Tag: marinara

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Seafood Marinara from Boynton

Seafood Marinara from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Seafood Marinara from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

The Boynton, located on Highland Street in Worcester, was a very nice surprise for me. I had been to the Boynton prior to this outing and have always had good service and good food but nothing that I recall was anything extra special. My visit this past week however was quite a nice surprise from what I had been expecting. The place was very busy with a wait to be seated—this on a Tuesday night around 6:30pm.

I had a “Tuna Sashimi” appetizer to start my evening. I shared it with my husband and it was delicious. Finely sliced tuna came on a bed of slaw with soy sauce dip, slices of ginger and wasabi mustard.

I also tried the deep fried Brussel sprouts as an appetizer. One of our other dining partners had ordered it and I sampled some. This was fantastic. I liked the little nibble I had so much that I ended up ordering a side order for myself to go with my meal. If you are a fan of Brussel sprouts, you must try these.

For my entrée, I ordered the “Seafood Marinara” which was delightful as well. The seafood came on a bed of wilted greens and over garlic toast. A good quantity of shrimp, calamari and mussels all tossed in a marinara sauce. I would return and order this meal again. Overall, my impression of the Boynton has been upgraded from “Good” to “Great.” Try this neighborhood gem, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

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Chioda’s Trattoria’s Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana from Chiodas Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

Chicken Parmigiana from Chiodas Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

Nestled on Franklin Street Chioda’s Trattoria sits in an unassuming building away from some of the more popular dining areas in Worcester; yet once you get inside you step into a comfortable Italian restaurant. Having driven by many times I had often wondered, but never stopped in to this hidden gem. After talking to the pleasant and helpful waitress and looking over the extensive menu I opted to pair a weekday entree special and appetizer as my meal for the evening.

The appetizer was called the Neapolitan which as a stack of portobello mushrooms, mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil, with a balsamic drizzle. For me this was the perfect combination and presentation of some of my favorite ingredients and it hit the mark. The grilled mushrooms topped with thick sliced mozzarella, sliced basil, topped with thin sliced prosciuotto, and topped with a balsamic drizzle was the perfect pairing of ingredients and flavors, with great attention to detail like slicing the fresh basil so that the basil was evenly distributed was a culinary delight. Shortly thereafter my chicken parmigiana arrived and was the perfect size portion of a juicy thick chicken breast accompanied by a good marinara sauce, cheese, and penne pasta. The chicken was perfectly cooked the flavorful sauce accompanied by a few flakes of crushed red pepper on the hearty marinara made for a delicious meal.

To end the meal I opted for a cannoli that was freshly filled and was a perfect blend of crunchy shell with a smooth creamy sweet ricotta filling.

Now folks, here’s what makes this place a hidden gem: I had a great meal, at a nice comfortable friendly restaurant, with a helpful waitress, and spent $32 before tax and tip. That included a beer, appetizer, weekday special entree, and two cannoli. Chioda’s Trattoria offers great food and value at an off the beaten path location, but is definitely worth a visit.