Tag: Metrowest

Posted on by

Tomasso: Italian Dining To Bank On

Tomasso in Southborough, MA (Photography by Mary Prince Photography for Tomasso)

Italian food is a favorite among many, myself included. Whether you are headed to the North End of Boston, or Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, there seems to be endless possibilities for all palettes. As much as I enjoy a plate of my great-aunt’s al dente rigatoni and gravy, true Italian food is so much more. Yet, I continue to ask myself “What makes Italian food Italian?” True Italian food requires using the freshest ingredients combined with a unique simplicity all while considering regional traditions. Tomasso on Route 9 in Southborough creatively combines the freshest seasonal ingredients in a manner that stays true to regional Italian traditions, but the chef leaves room for creatively modern enhancements.

Tomasso features hand made ingredients, including their pastas.
Tomasso features hand made ingredients, including their pastas.(Photography by Mary Prince Photography for Tomasso)

Tomasso provides its customers with an experience that is unique to the area, in that their focus is to use suppliers that treat the food sources with care and responsibility. Additionally, the bar and dining room are designed to allow diners to be side by side, creating an atmosphere that has a more comfortable family feel. This seating design also allows for the staff to educated, both formally and informally, about the food as well as the extensive wine selection available. Tomasso offers a 100% Italian wine selection, and is considered an important element of the dining experience. Since the staff believe that wine is an important element in the Italian dining experience, the wine selection allows for many price points and flavor profiles that will pair with any menu selection.

The menu at Tomasso is designed in a way that differs from other local Italian eateries. First, the menu is seasonal, allowing the chef to introduce new flavors on a regular basis. The dinner menu is designed in the traditional Italian style by offering multiple courses, including a antipasti e insalate, pasta, secondi, pasta, and finally pizza. The chef also offers a three course lunch menu, which allows for a salad option, pasta, and dessert. This lunch selection allows guests to get an idea of the offerings on the dinner menu, but at a fraction the cost.

Tomasso's Executive Chef Daniele Baliani
Tomasso’s Executive Chef Daniele Baliani (Photography by Mary Prince Photography for Tomasso)

The food at Tomasso is truly exceptional, and there are few restaurants in the area that compare to the quality and style of food. Having been to Italy several time, I can vouch for the authenticity of the food at Tomasso. Once seated, we were offered a basket of house made breads, and a description of the specials for the evening. The wine list was explained, and suggestions were made. We started with the anitpasti course which included fresh mozzarella with grilled focaccia bread, and a arancini dish. We decided to share both a pasta dish and main course (secondi), which included “Orecchiette alla Barese” made with “little ear” pasta, broccoli rabe, house made crumbled sausage, ricotta, and chile flake. The main course was “Pollo alla Parmigiana” with crispy chicken cutlets, pomodoro, fresh local mozzarella, panzanella salad, and Grana Padano (cheese). Tomasso provides its guests with a culinary experience that is authentically Italian.

Located at 149 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772, Tomasso affords its Metrowest customers dining experience that stands up to the more well known Italian eateries in the North End in Boston and Shrewsbury Street in Worcester.

Posted on by

Casey’s Diner: Tradition on a Bun

Casey's Diner in Natick, MA

The holidays are about tradition, and gathering around the table with familiar faces, and sharing a meal with those closest to you. Casey’s Diner, this month’s Restaurant to Bank On, shares these characteristics, thus making it a holiday of the culinary kind as soon as you slide the diner’s door open with every visit.

Casey’s Diner, or simply Casey’s, provides one of the most unique dining experiences in MetroWest, with it’s ten counter stools and pickup window. Located in downtown Natick, and tucked away behind the Natick Fire Department Headquarters. This diner has been serving locals with some of the best hot dogs and hamburgers in the area for four generations. Casey’s is not known for its extensive menu, or it gourmet cuisine. Rather, it is known as “the place where the elite meet to eat!” On any given day, you could run into local celebrities such as Rene Rencourt (sings the national anthem at Bruins’ games), or a member of the Flutie family finishing an “all-around” dog (mustard, relish, and chopped onions), or a burger with onions “in”.

Now, let’s get back to the part when I said hot dogs and hamburgers. I can hear it now, “Really? Burger and dogs?” Sometimes the simplest foods make for the best experience, at least when it’s done right! The natural casing hot dogs are cooked in an old copper steamer and served with steamed buns, and the hamburgers are cooked on a flat-iron griddle, which seems to have been seasoned since the diner opened in 1927. This is a no frills dining experience, complete with small paper plates, chocolate milk in serving size cartons, and no forks or knives. At least I have not seen any in the ten years I have been going to Casey’s. The hot dogs come with your choice of mustard, ketchup, onions or relish. The burgers are ground fresh, and formed everyday, and are made to order. Some of the local favorites include the pepper burger with onions “in,” which means cooked into the patty. Knowing the “lingo” will only help to further endear you to the already friendly staff and diners lucky enough to find a stool.

Although Casey’s is best known for their hot dogs and burgers, the menu does include some other homemade favorite. Items such as the Chopped Ham, and Egg Salad are often ordered on toasted bread, and the nine different pies will leave you feeling like you just finished dinner at your grandmother’s table. Finally, in the true diner way, Casey’s began serving breakfast in 2015, and is also gaining a strong following.

The mark of good restaurant is when patrons refer to the food and emphatically say “It’s good!” rather than single out parts of the menu. Speak to the regulars at Casey’s, and they never say, “They have good hot dogs and hamburgers.” Rather, you hear “I’ve been going there for years, and it’s good!” And you can see the tradition lining up outside the pickup window when all the local college kids come home for the holidays, and the first place they go is an old yellow dinner to meet with their friends, and “eat with the elite!”

Casey’s Diner is located at 36 South Avenue, Natick, MA 01760. Their website can be found at http://www.caseysdiner.com/