The Three Forks Review

The Three Forks Review: Festival Edition 🇵🇷

Fiestas Patronales de Holyoke held its 5th annual community celebration, featuring Puerto Rican culture, food, and music over four days at Heritage Park. From the tantalizing scents of grilled meats to the beautiful cups of fresh fruit, the food trucks served a wide variety of delicious offerings.

Here were some of our favorite bites and sips:

🇵🇷 Tacos Azteca – The pastor quesadilla on a flour tortilla was loaded with meat, cheese, onion, lettuce, and cilantro, and served with a variety of fresh and grilled toppings.

🇵🇷 La Fruta Loca – Refreshing was the order of the day with fresh fruit spears topped with chamoy and Tajín, paired with an icy-cold mango passion fruit juice.

🇵🇷 Four A's Food Truck – Chicken and pork pinchos with BBQ sauce, served alongside crispy, thin tostones.

🇵🇷 Camellias Cafe – Chicken and beef empanadillas, with Camellias' name impressively imprinted on the golden crust.

🇵🇷 AGoodMix – Made with coffee from Puerto Rico, the Vanilla Iced Latte with ube cold foam was enjoyable and gave us a nice energy boost.

Looking forward to attending next year as we enjoyed the positive atmosphere, strong sense of community, and celebration of Puerto Rican culture

🚂 All aboard! There’s a new spot in South Deerfield, Mass., serving great food and ice cream—no train ticket required! The Local Motive opened this summer, with perfect timing to enjoy its offerings while soaking up the season. As a roadside stand, there are shaded seating options, as well as plenty of spaced-out picnic tables in a nearby field that give diners the perfect view of the Amtrak as it occasionally zips by. It doesn’t get much better than blue skies, sunshine, birds singing, and flitting butterflies when it comes to summertime ambiance.

The Trackside Frickles—or fried pickles to the non-locomotive folks—are delightfully thin dill chips coated in a light, golden batter and served with ranch for dipping. Crisp, tangy, and addictive, they disappear quickly. As tempted as I was to eat the entire basket, I had to save room for the main event.

Upon taking my first bite of the Signal Fire sandwich, I had to play it cool and resist announcing to everyone nearby that this may be one of the top 10 sandwiches I’ve ever had. With your choice of grilled or fried chicken (I went with the grilled to balance out the fried pickles 😉), this sandwich has a lot going on—in the best possible way. The hot honey glaze delivers just the right amount of sweet heat, soaking into every bite and pairing beautifully with the crisp, golden buttered bun. Topped with pepper jack cheese, apple cider slaw, and dill pickle chips, every ingredient works together to create an outstanding sandwich.

And of course, what kind of New Englander would I be if I didn’t order ice cream? Be sure to try a scoop of the Graham Cracker ice cream—an unexpected flavor that’s rich without being overly sweet and one I’d happily order again.

Whether you’re stopping for lunch or a scoop, The Local Motive is a welcome addition to Franklin County. Between the fresh food, relaxed outdoor setting, and passing trains, it’s a destination that feels quintessentially New England. The Three Forks Review awards The Local Motive 3 forks. This is one stop that’s well worth making—and I have a feeling this little spot is headed full steam ahead.

🫖 The Tea House in Orange, Mass., has been a local favorite for good Chinese food for decades. The interior is bright, spacious, and clean—the perfect atmosphere to appreciate the beauty of a lovely Scorpion Bowl awaiting its fate. This crowd-pleasing concoction of fruit juices, various liquors, and grenadine is always a hit, even if my crowd consists of only two people. The Tea House is known for its friendly service, generous portions, warm hospitality, and willingness to accommodate menu requests.

The Dragon & Phoenix is a combination of two classic dishes—General Gau's Chicken and Sautéed Shrimp with Vegetables. The crispy chicken was coated in a sweet and tangy sauce, while the shrimp and fresh vegetables were enjoyable in a light sauce. My dining partner ordered the Chicken Fingers & Boneless Ribs from the lunch menu, which includes one side (he chose Crab Rangoon) and pork fried rice. We enjoyed our meal and found The Tea House to be a solid choice for Chinese cuisine.

For great service, a welcoming atmosphere, and good Chinese food, the Three Forks Review awards The Tea House 2.5 forks.

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Between the cinematic blockbuster The Odyssey and your friends flooding your feed with photos from vacations in Greece, you may be in the mood for an epic journey to find amazing Greek food. Here are some of our favorite spots:

🇬🇷 Georgios- Greenfield, Mass
The grilled chicken Greek salad comes with a creamy Greek dressing, seasoned chicken, fresh vegetables, and perfectly briny soft feta crumbles.
Baklava - Heavenly layers soaked in a sweet honey sauce and topped with chopped pistachios brought back memories of baklava on the pistachio island itself in Greece.

🇬🇷 Zayith Bazaar Sudbury, Mass
Revani - traditional dessert popular in Greece - a moist apricot cake with hints of mango, passionfruit, and coconut - so good we ordered 2!

🇬🇷 Gyro Express – Chicopee, Mass.
Gyro’s stuffed to the brim and tender gyro meat wrapped in a soft, pillowy pita, loaded with creamy, garlicky tzatziki.
Portokalopita—soft and spongy orange pie, soaked in a mild orange syrup and layered with phyllo—almost cake-like.

🇬🇷 Parthenon Restaurant – South Hadley, Mass.
The Greek Sampler is a delicious showcase of Greek favorites. It comes with a golden, flaky spanakopita pie filled with savory spinach and cheese, a fresh Greek salad topped with a generous slab of briny feta dusted in oregano, and a gyro—your choice of gyro meat or chicken. In true Greek taverna fashion, the gyro portion of the platter is served deconstructed, letting you assemble each bite just how you like it.
The tzatziki and pita bread are made fresh in-house daily, at the insistence of the owner, who hails from Greece. The pita is warm and golden with a slightly crisp exterior, yet soft on the inside. The tzatziki is creamy, cool, and so fresh that Athena herself would approve.

🇬🇷 Filos Greek Taverna – Northampton, Mass.
Delicious gyros are served with French fries tucked inside, a style that has become more common in Greece, even if it’s a more modern twist. A fun find is their appetizer sampler, which allows you to try five traditional Greek dips or side dishes.

The Summer Scoop with The Three Forks Review
Ice Cream Beach Club - Foxboro, Mass

🍦 Offerings: Scoops of ice cream, sundaes, ice cream flights, and milkshakes

🍦Vibes: Sleek, chic, and cool ice cream shop

🍦Hours: Mon-Sat 1-9 & Sun 1-8

🍦What we ordered:

One scoop - half Belmont Coffee & half Coconut - rich and creamy

One scoop - half Chocolate Peanut Butter & half Moose Tracks - hits the spot for those chocolate and pb cravings

🍦Rating: 3/3 Scoops

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🇮🇹 As much as we love discovering a great restaurant with delicious food, we are even more captivated when there is an interesting story behind it. When Alfonso and Teresa Ferrantino came to the United States from Italy in 1970, they had a dream of one day opening a restaurant that offered “fine family dining, Italian style.” In 1980, Teresa's Restaurant opened in Ware, Massachusetts, bringing that dream to life.

Everything is prepared fresh daily using olive oil imported from Italy, fresh tomatoes, and the finest ingredients. The restaurant has a comforting atmosphere that reflects the charm of a classic Italian restaurant. We have enjoyed meals at Teresa's before and keep coming back for the consistently good food and generous portions. One day, we'd like to enjoy one of their special six-course family dinner-and-a-show events.

A nicely seasoned dipping oil accompanying warm dinner rolls started off our meal. Entrées come with your choice of soup or salad, and I went with the freshly prepared side salad topped with tangy, deliciously creamy blue cheese dressing.

I chose the Haddock Florentine, served with crabmeat stuffing and a creamy spinach sauce accented with a nice hint of lemon. With the choice of pasta or fries as a side, I opted for spaghetti topped with a flavorful tomato sauce that your Nonna would approve of. The meal was amazing and one I would happily order again. And again.

My dining partner enjoyed the fried scallops with French fries. The tender, golden-fried scallops were delicious dipped in cool tartar sauce, and there was enough left over that we happily packaged up the extras to enjoy at home, thanks to our friendly and efficient server.

For consistently good meals, generous portions, friendly service, and a welcoming classic Italian atmosphere, the Three Forks Review awards Teresa's Restaurant 3 Forks. More than 40 years after opening its doors, the Ferrantinos' dream of bringing authentic Italian family dining to Ware continues to be enjoyed around the table. Buon appetito! 🍝

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