Tag: Water Street

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Lock 50’s Grilled Tri Tip Steak, Roasted Potato, and Broccoli Rabe Sans Pesto

Grilled Tri Tip Steak, Roasted Potato, Broccoli Rabe sans Pesto from Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MA

As I drove down Water Street on Tuesday after a loaded work day, I couldn’t wait to get to Lock 50 for the most recent Foodies destination. The night was warm, but cloudy. I approached the large silver doors that gave the appearance of entry a secret club and along the whole outside were large windows.

As I headed to my table, I was overwhelmed by the amount of noise that was coming from the small space. There wasn’t even any music playing, but the crowd of people provided an abrasive roar that made it difficult to carry on a conversation, even with the person next to me.

The opposite wall, covered in bricks, helped pull in the high ceilings and metal and give the space a more warm and inviting feel.

The menu at Lock 50 is definitely one of the most unique you will find anywhere. Advertised as bringing a variety of seasonal dishes sourced from, and prepared with, the freshest local ingredients whenever possible, I was both excited and nervous about my dining experience. Excited because I was prepared to try something new. Nervous because a restaurant with Octopus on the menu may be a little to “out there for me”. Upon review of the menu though, it didn’t seem as intimidating as I had originally thought. And the swirl of chatter from the other Foodies about what they were going to get or what they had already tried, helped set me on the right path.

Potato Gnocchi from Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MA
Potato Gnocchi from Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MA

For starters I shared the Potato Gnocchi and Crisped Fontina Cheese. The Crisped Fontina which was served with fresh greens and crustini was by far the most amazing thing I ate during my entire night at Lock 50. The gooey Fontina cheese and the crunchy fried crust was just perfect! And the crunchy, buttery crustini just made the whole thing even better. As for the Gnocchi, I really enjoyed it, though I could have done with some more blue cheese. The exterior of the Gnocchi was crispy and the inside was nice and smooth. I really enjoyed the scallions and the sweet potato on the top added a nice sweetness to the dish.

As a main course, I opted for the Grilled Tri Tip Steak, Roasted Potato, Broccoli Rabe sans Pesto. While others around me were more ambitious, ordering the Whole Fish with head and tail still attached and Roast 1/2 Chicken, I went with what I felt the most comfortable. Originally I think I would have really enjoyed the Polenta board, but the dish was drizzled with pesto and as I am allergic to tree nuts, this was not an option. Luckily, for the Tri Tip Steak, I was able to forgo the potential anaphylaxis‎. My steak was cooked perfectly. And although lean, there was still some fatty pieces that I thoroughly enjoyed. The broccoli rabe was really nice too and provided a delightful crunch. I had never even heard of broccoli rabe and at first I thought it was a half-cousin of the asparagus, but it was completely different. Roasted potatoes accompanied the dish and were essential to completing the whole meal. Plus they were drizzled with parmesan, which is always a good thing!

Our waitress, Madison, was absolutely wonderful! She was young and bright and very knowledgeable of the items of the menu. She handled our large party with flare and spunk and didn’t miss a beat. There were some obstacles of course, a missing order, a longer wait, but she remained calm and even laughed along with us during the night!

In closing, I am not sure I would go to Lock 50 again. Though I am very impressed that they serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, I felt that Lock 50 was just a little too niche for me. The menu items and even the drinks made me feel like they were trying too hard to be different. Also, I was very disappointed when a lot of the items had pesto or nuts included and how unaccommodating they seemed. I was told when ordering and advising of my nut allergy that some of the things are “cooked in the same pan and oil as other things that were cooked with nuts” and it just made me feel very put off. I have been so many places, and even in the most humble of places, they would clean the pan or have a separate cooking pan to ensure that those with allergies are not at risk. For such a nice restaurant with an expensive menu, I guess I just expected a little more.

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Lock 50 Small Plates and Roasted Half Chicken

The Meat Board from Lock 50 on Water Street in Worcester, MA

I love walking into a new restaurant and seeing all the possibilities that lie within. The expectations of either good or bad. I can say that I was very happily surprised and delighted to find the location that was once a dentist’s supply warehouse into a modern eatery with ample warm character and charm. Keeping the wood beams and brick along with modern décor. As a photographer who often photographs architecture, I found this to be wonderfully laid out and ample in size as well, accommodating our large party in the front of the building and a large event happening in the lower part of the building.

Looking around at the patrons, it was a large contrast to the last restaurant, or “gastro pub” that I reviewed where I felt a little out of place because I didn’t have enough flannel, big beard, and skinny jeans. At Lock 50, I noticed many ladies dressed for their late afternoon get-togethers and ladies evening out. A more sophisticated crowd that went along with the sophisticated menu. The only complaint we had was that due to all the hard surfaces, it was a bit loud with all the people chatting. I’ll chalk this up with the fact that they just opened and still need some interior dressing to make the place perfect.

Sitting down after we had our greetings and hugs, we ordered our appetizer, which was a wonderful cured meat board, which happened to have many different cured meats and this wonderful pepperoni spread that was a hit. The bread that I believe she mentioned comes from Iggy’s in Cambridge was pretty much addictive. I think our only complaint was that we would have loved some amazing local cheese to go with the meat board, but that’s just me being selfish.

Donna (my wife) and I ordered the roasted half chicken with mushrooms, marsala syrup and fried sage. All I can say is that the chicken was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms which I believed were marinated in the marsala syrup and then pan seared, were so tender and tasty that other people were picking them out of our dish to sample and then go back for more. I had to slap some hands away to keep some for myself.

What I love so much about the “small plate” experience is that for me, it’s all about the sharing process. At our table, we shared each other’s food to sample. I felt like even though I ordered just a couple of plates, I was able to sample almost everything on the menu and at the end of the night not feel so incredibly gut busted, but satiated and happy. That being said, I didn’t have any dessert as I might have tipped the scales a bit too far.

Being a “made to order” restaurant, you should be ready to wait a bit for your food. All of these things are made to order just for you and if there’s a large party, it might take a bit longer than a fast food or chain restaurant. This is not really a problem for me or the others as we are very social and love to chat. For the most part, this monthly get together is the only time we get to see each other and it’s a great time to catch up, have a drink and hear each others stories. Good times.

Our lovely and sweet server was Madison. She was ever present and happy to address anything we needed. She had a quick smile and was incredibly pleasant. We had a special surprise when Chef Tim Russo came out to chat with us and educate us on our dishes and his excitement of the new restaurant. It always is a good sign when a Chef comes out from the kitchen to chat with his clients. It was a very professional touch.

Overall, I’d have to say that this is one of my favorite new locations and I’m sure to be back with friends and family. There were some menu items that literally had my mouth watering and I feel I am now completely addicted too.