Tag: Cavatelli

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Swordfish and Salmon from Joey’s

Swordfish and Salmon from Joey’s Bar and Grill on Chandler Street in Worcester, MA

Swordfish and Salmon from Joey’s Bar and Grill on Chandler Street in Worcester, MA

Joey’s Bar and Grill is situated on Chandler Street in Worcester. Tucked back into the corner of a strip mall it is a little unassuming. Once you enter, you notice a large bar that takes up the center of the space surrounded by small intimate and casual dining areas. Low lighting sets the mood for this place. Robust conversations from patrons surround you as you enter and give you the feeling of a neighborhood watering hole.

Once we were seated, our server was prompt and came right over to attend us. I found our server to be very friendly, open, and knowledgeable about the menu. The service seemed to be a little slow but that could have been due to our large group.

I started my meal with an appetizer called “Blue cheese and Chive dip” it was a creamy blue cheese dip with chives served with fresh homemade potato chips. This was a large portion and would have been just right for two people.

For my meal I chose the “Swordfish and Salmon” Medallions of swordfish and salmon over a creamy pesto sauce of cavatelli pasta with red peppers. A dollop of ricotta cheese in the center of the plate went fantastic with this and served to bring the dish to an all new level. I was very satisfied with my meal and cannot wait to revisit this place and try other wonderful sounding entrees on the menu.

For dessert, I ordered the lemon sorbet. It was a good-sized quantity and came with fresh berries. A very nice ending to a fantastic meal.

I would recommend this place to my friends. -RL

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Chicken All’ Arrabiata

With a name like Caffe Espresso Trattoria, my mind conjured up a picture of a small storefront Café with a limited seating and menu. I was pleasantly surprised to find a larger  establishment neatly tucked away behind a Rite Aid Pharmacy. This is definitely one of those locations you need to know where it is because you are not likely to stumble upon it in your travels. With that being said, the restaurant was very busy for a Tuesday night. After being seated we were served  bread and olive oil. The atmosphere was pleasant, conversations were slightly difficult due to the bustling restaurant that seemed to carry noise. I chose as my main course  Chicken All’ Arrabiata which was served with a soup or salad. The Chicken Vegetable soup tasted freshly made but was rather plain. Fortunately the spice and complex flavors would follow in the next course.

The Chicken All’ Arrabiata  (from the Italian for angry) was a masterfully  prepared dish that was described as  Sautéed Chicken Breast with peperoncini peppers, onions, and mushrooms in a spicy wine garlic sauce. The dish was served over a homemade cavatelli pasta. The cavatelli pasta was perfectly prepared and absorbed the complex tastes of the white wine, peperoncini, garlic sauce. The chicken as perfectly sautéed thin chicken breast medallions that were easy to cut with a fork and the zesty spice from the sauce paired perfectly with this dish. The peperoncini peppers were a slight variation from the typical preparation that usually uses more red pepper, but this is definitely a dish that would have me seeking out this hidden jewel again. After finishing this dish I felt very content and full.