Tag: bacon

Posted on by

Chicken + Dumplings from The Urban

Chicken + Dumplings from The Urban on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Chicken + Dumplings from The Urban on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Foodies 2015 is off to a delicious start with yet another great venue. This month – The Urban Kitchen + Bar located on Shrewsbury Street. The Urban Kitchen + Bar promises ‘refined comfort food’ and I would agree they absolutely do!

The décor is slightly industrial simplistic, the staff was attentive, welcoming, and knowledgeable. The menu was extensive with many unique items. It was a tough decision on what to order, but I decided to go with the restaurant week menu.

Appetizer – Salsify Clam Chowder -manilla clams, bacon, thyme, cream, housemade oyster crackers. This was such a fantastic clam chowder; you had to deshell the clams, which added to the excitement of the dish. The flavors were perfect, the bacon added just enough smoke, the thyme was not overwhelming, and surprisingly the broth was not extremely heavy. This was not your average clam chowder; it was as they state, ‘refined’.

Main – Chicken + Dumplings – mushroom consommé, swiss chard, beech mushrooms, toasted garlic. I am a huge fan of bone in chicken, if cooked to perfection, and this was spot on! There was a fair amount of broth, although it was a tad bit salty. However, the balance of all the flavors combined was just delicious. The mushrooms and swiss chard were a perfect complement to the chicken. I did not have many dumplings, but I was not disappointed in this, as I really could have had the dish without. This dish was excellent! I also ordered a side of Brussel sprouts to share, roasted with pecorino and lemon. This was a great twist to roasted Brussel sprouts. They were slightly crisp with a fantastic balance of cheese and lemon. I really enjoyed them.

Dessert – Carrot Cake – candied pecans, cream cheese gelato. I typically do not order dessert but it came with the restaurant week option so I thought I would have a bite. Or two, three… The carrot cake was the perfect size, just enough for one or to share. The gelato was the star on this plate; it had perfect flavors to accommodate the carrot cake. The cake was moist and full of flavor, not too sweet. Excellent finish to a fantastic meal.

I will definitely be back to The Urban Kitchen + Bar. As they promised ‘refined comfort food’ and they get that right!

Posted on by

BBQ Bacon Burger from The Fix

BBQ Bacon Burger from The Fix on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

With the summer season upon us, nothing screams more “Americana” to me than a big, juicy hamburger. However, we have all fallen victim to the bland standard of hamburger that we have become accustomed to at family cookouts…small, overcooked, flavorless hockey pucks wedged between two buns. However, when you do find a place where you can get a good burger (and I mean GOOD burger), you want to eat there all the time. That was how I felt after my trip to The Fix. Before I go off on a tangent about my main course, first things first. The Fix is located on Shrewsbury Street and takes the place of the old Mezcal, which used to occupy the same real estate. Unlike Mezcal, where it used to feel crowded and cramped, The Fix gives off a much more relaxed and open vibe, even with similar floor plans.

As we first began our culinary roller coaster, we obviously needed to order drinks. My drink of choice was called Shake It Up. This drink was a delightful concoction of rum with muddled raspberries, basil and rhubarb bitters. Being a large fan of rum, this drink was a perfect example of how simple, fresh ingredients combined the proper way can let all the ingredients shine in their own right with the natural sweetness and aromatics of the raspberries and basil, with the tanginess of the bitters taking a bit of the edge off of the rum.

I digress though (again)…as we perused the menu, I had predetermined that I was going to order a burger. The first one that caught my eye was the BBQ Bacon Burger. How could you go wrong with bacon??? To start my meal, I had to order the Bleu Cheese Polenta tater tots. These delicious little taters came out fried to a crispy, golden brown, but the interior was velvety and rich. The polenta blended well with the bleu cheese to take some of it’s notorious ‘funk’ out of the dish. The Sriracha aioli and ranch dipping sauces were also a great addition to cut the richness of the tot.

When my burger arrived at our table, the first thing that struck me was the sheer size of it! It was massive! The plate was crowded with handcut fries that were salty and crunchy. The burger was cooked medium (which is also a rarity, even at a decent burger joint). Nestled on it were 4 large strips of bacon, caressed by BBQ baked beans. The onion and lettuce gave the burger a nice texture and crunch to the dish. The smoked gouda cheese brought everything together on a dish that reminded you more of quality BBQ than a traditional burger. With everything that was consumed at The Fix, I left full and happy. For anyone who has a large appetite and a craving for a perfectly cooked burger, head on down to Shrewsbury Street and get your fix on!