Sangria | Page 2 of 3 | Mass Food & Wine

Sangria from Mezcal Cantina on Major Taylor Boulevard in Worcester, MA

I was eager to try Mezcal Cantina in their new downtown location. I have long been a fan of their cuisine but not a fan of fighting the crowds in the smaller space formerly located on Shrewsbury Street. The space was open without being overly loud, and homey without being overly rustic. I love all of the establishments managed by the Niche Hospitality Group. In a dining scene dominated by cookie cutter wine lists I can always count of finding something interesting at the Niche restaurants. But on this night I didn’t even look. I went straight for the Sangria. I am so glad that I did. It drank like a wine rather than any sangria I have had elsewhere. It was excellent. The pitcher served both of us two very generous pours. Ice and fruit (cherry and orange) was served on the side – THANK YOU, MEZCAL! The wine was a dense violet color. The intense aromas leapt from the glass with fresh, ripe, red berry fruit with a hint of orange peel. A dry wine, well-structured with a refreshing acidity and just a touch of astringency. However, the best part was it wasn’t syrupy sweet like so many other sangrias I have had. Many sangrias are overly sweet in order to hide flaws such as overt acidity or bitterness. If I had to guess, I would imagine this was made with a Tempranillo or Grenache which tend to be highly aromatic but low in acid. If you are a light red drinker (pinot noir) lover you will love the Sangria at Mezcal. It’s a Sangria you will want to sip rather than swill. Dare I say, it had finesse?!? It paired beautifully with the duck confit quesadilla. The mole sauce which was delicately drawn on the flaky, pastry like tortilla highlighted the subtle spice in the wine. The flavorful savory duck was the perfect companion for the long lasting fruit dominant wine. Delightful!

Having never been to Lago Ristorante before and not being familiar with this area of Worcester, we drove right by this place; it is tucked back a little ways from the road and wasn’t immediately seen by us until we were on top of it. The location is great—right on the water, however all the windows in the place were small and disappointingly didn’t give any real view of the lake that is a mere step away. Even knowing the lake was just steps away and knowing I couldn’t enjoy the view I still liked the place, the dark gray walls gave this place a warm feel. I loved the ceiling with the exposed pipes and industrial type metal beams all painted the same dark gray.

Once we were seated, our waitress was prompt and came right over to attend us. I had been craving my favorite drink all day and was happy to hear that they could make me a glass of red sangria. It was fantastic and I will be having it again when I return at a future date.

We started our meal with an appetizer of deep fried calamari with a marinara dipping sauce. Excellently cooked, was not tough or chewy and the batter was very light. It was the perfect size quantity to split with a friend.

The bread they brought to the table was similar to a foccasia in density, We inquired about it and were told rosemary and oregano among other herbs were in the bread and they make the bread daily in house. This was served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping sauce.

Following our appetizer were our salads that came with any of the regular meals from the menu. I opted for the caesar and was happy to hear that they could put anchovies on mine, so often I am told they cannot put anchovies on my caesar. The caesar came on a glass chilled plate, nice touch and was a great size for a starter salad.

My meal was selected from the specials list, which our waitress explained to us in detail, I was able to get a visual as she went on in detail about the dish I chose. She had me at “Asiago Cream Sauce!” My dish was called Chicken Isabella. Two chicken breasts pounded flat with seasonings atop my choice of pasta, I went with the Penne, I was disappointed when I asked if they made their own pasta and was told no. The pasta although not homemade was cooked perfectly for my taste, just a bit past Al Dente’. The asiago cream sauce was creamy and rich, however I would have liked to taste a bit more of the asiago cheese which gave this sauce its name, as light as it was in cheese it made up for this fact with the richness of the cream and the freshness of the herbs in the sauce they used. I was very satisfied with my meal. I would go back and I would recommend this place to my friends. –RL