The Street — Local services in Newton

Inside the Star Market @Chestnut Hill is their stir fry, Asian fusion Deli. I'd heartily reccm their Mongolian "choose your own veggies" bowls. OK, not as exciting and flavorful (with just a tad more sodium content) than my other top tier Asian fusion stir fry "go-to's", (like; BonMe or Honeygrow, bursting with pallet Joie de vivre as they say..) But for very quick lunch time prep and as a grab&go, not bad et all. They have tofu as a vegan'ish or veggie choice protein alternative. Chosen to be flavored w their Teriaki sauce , quite appealing, (not so much with their sweet and sour sauce, haven't tried their hot/spicy sauce). For $9/per bowl its a good deal. As an added plus, this particular Star Mkt being in an upscale area, has tons of cold drink choices and even better, healthy Cold drinks choices as well. Nice alternative for grabbing a lunch. Even better, @this Star Mkt is a nice heated or Air Conditioned indoor seating area that is surprisingly quite cozy. Perfect for a lunch time relaxing sit down away from work. Outside are a few benches, a couple fall in the shade, and this is perfect for those rare perfect weather days where you want to...

The shops are okay, but the entire development is a wasted opportunity. The developers could have consolidated parking in a garage and developed the land next to the pond. Restaurant views of Hammond Pond and the surrounding natural land could have been a huge hit. Instead they ruined the view with a massive parking lot that spans the entire complex.

On top of this, this area is right around the corner from a T stop that takes people straight into Boston. Imagine if this could have been a mixed-use development with apartments or condos incorporated? It would be an amazing spot to live for city commuters. Not sure what the zoning rules are, I get Newton is strict but they should use their T stop access to draw people in and provide...

Some of what you're paying for here is location/rent, another portion is the brand, but most of it is the quality. With places like Shake Shack and Juice Press, you will not be disappointed by the diversity of the food choices.

Across the parking lot is Hammond Pond Park, a beautiful local conservation area bisected by a Parkway with no safe crosswalks to the other side, but opportunities for hiking, bouldering, and outdoor rock climbing.

Check out the plethora of stores on the street, a few cellphone stores but no dedicated...