If you’re from Worcester or a surrounding town, you know that nothing beats a night out on Shrewsbury Street. Whether you’re on the market for a bottle of fine wine, some delicious cocktails, light appetizers, or an authentic Italian dinner, you can find it all at Nuovo, located at 92 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester.
Nuovo is made for lovers! The brick interior, piano, elegant booths, white table cloths, tea light candles and colorful flowers take date night to a new level. Not only that, but the restaurant also has a large function room on the second level that can fit up to 120 guests – perfect for birthdays, engagement parties, baby showers, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners and beyond. You name it, Nuovo can accommodate!
It was Friday night at 7PM and Nuovo was packed. I should have known better and made a reservation but luckily there was one open table for two. Upon being seated, warm bread and olive oil was brought out, followed by our $6—yes, all house martinis are $6!—dirty martinis. After browsing the appetizers I went with the Mussels Fra Diavolo – sautéed mussels, fresh basil and tomato sauce. For just $9 it was a good sized portion, plenty to share. There was a nice kick of spice from the Fra Diavolo sauce and I could have easily drank the broth at the bottom of the bowl if I knew no one would judge me – instead I soaked my bread in it.
For my entrée I went with one of “Nuovo’s Sautéed Specialties,” the Salmone Atlantico ($24) which was accompanied with a house salad. The filet of salmon was sautéed with creamy Madeira wine sauce, fresh spinach and lobster meat served with 5 large cheese ravioli’s. Madeira sauce is a rich and peppery sauce prepared with Madeira wine and peppercorns. It was plated so beautifully that I took a photo before I dug in. This entree was the perfect portion and went very well with my glass of Pinot Grigio ($7).
Top notch service goes hand in hand with top notch food. Our server was very professional, well-versed on the entire menu and knew the weekend specials to a T. What impressed me most was when a man, who appeared to be the owner, came out and asked each table how their meal was. There was a table of 6 behind me celebrating a birthday and he insisted that he bring out champagne for a complimentary toast. He then went on and did the same gesture for a couple who was celebrating their anniversary. This man went above and beyond to make sure each and every guest went home satisfied and that speaks volumes about how this family-owned restaurant is run.
Nuevo is a Shrewsbury Street staple with a well-deserved, almost perfect rating on Yelp! Start here for a romantic candle lit dinner without breaking the bank and then head over to neighbors Wormtown Brewery or Brew City to continue your night.
Bonus: Every Tuesday get any bottle of house wine for $20 and every time there is a show at the Hanover Theater receive a 10% discount off your food bill. They also offer free valet parking! Nuevo is a big “yes” from me. You just can’t go wrong here.