butternut squash | Mass Food & Wine

Mixed Tacos from Mezcal Cantina on Major Taylor Boulevard in Worcester, MA

I have always enjoyed Mezcal at their orignal location in Worcester but after visiting their new location in downtown Worcester I am a bigger fan.

For all the times I have been to Mezcal I have never gotten the tacos as they have so many dishes to choose from. So this visit I decided to go traditional and try their tacos. They have 10+ options on tacos – chicken, beef, duck, shrimp, veggie,etc. Since I could choose 3 tacos I went with 3 different ones – Fried shrimp, Vegetable #2 and Asian beef. Each taco is served in a warm corn tortilla (I choose soft shells), shaved lettuce, red radish and jack cheese along with some light mexican rice.
The asian beef taco was a little spicey but enjoyed the hoison ginger shredded beef with shaved cabbage and the hint of Sriracha sauce. My second taco was the fried shrimp taco with lightly battered shrimp, spicy cabbage and a lemon ancho aioloi that worked together well. To round things out I went with the vegetable #2 taco with roasted cauliflower, butternut squash, fried avocado and spicy corn sauce. While all of the tacos had some spice to them they were not over powering so someone who didn’t like spicey could still enjoy them. I can’t wait to go back to try the other 7+ taco varieties !

I knew it would not be a complete meal with having on their margaritas – again so many options to choose from. Since it was a traditional night for me I went with the 100% Blue Agave Margartitas. With their extensive menu, new larger location and abundance of parking I know I will be visiting Mezcal frequently. Hope to see you there.

Lamb Kabob from Wexford House on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

The Wexford House is one of my favorite casual restaurants in the city so when it was my choice to pick a restaurant for our next Foodies gathering, the decision was easy. The atmosphere at the Wexford House is laid back and casual, family members run the restaurant with roots and recipes that date back to the old El Morocco. We were seated in the newer of the two dining areas, a bright and open room which is in contrast to the older dining area which is smaller and not as brightly lit. The menu is huge, filled with a variety of casual comfort food, but I always choose from the Mediterranean menu items which includes kibbeh, humous, baba ganoush, kabobs and more. Tonight I chose the Lamb Kabob and true to form, it was outstanding. Perfectly seasoned and cooked exactly as I had ordered, the lamb was tender and flavorful and the vegetable medley was grilled to perfection. Served with a simply-seasoned rice pilaf and a side of butternut squash (not overly brown sugared) the whole meal was outstanding. Our server was fantastic, with a great sense of humor and made a wonderful recommendation suggesting I pair my meal with a seasonal pumpkin ale. Overall an outstanding meal and as always, I would highly recommend the Wexford House for our next casual dining experience!