Wine lovers rejoice! Northborough, Massachusetts is improving its palate with the opening of a new wine specialty store; Paired, Poured and Plated. At the grand opening on September 22nd and 23rd, owners, Jean Killeen and David Tiberii are ready to show off their eclectic range of wines and artisanal cheeses. “I love all of our wine from A to Z – Amarone to Zinfandel,” said David Tiberii.
Coupled with extensive knowledge of unique wines, Tiberii and Killeen look forward to expanding everyone’s love of wine through a series of weekly public and private wine tastings. “It has always been our dream to open a unique wine store, and when we found this location, we knew the time was right,” said Tiberii and Killeen. “Our goal is to educate and share our passion for wine and gourmet pairings with the community.”
While Paired, Poured and Plated will serve wine ranging from organic to biodynamic to rare and classic tastes based on their travels to over 200 wineries across the globe, it is the compliments of artisanal and gourmet foods from Central Massachusetts leaders that really steal the show. Partnering with such names like Crust Artisan Bakery, BirchTree Bread Company,Acoustic Java and Gina’s Organic Ice Cream, the new wine specialty store offers wine enthusiasts the option to explore and improve their love of wine.
After 75 consecutive months of dining together in Worcester, it becomes quite difficult to continue our foodie journey without repeating restaurants, but we manage to persist. This month Giselle selected Sahara, a Middle Eastern restaurant on Highland Street that prides itself on gourmet Lebanese cuisine.
There were 16 of us in attendance and upon arrival, it seemed we all had one thing in mind: what would we be drinking? Although many of us couldn’t even pronounce the Lebanese wines at first, we asked for samples and found that we really enjoyed them. Dana ended up ordering the Lebanese Clos St. Thomas Gourmet Rouge which he described as dry with juicy fruit flavors. Luke also went for a Lebanese wine, Chateau Ksara, a red blend aged for 18 months in oak.
Next came the appetizers. The simplicity of Sahara’s grape leaves allowed the hummus to be the star. Everyone who tried the hummus really enjoyed it, especially Robyn who noted her love of Tahini. After quickly finishing the first course, our table came to an agreement that Sahara possesses one of the better hummuses in all of Worcester.
Between the 16 of us, surprisingly almost everyone ordered a different entrée. Some kept it simple with Fatoush Salads while others experimented with dishes such as Port Said Shrimp, Mughrebeeye, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves, Sheikh el Mishi, and various Shawarma plates.
Port Said Lamb paired with Chateau Ksara from Sahara on Highland Street in Worcester, MA
Julie enjoyed her Port Said Shrimp over rice pilaf. The shrimp was sautéed in butter with lemon, mushrooms and a hint of garlic. The sauce was light but had a dominant lemon flavor which she felt enhanced the fresh seafood. Her one wish would be that for the price ($18) there was a little bit more rice.
The Mughrebeeye (huh?!) is a chicken dish that Sahara claims can please the most finicky guests. Lynndzie thought it was excellent and has plans to come back for it. Steve also enjoyed the Mughrebeeye.
Steve said, “The dish smelled amazing when it was served. The taste of nutmeg, and I believe, coriander and turmeric made me instantly think of having this dinner in front of a fire place on a cold snowy December evening.”
I ordered the Sheikh el Mishi ($19), which Sahara likes to call “The King of eggplant dishes!” I wouldn’t disagree with them on that, it was quite large and full of eggplant, ground beef, onions and various spices. My only complaint was that the thick tomato sauce made it a very heavy dish and it was very hot inside the restaurant. Like Steve, I would absolutely order this again on a chilly fall or winter night.
As a group, we agreed that the size of the restaurant was great for large parties but the inside could use a little love. It has an upscale look to it with the gold chandeliers, but the peeling paint on the walls and the dirty carpet were eye sores.
Sahara is open until 2 a.m. every night and offers free, live entertainment every Friday and Saturday evening. (I hear it gets packed on the weekends!) Whether you go for something exotic or an old staple, Sahara’s authentic Middle Eastern cuisine is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
