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Spanako-tiropita from Meze on Shrewsbury Street

Spanako tiropita from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Spanako tiropita from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

I have arguably never been more excited to enter a restaurant as a Worcester Foodie than I was walking into Meze.  Greek food? Ouzo? Spanakopita? And even better still, small plates allowing for all the variety of bites I want?!  I was so excited I started the meal with Ouzo. Surrounded with all items blue and white, and a mural photo of Santorini to my left, I quickly found some personal favorites on the menu.  Being Greek allowed me to help some of my neighbors with the menu, but soon I fell silent. I have also never been as disappointed as a Worcester Foodie as I was at Meze.  I cannot blame my high hopes and excitement, my food left me confused, hungry, and with a bad taste in my mouth that needed to be washed away with more Ouzo. I ordered their Spanako-tiropita which is spinach mixed with feta and folded into phyllo dough. The dish came with a side of Greek yogurt for dipping. Strangely, some triangles were stuffed with only spinach and others were stuffed with just feta!  I took a few apart in surprise. Eat one should be a mix!  The second dish I ordered was grilled calamari. This was a whole squid with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon, and Romano cheese. None of those flavors came through. All I tasted was char from the grill. The squid was terribly burnt where it had touched the grill and the every bite was overpowered with burnt flavor. I tried quite a few bites-following each one with either a spinach or feta stuffed phyllo triangle but gave up soon.  Most other foodies seemed to be more pleased with their dishes than me, so I would give them another shot if someone invited me there, but I don’t think I’d return on my own.

Due to the tapas style eating, photos may not match the foodies review or description.

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Pasta with Blue Crab from Brew City

Pasta with Blue crab from Brew City on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Pasta with Blue crab from Brew City on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Feeling in the mood for something different from pub type fare—burgers, pastas, sandwiches, pizzas and entrees—I reviewed the extensive menu at Brew City and narrowed my selection to a few less traditional items, ultimately opting for the pasta with blue crab.

Yes, I was opting for pasta with blue crab at a brew pub, but when the waitress revealed it was her favorite dish it confirmed my decision. The dish was described as a lump of blue crab with a lemon butter sauce, spinach, tossed with a bucatini pasta, and it arrived as described. The bucatini pasta was perfectly cooked and was a pasta a little thicker then a spaghetti type pasta but hollow; it was perfectly sautéed with a lemon butter sauce with fresh spinach and a decent amount of small pieces of lump crab meat.

Overall, I was quite content with my dinner choice. The restaurant has the standard brew pub style and feel to it, the service was good and the variety of menu choices was appealing. To the credit of Brew City they seemed to have a wide variety of choices on the menu, yet provide good quality selections whether you were ordering simple pub food, burgers, seafood or any of their other options. Top of their wide selection of entrees with a flight of beers from their vast selection of beers and you have a winner.