Category: Food Reviews

Mass Foodies is dedicated to consuming everything that the commonwealth has to offer. The food review portion of Mass Foodies is written by independent group of wandering consumers from different backgrounds. Foodies come together once a month at a predetermined restaurant, order off of the menu, and share their experience Learn more »

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Sashimi at Baba Sushi

Sashimi at Baba Sushi on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Sashimi at Baba Sushi on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Baba Sushi is able to deliver the full dining experience—the atmosphere, food, flavors and service combined with good friends makes it simply one of the best sushi restaurants.

Having sat in the front room dozens of times, the back dining room was a pleasant surprise. It has a much different vibe. The back room’s high ceilings give it an open, inviting feel.

Baba Sushi’s food has always been consistently outstanding and this visit was no different. Nothing is simpler than raw fish on a plate, yet, nothing compares to the taste.

My sashimi spread consisted of sake (salmon), hotate (scallop), taco (octopus) and maguro (tuna). As usual, it was fresh and full of flavor.

The taco’s texture and consistency were exceptional, easy to chew and not rubbery, which can be a challenge for octopus. The highlight of the night: describing hotate’s buttery flavor and soft texture to my Foodies friend. She tried it and loved it, thanks to my recommendation.

One note on the portion size at Baba…often after eating sashimi at other restaurants I might not be full, but Baba is generous and fair.

Our excellent server handled our large party alone. He delivered food in a timely manner, filled water glasses promptly and offered drinks right on time. He seemed very knowledgeable about the food. I overheard him speaking with a few folks about the preparation and ingredients of a few dishes in impressive detail.

Baba Sushi is one of a very small handful of restaurants in Worcester County I have found to be consistent with its fresh food, great service, and appealing atmosphere. For me, Baba is my go-to restaurant for sushi. Highly recommend.

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The Boynton’s Chicken Bomber

The Boynton's Chicken Bomber

The Boynton's Chicken Bomber

Every time I have ever frequented the Boynton, the atmosphere has always been frenetic. However, amongst the constant chaos, there always seems to be something systematic and controlled about the wait staff buzzing around, trays of food being brought out of the kitchen. While the atmosphere is more or less like many of the bars in Worcester, there is something comforting about your surroundings…run of the mill enough to feel like you have been there before, while still with an edge that only the City of Worcester can provide.

When reviewing the menu, I found that it was very overwhelming. The menu is massive, spanning several pages. However, it was filled with a lot of comfort food classics, as well as a wide variety of pastas and seafood to satisfy anything that you might be in the mood for in a given night. When all was said and done, we decided to start with fried pickles ($5.99). This is always a dish I gravitate towards whenever I see them on the menu. The combination of the tanginess of the pickle and the crunchiness of the batter is a great way to activate the taste buds. When these are paired with their spicy Russian dipping sauce, you cannot go wrong. When it came to picking a meal, I wanted to go off the beaten path a bit. I find myself usually drawn towards burgers, or seafood, so I didn’t want to be a victim of my own menu choices. I decided to order the Boynton Chicken Bomber ($7.99), after it came highly recommended by another Foodie. This sandwich is shaved chicken steak is grilled and sautéed onions then topped with American cheese and mayo, served on a toasted Italian loaf with a side of French fried potato wedges. The flavors that this sandwich presented me with were great. The shaved chicken reminded me of a great cheesesteak, and the sautéed onions provided a nice sweetness to the sandwich. The bread was a great vessel for the sandwich, being light and fluffy on the interior but having a nice crunchy exterior. The only downside was that I would like to have a better ratio of bread to meat. The bread engulfed the filling to the point where I had trouble finding the meat with each bite. There can always be worse problems to have than that though.

The waitress that was assigned to us for the evening seemed to be very attentive to all of our needs. For a Tuesday night, the restaurant seemed unusually busy (although I’m told that the Boynton is busy like that almost every day). I would have like to have seen the waitress around a few more times over the course of the night, but I know the hospitality business is a hectic one. When she was around, she did a fantastic job. Her absence did not detract from my overall experience for the night.

The Boynton on Highland Street is an institution within the city of Worcester. It is nice to see how they have built it up and grown over the years into an establishment that is synonymous with great food, a large bar selection, good atmosphere and who could forget those “Boynton Buckets”. Whether you are looking for a night out on the town with your friends or a nice sit-down meal filled with a wide array of options, you would have a tough time finding a better place to satisfy your culinary wishes than the Boynton.