Water Street | Page 24 of 30 | Mass Food & Wine

Nestled in a building on Water Street in the Canal District in Worcester, Gumbo is one of Worcester’s newest restaurants. Billed as a New Orleans kitchen and Oyster Bar it is nice to hear of something other than another Italian restaurant opening. The main dining area was a slightly darker room with lots of brick, stone, and exposed beams—hints of purple and gold accented the room. We were promptly seated and pondered over the wide variety of selections on the menu. I opted for the Shrimp and Grits that were described as “well seasoned gulf shrimp sautéed with onions, peppers, and celery in a Louisiana BBQ sauce… served over a creamy cheddar and jalapeno grits.” The meal delivered what it promised, pairing seven large shrimp with a tasty red BBQ sauce. The grits had a nice jalapeno cheddar taste to them and were the perfect accompaniment to the shrimp. My only suggestions would be to season the shrimp a little more and to make the sautéed vegetables more pronounced for added texture. Overall, I will definitely be back to Gumbo to try more of the dishes Gumbo has to offer. A welcomed addition to the Worcester dining scene. -DO

The name Dark and Stormy brings to mind the occasional summer night thunderstorms that New England brings from June through September, not necessarily the delicious drink made from dark rum and ginger beer being offered by Gumbo on Water Street. Being Bermuda’s National Drink, this drink grew in popularity due to the sailors who would frequent Bermuda and bring their alcohol tastes with them to various ports up and down the Eastern Seaboard. For those of you who have not had to chance to sample this great summer cocktail, you are definitely missing out. Even if you are squeamish of rum in general or even ginger beer, let me ease those worries. Ginger beer is slightly different than ginger ale. But to draw a comparison, think of ginger ale and concentrate the taste…the ginger has much more of a bite to it (almost spicy) and it is noticeable. The rum of choice in this cocktail (Gosling’s Black Seal Rum) is a mid-priced rum that has been barrel-aged, and is almost coffee-colored. Gosling’s Black Seal has a sugary character accented by deep char notes of roasted coffee. It also has notes of cola, cinnamon, allspice, and ripe fruit. When you pair the two together, you can expect to enjoy a lazy summer evening and you will most definitely have a new favorite summertime cocktail.