaurant in Chicopee, MA for drinks and/or dinner.  The Munich Haus has delicious German food, and is a great value if you buy a restaurant.com gift certificate (which are an even better deal if you get them on sale!).   The staff wear traditional German outfits and they sometimes have an accordion player.  The accordion player can be a little loud, as it was on this night.  If that bothers you, request a seat in the bar area.  They have some nice cozy booths.  

One of the things we love about the Munich Haus is the value.  The servings are large and the entrees come with soup or a salad (remember when that used to be standard at most restaurants?!).  The salad is different that your standard house salad with some varieties of beans and other things on it.  They also bring out homemade potato chips with a sour cream based dip when you are first seated.  The entrees typically range from $15 to $20.

Salad

I ordered jaeger schnitzel (tender pork loin lightly breaded and pan fried for a golden finish with a wild mushroom sauce).  It came with a choice of sides. I selected the spatzle and cabbage.  Everything was great.

Jaeger Schnitzel

My fiance ordered french onion soup to start.

French Onion Soup

His meal was a Bavarian platter, which included pfalezer, nuerenberger bratwurst, sauerbraten, jaeger schnitzel, potato pancake, red cabbage, sauerkraut and spatzle.  Don't ask me which is what.  

Bavarian Platter

To finish off, we got some stuffed cookies (this was before I gave up sweets for lent!).  These cookies are so good.  The chocolate stuffed chocolate chip one is our favorite.  In the past, we have split a piece of cake. Be warned: they are enormous pieces.  

Stuffed Cookie

Overall, Munich Haus is a fun place to go for dinner with friends or family.  The food is delicious and reasonably priced.  The atmosphere tops it off.  Keep an eye on their special events (such as wild game dinners) as well!

TJMaxx in Springfield

I have been anxiously awaiting the new TJMaxx in the Springfield Plaza in Springfield and it finally opened about a week ago.  I tried to get my fiance out of bed for the 8am opening, but we ended up getting there are 10.  We were greeted at the door and given reusable shopping bags that say "I <3 TJ."  Score!

The store was very nicely done.  They had a large selection of Tommy Hilfiger purses, and all of the linens were organized by color.  I was really impressed by the overall quality of the displays and the items. I am a tiny bit worried that it was a big show for the grand opening and the stock will decline in quality.  Only time will tell.  But for now, head over there and score some good deals.

We left with a screen cover for our new iPad and a toy for our dog. :)

Max Burger

CHICKPEAS: 4 

We went to Max Burger in West Hartford about a month or so ago on a Sunday night.  It was PACKED!  We were out to celebrate our anniversary at the same restaurant where we went on our first date, everyone else was out to celebrate Washington's birthday.  There was about a 30 minute wait when we arrived, so we found some seats at the bar.  Based on the tension and speed of the waitstaff, they appeared to be understaffed.  They likely forgot about Washington's birthday when making the schedule.  Whoops.

One neat thing about Max Burger is they take your cell phone number at the hostess desk and then text you when your table is ready.  A drink for each of us later and my fiances phone beeped.  We were up! (This is sort of similar to a service called textaurant)

We were seated at a table in the lower section of the dining area.  Upon arriving, it appeared the people sitting on both sides of us were a bit unhappy with their service.  Again, Max Burger was a bit understaffed, but everyone working was hustling around.  Because the tables were pretty close together we were privy to these customer's complaints to the manager.  They were pretty petty.  The type of thing you might mention to the waitress and then let it go.  People in West Hartford must be pretty hard to please, or maybe just looking for a free meal.  The complaints continued from both tables for most of the night.

Some example complaints:
1.) Wife ordered a wedge salad with bleu cheese dressing and some sort of entree, Husband ordered a burger and substituted a side salad for his fries.  They were upset that the salads were not the same size, type and were not served at the same time (husbands came on the same plate as the burger).

2.) Older son orders adult meal and a milkshake.  Younger son orders children's meal (which I believe comes with a drink) and a milkshake.  Older son gets adult size milkshake.  Younger son gets a child size milkshake. Parent's upset about the size difference.  Instead of requesting a second milkshake for the younger son, they proceeded to make a scene about it.

3.) Parent's dispute that their son's child sized burger was actually 5oz.  Manager and waitress explain that the chef weighs all of the meat and that meat shrinks when cooked.  Child then proceeds to only eat about 1/2 of the burger.  Looked like 5 oz. to us!

4.) Max Burger has plates that say "Max Burger" on them.  A woman complained that the server had placed the plate such that "Max Burger" was upside down.  (Really??!!)

At the end of the night, another customer sitting at a table near us (not one of the complainers) almost started a fight with the complaining customers defending our waitress.  She really was trying her hardest and we had no complaints about our own service.  Everything was timely, correctly portioned and delicious.

Ok, now onto the food.

We ordered chicken cordon blue balls to begin.  They were good, but probably not something I would order again.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Balls

I ordered a a tuna burger with picked vegetables on a sesame roll with eggplant fries on the side.  The burger was delicious.  Seared just a little bit on the outside.  The eggplant fries are interesting.  A little juicy.  They need to be eaten right when made and probably would not reheat well.

Eggplant Fries

Tuna Burger

For dessert, we split something that I believe was called a s'mores pie.  A graham cracker crust was topped with a chilled thick chocolate pudding/mouse.  On top was a marshmallow that had been torched just a little bit so it was melted and warm.  A delicious ending to our meal!

S'mores pie




We will be back again in a year for our next anniversary (if not before)!

The Cambridge House Brew Pub

CHICKPEAS: 3

We went to the Cambridge House Brew Pub in Granby, CT on a Saturday night with a friend for dinner.  We arrived around 8:00PM and even though the parking lot was filled to capacity, we were seated right away.  We were surrounded by an eclectic mix of couples on dates, families and groups of friends.  Cambridge House had a selection of their own beer on tap, but unfortunately were out of our friend's favorite: dunkel.

Cambridge House beers

I originally tried to order the beer mussels and a side salad.  Side salad came out, beer mussels did not.

Half eaten side salad

After my salad was served, the waitress said they were out of beer mussels.  I wish I had known that before as I might have ordered one of the larger salads with chicken.  As a replacement, I ordered seared ahi tuna over a black bean salad.  The tuna was a bit salty, but other than that it was an okay dish.

Ann's Ahi Tuna

My friends got wings and a pizza, and they enjoyed them both.  Cambridge House has some interesting flavors of wings like lemon pepper.  

Wings

More Wings

Pulled Pork Pizza

At the end of the night, our friend got some growlers to take home.  I forget how much they cost, but I remember being quite surprised at how cheap they were.  

Overall, mediocre service, good beer, okay food.

The Federal

CHICKPEAS: 5

Last weekend, we went to my favorite restaurant in the Springfield area: The Federal.  The Federal has a very creative menu, along with some traditional favorites for picky eaters or comfort food cravings, a nice seating arrangement and wonderful staff.

We arrived right on time for our 5:30pm reservation on what is apparently called Mistress Day, the day before Valentine's Day.  We pulled up front to complimentary valet parking and walked in to the hostess desk where our coats were checked.  We were seated in the room on the right, once you enter the restaurant.  A small, quaint room, with a non-working-but-still-mood-enhancing fireplace and 5 small tables.  Part of the beauty of The Federal is the way the seating is broken into a few small dining rooms.  Each room gives off a cozy vibe and because of this, the noise level stays down.

We ordered cocktails and a bucket of risotto balls to start.  Our cocktails arrived and we were treated to a plate of some extra risotto balls compliments of The Federal.  This has happened both times I have been to The Federal and it is very nice touch.  Our larger full serving of risotto balls followed.  The risotto balls are breaded and fried, making them slightly crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside.  A nice combination of textures.  I regret that we did not get a picture of these!

After our appetizers, our salads were served.  I ordered the caesar salad with dressing on the side.  I was forewarned, although I also read it on the menu, that the caesar salad comes with a fried egg on top.

Caesar Salad

My Fiance got the chopped salad that came with a unique presentation.

Chopped Salad

Right about here I accidentally spilled my drink.  I swear I was only about a third of the way into it and it was all due to the condensation on my glass.  Regardless of the how or why, or waitress responded right away and helped us clean of the table.  She was really nice about it and joked with us while doing so, really putting us at ease.

I was hesitating between two options for dinner: homemade risotto gnocchi with an XLG veal meatball, or the braised short ribs with mashed potatoes, mushroom salad and a gorgonzola cheese popover.  She suggested the short ribs and while I still have not had the gnocchi, the short ribs were amazing.  The short ribs fell apart easily, the mashed potatoes were creamy, the mushroom salad was interesting (in a good way) and the pop over was my absolute favorite part of our meal.  As I devoured it, I was trying to figure out ways that I could order it again, maybe as a side, or an appetizer or substitute it out for other side dishes, maybe even instead of dessert.  The short ribs were good enough to order again, but the pop over was wonderful enough that I don't think I can go back to the Federal without having it every time.

Braised Short Ribs

My Fiance ordered two half servings of pasta: truffled mac and cheese with short ribs, and chicken bolognese.  I tried a bit of both and they were quite good.  He says the truffled mac and cheese was his favorite, but I had a hard time picking between the two.

Truffled Mac and Cheese with Short Ribs

Chicken Bolognese

For dessert, we ordered white chocolate banana cream pie that came with chocolate gelato.  The banana cream pie was slightly charred on the top, warming the bananas in the process.  The gelato was perfect for dark chocolate fans, bittersweet and smooth.  An excellent end to a wonderful meal.

Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Gelato

Overall, The Federal is a must for any special occasion (or even just because!)


(1) Risotto Balls
(2) Salads
(1) beer
(1) cocktail
(1) bottle of wine
(1) Short ribs
(2) 1/2 servings of pasta
(1) Dessert
Total = $160

Southwick Inn

CHICKPEAS: 3

The Southwick Inn is not an inn.  It is really a bar.  We occasionally meet up with friends for drinks at the Inn, but my first time eating dinner there was a few weeks ago.

The Southwick Inn has a large horseshoe shaped bar that seats 25 people.  The rest of the area is carpeted, with the exception of a small dance floor (I have never seen anyone dancing, but I hear it does occur).  There is occasionally live music, and there are always TVs on various games.

The best part by about the Inn, by far, is the people watching.  There is no real stereotype for the patrons.  On any given night there will be men and women who are young and old, dressed for a night on the town or dressed for hunting.  Prime people watching.

The food was pretty typical of a bar.  We ordered nachos, a buffalo chicken salad and a tuna melt.  The nachos were on round tortilla yellow chips, and the toppings were layered (not just on the top of all of the chips).

Half-eaten nachos

The buffalo chicken salad definitely had a kick.  I would order it again, but ask for it on a bigger plate/bowl.  The salad was piled too high on the bowl making it difficult to eat. 

Buffalo Chicken Salad

The tuna melt was pretty standard, although the bread was better quality. 

Tuna Melt

We will definitely go back for drinks, but I will warn you... this isn't everyone's scene.

Falls Pizza

CHICKPEAS: 3

This past week, we got take out from Falls Pizza on Main Street in Chicopee.  We ordered a Greek Pizza, an Italian Sub and a Buffalo Chicken Salad and the total bill came to $27.  The wait time was 20 minutes for pick up, which was very reasonable, but after getting home and eating, I wasn't impressed.

Garlic Bread

The chicken on the salad was chicken cutlet, cut into pieces, and covered in buffalo sauce.  I had recently had a very spicy buffalo chicken salad at the Southwick Inn, so I ordered this salad mild to be safe.  I felt that the mild buffalo had a strange sweet after taste.  Additionally, the salad came with garlic bread that was soggy and chewy.

Italian Sub

I didn't have any of the sub, but my fiance enjoyed it.

Pizza

We shared the pizza, which had feta, tomatoes and gyro on it. Overall the pizza was delicious.  While my salad was a miss, the Pizza made up for it.

I may find myself going back to Falls Pizza for pizza, but I am interested in finding another takeout place in Chicopee for salads.  Suggestions?