thePULSE
The Struck Café, located on Chandler Street in Worcester has relocated down the street to 344 Chandler Street, across from the former George’s Fruit. The Struck may have only moved a few blocks, but the changes make this new spot miles apart from what the restaurant used to be.
September 2003 – For those who remember the restaurant in its nascent days as the Struck of Loke, the perennial aging hippie hangout, you won’t recognize this metamorphosis. The Struck truly has turned into a butterfly.
The space, located in a renovated factory building, is both hip and chic. The color pallet is bold and refreshing, with the bar painted in a vibrant rich blue and the dining room decked out in complementary burgundy and marigold. The bar has a snazzy black star ceiling bright with fiber optics.
The bar holds about thirty-five while the dining room seats 85 comfortably. Gone are the mismatched tables and chairs. This Struck is big enough to have a function room, which holds fifty.
Booths on a raised platform line the dining room wall, with sophisticated copper mesh hanging lamps over each of the tables. The booths comfortably seat six. The cafe also has a couple of the dining room tables from the former location. These tables will seat about eight.
Francis Harvey & Sons, with Jay Melick serving as the architect handled the Struck’s construction. Christine Cotter and Kelley Boulay, who will serve as co-managers, created the elegant interior design.
There are staff changes at the Struck also. The experienced restauranters have doubled their wait staff and hired a new bar manger, Rick O’Leary. Jean Bouchard formerly of Tatnuck Country Club, will be key bartender and Major Domo.
Chef Leon Saucier and Steve Germain, the sous chef, both left Tatnuck CC and will take over the kitchen at the Struck. Diedre Annese, another of owner Jeff Cotter’s daughters, will be the pastry chef.
Saucier has created an exciting new menu, which might be a little long on descriptions.
A couple of examples are the Veal Chop description, “Creamy wild mushroom pancetta thyme and chevre polenta with an olive tomato and vodka sneer.” Or how about this description of the lamb loin: “Black beluga lentil eggplant ragout cradled in a caramelized shallot velout with a plum pomegranate paint”.
Sneer, paint graffiti and chapeau — if Saucier’s food is just half as good as his descriptions, he will have a hit on his hands!
The Struck will be open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. for lunch. Dinner will be served from 4:30 until 10, with extended hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. Sundays they only serve dinner from 4-9 p.m.
