Category: Worcester Foodies Group

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 experiences. Worcester eats and we write about it.

Posted on by

The Foodies’ Hangover (Pub)

Hangover Pub on Green Street in Worcester, MA
CIDER BRAISED STATLER CHICKEN from The Hangover Pub on Green Street in Worcester, MA
CIDER BRAISED STATLER CHICKEN: Sherry cream, apple, bacon, Yukon gold potatoes, Brussel Sprouts

While nutritionists believe in the power of potassium, encouraging people to eat bananas to resolve a hangover, The Hangover Pub is scratching that off the list and ensuring that everyone knows: Bacon is king, partly because of its versatility in elevating the flavors of almost any dish. The Hangover Pub is capitalizing on this.

Wooden half-wall panels are painted a deep red on bottom and chalkboard black on top allowing for handwritten menus and quirky messages throughout the front room. A huge bar, the catchy eye piece centered in the front of the entrance, runs along an entire wall, each shelf lined with some of the great craft beers and liquors to accommodate any menu item. In the front room, customers can sit at the bar or choose a casual high-top pub table and rave with friends about their common love of bacon. The back dining area, which accommodates 20 easily, extends the funky atmosphere from the front room with metal-framed tables and walls that explode with eclectic local artwork, each piece a great conversation starter.

The Hangover Pub's Bacon Manhattan
The Hangover Pub’s Bacon Manhattan

At The Hangover Pub, Executive Chef Michael Arrastia smokes and cures all the bacon used on the menu in-house. Then Arrastia and his staff use all their creativity to keenly prepare and artistically serve incredible bacon-themed dishes. Consider the Porchetta, roasted pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon, drizzled with local honey, mascarpone polenta, pan jus, and green beans; Cider Braised Statler Chicken (2), a sherry cream, apple, bacon, Yukon gold potato dish served with a half chicken breast and Brussels sprouts; the Wagyu Burger, a Grey Hill blue cheese, baby kale, bacon-onion jam, brioche burger served with house fries and smoked sea salt or the Sous Vide Chicken and Waffles (2), chicken and bourbon bacon maple reduction over a caramelized onion waffle – three dishes giving a glimpse into the culinary skills of Chef Arrastia. There are also bacon infused drinks like the Bacon Manhattan and even bacon-themed desserts like Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. Filling every inch of inner lust for bacon flavors, The Hangover Pub may change the minds of nutritionists everywhere.

Not a bacon lover? No worries, the menu also has many items that don’t include bacon like a huge house salad or a Catch of the Day seafood special. And all menu items are priced between $5 – $15 making The Hangover Pub an affordable option no matter what the occasion.

SOUS VIDE CHICKEN AND WAFFLES from Hangover Pub on Green Street in Worcester, MA
SOUS VIDE CHICKEN AND WAFFLES: Bourbon bacon maple reduction, caramelized onion waffle
Posted on by

Dining at the Canal Districts Lock 50

Mass Foodies review the menu options at Worcester's Lock 50.
Shaved Compressed Octopus, Salsa Verde, Crunchy Bread Crumbs from Lock 50 in Worcester, MA
Shaved Compressed Octopus, Salsa Verde, Crunchy Bread Crumbs from Lock 50 in Worcester, MA

In the reviving heart of Worcester, the Canal District illuminates with a new presence, Lock 50. The restaurant and café, sitting on the 50th lock of the old Blackstone Canal, once thriving with business, trade and prosperity, is a piece of the puzzle in the revitalization of the waterway.

The space, lit in an ambience of intimacy, wraps its guest with a street view of the up and coming Canal District, through an impressive display of full sized windows. The windows, grasping the attraction of every patron, are accompanied by the dark, rustic tones of wooden frames and an impeccable distinct style. A warm atmosphere engulfs the front café seating area with each table adorned with an amber colored stone display lit with centrally placed tea light candles. The exposed brick and wall hangings complete the creative display and overlook an elongated blue suede sofa – a sofa too comfortable to not make this a regular seating option for every visit. This sophisticated yet relaxed feeling continues down a few steps to the main dining area and into a room with vast high ceilings, more oversized windows and a large, inviting bar.

Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MAWith owner Ed Russo and Executive Award-Winning Chef, Tim Russo at the helm, the seasonally-changing menu doesn’t fall short of exceptional. In the morning, the café peaks the interests of patrons with a selection of crepes like a delicious Nutella, Banana and Crushed Hazelnut crepe or a filling Roasted Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Fresh Herb crepe. Pairing a morning delight with an exceptional cup of coffee – created with contraptions only a true Barista can describe – is the right way to start the day. For lunch, the cafe expands diners choices with an array of soups, salads and sandwiches but these sandwiches are not your average turkey and cheese clubs, instead they serve slow roasted pork, caramelized with red bell peppers, broccoli rabe pesto on a nice ciabatta bread. The small plate options served for dinner come complete with simple descriptions, eliminating the need to decode dish titles only the Chef understands. With steamed littleneck clams infused with preserved lemon, fried garlic and parsley and a cured meat board, patrons will have to learn how to share, while leaving full, satisfied and begging for more.

Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MA