Tag: Via

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Worcester Restaurant Week Kicks Off

Worcester Foodies Visiting Via on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA for Brunch

The 2016 Summer edition of Worcester Restaurant Week is here and it’s the perfect time to get out there and try something new. With over 40 restaurants participating across the City of Worcester (and a few in surrounding towns) there is surely something for everyone!

Originated in 2009 and growing every year, Worcester Restaurant Week is a great opportunity for diners to enjoy the red-hot Worcester restaurant scene. From old favorites to the new hot spots, participating restaurants create a special 3-course, pre-fixe menu at super affordable prices – lunch at $14.16 and dinner at $24.16!

Via_Chophouse_Donovan_1029154-8613“Worcester Restaurant Week is a great time for us to showcase our 3 restaurants to new customers,” said Robb Ahlquist, owner of the Worcester Restaurant Group (VIA Italian Table, 111 Chop House, and Sole Proprietor).

During Restaurant Week, The Sole Proprietor is featuring both lunch and dinner. For lunch, some choices include Oven Baked Crab Cakes or Smoked Scallop Maki to start, creamy hot Chowder or fresh House Salad next and for entrées a spicy Dijon and Blue Lump Crab Crusted Cape Cod Bluefish, fresh Grilled Salmon or a Hanger Steak & Shrimp Skewer. During dinner, the menu includes cold Shrimp & Pasta Salad, Salmon Marsala or fresh North Atlantic Haddock. Save room for dessert too – their famous Flourless Chocolate Cake or Strawberry Pound Cake is perfect to finish your meal. At the Sole, you can upgrade your entrée to a Lobster Tail over Clam Bake Hash for only $27.16.

At One Eleven Chop House the dinner menu starts with a spicy Tomato Bisque, tender Grilled Lamb Riblets or Bang Bang Shrimp appetizers; first courses of fresh Mixed Green Salad or a Summer Grilled Watermelon Salad and entrées feature a Pan Seared North Atlantic Salmon, Beef Tenderloin and Shrimp Skewers or slow roasted BBQ Beef Brisket.

Next door at VIA Italian Table, both lunch and dinner are served. Intriguing options include Truffle Frites with Parmigiano or Black Pepper & Mascarpone Arancini as a first course; entrée options include Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza, Grilled Chicken Salad or a Salmon Livornese. Finish lunch with homemade Gelati or a rich and creamy Canoli Duo. Finally, dinner at VIA starts with a plentiful Tomato Mozzarella Stack or a Slow Roasted Pork Belly “BLT”; Mixed Greens Insalata or Chicken Orzo Soup are next and entrées include Grilled North Atlantic Salmon, Pappardelle Bolognese or Braised Pork Shank over creamy Parmesan Polenta.

So get out there and tempt your taste buds. Worcester Restaurant Week runs August 1st– August 13th. And yes, that is longer than just a week as the name implies so you have plenty of time to try a few different restaurants!

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VIA’s Italian Pig Roast

Chicharonnes from VIA Italian Table during their Italian Pig Roast during July in Worcester

Everyday in the month of July, VIA has been roasting an entire pig, and from that pig, creating truly unique dishes from various cuts of the hog. Any chance that I get, I love pork; any cut, shape, or prepared way. If it’s from the pig, chances are I want to eat it!

Having been to VIA several times before, I knew that they are known for their diverse menu of Italian offerings, from homemade pastas, to seafood and steak. Via also does a fabulous job with combining portion size and value. Chances are, you are most likely not going home hungry.

Before I could even get to the door, I was greeted with the sweet aroma of the pig being cooked. It just so happened that the pig was on full display, being roasted outside the restaurant on a spit and in a reflector oven. The skin looked wonderfully crispy, and the scent alone was enough to bring the most casual passer-by in for a closer look or enough to convince them to stop in for a meal. Having glanced at the offerings beforehand, I had a good idea of what I wanted to get. For $29.99, you can choose one item from each course (appetizers and entrees), as well as choosing a pre-paired beer or wine pour as well. Each dinner is also served with a mixed green salad as well.

For the appetizer, I knew I had to order the chicharonnes. Having only tasted them one previous time, and seeing them feature prominently on the Food Network on shows such as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, I knew that I needed to get these. For those of you who may not know what chicharonnes are, they are fried pork skin. They are precooked and dehydrated as best as the chef can get them, to the consistency of a tiny, dried up potato chip. But when they are submerged in a deep frier, they expand to several times their original side, while being light and airy. These pig skins were given a generous coating of a sweet and spicy mixture. These were like potato chips on steroids. They were crunchy and made you want to keep eating them. The spice mixture was a great addition, lending just a subtle hint of sweetness, followed by a low dose of heat, to finish your palate out.

Roasted Suckling Pig VIA Italian Table during their Italian Pig Roast during July in Worcester
Roasted Suckling Pig VIA Italian Table during their Italian Pig Roast during July in Worcester

I could’ve snacked on the chicharonnes all night, but I chose the roasted suckling pig for my entree. This dish consisted of a house butchered portion of the pig (which had been slowly roasting for 12 hours), served with Tuscan roasted potatoes and finished with a rich pork reduction sauce.

The sheer beauty of this dish was breathtaking. The dish had height with a crisped chicharonne resting on the top and depth, and without taking a bite you could see the different textures on the plate. Diving in, you were subjected to tender pieces of pork, evidence of the long roasting process. The pieces were rich, dark and deep with flavor. I compared these bites to dark meat turkey, but with more of a pork essence. The red bliss potatoes were cooked to fork tender and seasoned nicely. The pork reduction served as a wonderful dipping sauce for every bite. Very much demi glacé like, this was the essence of the pig reduced down into a rich sauce that made you wish you had more of it by the end of the meal. The tenderness of the potato and the crispy, fried pork skin helped break up some of the richness of the plate, as it could get very overwhelming without them. I chose to pair my meal with a 2014 Scarpetta “Frico Rosso” Sangoviese. Not as dry as I was expecting it to be, this red wine paired well with the dish, complementing the pork like a deep red would pair well with a nice medium-rare ribeye.

I could have eaten another round of food, the dishes were that well delivered and executed. The slow roasting of the pork brought out another level of flavor that you don’t normally get in your run of the mill pork chop, or even pull pork. I would highly recommend the Pig Roast to anyone who enjoys pork, and maybe wants to step out of their comfort zone to try it prepared another way. VIA Italian Table delivers the pig experience with deft hand, and with the month half over, your time remaining to enjoy this wonderful feast is slowly slipping away. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed in your meal, regardless of your choice.