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Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Chicken Piccata from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Located on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, La Scala is a small Italian restaurant with a home-line feel. I found the staff to be quite friendly and accommodating with a nice cozy feeling to the place.

I started with a side Caesar Salad. This was very large for a starter or side salad with plenty of croutons and an ample amount of dressing. The lettuce was crisp and fresh but I found the dressing a little too strong for my liking, with a very strong anchovy flavor, making it a little overpowering for the lettuce.

For my main course, I chose the Chicken Piccata, which is described in the menu as; ‘Tender chicken sauteed with fresh tomatoes and capers in a white wine lemon sauce’. Again, a generous, large portion with a colorful, pleasing presentation. The penne pasta it was server over was cooked nicely al dente, providing a firm texture behind the chicken and sauce and the chicken itself was cooked excellently. It was moist and so tender that you could cut it with a fork. I found the sauce to be on the bland side though as it just didn’t have enough flavor to go with the chicken and penne. The sauce also seemed to be pooled at the bottom of the dish, with the pasta on the top being very dry, like the pasta was added to the plate after the sauce and not tossed.

Not every meal from every restaurant can be amazing, and unfortunately, this dish was average with nothing spectacular to draw me back. -DL

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Linguini with white clam sauce

Linguini with white clam sauce from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Linguini with white clam sauce from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA
La Scala is an Italian themed restaurant tucked away into a small space on Shrewsbury Street with a small area outside for dining. The interior is quite small and I found it very loud inside.  Along the far wall inside you can see brick poking out giving this small intimate space a cozy neighborhood feel.

The wait staff greeted me as soon as I entered and were friendly.

I started off with a Caesar salad and my request to have anchovies added was happily able to be filled.

I ordered off the menu and went with the Linguini with white clam sauce. It was a large portion with the pasta being cooked exactly the way I like it. “Al Dente'” The clams seemed to be just the strips which are the least flavorful. In past white clam sauces, I expected a thick and cheesy sauce, unfortunately, the sauce used in this dish was very watery and bland; I found myself reaching for the Parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper many times through out my meal in an attempt to add more flavor to my dish. I can’t speak for the red sauce, but I would not order the Linguini and clams if I do make it back to La Scala. -RL