It doesn't get any more old school in downtown Framingham than the Columbus Club, the city's Italian-American fraternal organization. In the downstairs bar, accessed from an unmarked side door next to the parking lot, you enter what seems in some ways like a hidden world going back many decades.
Go there for lunch and the place is crowded with postal workers, tradesmen, city employees, and other assorted locals tucking into a healthy portion of ziti with a nice red sauce, topped with sausages or meatballs ($7), one of the sandwiches or other dishes on special, or a bowl of soup.
You can get a pitcher of Bud light dirt cheap. There's a few other beers on draft, as well as wine and liquor, but don't come in here expecting to find the latest craft beers or a signature cocktail list - it's not that kind of place by a long shot.
Old photos of the membership adorn the walls, and a Mass. lottery scratch ticket machine sits in the corner, while the guys at the bar watch the Keno results on the TV. Step up to the bar and place your order with the bartender, and he'll put it at the end of the bar when it comes out from the kitchen. Bring cash - I've never seen anyone pay with a credit card, and I'm not sure they even take them.
Grab your silverware and a few napkins from the table next to the bar, find a seat at one of the big, round tables, and dig in. There's shakers of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes on every table, and a big bowl of Italian bread on the bar to mop up the sauce.
It has the feel of a private club, which it is, but it's open to the public, even though they don't advertise much - there's a somewhat cryptic sign out front says "Kitchen Open For Lunch - Public Invited".
Several evenings a week they serve pizza - Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 4-9 p.m, They also serve tripe on Saturdays, and have a four-course all-you-can eat pasta dinner the second Tuesday of the month, from 5-7 p.m., incredibly, for only $8. There's also an occasional porchetta dinner, the famous Italian style boneless pork roast, an event that remains high on my wish list.
The Columbus Club is as no-nonsense and solid as your Italian grandmother's kitchen, so pay a visit, and mangia! read more