Webster House

It's the ethnic specials that lured us here, but the fried clams that make us come back

by Margaret LeRoux

Webster House 1 Webster Street Worcester (508) 757-7208 Hours Daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Major credit cards Full bar handicap accessible

Although the Webster House has been a Worcester institution for generations, I've avoided the family-style restaurant until recently. I mistakenly thought it was the kind of place where grandma takes the family when she's not doing the cooking. (The grandmother in our family lives about a thousand miles away, and her idea of home cooking is bratwurst on the grill.) What changed my mind about the Webster House is the restaurant's ethnic food celebrations. Every month it features a different cuisine -- Caribbean dishes in June, Swedish cooking in August. In May it was the promise of Greek food that lured me there, but it was good old American fried clams that convinced me to come back.

Our party of three visited on a busy Friday night, but we were seated within minutes. The restaurant has three large dining rooms and a well-organized staff that keeps all those hungry diners happy. In the midst of the bustle, owner Chris Liazos stopped by to see if everything was okay. When one of my friends and I ordered glasses of Achaia Clauss, Greek table wine, he warned it was very dry. The wine was pleasantly so and a good accompaniment to our mostly Greek meals. Webster House has a small but reasonably priced wine list. Probably the best bargain in town is a bottle of Domaine Chandon brut cuvee priced under $20.

We were surprised by fresh flowers on each table and live music; a classical guitar Thursday through Saturday nights is featured. Grandma never offered such amenities. She would have approved of Webster House's classic appetizers: nachos ($5.49), chicken fingers ($5.49), onion rings ($3.69), mozzarella sticks ($3.99), and shrimp cocktail ($5.79).

We focused on the Greek menu, ordering opa dumpling ($5.99) and Greek-style bruschetta ($2.99) with feta cheese, lots of garlic, tomatoes, and basil. Opa dumpling, served in a big soup bowl, looks like a giant wonton, but the filling is a mixture of goat cheese, onions, garlic, oregano, and chopped lamb. It was deliciously creamy and rich and sizable enough to tease the palates of three hungry diners.

While our appetizers were prepared, our friendly young waiter served our salads, bowls of chilled lettuce, thick slices of cucumber, and wedges of tomato with homemade dressing thoughtfully offered on the side. A basket of warm dinner rolls came with the salads.

Webster House's reputation was built on its home cooking, which is reflected by menu standards like pastry-topped chicken pie ($7.99), prime rib ($10.99), and chopped beefsteak served with brown gravy ($6.99). The place has changed with the times, though. Now you can also order vegetarian lasagna ($6.99), broccoli and mushroom scampi ($6.99), or a veggie burger ($6.49). There are veal piccata ($9.99) and a variety of broiled, baked, and fried seafood dishes such as haddock ($9.49) and salmon Oscar ($10.99).

Salads include chef's ($5.29 a small; $6.29 a large) as well as Moroccan mescaline with char-grilled tuna steak or salmon fillet ($7.99). There are three-egg omelets ($6.79), which are served with fries and toast, and a variety of sandwiches, including an eight-ounce burger for $4.99. We made a note to try the grilled mad Russian -- shaved roast beef, sautéed onions, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese on pumpernickel with fries and cole slaw ($6.99) -- on another visit.

This evening two of us wanted Greek specials. One of my friends chose the classic lamb shish kebab ($11.99) served on rice pilaf with green beans. I'd been planning on moussaka ($7.99); this Greek-style lasagna-like combination of lamb and eggplant topped by a rich béchamel sauce has long been a favorite, but I changed my mind when I spied Pappou's shrimp ($9.99). This proved to be a half-dozen large, stir-fried shrimp and feta cheese served atop a mound of rice pilaf with sautéed peppers and zucchini slices on the side. The shrimp were firm and sweet; the rice soft and creamy. My friend's kebab was medium rare, just a tad drier than I'd like, but he was satisfied. It was served on the same rice next to a mound of green beans in a tasty dill sauce; if only they weren't so overcooked.

Our third companion would eat fried clams every day if he could, and after trying the Webster House's ($10.99) he might just move in. These were whole clams, not strips, and the sweetest I've ever eaten. The batter was light and crisp, so were the French fries that accompanied.

The promise of baklava ($2.49), that honey-sweet mixture of ground walnuts in phyllo dough lured us to the desserts. We couldn't resist another Greek specialty, galatoboureko ($2.79), chilled vanilla custard encased in crispy phyllo dough. What a perfect combination of two favorite textures. I met my dessert nirvana in the Webster House's rhubarb pie ($2.49; add a dollar and you can have it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream). In this delectable pie my mother's tangy rhubarb filling and flaky pie crust met their match; I'd be hard-pressed to choose between hers and the Webster House's.

The three of us feasted for $66.33 before tip.

HEAD OUT to the Nashoba Valley Winery on June 10 for Music in the Orchard and Strawberry Festival. It's free (strawberry shortcake and ice cream will be on sale). Festivities are from noon to 5 p.m.