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Grilled Chicken and Ravioli from Joey’s Bar and Grill on Chandler Street in Worcester, MA

One of the first things I noticed about Joey’s Bar and Grill when I got there was how large it was even though it has a small store front in a strip mall on Chandler Street. The decor was modern, but homey with local art on the walls and a fairly large bar—which is good because there was a crowd of people waiting to eat.

It was restaurant week so there was a special menu, which I ordered from, as well as the standard menu featuring a nice mix of Italian and American fare.

For an appetizer I had the Chicken Chili. It was sized perfectly for an appetizer, giving me a good taste without filling me up at all and leaving me plenty of room for my entree. The chili was tomato based, with lots of chicken and lots of other filler (peppers, onions etc…) and had a very nice flavor with just a hint of spiciness. The tart of the tomato balanced the heat of the chili and the sweetness of the peppers perfectly, leaving an overall fantastic mix.

For my entree I had the Grilled Chicken and Ravioli, which was described as; Grilled chicken breast with baby spinach tossed roasted yellow pepper cream sauce over spinach an garlic ravioli. It came with 2 smallish breasts of chicken grilled perfectly, they were moist and tender with nice grill marks and garnished with sprigs of Rosemary along with 6-8 large ravioli drizzled with the sauce. The ravioli were also cooked perfectly al dente with just the right amount of texture. The sauce was excellent, though a little sparse and was just on the ravioli with none on the chicken, though the chicken really didn’t need it. The flavors of the sauce complemented the ravioli perfectly and were a great counterpoint to the grilled chicken. Overall an excellent dish.

For dessert, I had the cookie sundae. This was a very large soft, fresh white chocolate macadamia nut cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and some hot chocolate sauce. The cookie was soft, but still firm enough to balance the ice cream nicely creating a very pleasing dessert. -DL

Chicken Capri from Le Mirage on June Street in Worcester, Massachusetts

Nestled on the corner of June and Chandler Street is Le Mirage, a family run, BYOB restaurant featuring a unique mix of Italian and Lebanese food. While I had heard of this eatery and driven by the establishment countless times, I had never dined there and was excited to do so with my fellow foodies! Upon entering the restaurant, I was shocked at how busy it was for a Tuesday night. All of the tables were filled with diners, young and old (regulars–I was told later by the owner and chef) engaged in lively conversations while casually sipping their beverage of choice. The meals in front of them were mouth watering and ranged from heaping plates of pasta to perfectly charred panini sandwiches. My husband and I were immediately greeted by the owner’s daughter who would also be our waitress for the evening. She was personable, passionate about the restaurant, and more importantly, incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. It was evident that she knew the ingredients in each and every dish, including the recently added choices for the city’s annual Restaurant Week.

As promised, the menu was a wonderful combination of traditional Italian and Lebanese food. While the foodie in me encouraged me to order something “out of my comfort zone” like the Baked Kibbie or Chicken Saiid, I am a sucker for pasta, and eventually decided upon the Chicken Capri – penne tossed with sautéed chicken, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach with a scampi sauce. The dish arrived piping hot and I could not wait to dig in. The portion was huge and I was starving. As I dug in, my taste buds did a dance. The penne was cooked perfectly to al dente. The chicken, was plentiful, moist and delicious with hints of garlic and lemon. There were large chunks of sun dried tomatoes, which have a natural tendency to be dense and salty, but infused in this dish were light and flavorful. The spinach was wilted, and miraculously maintained both its texture and flavor. My favorite part of the dish was the scampi sauce. It was light…not heavy or oily, with bright lemon and garlic flavors that mimicked the chicken marinade. I forced myself to stop eating 1/2 of the way through and was glad that I did, because my leftovers lasted for 2 more meals! I am so pleased to have discovered this hidden gem and will return to Le Mirage soon! -AV