Tag: Rosalina’s Kitchen

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A Year in Review: Worcester is a Hungry City

Sweet's Main Bar at their new location on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA (Photo by Erb Photography)

 

For all intents and purposes, Worcester is a hungry city. We have seen the city grow in immeasurable ways through the past decade; cultural institutions including the Worcester Art Museum and Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, the educational institutions like Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Quinsigamond Community College, and businesses both large and small like Unum and Crompton Collective have seen the value and potential that Worcester has to offer. As a result, these companies have invested in expanding their footprints to include themselves in the fabric that holds Worcester’s community together.

A group dining at Chuan Shabu on Park Avenue in Worcester, MAEvidence of this vibrant vision for the future is most tangible in the hospitality scene. For the first time in recent memory, we are not only seeing dozens of restaurants opening (and, the true testament, staying in business), but are watching them leading the charge in the discussion of culinary excellence—on a national level. Everywhere you look: Armsby Abbey pioneered both the, then new to Worcester, “farm-to-table” and “slow food;” Niche Hospitality Group not only introduced the concept of tapas, but gourmet Spanish Tapas at Bocado Tapas Wine Bar (and then expanded it to Providence and Wellesley); Sweet calls Worcester home even after Chef Alina Eisenhauer was featured on the Food Network’s cooking show Chopped and Cupcake Wars and won Sweet Genius. Worcester is hungry.

Thick sliced whole wheat oat bread with butter and honey with an espresso at BirchTree Bread Company on Green Street in Worcester, MAThis year is no exception. The hospitality industry is one of the most volatile industries, affected more so by the environment around it than the talent within. But Worcester’s economy, community, and hunger has ensured that the success of the early 2000s is more “the first course” than a flash in the pan. In twelve short months, much has happened. Early this year, husband and wife duo, Alec Lopez and Sherri Sadowski, finally opened the long awaited Crust Artisan Bakeshop, bringing locally sourced ingredients and naturally leavened bread to Main Street. Breathing life into the quickly growing Canal District, BirchTree Bread Company offers a similar attention to detail baking style with a completely different cafe-style atmosphere. Also in the Canal District, we’ve seen a building that has been empty for years brought back to life by David Domenick in the form of Compass Tavern. On Shrewsbury Street, Niche Lavraki Mediterranean Sea Bass from Meze on Shrewsbury StreetHospitality Group, moved the original Mezcal Tequila Cantina into Más Mezcal at larger space in the heart of downtown while simultaneously created a new concept in its former space, as a restaurant focused on burgers called The Fix Burger Bar. Also on Shrewsbury Street, which was made known for its Italian style is now known for its diverse dining options, including Mezé Greek Tapas Bar & Grille where a taste of true Mediterranean flavors meets tapas style service. The Italian world also expanded on Shrewsbury Street when Rose-Ellen Padavano, growing off the success of the BYOB favorite Rosalina’s Kitchen, opened a new restaurant, Padavano’s Place. In other parts of Worcester, we see Red Pepper offering a Chinese culinary experience just a few short miles from craft brewery 3cross Brewing Company. And there is a lot more that opened in 2014.

Diners ordering at The Fix Burger Bar on Shrewsbury Street in WorcesterFor the first time in many years, it is evident that businesses, government, institutions, and individuals understand that they need to work together—it is no longer the wild west of monopolies; it’s community. Programs like the Worcester Cultural Coalition’s WOO Card and movements like Amy Lynn Chase’s #ShopWoo help hold the Worcester fabric together. Worcesterites may not have bucket loads more money than they did last year, but they are conscious about experience, quality, and worcester-centric ideas. This concept is not widely adapted by other cities, which is why Worcester’s reach goes beyond its seven hills. Worcester is a hungry city and it just started on its appetizer.

Hot and spicy at The Fix Burger Bar on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

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Veal and Sausage Mafia from Rosalina’s Kitchen

Veal and Sausage Mafia from Rosalina's Kitchen on Hamilton Street in Worcester, MA

Veal and Sausage Mafia from Rosalina's Kitchen on Hamilton Street in Worcester, MA

I’m not Italian. But, for all intensive purposes (e.g., having memorized Godfather, point with both my pinkie and index, my Sinatra playlist, etc.) I like to believe that I would have made a great Italian—despite not being the biggest fan of gravy. To be fair, I have a lot of family and friends that are considered old school in their Italian heritage and, even as a child, I had fallen in love with their traditions that combined “famiglia con il cibo.”

In a city like Worcester, Italian restaurants are not hard to find—you have the staples, contemporary interpretations, and even the avant-garde hybrids that combine various dining categories—but it wasn’t until my visit to Rosalina’s Kitchen on Hamilton Street in Worcester, that I found what authentic Italian meant.

To start, Rosalina’s Kitchen is not pretentious. The space is cozy, yet deceptively large. Diners sit in simple chairs at plain table clothed square tables surrounded by a decor that is anything but consistent—from drop ceiling tiles through its black and white basket-weave floor tiles. All of this is charming, welcoming, and a breath of fresh air to the Worcester dining scene. During our visit—on a Wednesday—Rosalina’s Kitchen was full of lively guests—some talking quietly to their dining companions while others were boisterously having conversations with the tables next to them. The atmosphere had an energy that combined the warmth of a Sunday dinner at home with an extended family with the nostalgic Italian smells wafting through the air from the kitchen.

The menu was creative but decidedly Italian—staying true to the genre without adding too much “creativity.” I will admit, upon looking at the meals I felt like a kid on a playground not knowing which ride to start with; I wanted to order everything. After long deliberation—strategically listening to what my dining companions were ordering on the off chance I could steal a bite from them—I decided on the Veal & Sausage Mafia: “a delightful combination of sautéed veal & sausage bites with mushrooms simmered in a roasted red pepper sauce.” It was immediately evident that this was home cooking by the hands of a chef who loves to cook. The pasta was cooked as expected and bathed with the perfect amount of sauce that carried the flavors of the roasted red peppers and texture of the mushrooms. While the round, thinly sliced sausage added a great flavor to the dish, the true star with the sautéed veal. The texture, the flavor, the portions came together masterfully to round off the entire dining experience.

Rosalina’s Kitchen has been open since 2011, but is quickly gaining popularity as a safe, clean, neighborhood restaurant. Its BYOB policy is very appealing too, as it helps to ensure that a group, large or small, is able to affordably imbibe in their drink of choice with their meals. With an inviting atmosphere and authentic meals (including their speciality: homemade raviolis) Rosalina’s Kitchen is focused on combining “famiglia con il cibo”—even for those of us who aren’t Italian.