Category: Worcester

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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All Hail The Italian Pig Roast at VIA

For the entire month of July, you can enjoy a salad, appetizer, entrée, and glass of vino for just $29.99 with Via’s Italian Pig Roast.

VIA is, and always will be, one of Worcester’s most-loved Italian restaurants. From the rustic décor, to their open concept kitchen and year-round outdoor patio, VIA makes Shrewsbury Street feel like you’re dining in Italy. After driving past the Pig Roast billboard time and time again on my commute home from work, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try – and I’m so glad I did!

The Insalata Mista was a refreshing start to the meal, followed by the choice of a glass of red or white wine, or Wormtown’s Hefeweizen Warthog Wheat. Don’t get me wrong I love me some Wormtown, but I felt that a glass of wine was more appropriate for the occasion. I went with the Scarpetta “Frico Bianco” Friulano & Chardonnay. It wasn’t the best glass of wine I’ve ever had, but I might be a little biased because I work for a wine company.

Crispy Pork Meatballs over the Chicharrones from VIA on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA
Crispy Pork Meatballs over the Chicharrones from VIA on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Next was the appetizer. I went with the Crispy Pork Meatballs over the Chicharones. The four meatballs were super succulent and the glaze started off sweet and ended spicy. I’d definitely order them again.

Pork Belly & Orecchiette Pasta from VIA's Pig Roast on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA
Pork Belly & Orecchiette Pasta from VIA’s Pig Roast on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

The entrée was even more impressive than the appetizer! Both options sounded magically delicious so I knew it would be a win-win situation either way. I went with my gut and ordered the Pork Belly & Orecchiette Pasta because I’m a sucker for carbs. Plated beautifully with a generous amount of pork belly, the portion was a lot larger than I expected, but the black pepper and Parmesan cream sauce was so light that I was able to enjoy the entire plate guilt-free.

For only $29.99, I was able to enjoy a salad, appetizer, entrée, and glass of wine on the patio of one of the greatest restaurants in the city. Thank you, VIA, for making all of my Italian Pig Roast dinner dreams come true. I will absolutely return before July 31 and you should too!

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Who doesn’t like gnocchi?

gnocchi with bleu cheese, crispy sweet potato, and fresh scallion from Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MA.

As someone who gets rather overwhelmed by too many choices, I was a bit anxious browsing the menu at Lock 50. Not because there were multiple pages and every dish imaginable, but because the menu was divided into two sections: small plates and shareable plates. Can we still share small plates? How small are small plates? Are shareable plates only for sharing? Can I eat a whole shareable plate myself? PANIC! Luckily, I was sitting with people of a similar mind. Why don’t we just order everything that looks good to us? We ended up with a solid 3/4 of the menu for a group of 5. Absolutely no regrets. Some small plates are smaller than others, so I would recommend getting more than one even if you are part of a table for two on date night. The shareable plates are bigger, and can be eaten by one person, but Lock 50 is all about sharing so share!

I chose the gnocchi with bleu cheese, crispy sweet potato, and fresh scallion. This is one of the larger shareable plates (the shaved compressed octopus being an obvious tiny one). The gnocchi arrived in a bowl topped with crispy sweet potato. Crispy sweet potato is now my favorite topping. The sweet potato was extremely thin, thinner than a toothpick, but crunchy. I would add it to all my salads if I could. The gnocchi felt almost light, but full of flavor. I would not usually call gnocchi a light dish, but there really was a light, refreshing feeling to it and I could not stop eating. The bleu cheese added a savory element that a basic potato, flour, egg gnocchi can lack, and the scallions added to the presentation as well as the fresh taste of the gnocchi. Luckily, they brought an additional one to the table due to some kind of miscommunication so I was free to eat as much as I liked.

The service was excellent beginning with the menu clarifications. Recommendations from the waitress for drinks and dishes were solid.

It was frequently a little difficult to hear each other at our table of five. We were in the upstairs section, in the middle of the room, and the room can get quite loud with a full restaurant. Some sort of sound dampening foam may be a good investment. The dishes came out in a good time frame, two dishes at once with enough time before the next to enjoy. I recommend going to Lock 50 with a small group and doing what we did-order all the plates that catch your eye. The downside is that the bill can end up rather high as the prices are near the top of the range for Worcester, but it is an experience worth having.