Tag: pasta

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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

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Pollo Alla Vodka

I always look forward to dining at a new restaurant. Despite the fact that Worcester has hundreds of restaurants scattered throughout the city, I tend to visit the same circuit week after week. While I had been reading mixed reviews about Lago Ristorante, my palate was ready to visit this new establishment, and form my own opinion.  The interior of Lago is dark and inviting with a partial view of the pond. The booths and tables hug the perimeter with a bar extending on one end. The exposed duct work gives the interior an industrial feel without being too contemporary and cold. When the waitress first handed me the one-sided paper menu, I was slightly disappointed. My initial reaction was due to the fact that the menu was unprotected and covered with oil and food stains. At first glance, the options appeared to be limited. Despite all this, I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself torn between not 2, but 4 dishes. After listening to the rest of my table place their orders, I ultimately decided upon the Pollo Al La Vodka. On the menu, the dish is described as twin chicken breasts sautéed with garlic, a hint of crushed pepper, diced tomatoes, and cream served over a choice of pasta – penne for me. Prior to the main course, a small house salad arrived at our table. The menu has a number of salads listed, including one under the specials of that evening, however, no where does it state that the meal includes a salad. Most restaurants will impart this information to the diner, and allow them to choose their dressing ~ not Lago. This salad arrived lightly dressed with a balsamic glaze. The portion was slightly disappointing with only a small handful of greens, a single cherry tomato halved, a slice of cucumber, an olive, and 2 pieces of red onion. Given the size of the salad, I was getting nervous that I would leave dinner hungry. However, when my dish arrived, my worries were quickly erased. The plate arrived with a plentiful portion of pasta and chicken garnished with fresh, green parsley. While the chicken was pounded, sautéed, and moist, it was not as garlicy as advertised. The pasta and sauce however, was absolutely delicious. I usually shy away from cream sauces because they tend to be heavy, however, this sauce was perfect! The texture was creamy, but not heavy, with the lingering kick that is given by red pepper flakes. Needless to say, despite the gigantic portion, I managed to eat almost every single bite with only a little help from the men at my table. Overall, the experience was decent. The atmosphere and main dish appealed to my desire to dine some place new, and the quality of the dish made me want to come back and try something new! -AV