Tag: olive oil

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Sautéed Mussels from Chioda’s Trattoria

Sautéed Mussels from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

Sautéed Mussels from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

The next stop for our Foodies group was to Chioda’s Trattoria on Franklin Street. A small neighborhood restaurant tucked away off of Shrewsbury Street with a quaint atmosphere and what seemed to be regulars filling up the tables on a Tuesday night. I scanned the menu and came up with two dishes to complete my main meal, the Sautéed Mussels in garlic, olive oil and white wine sauce ($9.00) and the Caprese Salad, sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, with a drizzle of olive oil ($10.00).

The chatter around our table was which meal to order and how fairly priced everything was (they all looked fantastic) they offered specials on a black board and have a $10.00 menu, good from Monday-Thursday; great deal! It was enjoyable to watch all the pasta dishes arrive on large plates heaped with food.

My meal arrived, the mussels were piled high in a huge plate; there were so many I was sharing with my friends. The sauce definitely made the mussels, the garlic and white wine sauce was delicious, a heavy flavor of garlic coupled with white wine creating a perfect soupy broth to marinate my mussels in as well as dip my bread. My only complaint, unfortunately, my mussels were a touch overcooked. The Caprese Salad was large with ripe tomatoes and huge pieces of mozzarella with just a drizzle of olive oil, it was delicious, sometimes I find the mozzarella to be small and thinly sliced, but not here! I would order both again. We finished off our meal with a cannoli. We were informed that the filling was homemade. The cannoli was large, oozing with ricotta; the filling was one of the best homemade fillings I have ever had. I can’t wait to go back and try more items on the menu, not only did everything look fabulous their prices were great!  I would recommend going here for a great authentic Italian meal, off the beaten path, truly a hidden gem in Worcester!

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Greek Octopus from Meze

Octopus from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Octopus from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

I my opinion Shrewsbury Street is to Worcester as Federal Hill is to Providence. It’s fun, cheery, and lined with great restaurants. So many great restaurants, if fact, that it takes some time to try them all. So when Mezé Greek Tapas Bar & Grille became the restaurant of choice for our Worcester Foodies group I welcomed the opportunity to finally experience what they had to offer.

I started with the Marinated Anchovies. They came served on a small white plate, marinated in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, with toast. They were very tender and tasty with just the right amount of tanginess to prepare the palate for the next course … Octopus. I had to try the octopus … and it was a very interesting experience indeed. It was grilled … moist in the middle with a nice brown crispiness on the outside. It came on a bed of raw onion — Bermuda I think — with a slices of lemon and cucumber. Although very tasty it was not as tender as it appeared. It was not tough by any means but it wasn’t tender either — maybe that is just how octopus is — it was my first time so I can’t say, but I would definitely have it again.

I think what I enjoyed most about the meal was the fact that everyone just naturally started passing plates around. Because of that I got to try several other items, of which I especially liked the beets. If you go and like beets definitely order some! Overall, I give this restaurant high marks in all areas: tasty and fun menu items, excellent service, a bright clean atmosphere and you can’t beat the location — right on Shrewsbury Street. Got to love that!

Due to the tapas style eating, photos may not match the foodies review or description.