I went with my friend Jamie to Local Burger & Fries at 16 Main St. in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was delicious. Exceptionally good onion rings and fries, especially… served with chipotle ketchup. We didn’t try the fried pickles, but maybe next time. Here’s a copy of their menu.

Kristen and I get food from El Guanaco Salvadorian & Mexican Food quite often since it’s delicious and within a close proximity to our house in Holyoke. Over the past couple years, we’ve seen it grow and have enjoyed their food while doing so. Last night, Kristen noticed an “Under New Management” sign, and picked up their recently revised menu.

I never understood why restaurants want to advertise that they’re under new management. Those signs don’t really affect my decision either way. As long as you’re advertising, why not a banner that says “New Menu Items!” or something related to the delicious food that they make?

Anyway, it’s awesome that El Guanaco has been able to thrive despite its somewhat odd location in South Hadley Falls. It goes to show you that people ARE willing to seek you out if the food is good enough. With that in mind, I hope the same success formula rings true for La Casita Azteca in Easthampton, MA.

This Friday, I have the opportunity to open for Western Massachusetts singer/songwriter, Mark Schwaber. I’ve known Mark for a long time now as most musicians in the valley do, having common friends and acquaintances. Mark writes a great music blog called Feedback for MassLive (where I work), he ran Night Owl Records in Easthampton where I purchased many a cd, and over the twenty or some odd years we’ve both been making music in the valley, we’ve been on the same bill a few times and attended many of the same shows. Aside from my normal appreciation that Mark is a ‘valley musician’, I can honestly say that Mark Schwaber is one of my favorite musicians anywhere. There are some of his songs that just absolutely floor me every time I hear them… ‘Dignity in Death’ for example.

Mark has been performing with Sara Gomes lately, and from what I hear, it’s nothing short of magic. Sara Gomes is the wife of Tom Gomes, who who used to play drums in a band called Killswitch Engage (and now owns his own drum company). The main guitar dudes in Killswitch are Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel.

Adam and I got together when Killswitch was still in its infancy to record the Smokejumpers album. (more…)

Last week, Kristen and I went with our friends to La Casita Azteca in Easthampton. The space was previously occupied by The Pirate’s Den and Mi Casa. Both of the previous places were mediocre at best, but I’m happy to report that La Casita Azteca is FANTASTIC. Here’s a copy of their menu!

Ethan loops things.