Park Avenue | Page 9 of 27 | Mass Food & Wine

Bo Luc Lat from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

The menu at Dalat can be overwhelming at first. Over 100 items that are quite specific. For example there is beef with onions, but also beefs with broccoli. Then there is beef with onions and snow peas. And the options go on. Luckily for me, there was a little flap with six specials. I selected Bo Luc Lat which has stir fried beef chunks (yes, it said chunks) with onions on top of a fresh salad with a little bowl of rice on the side. The plate had cucumber and tomato slices on each side and some type of vegetable under the beef as the salad. I admit I am no expert on vegetables. Or Asian cuisine of any kind except rice. The beef was cooked in a syrupy brown sauce that was very sweet at first. Then I noticed it had a spicy kick. There was nothing on the menu specifying which dishes were spicy and which would be for me, so I had to drink a lot of water and half of my neighbor’s bottle of red wine. I also had to eat the rice despite trying to not eat carbs for the month of August. Despite requiring these modifications to my dining experience, I really liked the dish! It was spicy but the flavor was rich and delicious. The beef chunks were tender and well covered in the sweet sauce. This unassuming little restaurant had great food and I would return again- though I would ask if my selection was spicy!

Spicy Tofu and Vegetables from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Vietnamese food has become one of my favorite foods when eating out in Worcester, although I tend to go more in the winter months, so when I found out our next Foodies gathering would be at Dalat I was excited. I purchased a six pack of ice cold beer along with a nice bottle of crisp Pinot Grigio for my dining companion, knowing spicy food was about to consumed, and off we went.

Dalat is a very casual spot on Park Ave, so casual that if you didn’t know it was there you might actually pass by it. Inside things are clean and basic, and obviously, family owned and operated.

We started with an order of spring rolls that came out hot and fresh. For my main meal I opted for one the Chef’s Special – Spicy Tofu and Vegetables. Tofu…? my Foodie friends asked? Yes tofu. In perfect contrast to the al dente vegetables it was served with, the spicy, spongy and delicious tofu was the perfect protein to add to this dish as it took on the flavors of the bell and chile peppers, onions and sprouts it was mixed with. Add the perfect amount of heat and this dish was outstanding, especially with an ice cold BYOB beer! The only draw back is that it was a Chef’s Special and might not be on the menu when I go back. But no worries, I am sure that my next experience at Dalat will be just as outstanding.