Mare e Monti Trattoria, 19 Wall St (26 February 2015)

Overall impression:  A little gem of an Italian place. Great atmosphere, delicious food. Mid-range prices, generous portions.

http://mareemontitrattoria.com/

(We're cruising through new places this week. We'll be out of town for some of next week so I felt the need to get some reviews in before leaving).

          Mare e Monti trattoria is a wonderful small restaurant.  The food was great, the atmosphere was refined and relaxing. The music screamed "romantic date as envisioned by Hollywood" (Phantom of the Opera, Enya, Whitney Houston and some other ballads), but hey- nothing can be 100% perfect.

Still restaurant week, so Eric got the 3-course selection. Creamy tomato soup was the starter, and though he dislikes tomatoes (?!) he proclaimed it excellent. For the main course had steak as a main and I had Cannelloni Tatiana  - pasta stuffed with cheeses, artichoke hears and peppers. Very rich. While he ate cannoli for dessert I had some coffee - very tasty, strong and smooth. Actually the best cup of coffee I've had in a restaurant for a long time! The bread before the meal was only ok as far as bread goes, but I did love the perfectly roasted garlic in oil for dipping.

It wasn't busy when we arrived at ~6:15, just a couple of tables of older couples. Many groups came in over the hour we were there. Folks indeed on date night (whether they felt it was cinematic or not I can't say), male friends, female friends, a man with teenage daughters, a 20-something couple celebrating a birthday. No young families that we saw, but they did have a kids meal section. I'm not sure the candlelight really lends itself to coloring and such.

We'll definitely go again. Its right around the corner from Vincent's bar, the favorite neighborhood bar of a friend. When next we go to Vincent's for drinks we'll like scooch over to Mare e Monti for dinner afterwards. Hopefully some companions would like to join us!

The Urban, 225 Shrewsbury St (24 February, 2015)

Overall impression:  Sophisticated yet not pretentious. Excellent food, but pricey. Put it on the list for date night, a place to take guests and interview candidates, or to indulge.

https://www.theurbanworcester.com/

This new place (in the former Coral Seafood) is great for a special night out. The interior decor is very chic, and they play some awesome (in our book) music. Morrissey was on when we came in, which went well with the old black and white movie playing on a big screen over the bar. It wasn't very crowded, maybe because we were early. I really want more people to know about it and try it - Worcester doesn't have that many upscale-ish restaurants, and I felt this was as good as or better than some we've tried. There aren't many vegetarian options, it is fish and meat oriented, but the dish I had was great.

We happened to go on restaurant week (forgetting it was restaurant week). The big upside to this was a 3-course selection for $23.15.  Eric had clam chowder (with whole clams), chicken and dumplings, and a lovely chocolate creation. I had an arugula salad, pasta with cauliflower alfredo sauce, and carrot cake.  The waitress described the cauliflower alfredo as not being too heavy, which actually made Eric shy away, he loves super creamy alfredo. Ironically, his chicken dish was with a clear broth and the exact opposite of heavy, so he probably ordered the wrong thing. I shared mine, it got five stars from both of us.

The bread served before the meal was also delicious. The waitstaff were very attentive and good. The food was a bit slow to arrive, though. Which is ok, its good sometimes to linger and savor.

(No pictures, sorry! We forgot the photo implements in the car, and I didn't want to go back out to the cold cold cold parking lot. But - there is a parking lot! Ample parking!)

Livia's Dish, 1394 Main St. Worcester (February 22, 2015)

Overall impression:  Nice place for a lazy Sunday meal. Awesome breakfast panini, very reasonably priced.
http://www.liviasdish.com/

I'd been wanting to try Livia's dish for a while. Various friends have been and given it positive reviews. The only downside for Eric and I is that its a bit of a hike from where we live - on Main street as you are heading out of town towards Spencer. If you are in the southwest part of Worcester, though, its in a prime location.

        I had the breakfast panini with egg, farmer's cheese and mushrooms, plus home fries on the side. So good - a panini breakfast sandwich seemed so much better than one with English muffin. Melissa, who joined us for brunch, was very happy with her mango mimosa (and such a beautiful color, like drinking sunshine). She got eggs benedict and wanted me to report that the hollandaise was obviously very fresh, not from a bottle. My husband the not-into-breakfast guy had the chicken parm, which he was less excited about (the chicken was a bit overcooked). He may be the only person I know of that has gotten a non-brunchy item at Livia's. So: breakfast - rave reviews, lunch/other - we may be more neutral on. I need to get a sampling of the burgers.

        The atmosphere is homey, I liked it. Somehow having 1.5 levels made it feel very welcoming. Nice and shiny, a place I could see Clark students (with cars) going to on weekends.

Pho Sure, 84 Boston Turnpike in Shrewsbury (14 February, 2015)

Overall impression:  Hearty food, good service. Nice location for those on the east side or working at UMAss Med - just over lake Quinsigamond in Shrewsbury.   https://www.facebook.com/phosureshrewsbury


The night before Valentine's day had likely the biggest traffic jam Worcester has ever seen (due to emergency 190 closing). For the day after yet another blizzard was in the forecast. The day itself,  however, was clear and sunny (albeit cold) and a perfect afternoon for a last-minute lunch get-together with friends. We chose Pho Sure at White City Plaza in Shrewsbury for two reasons: 1) its brand new and 2) there is still some parking not buried in snow. We actually didn't know what it was called before we went, just that there was a new place at that mall complex. I guess the clever name could easily have been reason number 3 to go.

It was definitely a hot and hearty lunch day. Though one friend was tempted by the many different smoothies and juice teas (with lots of filler options), we ordered hot tea instead. We got spring rolls and veggie fresh rolls to start, as we were waiting for the last member of our party to arrive and wanted to munch. They had no veggie options for fried rolls, which is too bad, though the fresh rolls were tasty. I was impressed at the variety of offerings for the mains though- there were vegan soups and vegetarian options as well as meat-heavy dishes.

The food was good. Only Sarah got Pho, great for a winter day. Eric chose lemongrass chicken and Jennifer got vegetable noodles. I went with something I hadn't ever tried - crazy noodles. Crispy noodles with a kind of salty sauce, topped with vegetables (the blurry one in the pictures). I'm not a bok choy fan (too chewy), but otherwise it was great. The manager or owner gave me pointers on how to eat the noodles (let the sauce soak everything in), but there was no way I was going to make it through them all.

We were surprised at how chic the inside of the restaurant looked, given it is in a strip mall. It is a strip mall we happen to frequent quite often, though, with other good food options. It was busy for lunch. I think people were ecstatic to levave their houses - we are all getting cabin fever! A substantial portion of reasonably priced Vietnamese food made the trip out even better.

I really like Vietnamese food, but I'm no expert. I wouldn't say this was better tasting than the places on Park, though the ambience may be nicer. It is close to where my husband works and easier for us to get to, though, so I think its a place we'll frequent when the mood strikes. A lovely addition to our neighboring town.

El Patron Mexican Restaurant, 192 Harding St (6 February)

Overall impression:  Great fresh food, good location, friendly family place. I hope we become regular visitors. Along with lots of other people - go check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/ElPatronMexican192

Tired of being in a holding pattern due to winter weather, we ventured out to the newly-opened El Patron Mexican restaurant for Saturday lunch. My friend Sarah M. was there last night and posted a five-star review on facebook, so I was pretty insistent we try it today. Actually I felt a little jealous of Sarah - I had been anticipating their opening and wanted to get in ASAP! Of course, well - snow, ugh. Anyway, it is at Crompton place, close to that lovely old loom works building.  The parking lot there is always full or cars Saturdays (and full of potholes all days), but it was no problem to find parking on Harding street. Even with the huge banks of snow.

The sweet server put us in the warmest spot available, and we munched on freshly-made tortilla chips while looking at the menu. The other patrons there at the time were all Spanish-speaking, a good sign. Eric got mole enchiladas (chicken) and I got a "drenched" burrito, no meat. The food came very quickly - fast service. Eric's first impression was that the mole sauce was quite strong - I asked him to clarify, but all he could say was "very mole-y". In the end he ate it all and pronounced it very satisfactory. My burrito was good - I liked the tomatilla sauce especially. Just the right amount of zing. It was a huge portion, again I'm looking forward to leftovers. Yes, we tend to live on restaurant leftovers.   ("Mole-y" and "zing" - how obvious is it I'm not a trained restaurant critic?!)

We asked our server about the restaurant and if it was a family business. Indeed it is - her mother cooks, aided by her (the server's) brother and aunt. She manages and waits tables, and a couple of teenager family members were also helping out. I enquired about Sunday hours and found out they are open 7 days a week. How do they get any time to rest? With a new business she said its not like they have money for vacation. She also said they don't have money for advertising - she was happy to hear about Sarah's review. So this is my version of getting the word out - go support this family business. We so needed this authentic Mexican addition to Worcester.

Also today:    An aside - shout out for the Crompton buidling: http://www.preservationworcester.org/pages/documents/BytheCanalTour_PrintVersion.pdf

I think this is a great example of building re-use. My neighbor Steve told me that when he was a kid his dad worked there in what had been Crompton Loom works. I am not familiar with the building's redevelopment story, but now the it has lots of tenants, including Birch Tree bakery, a barbershop that is always full when I walk by, and the Crompton collective, unique antiques/handmade/"upcycled"/artsy stuff. I like to go to the farmer's market on Saturdays, then stop by the Collective, and go to Birch Alley home decor to ogle the pretty things. Having lunch at El Patron is now in the mix. (And probably preferred to standing in a long line and trying to get a sitting spot at Birch Tree on a Saturday - lately its popularity and hipness has been keeping me away on weekends).

Red Pepper Chinese, 1083 Main St.

Overall impression:  The best Chinese I've had in Worcester. Huge menu, great place to try new things. I will be going back, hopefully many times.

Several things of note happened in the past ten days:  The Worcester record for highest one-day snowfall was broken, The Patriots won the superbowl (woohoo!), Boston had its snowiest one week ever, Worcester got more snow, and then more.  The white stuff and football have kept me from trying a new place, so I'm cheating and writing about a place I went to last month - Red Pepper Chinese restaurant. We went in January for a friend's birthday dinner, and it was there the seed of the idea for this blog was planted. So- yay Red Pepper! Inspiration!

I would have had a good time no matter where we went, being with several women (and my husband) that I enjoy. Plus the birthday girl brought wine for all (its BYOB). So fun was had, and probably would have been had at many venues. But it was a nice bonus that the food was quite tasty. Someone ordered lotus root, that was the first time I had tried it.  Awesome! I especially like the texture, and happily took home leftovers. The menu is gigantic, so I'll have to keep trying new stuff in the future. Lots of veggie options.

The tables in the large room we walked through as we made our way to our seats were filled with people speaking Chinese, first clue that the food would be good. The waitstaff were friendly and flirty. (A friend I told this too, whose family is Chinese, was surprised. But that's what I got - flirtiness. And Eric agrees, I think.) The food was not very pricey, and we got a discount for paying in cash. All in all, a positive experience.  Sorry no pictures from me. But the website (http://www.redpepperworcester.com/) has delicious food photos! We're happy to have a good Chinese option in the city, for when the mood strikes us.

In the next week I'll be looking for a new place with a (cleared) parking lot. (Red Pepper has a parking lot - extra points for them). Unfortunately most of the city's street parking has been swallowed snow drifts, and many sidewalks are impassable. Which is too bad for the cafes and such that rely on foot traffic.  Here's hoping for an early spring. No one actually paid attention to what the groundhog predicted... we were too busy shoveling.