Roundup

A collection of restaurants that offers tasty, affordable meals

by Jim Johnson

I'd like to share some leftovers with you -- restaurants that didn't provide enough material for full reviews but still deserve mention.

First, some coworkers and I took our lunch break at the Buzz Bar (118 Main Street, Worcester; 753-8200), the new downtown eatery that is bright, cheery, hip, and fun. When we visited ("three months to the day since we opened," an enthusiastic counter-person told us), the restaurant was open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a focus on light morning and luncheon fare. Plans call for extending the hours into evening, and a poster already promoted some coffeehouse-style after-dark entertainment.

You order and pay at the counter, and your meal is brought to you. The menu is limited to several roll-up sandwiches (veggie hummus, roasted veggie, sliced chicken, and daily special) and salads (chicken, garden, chef, and fruit), plus delicious fresh-baked desserts. During our visit, we enjoyed sandwiches from the specials list: chicken dijon ($4.25) and falafel with hummus ($4.50). We also shared a slice of utterly decadent carrot cake; despite the volume of carrots, we couldn't rationalize that it was in any way healthy. The cake was chockfull of raisins and coated with a rich, sweet cream-cheese frosting.

The "Buzz" part of the name comes from the bee motif that adds to the pleasantly quirky decor. Tiny straw beehives decorate the handful of tables, each with bees dangling from wires, and other bees swarm about from the walls and ceilings. Walls are bright yellow, green, blue, and purple with funky designs that lend a kids'-playroom feel to the place.

The "Bar" (which serves no alcohol) offers a range of espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, mochaccinos, and the like. If you're especially sleepy, the "Super Buzz" -- 16 ounces of coffee with two shots of espresso -- is sure to keep you going. At least during the winter months, you can also enjoy mountain Chai and other teas, as well as hot chocolate (traditional, with raspberry, or with mint) and cider. I'm a sucker for fresh juice and smoothies and chased down my sandwich with carrot juice and the carrot cake with a piña colada mix of pineapple, coconut, and vanilla frozen yogurt.

I've always visited Beamans (171 West Boylston Street, West Boylston; 835-3707) in the summer, when I could sit out on the deck and enjoy snacks or a full meal. The cozy tavern is just as fun during cold weather, too, with appetizers and entrees that are as appealing in price as in taste.

Beamans' appetizer list contains typical pub stuff as well as more tempting fare, like grilled Thai chicken, broccoli bites (broccoli and cheese rolled up, breaded, and fried), crab cakes, and fried onion wedges, a fragrant variation on rings. A friend and I tried the chicken ($4.95), which had been skewered, basted in a spicy Thai peanut sauce, and grilled. It tasted delicious. Garden ranch chicken ($4.95) was a nice variation on chicken fingers -- fried tenderloins topped with olives, lettuce, ranch dressing, melted cheese, and scallions (think chicken as a nacho substitute). We also split a hefty spinach salad ($3.95) with sliced mushrooms, diced tomatoes, egg, and fresh croutons.

I continued the chicken theme with the Beaman sizzler ($9.95), a fajita-like affair served on rice rather than with tortillas but with plenty of peppers, onions, mushrooms, salsa, and Mexican spices. My friend's pasta primavera ($7.95) was equally fine, with seemingly garden fresh vegetables sautéed in garlic butter and topped with grated cheese.

Lighter appetites can take advantage of an extensive list of sandwiches and burgers.

When I behaved as a child (which, in retrospect, was far too often), my parents would take me to a restaurant like Ladds of Rutland (Route 122, Rutland; 886-4771). Come to think of it, their parents probably did the same thing. Ladds is best-described as a 1940s-style family restaurant, where the prices are low, the menu straightforward, and the service as cordial and appropriately familiar as it gets.

My dining companion described the decor as "1950s rumpus room," much like a tract house parlor that the grandparents haven't changed in decades. Artificial flowers adorn glass-covered tables, and garage-sale paintings and faux-gilt mirrors hang on the walls. But somehow it all works.

We picked from a predictable appetizer list, selecting baked stuffed mushrooms ($3.95) and jalapeño poppers ($3.95). The mushrooms were filled with a dense, coarse, moist herb breading and topped with mozzarella cheese. The peppers were crisp, gooey, and bold.

Hardly anyone chooses from the regular menu, we learned later, since the changing specials are far more appealing, especially to the steady supply of regular customers. Still, we were tempted by scallops and broccoli over angel hair with garlic sauce, lobster pie, baked haddock and crab, prime rib (a king cut for only $10.95!), and chicken marsala. Most are served with soup or salad, potato, vegetable, and rolls.

With high recommendations from our server, we chose duck hunter's style ($9.95) and steak au poivre ($9.95). The duck was moist and meaty, the light wine sauce a nice variation from the sweeter sauces I also enjoy. This sauce, with shallots, mushrooms, and tomatoes, seemed to draw out the flavor of the meat. The accompanying rice was plump and fresh, specked with raisins and slivered almonds.

We split some Indian pudding for dessert. I thought I'd acquired the taste for corn meal and molasses, but I hadn't -- at least not for such a heavy dose of molasses. Two scoops of ice cream sweetened things up.