Struck Café

Still one of Worcester's favorite dining spots

by Jim Johnson

415 Chandler Street, Worcester
757-1670
Lunch Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5:30 -9 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. 5:30 -10 p.m.
Major credit cards
Full bar
Handicap accessible

One should never need an excuse to dine at the Struck Café, but the introduction of a new fall menu made for a compelling argument nonetheless. The arrival of a new chef in May, after our last review, made a return visit even more appropriate.

I'm glad -- but not surprised -- to report that the Struck's kitchen remains in good hands. Chef Patricia Lachance has continued the favored dining-spot's tradition of innovative Continental cuisine that's both elegant and accessible.

For those who haven't dined there before, the Struck is hidden innocently enough behind a Chandler Street storefront. Past the entryway lies a parlor-like dining area with a dozen or so tables spread discreetly apart. Tables are decked with starched linens and fresh flowers. Paintings and prints from local artists adorn the walls.

On this most recent visit, two friends and I sat at a favorite table, somewhat elevated in a quiet nook overlooking the street. We could see the length of the restaurant, where a handful of customers -- mostly businesspeople and fortysomething couples -- enjoyed their dinners. We also had a bird's-eye view of the blackboard with the evening's tempting specials.

The Struck has an extensive wine list, and we enjoyed converting a lover of blush and white Zinfandels to the more ambitious compromise of a brightly sweet and fruity 1995 Hogue Cellars Johannisberg Riesling. We progressed later to a crisp Chardonnay, which our friend seemed to enjoy more with each glass.

Appetizers posed some tough choices for us. The near misses were Maine crab cakes ($8.95) and mussels nantaise ($5.95), described as "plump cultured mussels and sliced apples in a savory shallot white wine reduction sauce." As I write this, I now wonder why we didn't order the mussels, too. Maybe because we already had three appetizers coming.

A Struck trademark is its charcuterie plate ($6.95), a changing platter of terrines, pâtés, and sausages. We thoroughly enjoyed four slices of rich pork pâté and lamb sausage (or perhaps it was the other way around), served with grilled garlic bread, tomatoes, and cored apple halves filled with sauces. Escargot (a special, priced at $7.95) was superb, morsels of snail served in brandy and white wine sauce with garlic, shallots, and finely chopped zucchini and topped with buttery breading.

Our favorite, however, was portabella and ratatouille ($6.95), a clever presentation of smooth, full-bodied ratatouille baked in a grilled portabella mushroom cap and glazed with sensuous goat cheese. (Another tempter is the warm spinach salad, perhaps one of the best you'll ever find.)

With specials, the Struck's list of entrees numbers an even dozen, many of them exciting treatments of familiar dishes. For example, the pork tenderloin is rubbed with sage and served with a reduction sauce of white wine, shallots, butter, marrow, lemon juice, and spices. And the lamb schnitzel diable is breaded and sautéed and served with an intensely flavorful black peppercorn demi-glace. As we considered our choices, we nibbled on a variety of fresh breads (the pineapple carrot bread is worth the trip).

I'm sure each of those is great, but our choices couldn't have been better. As our wine-tasting dining companion summed up quite aptly, they were "yummy."

More specifically, the grilled beef tenderloin ($19.95) came out rare, exactly as ordered. The mignon drew an actual sigh from our tablemate, followed by the comment, "Perfection." It was indeed perfect -- tender and juicy and with the added intrigue of a rich Madeira wine bleu cheese sauce on top, a thick slice of butternut squash below. I'd never thought of bleu cheese and beef and found the tanginess brought out a surprising richness in the filet. Mashed potatoes, served in a crisp skin, came on the side.

Just as the bleu cheese brought out the flavor in the beef dish, feta cheese added depth and texture to a platter of shrimp over angel-hair pasta ($17.95). The shrimp had been sautéed with tomatoes and cucumbers as well as the cheese, then tossed with lemon, mint, and garlic. Again, the contrasts in flavor, color, and texture added excitement and depth.

Although I enjoyed sampling my tablemates' dishes more, I was quite happy with the char-grilled semi-boned Cornish hen ($14.95). The meat was rich with herbs, with braised red cabbage and spiced apple sauce contributing flavor and moisture. It was served with fresh vegetables and fluffy rice pilaf.

For dessert, I would have been happy with some more slices of pineapple carrot bread and would have enjoyed them more than the apple tart I ordered, which tasted bland and almost stale. The peach-pear cobbler was also a disappointment, with neither flavor nor sweetness. Based on many previous visits, I'd have to call this an unfortunate exception.

Prices may be steep, but value is high given the portions, the quality of the food, and the attentive, knowledgeable service. Lunch is a far less-expensive alternative if you want to impress a date or boss. It's unlikely you'll find better dining in Worcester proper.