Wednesday, November 08, 2006…read more Houle's is for Fools For all those who don't know the exact story or would like reference the event as one of the most all-time travesties in family dining here's how it all went down 11:45pm the night before- Craig throws out a comment like "hey that restaurant Houle's isn't bad, great omelets and a nice selection of underaged waitress" I think to myself, why venture away from the Egg & I where we have all held strong in battling hangovers; however, I am getting sick and tired of receiving one splenda for my 44 oz iced coffee. 9:40am- we enter Houle's family restaurant. Seems nice, they have a deli. Shaggy considers just getting a lb of deli meat for breakfast instead. They seat us near the bathrooms. 9:47am- Shaggy declares he never wants his house to look like this restaurant. The wallpaper has a criss-crossing blue, resembling a miswrapped attempt at a gift for Easter. Shaggy declares the wallpaper is making him nauseous. The waitress comes over, looking like a washed-out sourpuss from '79. Shaggy tries to order a bloody mary. 9:50am- Waitress immediately responds denying the bloody mary, Shaggy comes back with an order for a large tomato juice (drink 1) and a water (drink 2). Jamie orders a bagel, 2 eggs scrambled, an orange soda, and a water. Kyle orders a vegetable omelet with absolutely no onions and a water. I order the western omelet, of course with raisin toast. Nobody ever even thinks of raisin toast, even the waitress. Always wheat or white, but never raisin. Sarah orders a vegetable omelet with egg-whites (why even bother?) With no mushrooms. Shaggy orders eggs benedict (of course, and it was not even on the menu, how did he even know to order this?) and a side of the hash casserole, and another water (drink 3). The waitress affirms the casserole is excellent. 9:58am- Wondering where our food is. Haven't seen anyone in 8 minutes except for a guy visiting the bathroom wearing a top-hat, could have been Abe Lincoln. He definitely heard me make the Abe Lincoln joke. 10:05am- Our food comes out. Jamie's eggs look like caulking. Kyle receives an omelet with no mushrooms, but it has onions. Kyle claims the omelet has extra onions. My food is fine, and the raisin toast was excellent. Sarah receives an egg-white omelet with no onions, but definitely mushrooms. Apparently there has been a bit of a mix-up. Shaggy immediately tries his eggs benedict. "Mediocre hollandaise sauce" he exclaims. Who has enough hollandaise sauce to be able to distinguish between them? I think to myself that shaggy should have just gone with the lb of deli meat, maybe it would have been enough food to shut him up for the whole meal. Waitress immediately scurries away after dropping off food. 10:10am- Waitress returns to the table. The mix-up is disclosed to the waitress about the two omelets. The waitress takes the two plates into the kitchen. 10:11am- Waitress returns to the table after one minute. I exclaim how quick this whole exchange was. Kyle's omelet coincidentally has the same amount of ketchup in the exact same place as his last omelet. Here comes the essential meat of this story. Apparently customer service has gone straight down the toilet, especially at Houle's Family Restaurant. In the one minute in between the waitress picking up the plates, bringing them into the kitchen, and returning them back to the paying customers, an extreme travesty occurred. Someone had somehow scooped out the interior contents of both omelets, and pulled the old switch-a-roo. Kyle's new omelet consisted of the existing egg, filled with cold uncooked contents topped with a raw piece of cheese, similar with Sarah's. The new omelets looked like some kind toxic operation. No comments necessary on Jamie's scrambled caulking. 10:28am- Kyle picks up the two plates, carries them into the kitchen, asks the food be deducted from the bill, no hard feelings, they were just completely inedible. 10:31am- The owner, let's assume his last name is Houle?, comes out to face our table. He starts of his rant by claiming he's made 60 omelets today, and he's wondering why 2 were sent back from the same table. He also wonders why we will not pay for them. He's basically at the point of screaming at us, the customers. Kyle explains to him the contents of his omelet, and tells him to go look at them. He walks away yelling that he has never seen people so rude in his life. I decide to explain to him how local businesses are only successful by building relationships with customers. He won't have it. 10:41am- Followed by a state of confusion/shock, the owner returns. He wants to make sure that he didn't burn any bridges with us. Right. Shaggy adamantly explains to him that not only will he, but everyone he knows, and everyone he talks to will NEVER eat there again. Shaggy appropriately ends the transaction with something like "someone needs to teach you how to run your business."

Mike recently catered a funeral luncheon for our family and we were exceptionally pleased. The food…read morewas excellent and very plentiful, and the service was great. Mike made sure that the food stayed hot and that all of our guests had everything they wanted. The variety of food was great; even our pickiest eaters found delicious choices. I would not hesitate to use Houle's again for any catering function

Named appropriately, this restaurant is something special!The food is always freshly cooked and…read moreserved hot. It's a lovely set up. As you enter the restaurant you pass by the glass display cases where the fresh baked goods tempt even those with strong wills. When entering the dining room you'll find cozy seating for two, larger tables for four and more! Staff is very friendly and the owners pop out of the kitchen to welcome their guests when they have an opportunity. Prices are actually reasonable. It's a wonderful place to bring your family or gather with good friends. We're regulars and have enjoyed breakfast and lunch there for over two years now!

Family owned, this place really is something special. Fluffy yummy pancakes, excellent eggs and…read morecrunchy home fries. Very pleasant staff. Will absolutely return when visiting the area.

We hosted a BBQ lunch baby shower at the Summit View Pavilion. The food was excellent, delicious,…read moreand our guests raved about the meal. The serving staff was attentive, pleasant, and listened to our every need. The Pavilion is lovely for an outdoor event, we brought our corn hole to play and it was perfect. The pricing was competitive and was worth it for the quality of food and service. The bar had a wonderful selection, and our guests were satisfied. We were able to use our own playlist. The staff boxed up left over food. The event was a big hit and our guests raved about this choice for the event. I highly recommend the Pavilion for any outdoor casual event.

My fiancé and I recently had our Jack & Jill at the Summit View outdoor pavilion. The entire staff…read morewas incredibly helpful and quick to assist with all aspects of the day, including helping unload our cars and putting up extra chairs/tables when we ran out of seating. Tony continued to check in with us throughout the night to make sure we were having a good time. The food was delicious and we got so many compliments from our friends and family. Thank you guys again!!

I can't speak to the food but he had an appointment to meet with my parents about catering their…read moreevent and was a no show, not even the courtesy of a phone call to let them know he wouldn't make it.

From the owner: Our company focuses on locally sourced ingredients for a farm to table feel in every mouthwatering…read moredish we serve. We specialize in modern rustic cuisine, and we offer the highest quality ingredients and service. Catering is available for virtually any event, large or small. Weddings, graduations, birthdays, holiday parties, corporate catering, and much, much more. We offer both drop off catering and full service options.

In February I had to blind hire a caterer for a wedding only 6 months away. No tastings or…read moreanything. I am so happy I found Julie and her team. She was responsive, reassuring, professional, friendly and understanding. Most importantly the food was amazing and beautifully presented. I don't know what the cheese and meat wheels on the grazing table were called but I am craving more! I could also make a full meal out of the pasta salad alone! I also recommend the s'mores station. It was unique and such a great touch for a farm wedding. I'd hire Jasmyn Rose again in a heartbeat!

First let me tell you I had a wonderful experience with Julie and all of her staff were very…read morepolite. I had a 60th BD party for my husband with about $46 people in attendance . I was very specific with what I wanted for food. The order was for : 1. Large pan of Lasagna ( very tastety). 2. Glazed carrots ( just a tiny bit too sweet) 3. Green beans almondine. ( not impressed. It had a lot of sliced almonds, but they weren't toasted!! And for me toasted almond is what makes the green beans taste soooo good!). 4. Pasta with scrimp and scallops in a creamy Alfredo sauce . ( Every one who had it loved it)! 5. Garlic mash potatoes, not impressed. A lot of the potatoes weren't fully cooked and they had absolutely no flavor. There definitely wasn't any garlic in them at all. A lot of my guests were unhappy with them as well. 6. Macaroni and cheese, you would think with such a simple dish how could it not be absolutely wondetful? I don't know what they used for cheese, but one of them was so sharp and bitter that I had to spit it out. Even my husband who will eat just about anything, he didn't want them. Literally only 2 guest liked it. One was my neice so I gave her the whole pan to take home! 7. Baked stuffed chicken . I had send out invites to 60 ppl so she wanted 3 trays of the chicken . When the final number was 45 she wanted me to keep the same number this was there was one for everyone . I didn't have a problem with that. The first tray of chicken was very dry and all of the chicken only had a very thin layer of stiffing. I was dissapointed with that. The 2 other trays of chicken were nice and moist. My other problem was I took home 24 pieces of chicken so in hind sight I think 2 trays would have been enough. Oh the chicken was flavorful just way too much to take home! We had a ton of left overs ! At least 1/2 of each tray Except for the salad , there was only another 1/20 left. They salad was really good! Very well proportioned everything inside. Overall though the food was pretty good except for a few items! Even though not everything was to my likings we all need to realize everyone makes dished differently . Some we like and others we won't . Also I think I could have been more explicit on how I wanted some of the items made. I would use this company if the need arose. Thank you to Julie and all her staff for a job well done!

For college students, this food slaps. However it is unlikely that I would choose to dine here more…read morethan once. The food, while plentiful in options, is overall bland. Many students complain of indigestion, but there is no clear data that supports their claim. You don't see a lot of kids around here, but service starts at 5 pm and is pretty much wrapped up at 7 pm despite hours being posted as 8 pm. Sorry night owls and student athletes! Late night is good, but only if you like grease. Also, it seems as though 16 different people designed the interior, giving the different spaces disorienting feel- but making locating people very easy. Free Ice Cream. Gracious Dinner. Lunch rush is a no go. No seats for anyone- unable to meet the demands of their customers during that hour long stretch between noon and 1 pm. But I digress. For college food, it slaps.

Kinda fun experience the first time around but then you realize... this is as good as it gets. And…read morethen one day you wake up and you're choking on a blanch salad... that is all

"I'd never scheme or lie Bill, there's been no fooling But…read morekisses and love won't carry me 'til you marry me, Bill I got the wedding bell blues" (The Fifth Dimension) Ever go to a wedding in an old mill building? Well, you'd answer with a resounding "YES" if you ever went to a wedding at the Boylston Rooms. The place has an amazing history. The building was originally an old textile mill from 1814 in the city of West Boylston, MA. When a reservoir was planned in the vicinity of the factory, the building would have been flooded and destroyed. So, what did they do? They disassembled it brick-by-brick, moved everything 70 miles to the west to Easthampton, MA and rebuilt the massive structure. The rebuilding took around eight years (1899 to1907) to complete. The Boylston Rooms complex has two function rooms for a wedding ceremony and reception. They also have a waterfront and courtyard for photos and cocktail receptions, two wedding party suites for hair, makeup, and prep, and an old trolley ride for your guests to travel in. We were there yesterday to check out a show band for a summer convention, and thought the West Room was gorgeous, the staff was fun and attentive, and the sound in the room was fantastic. (And no, these wedding crashers didn't even mooch an eggroll) Pro Tip -there's a free parking lot right across the street on Pleasant Street.

It is a pleasure to leave a review for this wonderful group of people. I have had the opportunity…read moreto have this catering company for a "celebration of life" event this past Saturday. Joan made this process so incredibly easy, she was so friendly and has such great attention to details. Mike was actually at the event along with his employees. He was incredible! Had everything under control and is kind and friendly. Now if this couple isn't the dynamic duo I don't know who is! The food was delicious! lovingly prepared and served with a smile. Do not hesitate to call this caterer! They are delightful and my guests were impressed as well. Thank you Mike and Joan so very much! Bernadette Antonellis Sanders

For my husband's 70th birthday, we wanted to do a tented event in our back yard but we were afraid…read morethat we wouldn't find a caterer since the date we wanted was on Mother's Day weekend and we started looking only 2 months ahead. Joan called me back right away as she had a cancellation on the date we wanted. That was pure luck and the rest is history. Joan, her family and staff at Franklin Caterers were awesome to deal with. She made great suggestions for renting the tent and tables, took care of all the menu details as well as linens, and provided the perfect advice for setting up the bar and provided a bartender. Everyone was superbly professional, on-time, very communicative and we were able to enjoy the party with our guests which was our goal. We look forward to working with them again in the future.