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Sautéed Mussels from Chioda’s Trattoria

Sautéed Mussels from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

Sautéed Mussels from Chioda's Trattoria on Franklin Street in Worcester

The next stop for our Foodies group was to Chioda’s Trattoria on Franklin Street. A small neighborhood restaurant tucked away off of Shrewsbury Street with a quaint atmosphere and what seemed to be regulars filling up the tables on a Tuesday night. I scanned the menu and came up with two dishes to complete my main meal, the Sautéed Mussels in garlic, olive oil and white wine sauce ($9.00) and the Caprese Salad, sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, with a drizzle of olive oil ($10.00).

The chatter around our table was which meal to order and how fairly priced everything was (they all looked fantastic) they offered specials on a black board and have a $10.00 menu, good from Monday-Thursday; great deal! It was enjoyable to watch all the pasta dishes arrive on large plates heaped with food.

My meal arrived, the mussels were piled high in a huge plate; there were so many I was sharing with my friends. The sauce definitely made the mussels, the garlic and white wine sauce was delicious, a heavy flavor of garlic coupled with white wine creating a perfect soupy broth to marinate my mussels in as well as dip my bread. My only complaint, unfortunately, my mussels were a touch overcooked. The Caprese Salad was large with ripe tomatoes and huge pieces of mozzarella with just a drizzle of olive oil, it was delicious, sometimes I find the mozzarella to be small and thinly sliced, but not here! I would order both again. We finished off our meal with a cannoli. We were informed that the filling was homemade. The cannoli was large, oozing with ricotta; the filling was one of the best homemade fillings I have ever had. I can’t wait to go back and try more items on the menu, not only did everything look fabulous their prices were great!  I would recommend going here for a great authentic Italian meal, off the beaten path, truly a hidden gem in Worcester!

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Chicken Parmagiana at Rosalina’s

Chicken Parmagiana from Rosalina's Kitchen on Hamilton Street in Worcester, MA

Chicken Parmagiana from Rosalina's Kitchen on Hamilton Street in Worcester, MAHaving dined at and enjoyed Rosalina’s Ktichen a few times in the past year, I was excited to find out our next Foodies gathering would be at this cozy, BYOB restaurant on Hamilton Street. The atmosphere at Rosalina’s Ktichen is casual, the service was great and as you will find out shortly, the food was outstanding!

We started with an Antipasto to share amongst everyone at our end of the table. To say the salad was large does not do it justice as 6 people shared the antipasto and there was enough left over to take some home. Grilled vegetables, hot and sweet sausage, stuff peppers, tuna, chicken, assorted meats and cheeses were drizzled with a balsamic and olive oil dressing and placed atop a huge bed of mixed greens. Everything was fresh, the creamy mozzarella cheese was in stark contrast to the veggies and the hot sausage and hot stuffed peppers not only added some heat, but outstanding flavors as well.

For my main course I had a much harder time making a selection. In past visits to Rosalina’s Ktichen I have enjoyed the homemade Ravioli and the Fra Diavolo, so tonight I thought I would try something new. As I scanned the menu I found so many dishes that sounded delicious I knew I would never be able to make a decision so I went to my “go-to” Italian dish, the Chicken Parmigiana. As I always do with Chicken Parm, I ordered the chicken crispy with very light sauce and asked our server to have the chef add a little “heat” to the sauce. When my dish arrived, two large, lightly breaded chicken breasts topped with mozzarella cheese sat atop a generous portion of al dente pasta. The breading was flavorful with a hint of fresh basil and the chicken was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. The homemade sauce had the heat I had asked for but also was rich in traditional flavor. I enjoyed my meal with the complex flavors of an ice cold Yuengling Lager which complimented my somewhat spicing and rich meal very nicely.

Luckily our group is made up of wonderful people who encourage sharing so I was able to enjoy some other great tastes including veal, cheese ravioli, Arrabiata (spicy white wine sauce with mushrooms, tomatoes and pepper rings) and an incredibly adventurous peanut butter and Nutella dessert ravioli that was simply incredible.

As with my other visits to Rosalina’s Ktichen I was utterly impressed. If you haven’t yet dined here, you should. If you have, go back and eat here again. The attention to detail in the food, the service, the flavors and the presentation all exceeded expectations and I would highly recommend Rosalina’s.