Posted on

Chimichurri Steak Frites

chimichurri steak frites from Brew City on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

chimichurri steak frites from Brew City on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

This month’s culinary adventure brought us to the restaurant that is most synonymous with a gigantic beer selection and crafted burgers in Worcester… Brew City. Over the last couple of years, I know that Brew City has been working on reinventing themselves by refreshing the decor, and updating their menu, which now leans more towards sophisticated comfort food rather than the traditional staples of just wings, beer and burgers.

With so many new and exciting items on the menu to try, I actually had a difficult time deciding what I wanted to have for dinner. I settled on the chimichurri steak frites. As the menu would describe it, this was grilled flank steak that was sliced thinly and topped with a classic Argentinian chimichurri sauce and served with sweet potato fries. For those of you who are not familiar with a chimichurri sauce, I would liken it to a type of pesto, but made with finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and white or red wine vinegar instead of basil and pine nuts. It is slightly more acidic than a pesto.

When my meal came to the table, I knew that I was in for a treat. The steak was cooked to a perfect, medium-rare and the chimichurri sauce stood out; bright green against the crispy, orange sweet potato fries. The steak was juicy and tender and the sauce added a nice, tangy bite that was needed to break up the meatiness of the steak. The sweet potato fries were tossed in coarse sea salt and was just what was needed to contribute a salty bite. Overall, I was very impressed with my meal. I would have liked a few more pieces of steak, because it was cooked so perfectly (and also because the meal only came with four small slices). This was not a meal that I was expecting to get from the Brew City that I had remembered from years past. If you are looking for a place that’s familiar and inviting, that serves good food and has a lengthy beer menu to match, you should definitely check out Brew City… I bet you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was!

Posted on

Domestic calamari sautéed with virgin olive oil fresh basil your choice of garlic and oil or red sauce

Sauteed Calamari from Blackstone Bistro in Worcester, MA

Sauteed Calamari from Blackstone Bistro in Worcester, MAI love calamari, so I could not resist the temptation to try this dish with its simple, yet flavorful ingredients from Blackstone Bistro. In a world that loves to fry these poor tender morsels, I was absolutely thrilled to see the word “sauteed” leap off the menu at me. I chose to get it with the olive oil, garlic and basil. I never even read the rest of the menu. I was not disappointed at all. It was a very fine thin sauce but packed with fresh flavors and it was a nice large portion to boot. I was wishing I had remembered this was a BYOB, because this was the perfect dish to have with a nice red wine and I said so. My friend graciously let me have a glass from his bottle and the meal was perfect and complete. The added bonus was the yummy crunchy garlic bread that was shared around the table. I would absolutely go back here for this meal again and again.