Mini-post: The Eggroll Lady and Fish Shack, 608 W. Boylston St (March 21)

Overall impression:  Eggrolls + fried fish and seafood take-out from a teeny teeny tiny spot.  Very popular, run by a friendly family. Not for vegetarians, though.
 http://www.eggrolllady609.com/


Work has been busy, and my only day off this week we spent out of town (eating awesome Indian food in Arlington, in part). So I was feeling anxious about not having tried a new Worcester place since the 14th. This led to a spur of the moment decision to get take-out from a place down the hill in my neighborhood, the Egg Roll Lady and Fish shack.  I looked at the menu online and knew there wasn't actually going to be anything for me to eat, since I don't eat fish or seafood. But I had heard from knitting group friends that it is awesome, so I decided Eric could be my taste-tester.

This place is small (tiny, actually). A counter, a drinks cooler and a few tables. Open only a few days a week, too - Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Saturday at 5:30 it was filled with regular customers eating in and and picking up. The people that run it were very nice, and it was quick. The smell pleasantly reminded me of a state fair. I got eggrolls (pork, chicken, veggies) for Eric and kimchee for me.

Eric thought the eggrolls were quite good. Good enough that I'm sure he'd be happy to try their fish and seafood. The kimchee was much too sweet for me, though. But given the rave reviews from others, I say this is a perfect place for quick fried food if you are in the neighborhood.

The Breakfast Bar, 119 June St. (March 14)

Overall impression:  Neighborhood diner, more interesting-looking on the inside than a lot of your average diners. Food was good but nothing top-notch. An option if you live on the west side, but likely not worth the drive from other areas, unless you are meeting west-side-friends.
https://www.facebook.com/bbarbagels

The Breakfast Bar is not far from Worcester State, in a west side neighborhood. My friend Kelly describes it as a place with a lot of potential, but it maybe hasn't yet become all it could be. In my mind I had envisioned delicious food and slow service. It turned out that the food was good, coffee was adequate and service was fine. Not spectacular, not terrible.

We met our friend Melissa there. It seems like Melissa and I can be creatures of habit with our breakfast choices - eggs benedict for her and scrambled egss with toast and home fries for me. (I was going to try a croissant, but they were out. They were also out of the wheat English muffins). The report on the eggs benedict was that the Hollaindaise sauce was fairly fresh (didn't taste reconstituted) and the poached eggs could have been runnier. For my meal the potatoes were the best. Eric actually ordered an omelette, a rare occurrence. The dish was... fine.

It was busy, most of the tables were full (but no one sat at the actual breakfast bar). We saw groups of college students, families with small kids, people who were likely regulars. The decor was nice, if a bit dark, but we went on a gray and rainy Satuday morning. We especially liked the wall painting (see picture).

Worth a walk or bike ride if one is close by, but not necessarily worth a car trip. I should note that I severaly cut back on refined sugar a year ago - so I feel I may be doing a disservice to reviews in not having french toast or waffles. Perhaps I should designate a french-toast eating friend for guest reviews! My mom is coming to visit in a few weeks, I bet she's game.

Update on July 20:  I drove past, and the Breakfast Bar is closed. The space is being renovated, and a sign says that a Grill is coming soon. 

Joey's Bar and Grill 344 Chandler St (March 11)

Overall impression:  A slightly older crowd, good quality food, the service could have been faster. We probably won't put it on our list of regular places, but it may fit tastes different than mine.

http://www.joeysbarandgrill.com/


My friend Anna at work highly recommended this place, it was the first restaurant she said when I asked a group of colleagues where they go for special nights out. She described it as follows: "the food is the like you would make at home, but somehow just better". So, Joey's has been on my radar for a long time.

We went on a Wednesday night, following a post-work run. It was hopping at 7 pm. Another friend once went with her parents and told us that she was the youngest one there (at 40) . We definitely got that vibe - most patrons were 50+. But the kind of 50+ who enjoy life with good food and wine, not the early-bird-special sort. Anyway, the atmosphere was mostly good. I say *mostly* because we sat at a high top in the bar area, which had 3 tvs, and a main tv was tuned to Fox News. That is enough to keep me from going back (its the reason I don't go to Inhouse Coffee, even though I'd like to support it as an independent coffee shop in Worcester). If Fox News is the thing that floats your boat, then you are safe.

A plus is that they had a nicely displayed wine and mixed drinks list (the Compass tavern doesn't even have a mixed drinks list yet). A drawback was that there were no vegetarian entrees on the menu. There were two "lighter fare" options- bruschetta and grilled flatbread - plus salads. I got a field greens salad, but the maple vinagrette was far too sweet, like frosting almost. The grilled flatbread (bechemel sauce, asiago cheese, thinly sliced crispy potatoes + greens) was very flavorful, though. Eric got the chicken parm, a hit. He liked it better than that at Livia's Dish.

Besides the Fox News and not-much-for-vegetarian negatives, it was a nice place. I can see why some people love it, though I'm not likely to rave about it. I'm looking forward to the next new place.