Tag: cannoli

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Sautéed Mussels from Chioda’s Trattoria

Sautéed Mussels from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

Sautéed Mussels from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

The next stop for our Foodies group was to Chioda’s Trattoria on Franklin Street. A small neighborhood restaurant tucked away off of Shrewsbury Street with a quaint atmosphere and what seemed to be regulars filling up the tables on a Tuesday night. I scanned the menu and came up with two dishes to complete my main meal, the Sautéed Mussels in garlic, olive oil and white wine sauce ($9.00) and the Caprese Salad, sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, with a drizzle of olive oil ($10.00).

The chatter around our table was which meal to order and how fairly priced everything was (they all looked fantastic) they offered specials on a black board and have a $10.00 menu, good from Monday-Thursday; great deal! It was enjoyable to watch all the pasta dishes arrive on large plates heaped with food.

My meal arrived, the mussels were piled high in a huge plate; there were so many I was sharing with my friends. The sauce definitely made the mussels, the garlic and white wine sauce was delicious, a heavy flavor of garlic coupled with white wine creating a perfect soupy broth to marinate my mussels in as well as dip my bread. My only complaint, unfortunately, my mussels were a touch overcooked. The Caprese Salad was large with ripe tomatoes and huge pieces of mozzarella with just a drizzle of olive oil, it was delicious, sometimes I find the mozzarella to be small and thinly sliced, but not here! I would order both again. We finished off our meal with a cannoli. We were informed that the filling was homemade. The cannoli was large, oozing with ricotta; the filling was one of the best homemade fillings I have ever had. I can’t wait to go back and try more items on the menu, not only did everything look fabulous their prices were great!  I would recommend going here for a great authentic Italian meal, off the beaten path, truly a hidden gem in Worcester!

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Chioda’s Trattoria’s Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana from Chiodas Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

Chicken Parmigiana from Chiodas Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

Nestled on Franklin Street Chioda’s Trattoria sits in an unassuming building away from some of the more popular dining areas in Worcester; yet once you get inside you step into a comfortable Italian restaurant. Having driven by many times I had often wondered, but never stopped in to this hidden gem. After talking to the pleasant and helpful waitress and looking over the extensive menu I opted to pair a weekday entree special and appetizer as my meal for the evening.

The appetizer was called the Neapolitan which as a stack of portobello mushrooms, mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil, with a balsamic drizzle. For me this was the perfect combination and presentation of some of my favorite ingredients and it hit the mark. The grilled mushrooms topped with thick sliced mozzarella, sliced basil, topped with thin sliced prosciuotto, and topped with a balsamic drizzle was the perfect pairing of ingredients and flavors, with great attention to detail like slicing the fresh basil so that the basil was evenly distributed was a culinary delight. Shortly thereafter my chicken parmigiana arrived and was the perfect size portion of a juicy thick chicken breast accompanied by a good marinara sauce, cheese, and penne pasta. The chicken was perfectly cooked the flavorful sauce accompanied by a few flakes of crushed red pepper on the hearty marinara made for a delicious meal.

To end the meal I opted for a cannoli that was freshly filled and was a perfect blend of crunchy shell with a smooth creamy sweet ricotta filling.

Now folks, here’s what makes this place a hidden gem: I had a great meal, at a nice comfortable friendly restaurant, with a helpful waitress, and spent $32 before tax and tip. That included a beer, appetizer, weekday special entree, and two cannoli. Chioda’s Trattoria offers great food and value at an off the beaten path location, but is definitely worth a visit.