Food Truck Festival - Elm Park, June 21

Overall impression:  Only for rich foodies.
Alternate tag line:  $5 for the privilege of standing in line.


I love the idea of food trucks. I wish that they were regular occurrences around Worcester. But I didn't love the food truck festival.

I hadn't been before, so when it was advertised at Elm Park I thought it would actually be in the park. Instead it is on Park St. along the western edge. We paid $5 each to get into the blocked-off area. I thought there might be more entertainment type stuff (granted, there was one singer with a guitar, but you could only hear her within 10 feet). Or free sodas or something. No, just (expensive) food.

We only had veggie eggrolls (which tasted fine). That's it, because there were at least 50 people in line for every truck, maybe more. The trucks were parked in the middle of the street, rather than at the far edge. So there was all kinds of room behind them, but everyone in line was wedged into a small area - making it difficult to maneuver through.

I understand food trucks are having a moment, and people are willing to wait 30 minutes to buy grilled cheese. But I have also been to a new eating or drinking establishment every week for the past 6 months (plus I don't blog about the regular places we go) - and I know that there is wonderful food to be had in this city. So the food truck festivals aren't the only option for tastiness. I also understand that if you block the street and have police detail that costs money - hence charging for entrance. But do they really need to block off a street? Couldn't they just ring the park?

A friend asked the other day if I ever did a negative review. This is one.

       Additional note: we walked out behind three guys complaining about the lack of variety at the beer garden. They were sure that they could run said beer garden and whole event better.

Mini-review: Bahan's International Market, 344 Pleasant St. (June 12)

Overall impression:  Delightful veggie kibbeh. Worth seeking out!

http://bahnans.com/

I went to Bahan's to grab a quick lunch, on a friend's recommendation. I was running late, so I didn't end up sitting in the cafe section. Instead, I ordered food to go at the market register. I got the spinach and cheese pocket and a veggie kibbeh. As I waited for it to be warmed up I was tempted by the chocolates (lots of Nestle and Milka products - but the things you don't see in a typical US supermarket). I managed to hold myself back, though.

I ate while driving (classy...), starting with the veggie kibbeh. It was a lentil-filled bundle of deliciousness. So amazing! I should have gotten two. The spinach and cheese was fine, as expected. I think it suffered from coming after the kibbeh, I probably should have eaten it first.

I will go back again, although since I really liked the kibbeh I may not try much else! I'll bring Eric with me, feed him a meat-filled lunch and get his review another time.

Shangri La, 50 Front St. (June 3)

Overall impression:  I would really like a restaurant to succeed in this location. If you are downtown, stop for lunch. This isn't likely to be destination dining, though.

 http://shangrilarestaurant.net/   (orders can be place online)

Shangri-La is a pan-Asian restaurant right across from Worcester common. At least a couple of eateries have been in this location that I know of, and it has also sat empty. So I'm happy that something is on offer there. The common really is beautiful. Unfortunately the food did not stand out. It wasn't bad, just your standard Americanized Chinese (plus some sushi). Unless you are hungover - then this is damn good hangover food.

Eric and I went on a sunny Wednesday evening, and were seated next to the large windows. The interior is a nice space. Dark and woodsy. When we got there the bar was full and loud classic rock was playing.  After happy hour was over it got kind of quiet. Just us and a few other couples.

We started with spring rolls (oily and salty, good-tasting comination). Eric had kung pao chicken and I had the chili garlic eggplant. Though my dish had a star next to it in the menu (indicating a high spice level), it really wasn't spicy, just sweet. The portions were extremely generous and the food was  relatively inexpensive.

I also mistakenly ordered a tuna and avocado roll, I was looking for a cucumber avocado roll. We took the sushi and our other leftovers and called our friend Sarah. She stopped at our house on her way home from work and happily ate the sushi and eggplant. She thought it all yummy.

Perhaps next time I'm at the main library I'll stop for lunch. Maybe try something a little lighter on the sauce. Or sometime we'll go the the bar to indulge in fruity drinks.

Tom's International Deli, 52 Millbury St. (May 29)

Overall impression:   The stuffed cabbage rolls were the big winner among my colleagues. And the chocolate selection was great!

http://www.tomsdeliworcester.com/

A few weeks ago a small group of colleagues and I tried to go to a Polish restaurant near Kelley square, only to find it was out of business. Today I succeeded in the pierogi and cabbage roll quest  - Tom's International Deli on Millbury St. I picked up take-out and invited everyone to come to the break room at work to enjoy the offerings. (This also gave me the opinions of several meat-eaters, as not too much was veggie). In general the food got a thumbs up, with a few favorites.

We got two of the "Super Polish Platters", which came with  pierogi (meat-filled), stuffed cabbage, a meatball, a porkchop, a meat dumpling and a potato pancake (though the last item wasn't listed on the website menu- nice surprise). We also tried the potato and cheese pierogi. Everyone rated the cabbage rolls #1, followed by the (gigantic) meatball. (Direct quotes: "for me, the stuffed cabbage was heavenly!  Melt in your mouth, just the right amount of spices.  Absolutely delicious! "The meatball was cooked perfectly, and was juicy, delicious, and flavorful." "Comfort food!"). So those are my suggestions if you go. I had just the items with potato and cheese, and some nice bread. The potato pancakes were unique - not like latkes, more mashed than grated potato consistency. My friend Sara said that they were similar to ones she had in Slovakia while visiting relatives.

Why Polish food at all? My grandparent's were Polish immigrants. However, my main ethnic-slash-specialty food growing up in rural Minnesota was Norwegian food (mostly on holidays).  So I decided I really needed to try more Eastern European food. Of course, this probably would've been a better deision to come to before I was a vegetarian, though that was eons ago. Anyway, I will be going back to the deli to buy cheese, jams, imported candies and chocolate (we had amazing chocolate for dessert!). And also to get pickles. My mom will love the herring on the pickle/olive bar the next time she comes to visit.

Piccolo's 157 Shrewsbury St (May 21)

Overall impression:  Fabulous salad, good pasta, casual atmosphere. Perfectly lovely.

http://piccolos157.com/

I have driven by Piccolo's every day for years. To some extent it had blended into the background of my commute, and just never gotten on the list of places to try. Finally we went on a late May Thursday evening. We wanted pasta (post-dental surgery easy to eat for me), but did try few other places before Piccolo's. Those other places were full up on graduation parties, which turned out to be fine because Piccolo's is really quite good. I should not have overlooked it.

We sat in the front room, next to the window. There was a group of men at the bar, and various groups of women dining together at the tables. Casual and comfy. We started with the apple/cranberry salad. The almonds on it were smoked, giving them a strong and unique flavor (yum...).  Eric had pasta with chicken and I had a spinach pasta, stuffed with cheese and served with artichoke hearts and vodka sauce. Also yum. Tasty and extremely rich.

Dinner is mid-range, not inexpensive. But the quality is good. Our server was very nice and the atmosphere is charming. We will add it to our pasta rotation.

Homestyle Cuisine, 82 Harrison St. (May 14)

Overall impression:  Seems a great place to grab lunch to go that can be taken to a park and enjoyed in the sunshine on a summer day. (Caveat: not for vegetarians).

Its unusual for any kind of eating establishment to have little online presence nowadays, but that's true for Homestyle Cuisine. This tells me that they stay in business because of loyal customers and word of mouth. So the food must be worth seeking out.

Everything I found from a quick internet search (yelp, facebook) gives the address as 33 Canterbury St., so my friend Kelly and I headed over there on a Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately we didn't meet up with our other companions, as it had moved and there was some confusion. But Kelly and I followed the directions on a hand-written sign to the new location at 82 Harrison St.. This is just to the east of 290, pretty easy to get to (though we did end up driving through Kelly Square when we didn't need to, oops. Luckily Kelly is a very good driver).

The restaurant is just a tiny place, a handful of tables and a counter to order at, kitchen in back. There actually wasn't any main course for vegetarians, which is too bad. And also a reason I wouldn't try it alone - I needed someone else to try the meat dishes for me and comment (I had rice and some lovely banana bread). Kelly got a curried chicken stew over rice. She really liked it. It wasn't too spicy, but savory and good, with very tender meat that had been stewed for a long while. We ate in, and there was a small group of men just finishing eating in. Otherwise the business was mostly take-out, but there seemed a steady stream of people while we were there. The food is mid-range for price, $10 to $14 for main course, depending on size.

It was nice to get out to lunch with a friend, a great break in the day. I will have to get there again with Nadine, who suggested we try Jamaican food in the first place. I'll make her get a different stew so I can report back.

(Sorry no real pics - this is a screengrab from google maps).

Lucky's Cafe on Grove St - Not a great way to run a business (May 5, 2015)

Overall impression:  Not open when they were supposed to be.

http://luckyscafeworcester.com/

I got to Lucky's cafe at 7:56 on a Tuesday morning, they were supposed to open at 8. I knew I had to wait a few minutes, and I did so at the locked outer door. I was next to a flat of bread that must have been delivered earlier. At 8:07 another potential diner came and knocked. A woman from an adjacent business let us into the hallway, but the cafe was pitch black. I don't think anyone had shown up to work. And I was hungry.
So, that did it for me, they are off the list now.

(I ended up with my hungry self at Miss Worcester instead. I got coffee within 10 seconds, my meal within 2 minutes of ordering. What was I charged for scrambled eggs, home fries, toast and coffee? $3.75. Hands-down winner of the morning).