Tag: tomatoes

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Antipasto

I drive by the renovated Parkway Restaurant and Bar almost everyday and I see the new dining area and flat screen TVs but I just haven’t had the opportunity to stop in and try the food. Well thank goodness for Worcester Foodies because now that I have eaten there, I will definitely add the Parkway to my rotation of casual dining options. The new room is great, with a large bar, booths along the wall and high-top tables in the middle of the room. Large screen TVs and lots of sports memorabilia adorn the walls.

Anxiously I looked through the menu and saw exactly what I expected to see…casual pub-style choices, appetizers and lots of salads and soups but the menu also included great Italian dishes, steak and fish options, all at unbelievably cheap prices. This is not the old Parkway Diner menu (although that menu is still available from 6:00am – 2:00pm in the dining car). A few things caught my eye, but I decided to start with a cup of Pasta Fagioli soup and ordered the Antipasto for two as my meal. The soup was outstanding, in fact it was so good I was disappointed I didn’t order a bowl! Served spicy and hot with lots of beans and pasta, you can tell this recipe has been passed down a few generations. Up next came my antipasto and once I shared a little with my dining companions, I dug in and made myself a nice big dish. There are a lot of good antipastos in Worcester and this one can hold its own against any of them. First off, it was huge and had everything including olives, roasted peppers, pepperoncini, salami, tomatoes, pepperoni and plentiful slices of provolone cheese all on top of fresh iceberg lettuce. I ordered mine with blue cheese dressing on the side and dipped each and every bite into the creamy dressing and enjoyed it thoroughly.

My dining companions were a little more adventurous than I was ordering Grilled Salmon, Grilled Sausage and a huge plate of pasta, meatballs and veal that all looked outstanding. I will be back to the Parkway Restaurant and Bar, the service was great, the value was outstanding and the tastes were fantastic! –JG

 

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Pollo Alla Vodka

I always look forward to dining at a new restaurant. Despite the fact that Worcester has hundreds of restaurants scattered throughout the city, I tend to visit the same circuit week after week. While I had been reading mixed reviews about Lago Ristorante, my palate was ready to visit this new establishment, and form my own opinion.  The interior of Lago is dark and inviting with a partial view of the pond. The booths and tables hug the perimeter with a bar extending on one end. The exposed duct work gives the interior an industrial feel without being too contemporary and cold. When the waitress first handed me the one-sided paper menu, I was slightly disappointed. My initial reaction was due to the fact that the menu was unprotected and covered with oil and food stains. At first glance, the options appeared to be limited. Despite all this, I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself torn between not 2, but 4 dishes. After listening to the rest of my table place their orders, I ultimately decided upon the Pollo Al La Vodka. On the menu, the dish is described as twin chicken breasts sautéed with garlic, a hint of crushed pepper, diced tomatoes, and cream served over a choice of pasta – penne for me. Prior to the main course, a small house salad arrived at our table. The menu has a number of salads listed, including one under the specials of that evening, however, no where does it state that the meal includes a salad. Most restaurants will impart this information to the diner, and allow them to choose their dressing ~ not Lago. This salad arrived lightly dressed with a balsamic glaze. The portion was slightly disappointing with only a small handful of greens, a single cherry tomato halved, a slice of cucumber, an olive, and 2 pieces of red onion. Given the size of the salad, I was getting nervous that I would leave dinner hungry. However, when my dish arrived, my worries were quickly erased. The plate arrived with a plentiful portion of pasta and chicken garnished with fresh, green parsley. While the chicken was pounded, sautéed, and moist, it was not as garlicy as advertised. The pasta and sauce however, was absolutely delicious. I usually shy away from cream sauces because they tend to be heavy, however, this sauce was perfect! The texture was creamy, but not heavy, with the lingering kick that is given by red pepper flakes. Needless to say, despite the gigantic portion, I managed to eat almost every single bite with only a little help from the men at my table. Overall, the experience was decent. The atmosphere and main dish appealed to my desire to dine some place new, and the quality of the dish made me want to come back and try something new! -AV