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Chicken Francaise — Twisted Fork Style

Chicken Francaise — Twisted Fork Style

I have been to Uncle Jay’s Twisted Fork for brunch several times so I was excited to try Uncle Jay’s for dinner. This dining experience was different from what the Foodies group is accustomed to since the Twisted Fork is not open on Tuesdays for dinner. We had the small, intimate restaurant to ourselves.

Chef Jay greeted us with an explanation of how he roasted the pork for a special he made to welcome us. His wife, Nancy, came over immediately to ask if we would like a beverage. They have a full bar and a nice selection of wine.

As you may have heard, Jay can be a little quirky and loud. He often talks to everyone through the window from the kitchen. I love when he gets going. His wife, Nancy is calm and so pleasant, she makes you feel as if you are at their home and you can see how she is the perfect balance to Jay.

We started with a pork taco accompanied with some truffle fries. This taco was so delicious, I really wished I could have ordered more for my meal, but it was not on the menu that night. After that, I had the soup special, which you are asked to shout to the kitchen to inquire about. Jay shouted to us all through the window the specials; however, I only heard “Root Vegetable Bisque” and knew I must try!

The soup was so well done. The flavors were rich but it was not over-powering. The texture was perfect. I wanted to finish it all but I still had my main meal to follow. I chose the Chicken Francaise, which was served with a cider glaze, cranberries, and asparagus. This was excellent.

Nancy also had another nice young lady assisting her. The service was fantastic. We were well taken care of and had whatever we needed.

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the evening from the warm, welcoming atmosphere, delicious food, amazing service to Uncle Jay and Nancy taking the time to chat with us. I will certainly be back for dinner and brunch.

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Chicken Francaise

Chicken Francais from O'Connor's on West Boylston Street in Worcester, MA

Chicken Francais from O'Connor's on West Boylston Street in Worcester, MA

O’Connor’s sits on Rt 12, almost on the border of West Boylston, at the outskirts of the city. While it’s not part of the downtown scene, it’s well worth the visit for a really good meal and a great selection of beer. The restaurant is very large with a large seating capacity, but it can still fill up easily.

We opened our dinner with the Shillelagh Sticks, which is corned beef rolled in a puff pastry dusted with spices. The corned beef is ground, seasoned and almost creamy while the flaky puff pastry offers a great contrast to the meat filling. Corned beef can be on the salty side, but these little gems are cooked perfectly and delicious. Overall, one of my favorite appetizers anywhere in Worcester.

Next up was a cup of a Creamy Onion Soup, which was a special soup of the day. This was cream based but not too rich and loaded with well cooked onions and croutons. The flavor packed into this little soup was amazing and the flavors quite complex. I found myself wishing I had a full bowl instead of just a cup.

For dinner, I had the O’Connor’s Chicken Francaise. This consists of 3 chicken tenderloins, coated in an egg and parmesan batter and drizzled with a lemon butter sauce. The tenderloins were each fairly good sized and were served with sauteed baby carrots and a mixed vegetable medley. The chicken was cooked to perfection, being both juicy and tender enough to cut with my fork. The batter was pretty light and not overpowering, but was very flavorful and added a really nice layer of flavor with just a hint of lemon. The vegetables were cooked perfectly as well, slightly al dente and seasoned nicely with fresh herbs. Overall a fantastic meal and one I would certainly order again.