Tag: brussel sprouts

Posted on by

Seafood Marinara from Boynton

Seafood Marinara from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Seafood Marinara from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

The Boynton, located on Highland Street in Worcester, was a very nice surprise for me. I had been to the Boynton prior to this outing and have always had good service and good food but nothing that I recall was anything extra special. My visit this past week however was quite a nice surprise from what I had been expecting. The place was very busy with a wait to be seated—this on a Tuesday night around 6:30pm.

I had a “Tuna Sashimi” appetizer to start my evening. I shared it with my husband and it was delicious. Finely sliced tuna came on a bed of slaw with soy sauce dip, slices of ginger and wasabi mustard.

I also tried the deep fried Brussel sprouts as an appetizer. One of our other dining partners had ordered it and I sampled some. This was fantastic. I liked the little nibble I had so much that I ended up ordering a side order for myself to go with my meal. If you are a fan of Brussel sprouts, you must try these.

For my entrée, I ordered the “Seafood Marinara” which was delightful as well. The seafood came on a bed of wilted greens and over garlic toast. A good quantity of shrimp, calamari and mussels all tossed in a marinara sauce. I would return and order this meal again. Overall, my impression of the Boynton has been upgraded from “Good” to “Great.” Try this neighborhood gem, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

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!