Taste of Shrewsbury St. The judges have voted for the best food at the 14th annual Taste of Shrewsbury St. Bragging rights for the Best Food at the Taste goes to newcomer, Mezé Greek Tapas. Runner-up was Vintage Grille.
Summer of Fun. The annual Walk & Rock on Shrewsbury Street will take place on Thursday, July 17, and Thursday, July 24. There will be music at about 15 places on the street that night with no cover charges. For a listing of participants and musicians, visit shrewsburystreetwalkandrock.com. The event is sponsored by Worcester’s Wormtown Brewery (which will be moving to Shrewsbury Street) and Cantiani Insurance.
Speaking of food. Get your appetite on for the annual summer edition of Worcester Restaurant Week, which will be held from Aug. 4-16. Worcesterrestaurantweek.com will have a full list of participating restaurants. Get a three-course meal for $23.14!
George’s Green Island Diner. George’s Green Island Diner on Millbury Street will be reopening shortly under new ownership.
Webster House closes. The venerable Webster House, which has been in operation for more than 40 years Worcester’s Webster Square, has closed its doors. It was owned by Chris Liacos for about 35 years, and for the last few by Jo-Ann Gadbury. Webster House was famous for its great pies and did a bang-up business at the holidays.
Acoustic Java buys Webster House. The owners of Acoustic Java, also in Webster Square, are buying the Webster House property and converting it into a vegetarian restaurant and farmers’ market. We will keep you posted.
Chloe closes. It appears that one of the best restaurants in the MetroWest area ~ Chloe ~ will close its doors this month after 13 years in operation. Mathew Landry, the owner and chef, announced the closing in an email to customers. Chloe was located in the center of Hudson at 23 Main St.
Padavano’s Place to open. The owners of Rosalie’s Kitchen on Hamilton Street will open a second restaurant, this time on Shrewsbury Street. Padavano’s Place will replace the Corapi Lounge. The beauty of this spot is that there’s large patio for outdoor dining. They expect to renovate and open shortly.
Travel to Barre. There is more going on in the hinterlands than you can imagine. The Jenkins Inn in Barre Center is offering a three-course meal special during July and August for $22. How can you beat that? Take a nice drive out in the country; visit the Jenkins Inn, with its beautiful gardens; and enjoy a three-course dinner.
If you are in the traveling mood. Also worth a trip is a visit to the Thirsty Lab in Princeton. This liquor store next to Sonoma offers wine tastings every Friday night. The store has partnered with the Boston Wine School for classes and hosts local authors and poets. Also, it sells locally grown and sourced food and soaps.
By Paul Giorgio