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Seafood Marinara from Boynton

Seafood Marinara from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Seafood Marinara from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

The Boynton, located on Highland Street in Worcester, was a very nice surprise for me. I had been to the Boynton prior to this outing and have always had good service and good food but nothing that I recall was anything extra special. My visit this past week however was quite a nice surprise from what I had been expecting. The place was very busy with a wait to be seated—this on a Tuesday night around 6:30pm.

I had a “Tuna Sashimi” appetizer to start my evening. I shared it with my husband and it was delicious. Finely sliced tuna came on a bed of slaw with soy sauce dip, slices of ginger and wasabi mustard.

I also tried the deep fried Brussel sprouts as an appetizer. One of our other dining partners had ordered it and I sampled some. This was fantastic. I liked the little nibble I had so much that I ended up ordering a side order for myself to go with my meal. If you are a fan of Brussel sprouts, you must try these.

For my entrée, I ordered the “Seafood Marinara” which was delightful as well. The seafood came on a bed of wilted greens and over garlic toast. A good quantity of shrimp, calamari and mussels all tossed in a marinara sauce. I would return and order this meal again. Overall, my impression of the Boynton has been upgraded from “Good” to “Great.” Try this neighborhood gem, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

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Steak and Eggs for Brunch at Via

Steak and Eggs for Brunch at Via on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Steak and Eggs for Brunch at Via on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

This month Worcester Foodies went off the beaten path of our usual Tuesday night dining and ventured to Via’s Sunday brunch. Our party of 15 hungry foodies had a fantastic table reserved in their outside patio, which in my opinion is one of the nicest outside eating spaces in the city. That said, I think the ambience in the bar is amazing as well. The Ahlquists did a fantastic job with that building.

Our large group was waited on by two servers who were highly attentive, pleasant and helpful with the menu.

Flight of Bubbles served with a fruit cup at Via's brunch on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MAThe Sunday menu has a variety of morning alcoholic concoctions including the usual Bloody Mary, called Smoking Mary, and some unique options like a Flight of Bubbles or the Tangerine Dream as well. I was cooling the engines from the evening prior and chose a French Roast coffee, which to my delight was very good. If you’re going to do Sunday brunch, have a slamming coffee. They did.

For an appetizer I chose the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, per recommendation of our waiter. After a very long wait; everyone else had their apps., the server delivered my shrimp and apologized for the wait but said they were waiting for the shrimp to thaw out. Did he really just say that? He did. OUCH! At $19 a half dozen, they were OK, not worth price.

For my entrée I chose the Steak and Eggs, again following my server’s advice. I chose scrambled eggs and a cooking temperature of medium rare for my sirloin. The steak was prepared perfectly with a fantastic lemon pepper aioli drizzled over the pieces of meat, served over a bed of hash browns that were to die for. The eggs were cooked perfectly and were accompanied by a side of caramelized onions that complemented everything on the dish. This dish was excellent… except, it was warm at best, more on the cold side. Unfortunately I think my dish was prepared first and sat on the line while the other dished were finishing up, as my accompanying foodie’s dishes were all hot and very good.

I appreciate the difficulty involved with serving a large party, and so I am overlooking the temperature of my dish and focusing on the taste, the quality, the ambience and the service, all of which were very good. Therefore, I would highly recommend Via’s Sunday brunch, and look forward to trying it again.