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Meat Lasagna from Dino’s

Meat Lasagna from Dino's on Lord Street in Worcester, MA

Meat Lasagna from Dino's on Lord Street in Worcester, MA

Dino’s Restaurant is located slightly off the beaten path in what I would call a residential area. This is a good old fashioned Italian restaurant, The building is a sturdy wooden structure, resembling a home or house with upstairs serving as the restaurant area and bar.

They offer a large selection of Italian fair.  I found their menu to be quite large and arranged by type, with your veal, chicken, seafood and pasta’s all in their own sections. I was a little overwhelmed with the size of the menu, so many choices and so many dishes.

For dinner I chose under their menu heading of “Dino’s Classic Pasta” and went with the Meat Lasagna. This lasagna was fantastic. It was stuffed with meat and then topped with a rich and heavy meat sauce. The serving size was immense and could have easily fed 2 people.  After choosing a chicken rice soup as my starter and having some of their amazingly soft and excellent bread prior to my meal. I felt I didn’t do my meal justice. The bread they served prior to the meal was excellent. They serve it with your choice of a bruschetta topping (Tomatoes, onions in a vinegar and oil dressing) or you could slather it with butter or use the traditional olive oil they have on all the tables. I can honestly say the lasagna is something I would come back for.

For good ole fashioned Italian food on a reasonable budget come explore Dino’s.

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Seafood Bianco from Dino’s

Seafood Bianco from Dino's

Seafood Bianco from Dino's

Dino’s is located in a quiet neighborhood at the end of what appears to be a cul-de-sac. Even this somewhat out of the way location didn’t seem to keep people from finding it as there were a surprising number of patrons for a Tuesday evening. I couldn’t help but take note of the size of the dishes delivered to nearby tables and the amount of to-go boxes that were leaving with people after their meals were complete. Nonetheless, I ordered the Seafood Bianco which included shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels nestled into linguini. The seafood was to be simmered in a white wine garlic sauce with tomatoes and leeks. When my meal arrived, the seafood promised on the menu was definitely included. There were at least 12-15 mussels, rings of calamari, a handful of bay scallops, but unfortunately, only 2-3 shrimp. Most of the mussels were good, the calamari and scallops were okay and the number of shrimp comparatively was disappointing.

The dish as a forkful was great at first; full of flavor and seafood. As I progressed, a thick garlic aftertaste emerged and the linguine became almost too slippery to collect. The sauce separated at the bottom of the bowl to create a souplike mix of oil and cheese. The portion was enormous, but I would rather have had less food with a more consistent sauce and a better ratio of fresh seafood. I feel a lot is lost when portions become large and I was a little disappointed. Dino’s is great if you want a dinner that will double as a lunch the next day, but the flavors of my dinner did not stand out and a lot is compromised.