pasta | Page 9 of 17 | Mass Food & Wine

Chicken Parmesan from Blackstone Bistro in Worcester, MA

Since the opening of the Blackstone Bistro back in the Fall, I have enjoyed many fine meals at this casual, BYOB restaurant so when I found out it was our next WorcesterFoodies destination I was excited. Before I left for dinner, I looked at the menu online to get a head start on what I was going to order, but unfortunately I was unable to make a decision because so many items looked great. I decided to wait and make my decision when I got to the restaurant, but that didn’t help because in addition to the regular menu there were also great specials to choose from.

I decided to order the Chili con Carne as an appetizer and my “go to” dish, the Chicken Parmesan as my meal. Lets start with the chili….I was warned by the server it can be a little “hot” for some diners, but for me, it was perfect. Served in a large, plentiful bowl, it was thick with beans, beef, tomatoes and peppers, spiced expertly. I enjoyed a Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale with my chili and the caramel, brown sugar, hoppy flavor of the beer matched perfectly with the hearty flavor of this dish.

My meal began with a small house salad, which by itself, would have been uneventful, if not for the outstanding, homemade dressing. My Chicken Parmesan was cooked and served exactly as I had ordered. The dish consisted of two large, boneless chicken breasts, breaded and served crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside, topped with a sweet, rich marinara sauce and creamy mozzarella cheese. A side dish of penne pasta accompanied the chicken.

The atmosphere at the Blackstone Bistro is casual and the service was outstanding. Louis Pizzaro, owner / chef, is friendly and engaging as he met our group and thanked us for coming. Blackstone is BYOB, affordable and very highly recommended!

Swordfish and Salmon from Joey’s Bar and Grill on Chandler Street in Worcester, MA

Joey’s Bar and Grill is situated on Chandler Street in Worcester. Tucked back into the corner of a strip mall it is a little unassuming. Once you enter, you notice a large bar that takes up the center of the space surrounded by small intimate and casual dining areas. Low lighting sets the mood for this place. Robust conversations from patrons surround you as you enter and give you the feeling of a neighborhood watering hole.

Once we were seated, our server was prompt and came right over to attend us. I found our server to be very friendly, open, and knowledgeable about the menu. The service seemed to be a little slow but that could have been due to our large group.

I started my meal with an appetizer called “Blue cheese and Chive dip” it was a creamy blue cheese dip with chives served with fresh homemade potato chips. This was a large portion and would have been just right for two people.

For my meal I chose the “Swordfish and Salmon” Medallions of swordfish and salmon over a creamy pesto sauce of cavatelli pasta with red peppers. A dollop of ricotta cheese in the center of the plate went fantastic with this and served to bring the dish to an all new level. I was very satisfied with my meal and cannot wait to revisit this place and try other wonderful sounding entrees on the menu.

For dessert, I ordered the lemon sorbet. It was a good-sized quantity and came with fresh berries. A very nice ending to a fantastic meal.

I would recommend this place to my friends. -RL