Chioda's Trattoria, Worcester MA-Sheri

The first time I noticed the sign advertising the opening of a new Italian trattoria, I was super excited. Ian and I love Italian food, and we were getting kind of tired of the typical Vinny T's. It had been a while since we tried a new Italian restaurant that we liked.

Our first visit to Chioda's was the day they opened for lunch. They brought us rustic Italian bread and olive oil dipping sauce that was so delicious, we were asking for a refill on the olive oil within a few short minutes (it was also 1:30 and we were starving). The olive oil dipping sauce was thick with flavorful herbs and seasonings as well as parmesan cheese. The bread had a nice thick and hard crust on it with a light and airy inside that made the perfect vehicle for the oil.

After much deliberation we agreed to split a dinner entree and finally decided on the Chicken Scaloppini with Lemon & Capers. At $14.95 it was a cheap lunch, but they added a $2 charge for splitting. Something I myself, am not a fan of. Why should they charge you more, when you're getting the same amount of food? Not really sure of the reasoning behind that, but whatever. If they asked me (which of course they haven't), I would say that they should offer slightly larger portions for splitting (like Vinny T's) or maybe charge a splitting fee, but include an additional cup of soup. I just don't like the idea of paying more for exactly the same thing.

More about the soup, though. Instead of salad, a cup of soup is served with each dinner entree. Its a homemade "Wedding soup" and it is yummy. Of course, since we only ordered one entree, we only got one cup of soup, so I only had a few tastes of Ian's, because I insisted that I didn't need to get my own. Next time we dined there, I was sure to get my own.

The entree came pretty quickly. It was great. I don't really have a lot to say about it, except that it was just really good. Not any spectacular flavor from it, but then again its a fairly simple dish. It has all of my most favorite elements-lemon, capers, and butter. We both cleaned our plates, and were well satisfied.

That particular day, since it was their first week open, the staff were especially attentive and friendly. But then again, we were the only 2 people there.

All in all, a great experience. You can tell its a new restaurant, still working out the kinks and getting a feel for things, but I'm sure that, with time, it will grow to become a favorite in Worcester.