Tag: chicken

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Chicken Wachusett from The Boynton on Highland Street

Chicken Wachusett from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Chicken Wachusett from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MAThe Boynton Restaurant is very large, with a lot of tables, making the place a little on the noisy side. The atmosphere is basic American with a lot of exposed brick, a lot of booths and generally comfortable.

Food: (Liked)

We started with an appetizer of the Tuna Sashimi: Cajun Seared Sushi Grade Tuna, thinly sliced and placed over a bed of Asian Coleslaw with Pickled Ginger, Wasabi and Lite Soy Sauce. This was lightly seared, giving it just the thinnest of crusts and was absolutely delicious. This was as good as any sashimi I’ve had anywhere else. It came with a little hot sauce on the plate which was a great counterpoint to the tuna and ginger making an overall wonderful flavor. This was a good size for one, but way too small to share.

For dinner I had the Chicken Wachusett: A trio pan seared Chicken Breast is sautéed with Roasted Peppers, Red Onions, Spinach and Tomatoes in Wachusett Country Ale Pan Gravy then placed over Whipped Mashed Potatoes. This was a very big portion size, more than enough to have leftovers, for a pretty reasonable price making this a very good value. The chicken was tender, juicy and cooked perfectly. The peppers and onions were also cooked perfectly, having just enough texture to add a little light crunch and the gravy was very flavorful but not so strong it overpowered the other flavors. The flavors and textures all played together very nicely making an overall fantastic dish. In my opinion, the weakest part of this dish was the mashed potatoes, they were pretty basic and plain and not very flavorful. Overall this was an excellent dish!

Service: (Liked)

Being in a large party (15 of us) I always expect the service to be a little slower than normal. While that was the case here as well, our server did an excellent job keeping things moving at a reasonable pace while keeping a great friendly attitude.

Overall: (Liked)

As an overall experience, I’d have to say the Boynton was an excellent find. A very varied menu with a ton of options, all good, with good service and at a reasonable cost.

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A Tour of Italy… in Worcester, MA

A Tour of Italy from Chioda’s Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester, MA

A Tour of Italy from Chioda’s Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester, MA

Worcester Foodies ventured to Chioda’s Trattoria on Franklin Street, an unassuming Italian restaurant that has been part of Worcester for many year. It is a bit out of the way but as you will see, very much worth the trip!

Chioda’s prides itself on creating a very authentic, home-style Italian dining experience. The atmosphere is very homey, almost like you are walking into your friends house for dinner. The waitstaff was friendly, and extremely helpful and fun. For my dinner I chose one of their “signature dishes – the “Tour of Italy” – not to say the other entrees didn’t sound good, but our server told me that if I had a big appetite and I wanted to get a true feeling for the Chef and the restaurant – The Tour of Italy was the dish for me.

The dish consisted of two overstuffed shells, a healthy portion of eggplant parmigiano, another portion of chicken parmigiano, an Italian sausage and a huge meatball. When delivered to the table, it certainly was a sight to behold and a dish that smelled as good as it tasted. The creamy cheese mixture that filled the shells was definitely not just ricotta, probably a combination of cheeses and had also hints of basil and black pepper. The shells was cooked al dente and held together nicely. The eggplant and chicken parmagianos were perfectly cooked, both with crispy breadcrumbs outside and topped with mozzarella cheese. The sausage was outstanding, with hints fennel, parsley and nutmeg and a nice spicy finish that paired perfectly with the creamy stuffed shells. But the best by far was the meatball, so good in fact I wanted to order a few to take home for lunch but I resisted. The meatball was moist and flavorful, seemed to be a beef and pork mixture, again with hints of basil and parsley and cooked perfectly. The entire dish was smothered in a rich red sauce that was deep and dense, probably having simmered for hours earlier. I enjoyed a glass of house Chianti with my meal and there was a never-ending supply of freshly baked bread served to our table. Now comes the part that puts this meal over the top… $18.

Chioda’s is a family run restaurant that offers a great value, outstanding flavorful food and a wonderful staff that makes everyone feel comfortable – features that Worcester restaurant one everyone should visit and experience for themselves!