Posted on

Baked Meatloaf Dinner

Baked Meatloaf Dinner from Wexford House on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Baked Meatloaf Dinner from Wexford House on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

I drive by the Wexford House twice daily but have never been inside – nor have I known anyone who has been.  I was intrigued by this pick by a fellow Foodie and looked forward to the adventure.  When I walked in, the decor was what I expected – in need of some updating but clean and appealing to the target audience (which is slightly older than my usual crowd).  The waitress promptly brought me the pumpkin beer that I ordered (quite a steal at $3.50, I believe) and I looked over the menu. American comfort food and Middle Eastern favorites were the two main categories and I leaned more towards the former on this night.  Someone at the table mentioned meatloaf and I decided to go well outside of my usual ordering preferences and try the Baked Meatloaf Dinner.  The waitress gave it a strong recommendation when she told us her grandfather ordered it when he came into the restaurant.  When my plate came, I was not surprised to see a very generous portion as it just seemed like that kind of place.  I chose mashed potatoes and the mixed vegetables as my sides.  The meatloaf and potatoes were covered in a brown gravy which tasted jarred but it helped to add flavor to the meal.  The meatloaf was a bit dry and I would have preferred more moisture and less dependence on the gravy.  The mashed potatoes were obviously not from a box – chunky and delicious – while the vegetables (a mix of summer squash, zucchini and carrots) were probably the highlight of my meal as they were well seasoned and cooked to a perfect tender-crisp.

I did take home my leftovers and was happy to enjoy them for lunch the next day but this is probably not a meal I would order again. Several of the other dishes at the table looked tempting, especially the appetizer sampler platter with hummus and feta amongst other goodies. I would certainly come back for this dish and the very reasonably priced beers.

Posted on

Pasta with a Meatball and Eggplant Parmesan

The Parkway Diner; your typical looking diner from the outside, inside was pretty much what you would expect, nothing fancy.  While I wasn’t disappointed with the food I ordered I also wasn’t blown away by the place, I was hoping for a specialty of the house, or something that would make this diner stand out from the vast assortment of other diners in the Worcester area, unfortunately it was just what it advertises to be a Diner pure and simple.

The wait staff was efficient and personable. We started with an order of the bacon cheese fries, they were good and came quickly to our table and I have to admit they were greasy and cheesy with plenty of bacon added and exactly what I had expected.  After perusing the menu I asked our waitress what she would recommend and she told me any of the “gravy” dishes were what most of the regulars came back for. I ended up ordering the “Pasta combo” which offered a pick two from a selection of a Meatball, a sausage, chicken Parmesan or eggplant Parmesan. I chose the meatball and eggplant Parmesan, both were excellent with the eggplant parmesan not being overly thick with batter and it was cooked perfectly, the meatball had that slight creamy texture to it that caused it to fall apart when I stuck your fork in it, quite delicious. My meatball and eggplant were served over my choice of pasta, I chose good ole fashioned spaghetti. While I enjoyed the Red sauce or “Gravy” as any good Italian and as the waitress called it I thought it was just a bit salty, however I still enjoyed my meal.

If I’m in the mood and in the area, I might return, I wouldn’t put it on the top of my list, however I would go back to try out the breakfast options. –RL