fish | Page 4 of 9 | Mass Food & Wine

Jerk-seared Salmon Filet from Mezcal Tequila Cantina on Major Taylor Boulevard in Worcester, MA

I was excited to hear Foodies was heading to the new location of Mezcal Tequila Cantina. When I entered I could not help but be brought back to my fond memories of Sh-Boom’s, seems so long ago. Good times back then…

We were seated in what I believe would be the function room towards the back; I think that used to be the techno club. HA! The new location is very spacious, décor is fitting, staff was fantastic, and looks as though the windows can open, so in the summer that will be nice.

When I do get to Mezcal (Leominster location is great as well) I always order the same thing, fish tacos, so I really wanted to try something new this time. Upon a recommendation from friend, he mentioned the “nontraditional meals” were quite good and always enjoyable. I liked the selection on the menu and decided to order the JERK-SEARED SALMON FILET – Roasted vegetables, Caribbean butternut bisque, tropical spices, chili pineapple glaze, fried plantains / 22., and of course (since I had a snow day the next day) a couple glasses of sangria.

The salmon was cooked perfectly, seasoned well, and the Caribbean butternut bisque was a unique and the perfect blend of spice and sweet. I really enjoyed the flavors. Of course, I tried some of the fried plantain and roasted vegetables, which were all very good; however, I was more interested in eating the entire piece of salmon.

I did want to order some guacamole, as they do have the best, but I was trying to be good and saving room for dessert (to share). For dessert, I ordered the CRÈME BRULÉ vanilla bean and orange essence and a fellow foodie’s friend ordered the bread pudding. I will preface this by saying that I never order dessert, but thought why not (snow day tomorrow, right). They were both very good, the bread pudding was a little too firm for me but the flavors were there.

I now have an alternative to my fish tacos, the salmon, but next time guacamole is necessary!

Shrewsbury Street Swordfish from Flying Rhino on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, Massachusetts

The Flying Rhino is an eclectic restaurant with a nice variety of options. They offer many selections that are healthy choices to go along with a great mix of more standard fare, most prepared with a little twist.

I started with the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which comes with a decent sized portion of skillet fried ground chicken, shredded carrots and cabbage, whole leaf lettuce and two sauces, peanut and soy. While a little messy to eat (it is finger food after all) the lettuce wraps were fantastic. They soy based sauce quite good, but the peanut sauce was ‘out of this world’ good. There was just enough to share amongst two people and still feel like you had enough to get a good feel for the taste. Overall, one of the best appetizers around.

Next came a Caesar salad which was small, but I find that be refreshing because it wasn’t so large that it left you feeling full before your meal comes out. This salad was also very tasty and fresh.

For dinner I had the Shrewsbury St. Swordfish, which is a pesto grilled swordfish steak over black rice with roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, baby spinach and pine nuts topped with a slight balsamic glaze. The fish was a perfect size again, large enough to be filling but not so large you feel guilty eating the whole thing, and was cooked perfectly with a very nice flavor. I found the black rice by itself to be a little bland, but eaten with the tomato, mozzarella and baby spinach it was an excellent combination with a light, refreshing taste and great texture. The lightness of the sides played perfectly with the fish for an overall excellent dinner.

Overall, the Flying Rhino is a keeper and will be a place I revisit often! -DL