March 16th 2016: A Cup of Chicken Noodle Soup from Noodles and Company, Shrewsbury

My beautiful wife surprised me at work today with a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup (with chicken breast, celery, carrots, onion and wavy egg noodles) from Noodles and Company in Shrewsbury.

Delicious, especially when coming from someone special.

March 15th 2016: Dinner at Blackstone Bistro, Worcester

I had dinner tonight at the Blackstone Bistro, a small casual place in Worcester, getting the Steak Tips (Grilled Marinated tenderloin tip topped with Mushroom Sauce),

which came with Garlic Bread and a Fresh Garden Salad (blend of crusp lettuce and spring mix) as well.

The salad was just alright, although the steak tips were a little on the smoky side, but tasty enough and different from most other places I have been to. Not bad overall, but I probably won't come back here because of the simple menu and the sketchy neighborhood.

March 11th 2016: Dinner at State Street Provisions, Boston

Tonight, we had a Restaurant Week dinner at State Street Provisions, a new and popular upscale bar restaurant in the Long Wharf area of Boston. This place used to be City Landing, which I visited once before.

We got the Maplebrook Farm Burrata (Fresh Fig Caponata, Black Garlic, Crostini),

the Steamed Clams (Little Necks, Steamers, Razor Clams, Coconut, Lime, Tempura-Fried Sea Beans),

the Beet Tagliatelle (Shaved Asparagus, Roasted Oyster Mushrooms, Mascarpone)

and the Beef Cheek Pastrami Toast (Crispy Brussels Sprout Leaves, Spicy Brown Mustard).

The burrata was pretty big, but creamy on the inside, going well with the fig and garlic paste on the bread. The curry sauce for the shellfish was quite tasty too. I liked the pasta as well, although there did not seem to be much beet in it, and it was a little too creamy for my other half. The beef cheek was not bad, although the brussels sprouts tasted a little burnt, and the meat got a little salty at times.

For dessert, we got the Cream Cheese Flan (macerated berries, caramel popcorn).

I have to say the flan itself was a little mushy, although overall the flavor was still good, with the caramel topping and the popcorn. Overall, a pretty good meal, and much cheaper than at 80 Thoreau.

March 10th 2016: Another Lunch at Via, Worcester

As you can tell, I have been to Via In Worcester many times before. This time around, we got the Pork Belly (arugula, aged balsamic, basil aioli, slow roasted tomatoes),

the Salmon Carbonara (seared salmon over traditional Roman style carbonara featuring house cured pancetta, peas, and spaghetti)

and the VIA’s Crêpe Cake (15 crêpes layered with a cream cheese and mascarpone filling.  Drizzled with a chocolate garnish and imported Amerena cherries) for dessert.

The pork belly tasted pretty good, although it was a touch too fatty, while the salmon was good, although the sauce itself a little too creamy. The crepe cake was not bad at first, but after a while, it became pretty filling to eat. Overall though, still a pretty good meal.

March 7th 2016: Dinner at 80 Thoreau, Concord

Tonight after work, we decided to have dinner at 80 Thoreau, an upscale restaurant in the town of Concord.

We were half an hour late, but thankfully our table was still ready for us, right by the window on the second floor next to the railroad tracks.

For starters, we got bread in a box.

As it was restaurant week, that was the only thing they offered tonight. For the first course, we got the Sweet Potato Soup (Wild boar, almonds, chili)

and the Brandade Fritters (Celeriac remoulade, green tomato pickle).

 The soup was really scrumptious with a kick of spice to it, and the vegetables actually tasted better than the fritters themselves.

For the main course, we got the Grilled Albacore (Gigantes beans, fennel, tomato jam)

and the Chickpea Tagliatelle (Braised lamb, broccoli rabe, pine nuts).

The tuna was a little bit of a disappointment, being way raw and pretty tasteless even with the beans and tomato jam. The noodles tasted a little weird at times, but in quite a good way, and the bitterness of the rabe wasn't very strong either. Excellent stuff.

For dessert, we got everything on the menu, namely the Tres Leches Cake (Coconut sherbet, grapefruit, garam masala)

and the Dark Chocolate Pudding (Hazelnut, passion fruit, rum cream).

The cake was pretty good, especially the ice cream, even though I am not a fan of coconut. The pudding was way too chocolatey for me at first, but when we got down to the bottom of the glass and reached the gelatinous passion fruit layer, it actually changed the whole complexion of the dish. Wish we had discovered it earlier. We also got a complimentary dessert at the end of it all.

Overall, a pretty good meal, I would come back again.

March 5th 2016: Lunch at Sichuan Gourmet, Framingham

We decided to go to Sichuan Gourmet in Framingham again for lunch today. This time, we got the Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork,

the Sauteed Shredded Duck Meat with Vegetables

and the Sesame Sweet Potato Cakes.

The noodles were more sour than Zha Jiang noodles, but still delicious. Excellent meal as expected from here.

March 4th 2016: Dinner at Sole Proprietor, Worcester

Today, we decided to have dinner at the Sole Proprietor in Worcester. As always, it was packed, and we had to sit at the bar. We ordered off the Happy Hour menu, getting the Firecracker (Lobster, avocado, fried sweet potato and spicy mayonnaise, served inside-out with black sesame seeds),

the Thai Coconut Curry (Chicken and shrimp sautéed in a spicy curry sauce with jasmine rice, peas and diced julienne vegetables)

and the Seafood Fra Diavolo (Shrimp, baby clams, mussels, spicy tomato sauce and linguine).

Pretty good, although I wish the curry had less onions.

We also got the Flourless Chocolate Cake (Decadent, thoroughly dark chocolate cake, ganache glaze, served with vanilla ice cream) for dessert.