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Grilled Guinness Meatloaf from Brew City on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Brew City Grill & Brew House is a staple on Shrewsbury Street, having been around for as long as I can remember. While the menu changes often, the vibe inside really doesn’t; fun bar area on one side and an open dining room where you can enjoy a good meal at a reasonable price on the other.

I haven’t been to Brew City for dinner in quite a while so was looking forward our Foodies gathering. I knew they had a huge selection of burgers – with almost fifty options for cheeses, toppings and condiments – but the entree listing was just as impressive. My dining partner and I started with a jumbo crab cake appetizer that came served over arugula and drizzled with a red pepper remoulade and topped with bruschetta. The salty crab was a nice compliment to the stronger and spicy arugula and the bruschetta was fresh and tasty.

For my meal I stayed away from the burgers and ordered the Grilled Guinness Meatloaf. Two large tender pieces of meatloaf, loaded with mushrooms and onions were topped with a caramelized onion and mushroom demi glaze, adding an even earthier taste to the dish. My meal was finished with healthy side orders of sautéed broccolini and roasted acorn squash which added to this comfort food extravaganza. The broccolini was served al dente and the squash was topped with just the right amount of brown sugar.

You can’t go to Brew City and not have a beer as they feature over 150 different ones with 40 on tap. I enjoyed a few spicy Shipyard Pumpkin Ales that were the perfect match to my meatloaf dinner.

Overall, Brew City was very good, a casual atmosphere with well-prepared food, great service and all at a very reasonable price!

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

Are you like me and get excited when a new restaurant opens in Worcester? Even more so when someone introduces a new and refreshing concept? So when The Fix Burger Bar (part of Niche Hospitality Group) started teasing us with photos of their artisan burgers prior to opening it got me thinking I need to check this place out.

Just a short time after opening, Worcester Foodies made its way to The Fix. While it’s the former Mezcal location on Shrewsbury Street (Mezcal is now located on Major Taylor Boulevard in Worcester), The Fix now has more of a low key casual hang with friends feel – someplace where a burger and spiked shake would be comforting.

The Fix has a diverse enough menu that I am sure a group of friends each could find what they enjoyed the most – from beef, tuna or veggie burgers, a pretty good selection of “big fix” salads and even some main plates should you not want a burger. To get us started, we asked the waitress what were the favorites and the smile on our her face when she said tater tots told us we needed to order them. The blue cheese polenta tater tots were like soft pillows of polenta lightly crisped up to hold them together served with 2 complimentary dipping sauces- mild ranch or my preference buffalo spicy. The taters could have been more crisp to make it easier to enjoy the dipping sauces. But just enough taters to hold us over until the main dish.

Since The Fix opened, all I heard from friends who had already been here was get a burger, you won’t be disappointed. So burger it was going to be, but which one as there were 11 plus burgers (including create your own), I debated for a few minutes until I saw the “The Green Chili” burger and knew that was what I was having. Give me some spice and you made my day. My burger came loaded high with roasted poblano and jalapeno, softened and nicely ripe avocado, habanero cheddar cheese and rounding out the flavor some home made cilantro mayo – all served on a fresh sesame roll. Spicy with the kick I wanted but not overwhelming that I could not enjoy the burger. The burger alone was enough but it did come with a side of regular fries – normally I skip the fries but I went for it and swapped them out for veggie fries which were lightly battered and slightly crisp.

To round out my meal, I knew I could not leave without trying their speciality cocktail creations or “remedies” – my choice was the “Old Fashioned” Remedy, an adult root beer tasting treat kicked up with some whiskey and served over an ice snowball that melted so slowly allowing me to savor the flavors. Such a yummy taste that everyone wanted to try.

Niche Hospitality has another hit in the Worcester dining scene – if you are looking for a casual, low key place but with great food and creative drinks, The Fix is the spot! Get your friends out for burger night!