Massachusetts Food and Dining: Restaurant Reviews for Central Massachusetts and beyond

Massachusetts Food and Dining Reviews

Nestled at the intersection of Water, Winter, and Grafton streets below the rumbling of Route 290, the urban brick facade of Bocado Wine and Tapas Bar holds true to its Worcester roots in the much touted yet still evolving Canal District. Valet Parking negates the lack of nearby parking spaces (both are unusual occurrences in this city) and upon entering the restaurant further upscale touches become evident.
The clean, modern look of the lengthy bar along the left wall provides perfect cover for the groups of mostly women fashionably sipping wine and chatting aside overpriced handbags. This audience seems heavily targeted by Bocado, judging by the décor and menu offerings, and this recent Thursday evening was no exception. (View Article)

Restaurant Reviews for Framingham, MA:
Brief restauraunt Reviews for pizza, sandwiches, and quick places to grab lunch around Framingham. You gotta eat something.

Squire White's Restaurant and Pub
The large lobster on the side of this Greenwood St. restaurant/pub is seemingly out of place, the closest water body is a small trash filled trickle of runoff I remember seeing as a kid aside the ghost of The Fair parking lot.

When we entered on a recent Thursday evening and bellied up to the bar for the Sox game, and the first thing we noticed is the 8+ pounder being cracked into at the table behind us, and being discussed by everyone in earshot.

We started with a round of magnetically measured cocktails, served in slender Collins glasses. Not what I hope for when I lay down nearly 5 bucks per drink in a dingy bar/food scene, particularly when the regular aside us was enjoying his cocktail in a pint glass. (View Article)

Piping Plovers taste like Baby Eagles Without the Guilt

Thai Restaurants in Central MA

We sampled several area Thai restaurants, with mixed results. Mango in Milford has solved the dilemma for strangers to Thai cuisine with a checklist ordering system that allows you to pick your vegetables, meat, sauce, and accompaniments. Yoong Tong in Northborough offered great dining on several occasions, but be aware of unreasonable delivery fees. Thai Cha-Da in Worcester had a weird vibe and cool raised seating in the center of the aging room. Racha Thai in Worcester provided aging shrimp, more of an infraction. Siam Village in Maynard was a good meal in tight quarters, but no Tom Ka Gai soup was a disappointment. Escargot in Marlborough was just plain weird, completely empty and missing on the promise of French influenced Thai food, while nearby Chez Siam proved adequate... (View Article)

Valentines Day Massacre at Tomasso Tratoria

Not every oyster yields a pearl, but they do occasionally offer lessons doomed to repeat themselves until learned. Such is the case with our 14th of February visit to Tomasso Tratoria in Southboro. The special four-course Prix fixe menu and wine pairings was intriguing, given the reputation for the food quality from Tomasso. We were seated in a row of small tables looking into the kitchen, very close quarters making private conversation impossible. Service was slow given the Valentine's Rush, and timing of the meal would prove a problem all night. The first course of broiled Wellfleet oysters with preserved lemon, bread crumbs and herbs was delicious but very surprising, given the plurality of the menu's description and the contrast with the individual oyster that arrived on my plate. Very unexpected that an entire course would consist of a single bite, perhaps the kitchen was running low, but nonetheless a rough start. The shrimp and marscapone Raviolli (View Article)