Tag: bacon

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Whatever ails your spirit, The Hangover Pub has your cure, BACON!

Cider Braised Statler Chicken from Hangover Pub in Worcester, MA

The Hangover Pub located on Green Street has been on my “must try ASAP” list since opening. I was beyond excited for New England’s first Bacon Gastro Pub! The renovated space was vibrant and alive, offering a welcoming, hip, eclectic vibe. I love art and was happy to see local artists work scattered throughout the restaurant; which of course is for sale.

I have to admit, I have a silly “rule;” I never look at a menu before I try a new restaurant. However, something about all this bacon talk had me saying just take a peek. I decided I needed to plan my evening with bacon, so I looked and I was excited.

We started with the Man Candy – Brown sugar and maple glazed thick-cut bacon. WOW! I truly think this was the best bacon I have ever had. Sweet and savory, perfect thickness with ample meat. In addition, we had the House Smoked Hog ‘Wings’ – outstanding. The flavors were spot on, a delicious smoked flavor; this was a great change of pace to the typical chicken wing.

For my main entrée (everything sounded so appetizing), I decided on the Cider Braised Statler Chicken – Sherry cream, apple, bacon, with extra Brussels sprouts (I requested to omit the potatoes). The chicken was so delicious, the sherry cream was not too heavy, accompanied with sufficient apple and bacon to meld all of these exciting flavors, cooked perfectly, moist, melted in your mouth; the brussle sprouts were good as well but I didn’t eat many as I wanted to eat all of my chicken.

We did some sharing with our fellow foodies, homemade chips, awesome, fries, awesome, Poutine awesome, catch of the day, awesome, Zeppolis awesome!

Also, I would be remiss not commenting on my cocktail, the Sangria is excellent!

The owner, Jay, came over to greet us and to say if we need anything, just ask. He took a few minutes to explain his vision and future vision of The Hangover Pub. Loved his ideas, love how The Hangover Pub came to fruition.

The service was excellent; I can fully appreciate how large parties can be a challenge. We were well taken care of, the food came out all at once, and everyone was so friendly and helpful. A+ for the service and staff.

I loved The Hangover Pub and it will definitely be on my list of favorite spots in Worcester. I cannot wait to sit at the bar, have me some Man Candy and try some of the interesting craft cocktails, and of course go back for Brunch!

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Sticky and Overly Sweet: Chicken and Waffles

Sous Vide Chicken and Waffles from Hangover Pub on Green Street in Worcester, MA

The Hangover Pub is a place where we heard you can get bacon. Bacon on sandwiches, bacon in the drinks and bacon included in most meals. So with that kind of rumor going around you can imagine how much we were looking forward to our Foodies visit.

It’s a nice sized bar when you walk in and a few side tables; it was bustling and energetic as we made our way to the back room for our party’s seating. The local art work on the walls was excellent and I really admire and enjoy when the local restaurants take the time and effort to have local artists work on their walls – so they get extra kudos from this artist for that!

The menu did not disappoint – we saw bacon everywhere. But my eye caught the pork belly and goat cheese rangoons with fig drizzle. And I am glad I went there, as they were fantastic and the drizzle just added another layer of goodness. I really enjoyed them and would order them again.

But that is where the love stopped for me. I ordered the Sous Vide Chicken and Waffles with great expectations. It came with a bourbon bacon maple reduction covering the crispy chicken and it all sat on top of an onion waffle. It was a nice sized portion and so I dug in. All I could taste was the sticky and overly sweet syrup. The whole thing was covered in this and it made the waffle soggy. I like a little crisp there, and it overwhelmed the entire dish. I could not help but think I should have ordered this reduction on the side so it could have just been dipped in occasionally. I could not even taste the crisp on the chicken with the glaze dripping absolutely everywhere. I tried to scrape it off and most of the fried chicken outer layer went with it. I could not taste the Bourbon or the bacon in there at all. And if the waffle had caramelized onions in it I could not taste them. I was simply disappointed.

Our group had two servers and they were friendly and expedient – which is awesome and I enjoyed our interactions with them all night long.

I think that I would certainly go back and try something else here, drinks and appetizers are worth going for and I would try again and again. It was a fun night and the service and owner were very charming.