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Meat Lasagna from Dino’s

Meat Lasagna from Dino's on Lord Street in Worcester, MA

Meat Lasagna from Dino's on Lord Street in Worcester, MA

Dino’s Restaurant is located slightly off the beaten path in what I would call a residential area. This is a good old fashioned Italian restaurant, The building is a sturdy wooden structure, resembling a home or house with upstairs serving as the restaurant area and bar.

They offer a large selection of Italian fair.  I found their menu to be quite large and arranged by type, with your veal, chicken, seafood and pasta’s all in their own sections. I was a little overwhelmed with the size of the menu, so many choices and so many dishes.

For dinner I chose under their menu heading of “Dino’s Classic Pasta” and went with the Meat Lasagna. This lasagna was fantastic. It was stuffed with meat and then topped with a rich and heavy meat sauce. The serving size was immense and could have easily fed 2 people.  After choosing a chicken rice soup as my starter and having some of their amazingly soft and excellent bread prior to my meal. I felt I didn’t do my meal justice. The bread they served prior to the meal was excellent. They serve it with your choice of a bruschetta topping (Tomatoes, onions in a vinegar and oil dressing) or you could slather it with butter or use the traditional olive oil they have on all the tables. I can honestly say the lasagna is something I would come back for.

For good ole fashioned Italian food on a reasonable budget come explore Dino’s.

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Baked Kibbie

Baked Kibbe from Le Mirage in Worcester

Baked Kibbe from Le Mirage in Worcester

Having never been to a restaurant specializing in middle eastern cuisine like Le Mirage, I was determined to order a dish that I, perhaps embarrassingly, had never heard of.  I selected the Baked Kibbie, which the menu informed me came with housemade rice pilaf, fresh vegetables, and a side salad.  The side salad, full of fresh greens, came with a balsamic vinaigrette with sweet flavors and a delightfully thicker consistency than I had expected.  I appreciated this, as the dressing stayed on my vegetables!  I chose the butternut squash as my side, which was pureed with a sugary sweetness. The Baked Kibbie turned out to be a square shaped meatloaf-like mixture of bulgur wheat, meat, and spices, giving it a crumbly texture with sweet flavors. There was a tangy yogurt sauce offered to spread over it, but the kibbie was delicious on its own and on a spoon mixed with the squash and rice pilaf.  The pilaf was rather plain, but buttery and added some moisture to mouthfuls of kibbie.  The meal from Le Mirage was filling and had a comfort food feel that left me content and full. -AC