Time to Break out the North Face and Uggs: Fall in Worcester

It's officially my favorite time of year!¹

And, to help everyone get in the fall spirit, here's a WORCESTERistas Top 5 compilation of what to look forward to:

1. The pumpkin spice latte has made its annual arrival at Starbucks. 

2. Pumpkin Spice beer at Armsby Abbey, the hot new bar on Main Street, featuring over 100 beers on tap, an an alleged hot spot for young professionals, at least on "Friday nights."²

3. Pumpkin bagels at Bagel Time on Park Ave.

4. Apple cider from the cute farm stand on Pleasant Street, just inches into Paxton.

5.  Apple picking from any one of the neighboring towns³ -- and all the yummy desserts that go with it! 

Of course we want to know what your favorite thing is, too! Let us know! 



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1. Although I do love a good beach day, they're few and far between here in the Northeast! And I do love the many sweater options: I get cozy just thinking about a cardigan, chunky turtleneck, cable-knit crew...And, no, I won't stop wearing Uggs. I don't care if Vogue says they're "Out."

2. Review (and coordinating story) coming soon!

3. Read: cute.date.

Tom's Gourmet Marketplace

I was trying to hold off on posting. After all, who wants to cover that lovely photo!

Today I found myself in Northboro right around lunch time. Well, maybe not lunch time exactly, but I was completely ready to sneak in what could be my third lunch NOT in front of the computer in months.


I'd fallen into a habit of stopping to visit my buddy Tom for coffee/guilty pastry binges whenever I'm in the area for work. This is once or twice a week. That's a lot of German Chocolate bars.

Tom's store is located in downtown Northboro. The decor inside is very trendy and very homey at the same time. Exposed duct work (one of my personal favorite interior decorating motifs), and exposed beams (also classy) are the main interior focus, and there are several tables inside and outside of the main store. There is a wide selection of gourmet foods including oils, spreads, spices, and some other things I did not recognize. They also have a full deli, pre-made meals, bar, and coffee shop. In the basement, they host cooking classes that can be put together for fun or corporate teambuilding. The only thing missing is..oh wait. Nothing. I don't even have to BMOB.

I had grabbed a few sandwiches to go before, but today I wanted to be a little more daring. In a giant glass case, they have ~20 pre-made entrees including chicken, seafood, beef, and vegetarian options. Today's options included grilled Italian farmhouse chicken, chicken cordon blue, Jamaican ribs, shrimp marinara, and (3) kinds of lasagna. And the best part? The menu actually changes every week! Prices for the entrees hover around $6, and for around $9 you get a full meal including (2) sides. I ordered the chicken stuffed with spinach and mushrooms. I was thinking that a serving would be 1/2 of the massive chicken boobie I saw. Nope. The whole boob. They heated it all up, topped it with a little sauce, and brought it out to me on the deck. Delicious! When I came in to ask for a to go box, Tom looked at me knowingly and said "I wouldn't have known what to do if you put that whole thing down." Well put Tom, well put. I'll think of you later tonight when I DO put the rest of it down.

The website is www.tomsgourmetmarketplace.com. They have the menu, the hours, and all sorts of neat little things they sell.

Wild Willy's

When I am looking to show someone a good time in the homeland, (Maine) there are a few places that I always try to hit. After all, I have to do something to convince them that the complete lack of cellphone service, indoor plumbing, electricity, traffic lights, and general lawlessness are worth the trip¹. Imagine my surprise to find that one of Worcester's newest restaurants was actually one of those places! Apparently, franchise locations are popping up throughout New England! Now, you all can enjoy one of my Maine must-visits, without even having to ride a moose to it!

Wild Willy's has just opened up in the former site of Eddy's Restaurant (RIP!), over by the Sam's Club & the Higgins Armory. It began in York, Maine as a super tiny restaurant set back from Route 1 in what could have easily been an old ranch style house. I originally stopped in shortly after I got my driver's license and my pimpin' 1987 Honda Civic playa what!), out of complete curiosity. That, and I had to take Rt1 to the outlets because my civic wasn't four wheel drive. What audacity for a restaurant to locate itself just about completely out of the way from every other restaurant! The answer: It's awesome. Soon enough, all my friends were talking about it and begging to be taken there.

Ok,Ok. Enough of memory lane & the homeland. There are two major characteristics that set Wild Willy's apart from other restaurants: Food & Decor. The menu includes burgers, their veggie counterparts, and the stray chicken sandwich or two. There are maybe 10 variations of burgers, with cute western themed names like "Conestoga"² or "Annie Oakley". While I have tried almost each and every one, I usually defer to the "Willy Burger" aka "Basic Burger." As they advertise, they are the place to go if you just really love...burgers. The ingredients are fresh, and the food is outstanding. They toast the buns separately. Prices are pretty reasonable too; $6-7 for burgers. Word to the wise: Get the fries, because they are delicious and there is vinegar at the table for them, and I have recently gotten into the +$1 switch to Bison, which apparently is much better for you. They also have wine and beer, and excellent milkshakes. After all, who doesn't want a mocha milkshake to accompany their "Round up"?

The decor is what makes going there such an enjoyable experience. I've been to (4) locations: Worcester & Watertown MA, and York & South Portland ME, and each one is different. BEAUTIFUL western-themed murals cover the walls, but the mural at each restaurant has been different. The one in Worcester is of rolling hills in sepia tones; going to see it alone is worth the burger. Those awkward black and white photos of gunslingers are definitely a staple, as is plenty of antique farm equipment. The whole appearance is so classy and well put together, and you can definitely tell that the people who did it put a lot of time and thought into it. Western themes can go from "Classy" to "Tacky" in about (1) rhinestone belt buckle.

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¹ Let's also not forget about the livestock running rampant throughout the town. Or the fact that the York location is about 5 miles (by moose) to the Kittery Outlets.
² I had to Wikipedia this word. It is a horse pulled covered wagon. I'm not sure which term sounds sexier.

Baba Sushi

By far, my two most favorite things about Worcester are my girlfriends and finding new restaurants to eat at (yes, in that order).

One of my girlfriends came home for a long weekend from her jet-setting life in NYC (love her!) and asked if I wanted to meet up with her and TD for sushi on Park Ave. "Duh!"

(Recently unemployed and spending my days studying and commutting in and out of the sewar and major toursit attraction that is Boston for class, I couldn't really think of anything better to spend a couple hours to distract myself!)

I assumed we were going to Haiku, but that was not the case. We went to BABA Restaurant and Sushi Bar. Haven't heard of it? Me either. It's right next to Store 16. Haven't heard of that? Me either. (I've lived in Worcester for 23 years. Where have I been?) It's right diagnonally across from the D'Angelos on the corner of Park and Chandler. (Ohh ok, got it.)

We had the entire back patio to ourselves (ok, it was small and could only fit another party - but fantastic nonetheless!), props to TD for requesting an outdoor table! Points for al fresco.

After noticing our bags and sunglasses, our waiter chatted us up about how smart Gucci, Louis, and Coach were for having people pay for their goods and how much he loved wine and SAKI! He was about as entertaining as our food was delicious. Mmm.

All & All: Good time! A little hidden gem there on Park Ave.!

And, it won "2007 Worcester's Best Chef Award."

Forgotten Gem: The Bean Counter

During my undergraduate tenure, the Bean Counter was a staple in my life. It was where I had my first Latte freshman year (back when I was awake and drinking coffee at 10:30 pm), and where I got into a morning coffee routine my first summer as a working girl. My friends and I went there to sneak a delicious dessert after a raucous early morning exam¹, or to pretend we were doing very focused, detailed work while really just clicking random article on Wikipedia. They knew your order, and they didn't judge if you BYO Coffee Brandy. I even lived three doors down for a year or so. This was bad news, both fiscally & physically.

Somehow, in my moves across town, I'd let it slide completely off my radar. That changed yesterday. It was rainy, cool, and I was en-route to see my boy Bruce Springsteen. I suddenly had such a craving for a mint mocha!

No letdowns here. I was pleased to see that the atmosphere and the interior hadn't changed much at all, and the cookie & coffee were both delicious. I made pleasant conversation with the patron behind me in line, and several minutes in I realized I had no idea of the gender of my new friend. Whatever it was, I think it was interested. S/he arched her back to reveal cleanly shaven upper pubic region. Since I was not interested, I quickly moved on with my beverage. One thing that I did NOT miss is the awful mismatch between cups and their respective lids. I think there have been maybe 1-2 times that I have successfully finished an entire beverage without any spillage. The clear plastic cups are the worst.

While I didn't take notes, I am pretty sure the pricepoints fall somewhere between magenta/orange and green/brown. However, the coffee itself is much more varied and delicious, and the dessert options (cheesecake, giant cookies, cupcakes, and gluten free variables of all) are much more tempting. The bagels there are also absolutely incredible, no toasting required. Plus, I always feel better supporting a local business than a massive conglomerate. It's so trendy right now, along with that gathered detail at the tops of bags.

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This post actually suffered the same temporary fate as the Bean. I wrote it, and left it in draft format for two weeks. This just makes it all the more exciting to re-discover it! I've actually made it a point to stop in more often on the weekends (not open when I leave for work at 6am, and because I have to go to bed at 10:00 I'm not interested in coffee at 7 when I return). For example, I had an iced coffee for the ride to Fenway.


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^{1 _{It's cheesecake o'clock somewhere, even if in Worcester it's 9:15 am.}}

West Side Steak & BBQ

This is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Worcester, for the following reasons (in no particular order):

1. outdoor seating
2. BYOB/proximity to a liquor store (great/better!)
3. good food
4. cheap

The place is located in Tronic Square, (don't feel bad, I'd never heard of it either) which is actually the formal name of the little area on Pleasant, right before it hits Chandler.

I went there for dinner with some friends on Friday evening at about 9:00 pm. The restaurant itself has about 7 or 8 outdoor tables, and the adjacent businesses (a convenience store & a coffee shop) each have the same. The area is quite popular on a nice evening. This includes the non-English speaking group that seems to know EVERYONE that drives by, provided they are in an Audi. However, they actually don't get up and go over to talk to their friends. Instead, they just shout accross the entire patio. Their friends then beep the horns back in morse code. Considerate.

While we were getting settled, and being given a hard time by the waitress (who is awesome) for having over a week in between visits (moderately embarrassing), a member of the party went into the liquor store next door for (I think) a six-pack of UFO. As I mentioned before, this place is BYOB wine/beer. Always in style.

I have been frequenting the place for well over a year now, and I will admit that in that time I have only ever had (2) items off the menu: Cajun Chicken sandwich, and the Pulled Pork sandwich. And one time I had 1/2 of the buffalo chicken wrap. But just that one time. The mix of spices used in the Cajun Chicken is absolutely delicious; the proof of this is how rarely I will pass up buffalo-chicken-anything. Sandwiches are served with your choice of regular or (!) sweet potato fries, as well as coleslaw. I opt out of the coleslaw, always. Sometimes I even get double fries in exchange.

Prices are extremely reasonable. Burritos and a few other small entrees start at around $4, and the majority of the menu is under $10 with the exception of a few larger dinner plates. There are non-alcoholic beverages for sale, I think. The dessert menu includes ice cream sundaes and, I'm told, a fried cheesecake. I will have to investigate this further.

The inside of the restaurant is small, but very clean and very well done. There is a giant, colorful, farm mural on one side of the wall, and an equally giant mirror directly across from it. The lower half of the walls is all varnished wainscoting (adorable!), and the tables are clear varnished so that you can see all the jointing (like in an expensive cutting board). It's owned by a Brazilian family, and they all try to wear the same color solid T shirt when working together. For example, some days it's a "hunting orange" day, and some days it's a "royal blue" day. Sometimes, not everyone gets the memo, and there are three "lime greens" and one lone "hunting orange". Plus, in the winter, they had at least (3) different shapes of Christmas lights decorating the windows. LOVE attention to detail.

Excellent restaurant, I wish I could still walk there! (And more importantly, walk home!)

Block 5

For the first time since my undergraduate years at WPI, I visited Block 5 on Friday evening. I had been informed by a co-worker that the menu had recently changed, so of course in an effort to sound trendier than I truly am, I mentioned this to my companion. Problem was, once we actually got there I realized I couldn't find a single change. I kept my mouth shut about that one.

One thing I didn't remember being there the last time was outdoor seating. There really is nothing better than cocktails outside on a warm evening, even if the view is only of a partially abandoned mill on Green St. in Worcester. It definitely adds a lot to an evening.

We both ordered Mojitos, and so our server asked the obvious question: "Would you just like a pitcher?" Easy sell. The pitcher was only $15, but we each only ended up with (1) not great Mojito. Boo. In a do-over, I would opt for my own cocktail from the extensive list. Sharing doesn't usually work out.

I wasn't too hungry, so I had planned on just an appetizer ($7-12). However, it was a pretty quick turn-off for me to realize that most of the list was a seafood based. The remaining items weren't interesting enough for the obvious calories involved. Since I see the "Juiciest Part of Summer" billboard at least twice a day on my commute, I ordered the burger. I was pleased to see several pre-conceived combinations listed, and even more interested in the "build your own" option with many different items included with no extra charges. Much classier when the bulk of the cheese choices do not have "Add $.59". I added cheddar cheese, tomato, something that had 3 words including ketchup in the title, and avocado. It was an excellent combination. As usual, the burger came with several options for a side - I choose zucchini fries (not nearly as exciting as they sound). For a price, you can also "upgrade" your beef selection from the "house" meat (..really?) to USDA Certified Prime, All Natural Ground Beef, or American Kobe ($17!? for a burger?!). I took my chances with the Block Original/Mystery meat ($10).

After the meal, we each reverted to our old standbys from the booze department, (G&T, $6.75, beer, $4-5, both about standard for the area) rather than get sucked into that Mojito trap again. We enjoyed a very skinny, homely looking man sing Dispatch covers and play guitar, as well as the next table over obviously & adorably on a first date. Judging by how many times they fell into the Mojito trap, it was on track for success.

Jumpin' Juice & Java

The old Tatnuck Bookseller plaza on Chandler St. has been revamped and I am loving the result!

As a native Worcester resident, my heartbreaking sentiments were shared with the community when they closed in 2006; it was the perfect place to go for a quick (but so delicious!) sandwich and always had your summer reading in stock. It's been a few years, but now in its place is Jumpin' Juice & Java (tag line: the hippest drinks on earth^TM ).

(And, really, it couldn't have come at a better time after my heart-wrenching announcement of the Shrewsbury Street Starbucks closing!)

Jumpin' Juice & Java serves a full line of specialty coffees, espresso drinks, both java and juice smoothies (non-fat/dairy), and a variety of menu items, including breakfast (served all day!), salads, sandwiches and wraps, paninis, and bakery items.

I sampled a 12oz cappuccino with sugar-free almond syrup and my mom had a 16oz latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup -- both could stand up to my Starbucks standard of delicious. (And, for all you DD-lovers: there are no pretentious names or sizes, rather just 12, 16, 20, or 24oz!) And, none of the menu items are over $7.00!

They kept most of the Tatnuck Bookseller's rustic appeal- with the original floors, ceiling, and beams throughout, and added in a fireplace, cush leather seating, a row of comfy booths and plenty of tables to accommodate yourself and a good book (or homework! They have free wifi!!) or a group of your closest friends.

And, they offer perks! They have the frequent-buyer cards for Lattes, Smoothies, and Coffee. Purchase 9 and get one free!

Should you find yourself outside of the city, locations are also in:
Gardner, MA
486 Chestnut Street

Leominster, MA
843 Central Street

...we also brought home a Caribbean Sunrise smoothie (with pineapple, mango, coconut, peach)...with the intention of adding some Malibu Rum to it later on!

Nutritional information for their smoothies can be found on their website.

WRG Happy Hour

Three of Worcester's finest restaurants (The Sole Proprieter, 111 Chophouse, & Via), are offering two very exciting deals, on the cheap, for an indefinite amount of time. This has actually prompted me to go to each of these restaurants, and fund the experience myself. For a long time, I was of the belief that the food actually tasted much better if someone else took care of this portion for me.

The first is the revival of the $5 Martini/Cosmo. I will actually have to take their word that this is a revival, because even at the Boynton any sort of mixed drink starts at $6. I took a leap of faith to try this out a few months ago, and I have practiced several times since then. I have enjoyed the experience each time; my favorite part is sitting in the bar observing those who have been enjoying the experience for an hour prior to my arrival. I also enjoyed breaking several glasses on the eve of my birthday, and showing my face (4) days later.

The second pairs nicely with the first. If you arrive, sit at the bar, and order off the bar menu at any of these restaurants between the hours of 5-7 pm on Monday-Friday, each of your purchases will be only $5! This is quite the deal, considering the menu items range from $5.99-12.99. Some of my favorites include the Chicken Primavera (preferably at the sole), the Bruschetta (at Via), and a tie between the Chicken/Pasta/artichoke dish & Wagyu Burger Sliders at the 111.

Basically, to sum it up, you can go to any of the three most notable restaurants in Worcester and have the time of your life for $30. Or maybe $40.