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Chicken Piccata from Rosalina’s Kitchen

Chicken Piccata from Rosalina's Kitchen on Hamilton Street in Worcester, MA

Chicken Piccata from Rosalina's Kitchen on Hamilton Street in Worcester, MA

Simply put – Rosalina’s Kitchen is a neighborhood gem. You may miss it driving by as it blends right into the neighborhood but that is part of the charm. I always love frequenting small restaurants that have that local casual feel – like I am sitting in a friends house having dinner and that is exactly how I felt there. It was a Wednesday evening but the place was filled with large groups of friends and families enjoying their meals and a nice bottle of wine. Did I mention its BYOB?

I think everyone heard that they make their home made ravioli on Tuesday nights. While I didn’t try the ravioli this first visit they are must for my next visit. I could see the pillow like raviolis piled high on a friends plate filled with such unique items as lamb and grape leaves. While the home made ravioli is what first attracted me to Rosalina’s Kitchen I ordered a very traditional chicken piccata. Normally when I go to a new restaurant I try to order a favorite dish to help me compare to others I have had at other places.

At Rosalina’s Kitchen you could order the piccata with chicken, haddock or veal. My dish of chicken piccata came steaming hot with lightly browned pieces of moist chicken slices sautéed with lemon, butter, white wine, capers and their special touch – spinach. Bringing the whole dish together was the nice strong lemony flavor balanced with the slight crisp from the white wine. What I liked about this dish was while it was sautéed with butter, like a traditional piccata, I didn’t feel that the butter was the star of the dish which made it much more pleasurable. Overall a great meal and enough to take home for a great dinner the next night.

I am already planning my next trip there with a group of friends.  Try your best to make this your next dinner destination.

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Frutti di mare

Frutti di mare from Joey's in Worcester, MA

Frutti di mare from Joey's in Worcester, MA

I love going out to eat in the summer months! As refreshing as an outdoor BBQ can be, I also look forward to the steamy nights I don’t have to cook and heat up my kitchen!

That being said…summertime also equals bathing suit season. For me…that means making smart choices when it comes to ordering or lightening up some of my favorite dishes.

This July evening at Joey’s Bar and Grill meant following this summer rule. I decided on the a spicy seafood dish served in a garlic sauce over pasta. I swapped pasta for spinach and hoped for the best. The portion was of reasonable size with large chunks of flaky haddock, four tender scallops, and a generous handful of calamari and mussels. While the sauce was light and garlicky, the flavor was not full-bodied and lacked complexity. The spinach, while healthy and full of vitamins, did not adequately replace the pasta and were quite bitter. Now, don’t get me wrong, I devoured every morsel on my plate. It took every fiber in my being to resist the urge to mop the leftover sauce with the freshly baked, homemade frocaccia bread.

All in all, the dish, while satisfactory, fell short of the high expectations I have of Joey’s food from consistent luck every past visit. However, I am at fault for this disappointing meal. I blame it on making a poor swap to look better in a bathing suit.