Thursday evening marked my return to Foodies! Hallelujah! After a brief hiatus due to giving birth, I am back, and boy, was I ready for this event – the long awaited opening of Niche’s Test Kitchen! The Niche restaurants are some of my favorite dining establishments in Worcester. Not only is their food and drink consistently delicious, but the service is always exceptional!
As a frequent diner to these restaurants, I was thrilled to be a part of the opening of the test kitchen. Located next door to Mezcal, the test kitchen is exactly as it sounds, an industrial kitchen loaded with all of the applianced and gadgets needed to produce delicious food. For the event, a small bar was set up along with some high top tables and stools. In front of the ovens and stoves was a long table where the food was served and from which us ‘Foodies’ could watch the magic happen and ask the chefs questions as the dishes were prepared, carefully plated, and served.
The dishes were served tapas style to give everyone an opportunity to sample (with room for seconds) potential dishes for each of Niche’s five restaurants. The night began with dishes served from The People’s Kitchen – Bratwurst and a delightful cheese platter including creamy goat cheese, smoked gouda, and spiced pork spread was served with crispy bread, pickled veggies, and various mustards. The goat cheese and gouda were delicious, yet expected, however, the pork spread was surprisingly light with hints of lime and fresh herbs. When paired on toast, was quite enjoyable.
Course number two was created by the chef from The Fix – Taylor Ham Sliders, Bloody Mary Poutine, and Banh Mi Poutine. The sliders were delicious served with a light coleslaw, however, the bread was overwhelming. A less bulky roll would have complimented the meat and slaw better. The poutines were both delicious, however, the tomato, mayo, horseradish ‘gravy’ served on the Bloody Mary Poutine was on the heavy side when paired with the french fries. On the contrary, the Banh Mi Poutine was absolutely stellar! The pork was tender and juicy and the lime, cilantro, and jalepenos complemented the dish beautifully! A MUST addition to The Fix’s already incredible menu!
Course number three came to us from Leominster’s Rye & Thyme – a favorite of mine despite not being located in Worcester proper! This was by far, my favorite course of the evening. The Pice de resistance of the night were the oysters, served raw with a creamy quail egg, grapefruit, and house made guanciale – a cured meat. The juxtaposition of flavors and textures was truly outstanding and created an umami effect of the taste buds. The lettuce cups served with blue cheese, pork belly lardons, and minced shallots were a tasty mouthful…crisp, creamy, and satisfying.
Course number four came from Mezcal – full disclosure, Mexican is not my favorite food, I have never been a fan of the spices and preparations for Mexican fare, hence why these two dishes were not my favorite. The Oaxacan Chorizo Tacos and Sopecitos de Carnitas were perfect appetizer-sized bites, however, the sopecitos were heavy and the base overpowered the filling. The tacos were good, but were similar to tacos already on Mezcal’s menu.
Bocado’s chef was up for the fifth and final main course dishes….I think Mike Covino saved the best, and probably the most gluttonous dish for last – Porchetta Con Pimenton – OMG! Words cannot express how incredibly, mouthwateringly satisfying this dish was….the meat was beautifully garnished with pickled onions and fresh herbs, however, the meat itself was a masterpiece…tender, fatty, and crunchy, all in a single bite – a PERFECT addition to the Bocado menu. The Paella, a dish again, that is not my favorite, was average. Served with prawns, I found the dish to be difficult to eat as you needed to “suck out” the meat from the prawns.
Finally dessert – did I have room in my stomach? NO…did I still eat dessert? OF COURSE! Churro bites, a favorite of mine when dining at Bocado and Mexican Chocolate Cheesecake Bite – need I say more? A wonderful ending to an even better evening filled with friends, cocktails, food, and royalty of Worcester chefs…what more could a Foodie ask for!