Category: Great Guide

What is the best way to discover restaurants in Massachusetts? The Mass Foodies Great Guide will show you some of the best restaurants within a category in a bite-sized portion so you can plan your culinary journey accordingly. This travel guide is meant to help you plan your day when you’re looking for great suggestions for dining.

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6 Great Places for Chicken Wings

Whether rub or sauce, The Fix on Grove Street in Worcester, MA offers all you can eat wings during Monday Night Football.

Ask ten people to name their favorite spot for chicken wings in Central Mass and you will get ten different answers. And ask ten people how they want them prepared and you will get ten different answers, again. The traditional BBQ, Teriyaki, Buffalo and Honey Mustard flavors are still popular, but different flavor variations are being created everyday as inventive Chefs look for new options to entice their customers.

Whether rub or sauce, The Fix on Grove Street in Worcester, MA offers all you can eat wings during Monday Night Football.Some interesting facts about the common chicken wing…According to Smithsonian magazine, the “Buffalo Chicken Wing” was invented in…you guessed it, Buffalo, NY by Teressa Bellissimo, proprietor of the Anchor Bar in 1964. Fortune magazine reported that 1.3 billion chicken wings were to be consumed for Super Bowl LI. And while most guys love eating wings, having a beer and watching a game, consider this… a young lady by the name of Miki Sudo who weighs only 115lbs and stands a mere 5’1” ate 192 wings in 10 minutes at a competitive eating contest in 2013!

Appetizer, dinner, lunch, late night snack or early morning pick me up, chicken wings are one of the most versatile food ever. Some people even like their chicken wings boneless—but that is an entirely different subject for a completely different day!

For this article, we will skip the national chains (sorry, Bdubs), as well as the restaurants serving frozen wing dings and focus on some unique flavors and the Chefs doing something a little different with the chicken wing right here in Central Mass!

Smokestack Urban Barbecue

You’d expect a great BBQ place to have a great chicken wing, and the Honey-Habanero Smoked Wings at Smokestack Urban Barbecue does not disappoint. The sweetness of the honey combined with the heat of the habanero on a smoked wing is definitely worth the try before you dig into the main menu.

Oak Barrel Tavern

Want something with a little zing but not overpowering heat? Try the OBT Stinger (garlic, honey and red pepper) at Oak Barrel Tavern. This plumper of a wing has a unique flavor combination and is a great start to a meal or have a bunch with a few Wachusett Country Ales while you sit at their oversized bar with friends.

Wicked Wing Company

OK daredevil, here is a wing if you really like the heat!! The Ghost Pepper Buffalo Wing at Wicked Wing Company pushes heat to new limits. Sure there is some traditional Buffalo flavoring, but this one is all about the heat! Fire in the hole!

The Fix Burger Bar

Looking to go a little further outside the box than traditional wings? The Dragon Wings at The Fix Burger Bar combine sweet red curry, coconut sauce and cilantro lime gremolata for a taste that will leave you wanting another order. BTW, delicious with a Jack’s Abby Hoponius Union IPA, trust us! For an added bonus, for the 2016 NFL season you can enjoy all you can eat wings (includes the salad bar) during Monday and Thursday Night Football.

Rye & Thyme American Tavern

Worcester’s North County chimes in with the R&T Asian BBQ Chicken Wing from Rye & Thyme in Leominster. This wing is smothered in a garlic, BBQ Sriracha sauce with wasabi pea crunch texturing that is sure to get your meal off to a great start!

Horseshoe Pub & Restaurant

The Horseshoe Pub & Restaurant in Hudson (or the ‘Shoe as it is known locally) has a pub Chicken Wing appetizer that doesn’t stand out because of the selection of sauces, but instead because of the way it is cooked. First roasted, then fried these plump, juicy wings are fantastic, but they get even better when you consider there are over 80 draft beers choices to enjoy with them. Our favorite, the Double Baked with a Wormtown Be Hoppy of course!

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5 Great Places for Steak in Central Massachusetts

New York, New York Sirloin Steak - RS

In large metropolitan areas, a great steak is not hard to find. Dozens of outstanding restaurants dot the landscape in LA, Chicago, Kansas City, New York, Miami and Boston. The high-end national chains like Fleming’s, Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris and Palm usually have a presence. Most cities also have mid-range chains like Outback, Longhorn’s and Texas Roadhouse, plus their local favorites giving meat eaters plenty of choices when it comes to indulging their need for beef. But Worcester? Or Central Mass or MetroWest even? Well the list may be a bit shorter but that doesn’t mean a carnivore can’t be satisfied.

For this article let’s leave out the national chains, all fine establishments and all with a good steak, but our focus will be on locally-owned restaurants, so let’s answer the question…. “where can you find a good steak in Central Mass…?”

Well to start, you don’t have to be in a “steak restaurant” to have a good steak. Chioda’s Trattoria in Worcester has a decadent Gorgonzola Almond Crusted Sirloin on the menu every day. Murphy’s NY Sirloin and Butler’s Grilled Filet at O’Conner’s are both solid choices when the craving hits you and the Ribeye or Flat Iron steaks at Oak Barrel Tavern will also do the trick! In MetroWest try the Oregon Club, an old-time hidden gem in Ashland which was a legendary speakeasy back in the day now serving an outstanding steak in a very unique atmosphere! For upscale dining with great steak options, nothing beats The Fireplace Room at The International in Bolton. Choose from a variety including a 24oz, deconstructed Porterhouse which is truly outstanding! Finally for a down and dirty (metaphorically speaking) steak fix, Pete’s Bluebird in Bellingham will knock your socks off!

Here are a few more of our favorite places enjoy a meat masterpiece in and around Central Massachusetts:

One Eleven Chop House
Central Massachusetts’ best-known steak house, the Chop House dining experience rivals some of the great steakhouses in the US. The décor, service and quality all come together creating a truly memorable meal. All cuts at the Chop House are hand-selected Certified Prime grade, prepared expertly and served with incredible a la carte sides. A favorite of many at the Chop House is the Grilled Black Pepper Encrusted New York Sirloin. Great steaks taste better paired with a great wine, and as you would expect, the Chop House offers an award-winning wine list, having earned Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence” every year since 2001.

NE Steak & Seafood
A casual atmosphere, affordable prices, great quality food and a commitment to the local community have kept NE Steak & Seafood serving outstanding meals for over 60 years! This family-owned steak joint in Mendon, MA has it all but is best known for their slow roasted King or Queen Cut of Prime Rib. They also have incredible seafood and steak combinations to mix and match as Surf & Turf, but what might really bring you back are the made fresh daily cinnamon rolls they serve with every meal!

Wildwood Steakhouse
The Wildwood in Marlborough is an exceptional dining experience with a big menu and lots of choices including fresh seafood, a raw bar and other house specialties but they are definitely best known for their steaks. Choose from a 14oz “BlackJack” Sirloin with bourbon blackjack pepper sauce, an 18oz Grand Cut Bone-In Kansas City Strip or a 26oz Cowboy Bone-In Rib Eye. End your meal with an amazing piece of their famous Mile High Chocolate Cake!

Ken’s Steakhouse
Metro West’s most famous and endearing restaurant has been serving generations of satisfied customers since 1941. Founded on a formula for success that includes “good quality food at reasonable prices, an honest drink and a good cup of coffee”, Ken’s grew from humble beginnings to take its place atop the Metro West restaurant scene. Families, friends, local legends and international superstars have all dined at Ken’s. Signature dishes include a Prime USDA Center Cut Sirloin that is as flavorful as any steak around. Each meal starts with a fresh salad made with Ken’s Famous salad dressings and to really make it special, add a Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail to complete your meal!

Willy’s Steakhouse
Willy’s Steakhouse Grill & Sushi Bar located in downtown Shrewsbury offers an upscale, white tablecloth dining experience in an intimate and warm atmosphere. All of the steaks at Willy’s are selected from the finest Midwestern cattle, aged 28 days to ensure flavorful and tender meat, then pan-seared in antique French skillets.

The menu is vast and includes a long list of steak and seafood but one of the signature dishes is the 14oz Prime Cut New York Sirloin which showcases the top 1% of all the steaks raised in the United States! Add some sushi to make the meal even more memorable!