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Basil n’ Spice Ginger Chicken

Ginger Chicken from Basil n' Spice on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Ginger Chicken from Basil n' Spice on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Upon entering Basil n’ Spice, I loved the décor and layout. It felt intimate and welcoming. Plus, I was excited to have some Thai cuisine.

To start, I ordered the Island Thai Tea, which is classic Thai iced tea with a kick of rum. Delicious!

For an appetizer, we ordered the chicken wings. They were cooked just how I like them–super crispy. The flavors were slightly lacking but since they were cooked so well I still enjoyed them.

I selected Ginger Chicken for my meal. That includes red and green bell peppers, onion, carrot, snow peas, mushrooms, baby corn and scallion with a ginger sauce. The flavors were spot on and the serving size was enough to share if you had multiple dishes. I did, however, use the sauce in my partners dish to dip my chicken several times. He had the incredible Duck Choo Chee.

The service at Basil n’ Spice was top-notch. We had several attentive staff members serving us. One of the owners even pitched in.

Overall I liked Basil n’ Spice. I would try it again. The next time I go I will do two things differently. I will order the Chicken Choo Chee. It might require a special order because it wasn’t listed with chicken, but that sauce was just so fantastic. I would also go for a cocktail and sit at the great bar rather than a table.

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Penne alla Vodka

Penne alla Vodka from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester, MA

Penne alla Vodka from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester, MA
We started our dinner at Chioda’s Trattoria with the Aracini Balls: Risotto stuffed with provolone, breaded and then deep fried. This came as 3 large (meatball sized) balls with a small portion of marinara on the side. The breading was nice, but not too thick, and added a nice crunch of texture to the softer risotto mixture inside while keeping the balls together. These had a very nice flavor themselves, and the complement of the marinara gave a nice overall flavor. The portion size was plenty large for 2 people to share.

For dinner I had the Penne alla Vodka: Penne, tossed with garlic, shallots, onion, tomato, spinach, crushed red pepper and Romano in a vodka marinara. Again, a good large portion and a nice presentation. If you like hot spicy food, this dish is for you. The cumulative heat was fairly strong, but not overpowering, and provided a nice spicy counterpoint to the creamy vodka marinara marrying together to create a really great overall flavor. The pasta was perfectly al dente, giving texture against the soft tomato and spinach for a really nice mix of textures. This dish was a great mix of flavors and textures.