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Pollo Guisseppi

Pollo Guisseppi

Nestled between the Grafton Street and Franklin Street areas of Worcester is Wall Street’s Mare E Monti Trattoria. This classic Italian trattoria offers a comfortable dining experience that is a little bit off the beaten path from the Shrewsbury Street dining scene that most people think of when they think Worcester’s Italian food. Yet Mare E Monti Trattoria is a strong contender in the Italian dining experience.

After browsing the many selections on the menu I decided to start with the Polenta Con Funghi which was described as a creamy polenta with fried mushrooms, spring onions, served in a shallot butter sauce. This dish lived up to its description and was a savory delightful combination of polenta topped with the mushroom and scallions in butter sauce. I would highly recommend this appetizer as it was skillfully prepared and delicious.

For my main course I picked the Pollo Guisseppi which a chicken dish with eggplant, prosciutto, and mozzarella. The dish was topped with a pomodoro sauce and I opted for the optional homemade pasta (for a small up charge). The highlight of the dish was the thinly sliced eggplant that was fried to a crispy perfection. The entire dish was well prepared with quality ingredients, hearty portions and fresh homemade pasta, yet it seemed to need a little something more, possibly salt or some red pepper. Surprisingly the prosciutto did not seem to add the saltiness that one would have expected. I would definitely consider this dish again as it had many of my favorite ingredients.

Overall the location was comfortable and had a nice feel with exposed beams and brick. The food was well prepared and fresh. The deserts looked quite delicious and most of the desserts were home made. I would definitely go back and would probably gravitate towards and eggplant based dish.

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Veal Parmigiana

Veal Parmigiana from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Veal Parmigiana from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Having dined at La Scala many, many times over the years I was happy to find out our Foodies group had chosen this well-established, family-run Shrewsbury Street restaurant for our June gathering.

Whenever I eat at La Scala, I always start with their signature Sausage Antipasto. This dish is large enough to be shared (often times I order this as my meal) so I was excited to share this with everyone at our table. The dish includes a variety of Italian meats and cheeses, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, olives, cucumbers and more over a bed lettuce and greens and topped with sliced hot Italian sausage. Since there was not one morsel left on the plate, I think I can safely say that everyone enjoyed this outstanding start to our experience.

My other “go-to” dish at La Scala is the Chicken Parmigiana but for this meal I ordered the Veal Parmigiana. The thinly sliced veal is coated with with a panko-type and nicely seasoned breading and served with a sweet-ish red tomato sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella. I asked to have my meal prepared with the “sauce on the side” as I enjoy cutting into the crispy breaded outside to reveal the tender veal inside. The meal was well seasoned and the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. As a side note, I always add a little crushed red pepper to the sauce for a little extra spice.

The service at La Scala was outstanding as our server was attentive and the meals were served quickly and flawlessly. The owner, Kevin made himself available to our group, answered some questions and added a personal touch to our evening.

Combine this with a nice glass of Chianti, great service and wonderful friends and you have all the makings of a great meal!