Tag: parmesan

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Pollo alla Parmigiana

Pollo alla Parmigiana from from Mare E Monti Trattoria on Wall Street in Worcester, MA

Pollo alla Parmigiana from from Mare E Monti Trattoria on Wall Street in Worcester, MA

Haven eaten at Mare E Monti Trattoria once before, I was excited to return with our Foodies group to see if my second experience would be as good as my first experience.

We were greeted by one of the owners and seated immediately in the large, open dining room. For anyone who remembers the Caffe Espresso Trattoria, previously located at this address, you won’t recognize what they have done inside. First off, the atmosphere is very inviting with a casual, relaxed yet upscale feel and the high ceilings, elegant wall decor and distressed wooden floors add to the ambience.

My “go to” meal is chicken parmesan, having ordered it all over Worcester I was anxious to try the Pollo alla Parmigiana at Mare E Monti Trattoria. I also ordered a side of meatballs. Not the most adventurous choices I admit, but I challenge the chef by asking it to be prepared extra crispy, no sauce on the chicken, pasta al dente and add some spice to the sauce. When my meal was served it met every expectation…two large chicken breasts were pan fried with fresh herb breadcrumbs, crispy on the outside while moist and tender on the inside and served over penne pasta al dente. My side order of meatballs was outstanding, two large, moist and flavorful meatballs served in a rich sauce that finished with a spicy kick. The meatballs seemed to be a mixture of beef, pork, cheese and spices and were a great side dish which I shared with my dining partner.

The evening was combination of delightful food, sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere and great service making Mare E Monti Trattoria an outstanding choice!

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Pasta with a Meatball and Eggplant Parmesan

The Parkway Diner; your typical looking diner from the outside, inside was pretty much what you would expect, nothing fancy.  While I wasn’t disappointed with the food I ordered I also wasn’t blown away by the place, I was hoping for a specialty of the house, or something that would make this diner stand out from the vast assortment of other diners in the Worcester area, unfortunately it was just what it advertises to be a Diner pure and simple.

The wait staff was efficient and personable. We started with an order of the bacon cheese fries, they were good and came quickly to our table and I have to admit they were greasy and cheesy with plenty of bacon added and exactly what I had expected.  After perusing the menu I asked our waitress what she would recommend and she told me any of the “gravy” dishes were what most of the regulars came back for. I ended up ordering the “Pasta combo” which offered a pick two from a selection of a Meatball, a sausage, chicken Parmesan or eggplant Parmesan. I chose the meatball and eggplant Parmesan, both were excellent with the eggplant parmesan not being overly thick with batter and it was cooked perfectly, the meatball had that slight creamy texture to it that caused it to fall apart when I stuck your fork in it, quite delicious. My meatball and eggplant were served over my choice of pasta, I chose good ole fashioned spaghetti. While I enjoyed the Red sauce or “Gravy” as any good Italian and as the waitress called it I thought it was just a bit salty, however I still enjoyed my meal.

If I’m in the mood and in the area, I might return, I wouldn’t put it on the top of my list, however I would go back to try out the breakfast options. –RL