Jared Forman | Page 8 of 10 | Mass Food & Wine

An artist rendition of the AC Hotel at City Square in downtown Worcester, MA.

“Worcester is in the midst of a bona fide restaurant renaissance,” according to The Boston Globe… but we knew that all along. Worcester has been on the food scene for quite some time, since the introductions of our infamous restaurant staples like Armsby Abbey, Nuovo, VIA Italian Table, Red Pepper, The Niche Hospitality Group locations and Baba Sushi, pinning Worcester at the top of the list for food destination scenes in Massachusetts for years.

Naturally, to compete with the sophisticated and trendy restaurants of major cities like Boston, New York and Chicago, Worcester is in a constant state of evolution – creating and recreating the dining experience with a diverse portfolio tending to every unique craving.

Carving meat from the skewer Terra Brasilis on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA.

In 2016, Worcester experienced a core-shaking boom in the food industry as it said “goodbye” to long loved restaurants that made Worcester history come to life and “hello” to the newbies making headlines and turning everyone’s focus to the abundance of quality in local food.

“There are hungry people out here who don’t want to and don’t have to commute into Boston for a great meal,” says Jared Forman, a native of Queens, New York and Executive Chef at deadhorse hill. “If you look down Main Street from where we are, I feel like I am on one beautiful street in New York. Nothing has changed and anything is possible,” says Forman’s business partner, Sean Woods. As co-owners of deadhorse hill – which opened early 2016 – their sole mission is to create a restaurant that specializes in what they call “modern hospitality.” “That means comfortable and being welcomed. Making you feel welcome as soon as you walk in the door and elevate it so that the service is proper but at the same time super casual,” said Forman when describing his inspiration of modern hospitality from Danny Meyer – a crown jewel of the restaurant hospitality business in New York.

But deadhorse hill isn’t the only newcomer to the vibrant Central Massachusetts food scene that sees Worcester as the champ of the much-deserved title “food hub.” In the first ten months of 2016, Worcester became the new stomping grounds to over 15 restaurants, anticipating an additional six opening in the beginning of 2017.

“At first, we thought, ‘why would anyone open a restaurant in Worcester?’ but after visiting and really taking a closer look we wondered why people weren’t running to Worcester to take the opportunity of opening a restaurant,” says Jack Doherty, co-owner of Brew on the Grid. Brew on the Grid is a modern twist on the average cup of coffee, giving patrons a little hint of big city in every cup of joe. Opened in August 2016, Brew on the Grid is part of a grand model – five eateries within two city blocks, each offering up a little flavor to something different. By the end of the anticipated year, Brew on the Grid will be neighbors to Techni (a Mediterranean grill), Pie & Pint (a fast casual pizza house), Craft Table & Bar (a casual restaurant featuring top craft beers, spirits and innovative dishes) and The End: Eatery and Drinkery (a high-end eatery to end the week).

The Greek Burrito from The Sandwich Place in Worcester, MA

Don’t be fooled. Downtown Worcester may be the city’s flagship location for up and coming opportunities, but it isn’t the only place in Worcester offering residents a slice of city pie. A short distance from downtown is Dacosta’s Pizza Bakery, a contender for truly authentic pizza and Italian dishes that will keep even Boston’s pizza scene on their toes. Also, a short distance from downtown, Park Avenue’s changes have the promise to be a big part of the city’s food hub. Recently joining the Park Ave food scene is Pho Bowl, Antonio’s Pizza By The Slice, Bootleggers Prohibition Pub and Altea – a sister restaurant of Livia’s Dish, as well as The Sandwich Hut. “I owned Wingman on Park Ave and felt that the wing themed restaurant was becoming oversaturated in Worcester, so after an unfortunate mishap with our refrigerating system, we opened The Sandwich Hut,” says Pat Logan, owner of The Sandwich Hut. “Worcester doesn’t have a place that focuses on specialty sandwiches on Park Ave and we thought this would be a great place to add one.”

An entree from Bootleggers in Worcester, MA — A scallop entree from Bootleggers in Worcester, MA

Not too far away from Park Avenue’s busy streets is the iconic Shrewsbury Street (aka Restaurant Row) – the home to some of Worcester’s favorite dining spots like Sweet Kitchen & Bar, One Eleven Chop House, Piccolo’s and Pomir Grill. This year we welcomed British Beer Company—a “chain” that has taken a vested interest in the heart of the Commonwealth; Terra Brasilis, a Brazilian BBQ restaurant joined the every-changing street; and another newcomer is expected to join us by the end of the year, The Usual, opening in The Fix’s original space, and isn’t about your usual homemade sandwich. Instead it stands to make a name for itself by offering specialty sandwiches unlike any other – with some requiring a fork and knife. “We want to give the sandwiches a new look and feel. There’s no other place focusing on specialty sandwiches and we are here to make it happen,” says Kevin Perry, co-owner.

Roasted beets with creamy goat cheese, baby Kale and Blood Orange form Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MA

Shrewsbury Street may be iconic to Worcester residents, but it is not the only place in the city giving you a chance to indulge your senses. The Canal District won the food lotto with the recent additions of Lock 50 and The Hangover Pub. “At Lock 50 we have found a great location in the Canal District, with the new development projects and upswing of the area we find ourselves to be a centerpiece in the District,” says Tom Studer of Lock 50. “Our concept of small plates has been widely embraced at this point. We have started to see customers come all the way from Boston, Providence and Portsmouth to experience what we have to offer. We also have a variety of events, a great patio and our Cafe program has bridged us into a great relationship with the arts community. We are heavily involved in the Canal District Art Walk,” he added.

CIDER BRAISED STATLER CHICKEN from The Hangover Pub on Green Street in Worcester, MA — CIDER BRAISED STATLER CHICKEN: Sherry cream, apple, bacon, Yukon gold potatoes, Brussel Sprouts

With many great new additions, it is only natural to part with some of the restaurants that made our foodie hearts melt. We tip our chef hats to those we have said goodbye to in 2016: Somethin’ Catchy Seafood Shanty never “caught on” in Worcester (it has been sold and is under construction for an upcoming Brazilian themed location), Wingman (now the location of The Sandwich Hut), Perfect Game (oh, how we will miss you!), EVO (now the location of Bootleggers Prohibition Pub), and Shiraz Armenian Cuisine (a Park Avenue staple for over 20 years).

Worcester isn’t just the second largest city in New England nor is it the ugly stepsister of Boston; Worcester is in fact the hub for all things incredible. Food, business, tech and hospitality are only but a few elements keeping Worcester at top of everyone’s “what’s hot” list.

Chef Jared Forman at deadhorse hill in Worcester, MA.

Food and Wine Being Served At Bar Boulud in Boston, MA

Stagnation can be death in the restaurant industry. Offering the same ol’ twenty-five meal menu to consumers with no options for flavor exploration or new dining experiences is turning the everyday dining patron into the common foe and some chefs aren’t having it. In fact, many chefs are taking the old dusty menu, ripping it in half and throwing it right out of the window and replacing them with a prix-fixe menu – giving them all the creative range they need to keep their customers engaged.

The Dining Room at Eleven Madison Park in New York

Many restaurants that employ a prix-fixe menu – a French term referencing to a menu type featuring a pre-selected list of dishes at a set price – are considered destination restaurants, offering critically acclaimed dishes and where expectations are set prior to the start of dinner. Restaurants like Chicago’s Alinea, California’s The French Laundry and New York’s Eleven Madison Park all feature exclusively fixed-price menus. When the skills of a chef supersede the individual dishes of a plain menu, prix-fixe menus may seem like the better deal. While dining at Alinea, The French Laundry and Eleven Madison Park can leave you a bit lighter in your wallet with reservations starting at $180 per person, it will keep you satisfied with their 10-14 course tasting menu. While the terms prix-fixe and tasting menu are often interchanged in the food industry, a prix-fixe menu usually offers a four-course meal – appetizer, second course, main course and a dessert – and a tasting menu offers as few as six and as many as 14, smaller- three-bite portions.

With 15,397 eating and drinking places located in Massachusetts in 2015 and projected sales of $16.5 billion in 2016, the food scene is hopping on to the ten-year-old trend of prix-fixe menus. Bar Boulud in Boston, a French-inspired menu with seasonal New England dishes, located inside Mandarin Oriental, is tapping into the market like no other. With an à la carte menu for breakfast and lunch – single-items priced individually, Bar Boulud offers a three-course meal for only $42 – prix-fixe dining without breaking the bank. As of today, foodies can indulge at Bar Boulud with options like beef Pot-au-feu terrine – a dish with beef, soaked in red wine, carrots, potatoes and seasonal vegetables – grilled chicken panzanella – a chicken leg with arugula, sourdough fennel, tomatillo and oregano and Gâteau Basque – a traditional basque custard cake with brandied cherries and vanilla anglaise.

Duck Sausage from deadhorse hill on Main Street in Worcester, MA

“Dining at Bar Boulud is about more than just a meal. It is about experiencing something outside of my comfort zone. I have always been skeptical about dining at high-end restaurants with elaborate menus for the fear of not selecting the best dish. Eating from a fixed-price menu lets me trust the chef to serve his or her best meal. Also, knowing what I will eat and how much I will spend, takes away the issue of being indecisive when choosing a restaurant,” says a frequent visitor to Bar Boulud.

Whether it’s a prix-fixe meal of three-courses or the intricate tasting menu, fixed-priced menu options are becoming part of the nation’s food culture. It seems that the odds are in the favor of the customer when it comes to a prix-fixe menu – giving them fine dining options, more food for their dollar and an increased dining experience without the stress of thinking of individual dish options. But what’s in it for the chef?

In 2006, Dallas’s critically acclaimed Abacus Restaurant offered a nine-course tasting menu priced at $90. With a main ingredient of fish scraps, Chef Tre Wilcox cultivated a new culinary menu of a la carte portions, in hopes of reducing food waste and increasing consumer experience. The biggest benefit? A 75% gross profit margin on a menu that included Kobe beef carpaccio and Alaskan king crab ravioli. Not only is the profit margin promising, but the chefs are able to showcase their culinary skill sets without the boundaries of the ordinary menu. To be a chef is to create and if creating new dishes is the sole motivation behind the chef’s skill set, then allowing complete autonomy in the creation of new daily or weekly menus to cater to the chef’s local resources, culinary background and new-found inspirations is the true way to fully experience a chef’s ability in the kitchen.

“Having someone with the, ‘just cook for me’ attitude is the best thing. It is a way for customers to experience what we, as chefs, are doing. At deadhorse hill, we offer pre-fixed and tasting menus but we do it family style which allows customers to leave with exceedingly large value, pay less than the a la carte prices and enjoy the freshest ingredients available at that time to us,” says Jared Forman, Executive Chef at deadhorse hill. “For $65 per person, customers are able to enjoy a 5-course meal, family-style, which means they are getting a couple of plates per course. Recently, I served Boston Mackerel – a small quantity of fish I acquired through a friend – and added it to the tasting-menu and sold out.” Forman explains that a tasting-menu is how both customers and restaurants win. “Although, adding a tasting-menu to the routine menu is a bit hectic behind the scenes – it requires a good flow to fit into the ticketing process – it proves to leave customers with a great lasting impression on the restaurant and the quality of food. We look forward to adding our dinner and wine pairing options to the tasting-menu in time. It is an interesting way to show customers more about great quality.”

Chef Brady Speaking at his restaurant, Sonoma, in Princeton, MA (Taken by Erb Photography for Mass Foodies).

For Mass Foodies, their quarterly Chef’s Best dinner series is another event utilizing the prix-fixe menu while adding a sense of exclusivity for every diner. Inner foodies come to life at each event with a single priced ticket ranging from $56 to $120, seeking out the finer culinary abilities of the highlighted chef. “At Sonoma, I had a chance to peek into the mind of the chef that ordinarily cooks from a menu that only changes every 6 to 8 weeks,” said Jaime Flores, an attendee of April’s Chef’s Best: The Brady Experience. “Having only dined at Sonoma on one other occasion – for its regularly served menu – I was excited to see what the chef had prepared for the night. The five-course meal was nothing short of exceptional. It was a diverse dining experience, as it tugged on my personal food favorites like the rack of lamb but also opened up my taste palate with the introduction of the ahi tuna – something I usually stay clear from. For the price of my ticket, I was open to new experiences. I think that is how dining should be – an inspiration from the chef.” For the event, Chef Bill Brady concocted a vision that highlighted his years of experience and the autonomy could be tasted with every delicate bite of his carefully choreographed dishes.

Whether going out to eat is something that sparks an interest in the diverse food culture from around the world or just a simple gesture of social connection, the one thing that is certain is that if prix-fixe is an option on the menu – take it. It will open your eyes to a world of flavors beyond your daily comfort zones but it will also release the chef from the chains of his day-to-day menu.

Tag: Jared Forman

New Movement in Central Massachusetts Restaurants

Prix Fixe Dining – Just Leave it to the Chef