Tag: Worcester Foodies LII: Brunch at Via Italian Table

With the summer temperatures ascending upon Worcester, patio dining and brunch are always a great way to enjoy a local meal. For June, the Worcester Foodies group decided to enjoy Sunday brunch at Via Italian Table and embarked onto an astrological adventure onto Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA.

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Brunch: Parmesan Omelet from Via

Parmesan Omelet from Via on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Parmesan Omelet from Via on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Foodies went off schedule this month to enjoy Sunday brunch. We ventured to Via Italian Table located on Shrewsbury Street. Typically known for lunch and dinner, I was intrigued to see what the brunch menu offerings would be.

It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio, which is airy, comfortable, and has a welcoming feel. The wait staff was attentive, gave some great recommendations and super friendly.

The menu for brunch was expansive with many delicious items to choose from; it made it a challenge to decide.

I decided, to start my Sunday off right ordering the Smoking Mary – Tito’s Vodka, Dow’s 10 year Port, Smoked Tomato Purée and their Housemade Bloody Mary Mix, Garnished with a Piece of Applewood Smoked Bacon and a Sea Salt rim. This was a decent Bloody Mary, I am very critical of Bloody Mary’s, however the bacon was a great touch and the housemade mix was nice.

Personally, I gravitate towards something slightly traditional while at brunch so I decided to order the Prosciutto, Pesto, Parmesan Omelet with Lyonnaise potatoes with a side of Applewood Smoked Bacon.

This omelet was fantastic! Cooked perfectly, ample parmesan cheese within, the perfect amount of pesto and crispy prosciutto atop of the omelet. One critique, I wish it had a bit more prosciutto; however, the overall flavor combination was spot-on. The Applewood smoked bacon was cooked to perfection; portion size and quality of the bacon were excellent. Fantastic omelet and bacon!

I lieu of a dessert, I tried the Tangerine Dream – La Marca Prosecco finished with 44 North Tangerine Vodka & Fresh Lemon, this was refreshing and light, excellent drink.

Looking at all, the other dishes I knew I would need to try Via again for Brunch, I highly recommend.

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Brunch: Via’s Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from Via on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from Via on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

The back patio at Via is a fantastic location for a nice Sunday brunch on a nice day. Am awning keeps the sun out of your face while still enjoying the outdoors, and if it gets chilly, there are heat lamps above to warm you up a bit.

The brunch menu had a nice mix of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, providing lots of options for everyone.

Being brunch, a refreshing cocktail was in order. I had the Easy Like Sunday Morning with small batch bourbon, peach liqueur, house made sour mix and fresh lemon. This was light and refreshing, like a bourbon mimosa. Maybe a little sweet for evening, but perfect for brunch.

I started with an order of the House made Zeppole, small Italian donuts fried to order and tossed with cinnamon sugar. This came as an order of seven, munchkin sized, warm donut balls coated with cinnamon sugar. These were light and tasty, not too heavy, and delicious. An order is perfect for two, but too much for one person as an appetizer.

For my “entree” I had the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Lavender butter, served with local maple syrup. This came as two medium to large pancakes with fresh cut strawberries, a little powdered sugar and a small tureen of a light maple syrup. The pancakes were lemony, but not overpowering and the ricotta in the batter gave them wonderful texture and made them much more filling than expected making the portion size actually on the large side. The balance of the lavender butter, lemon, strawberry and pancake itself was perfect. The maple syrup was light, not too sweet or sticky, and a perfect complement to the pancakes making an overall wonderful dish.

When I have something so sweet for breakfast/brunch, I usually like to end the meal with toast or english muffin so I also had the Tuscan Toast with whipped butter. This came as three fairly large pieces of Italian bread and more than enough butter. The butter was whipped perfectly and the Italian bread couldn’t have been toasted any better.