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Pesto and Gnocchi with Herbed Ricotta and Shrimp

Pesto and gnocchi with herbed ricotta and shrimp from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Pesto and gnocchi with herbed ricotta and shrimp from La Scala on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

La Scala had lovely high ceilings of pressed tin and the large booths that were situated in were comfortable and relaxing. The staff was quick and friendly so we ordered fairly soon after arriving. The menu had many options we were willing to try and so we narrowed it down to the pesto and gnocchi with herbed ricotta and shrimp after much consideration.

This was no light pesto sauce as I had been used it, but, instead it was heavy and deep in pesto— in fact the gnocchi was just covered in the chopped deep green herbs! The flavor was rich and the gnocchi was cooked to perfect potato perfection. It was lovely combo of flavors and textures. My hubby added a little salt to heighten the flavor a bit, but I am not a fan of salt so I found it satisfying as served. While some of my dining companions may have been dissatisfied with their choices at La Scala, the flavor and textures within this dish certainly made it a table favorite. -DD

 

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Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant Lasagna from Le Mirage on June Street in Worcester, MA

Eggplant Lasagna from Le Mirage on June Street in Worcester, MA

If you are wondering what Lebanese/Mediterranean food is like, save yourself the plane ticket and eat at Le Mirage on June Street. If you don’t like the food here, you may as well write off all Lebanese/Mediterranean food for the rest of your life because this is as good as it gets. It is family owned and managed so you will feel every bit of that family style of cooking that has undoubtedly been passed down through generations.

Everything on the menu looked good, and I was having a difficult time trying to decide on what to order. I changed my mind about two or three times before our extremely attentive and friendly waitress came over and helped me decide. She told us that she had tried everything on the menu herself and loved it all, but that one of the biggest sellers was the Eggplant Lasagna. Sold. Now you think since we went during restaurant week I would have had taken that awesome deal, but the prices on everything at Le Mirage were so good it was hard to not to go straight from the menu to try something different.

My meal came with complimentary side garden salad that had the oil/lemon and mint dressing that was refreshing. Kudos to them for this because not many places do the complimentary side salad with your meal anymore and I miss that! My homemade eggplant Lasagna came and I was not disappointed. Layers of fresh eggplant and the perfect amount of ricotta and mozzarella cheese were between each layer and topped with a tomato marinara sauce that obviously had been simmering to perfection for hours. It was delicate I could have eaten it with a spoon (which I did towards the end to scoop up that marinara!). Simple, clean, and delicious; I cannot sing the praises of this restaurant loudly enough. I will definitely be heading back there soon to try some of the other dishes they had to offer. The atmosphere was charming and warm and the food was beautifully presented and delicious. The portions were generous. All in all a very relaxed and yummy fine dining experience. -SB