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Rotini Special

The Roteni Special available at Ziti's on Harding Street.

As the name suggests (name derives from the Italian for twists) this dish was overflowing with plump twisted pasta drenched with a pink sauce and decorated, for flavor and color, with fresh basil, scallops, spinach, and shrimp. The pasta, unlike most varieties, has a purpose beyond flavor. The rotini noodle truly absorbs the flavors and allows for the sauce to stick to it for every mouthful. The creamy, full bodied pasta with thick savory sauce was delicious as it was filling. The seafood aspect, combining shrimp and sea scallops was a nice touch, but left a slight “fishy” taste. The scallops aside, the red peppers and spinach added an incredible flavor that made it very difficult not to try to finish this 2-person-plus sized dish. -LV

Reviewed at Ziti’s Italian Trattoria.

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Eggplant Parmigiana

I chose my dinner from the special Worcester Restaurant Week Menu that Ziti’s had prepared. As my first dish I ordered the Antipasto, my main course was Eggplant Parmigiana and my final course was a Cannoli. Before my first dish arrived, we enjoyed some wonderful, “crusty on the outside, warm and soft on the inside” bread dipped in olive oil, cheese and red pepper. Apparently we enjoy too much of the bread because I overheard another guest at our table ask for more bread and our server told us we would have to “pay” to have additional bread brought to the table. I looked past this odd remark and looked forward to my main meal.

When my Antipasto arrived I was delighted to see that they didn’t skimp on the portions as it was large and included a variety of spicy Italian meats and cheeses rolled together on top of a bed of crisp romaine lettuce, olives and cucumbers. The dressing was a tangy Italian mixture of herbs and spices that was a bit overpowering, mostly because of the amount of dressing put on the salad (another reason to always ask for dressing “on the side”). When my main course arrived, the Eggplant dish was again plentiful and was accompanied by a side of pasta. The Eggplant was tender and very tasty with the sauce and cheese proportions in equal balance. Because the Eggplant Parmigiana was baked, the sauce took on a deep, rich flavor, much different from the sauce that was on the side dish of pasta which lacked the complexity and flavor. The pasta was overcooked and very uneventful. When my Cannoli arrived I was too full to eat it and brought it home to be enjoyed at another time.

I have eaten at Ziti’s on a few other occasions and like this meal, found the food to be of good quality, consistent and worth the trip to Harding Street! -JG

Reviewed at Ziti’s Italian Trattoria.