Category: Food News

Food News revolves around the happenings within the national Hospitality Industry and how it relates to the local restaurant scene. Here in the Commonwealth, the dining scene is vibrant and is influenced by—and sometimes influences—the national spotlight.

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WooTube with Dale LePage

Dale LePage host of Charter TV3's WooTube

Dale LePage host of Charter TV3's WooTube

It is hard to go anywhere in the local music scene today without seeing the name Dale LePage. If it has music, Dale has probably performed there (including the Worcester Art Museum‘s Third Thursday) and when he does, Dale LePage stands out above the rest. Twice voted the Best Male Vocalist by Pulse Magazine, nominated by Boston’s Esplanade Magazine as Entertainer of the Year and winner of the Telegram and Gazette’s Worcester Living magazine Entertainer of the Year award you will now be able to enjoy LePage  from the comfort of your home as he will now host Charter TV3’s new segment, WooTube.

WooTube, a 30-minute program highlighting local talent, hot spots and restaurants, hosted by popular New England vocalist and winner of Worcester Living Magazine’s Male Entertainer of the Year, debuts Wednesday, February 22 at 10:30 p.m. Potential performers on the show will be selected from video submissions. WooTube will air weekly on Charter TV3 at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and at 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

“WooTube on Charter TV3 will promote great entertainment from throughout Central New England,” said Dale LePage. “There is no shortage of talented singers, duos, trios, bands and stand up comedians in this area, all of whom are welcome to send in their video submissions. This show is going to be fun for viewers to watch and interact with, since the viewers will decide by on-line voting on Facebook which videos are the best each month.”

“Charter TV3 is thrilled to launch another engaging show on our  robust programming line-up, which includes the area’s only local newscast, Worcester News Tonight and The Friday Night Basketball Frenzy Show,” said Mike Marcy, Charter TV3’s Director of Local Programming. “WooTube is an original and sure to be an entertaining program that showcases talent across Central New England that can only be seen on Charter TV3.”

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Allgos Rises From the Ashes

On June 23, 2011 a smoky, two-alarm fire erupted at 58 Shrewsbury Street, home to Allgos Sweets & Drinks and next door to Victory Bar & Cigar. Thankfully there were no injuries to the occupants or the firefighters, but the damage done to the building during the rescue effort was extensive. Allgos was flooded beyond the point of remaining operational and after carefully examining the damages and weighing the options, was forced to close and evaluate how to move forward. What was once a lively venue almost every night was now forced into darkness.

Allgos gutted after the water damage from the fire on June 23, 2011.
Allgos gutted after the water damage from the fire on June 23, 2011.

Worcester has long been home to various styles of restaurants and nightlife. Allgos however seemed to fill a void offering a place to enjoy a quiet cocktail before dinner; dessert, coffee, after-dinner drinks after you eat; or lively late night drinks and entertainment all in cool, upbeat atmosphere. Allgos also quickly developed a reputation for outstanding cocktails, infusions (the practice of flavoring liquor by soaking things in it) and other delicious libations. Speaking with WorcesterScene.com back in April of 2010, owner Naat Paiva said, “Allgos has a sophisticated, upscale, coffee house sort of feel combined with cutting edge cocktails, really tasty sweets and desserts and a lively, late night crowd, so no matter what time of the evening it is, before dinner, after dinner or late night, we always have something for our guests to enjoy.”

Now, nine months after the fire almost closed the business for good, Allgos is ready to re-open “even better than before,” said Paiva. After extensive restoration, Allgos is starting to resemble itself again and will re-open on March 1st. Although the physical space and layout has not changed, everything has been completely restored. “Before we closed, we had a space that really worked – an intimate, dimly-lit room with cozy seating on one side and a more lively bar area on the other. We didn’t want to change that but we had to literally gut the space in order to make it useable again,” said Paiva. A quick, sneak peak in February revealed that not only has the space been re-done (it looks as beautiful as ever) but that Paiva has some new and exciting things up her sleeve. Look for a completely new and decadent dessert menu, new infusions and a new cocktail infusion technique never seen before in Worcester that will surely get people talking.

There is a lot planned for the re-opening, including a tribute to Worcester’s beloved firefighters, with a donation of 10% of all it’s sales on opening night with a matching donation from The Network Insurance Agency. In addition, Josh Briggs and Bongo Mike will be performing Saturday evening.

Allgos re-joins other dessert spots in the Shrewsbury Street including Sweet Pastry Shop and Dessert Bar, where Food Network-featured Chef Alina Eisenhauer creates her masterpieces. So whether you are looking forward to visiting Allgos again or looking to visit for the first time, their re-opening marks the return of a one of Worcester’s favorite spots!