New kid on the block

Anthony's is a welcome addition to Shrewsbury Street

by Margaret LeRoux

Anthony's
172 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester
757-6864
Tues.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m.
All major credit cards
full bar
Handicap accessible

My hairdresser, one of my best sources of Shrewsbury Street buzz, told me about Anthony's, the successor to the East Park Grille.

"I hear the portions are huge and the desserts to die for," he said.

Just before the official opening on July 18, we joined those already in the know who had been dining at Anthony's for the previous two weeks. We heard owner Anthony DeSantis explaining to another patron that "we wanted to work out some of the kinks before we announced our opening."

The night we dined there were very few kinks, even after our conscientious waitress confessed it was her very first night on the job.

Unlike its predecessor, Anthony's provides a menu; you don't have to strain to read the specials written on a blackboard. Prices are a bit higher than East Park's, but there is a good variety and portions are as rumored -- substantial.

While we studied the menu, my guest and I sipped a glass of Salvaiai chardonnay ($3), an Italian version of the ubiquitous wine from California. We found it perfect for a steamy summer evening; full bodied but not oaky. Be forewarned, Anthony's is not air conditioned, but ceiling fans and screens keep the air moving.

Because of the heat, we passed on the antipasti, though the clams della casa ($5.95), baked littlenecks stuffed with fresh spinach, capers, roasted garlic and sambucca, were tempting, as was ravioli 172 ($4.95), artichoke and roasted garlic ravioli.

Anthony's offers three salads: house ($2.95), Caesar ($4.95), and a romaine, gorgonzola and walnut combination ($5.95), which we decided to share. Our waitress provided two salad plates; we helped ourselves from a dinner plate heaped with pieces of crunchy, cold romaine, plentiful chunks of gorgonzola and walnuts. She brought us a small saucer of balsamic vinaigrette so we could dress our own portions. It was a delicious and promising start to our meal. Along with the salad came a basket of Italian bread wedges and foccaccia dusted with herbs.

Anthony's owners have made a few changes in the decor of the restaurant. Above the exposed brick portions of the walls (where the blackboards used to hand) there is now a more elegant beige wall covering. Artwork is displayed throughout the restaurant, and the tables all have fresh flowers in pretty glass cruets.

We debated the seafood choices on the menu. Grilled salmon with smoky scamorza cream sauce over linguine ($12.95) sounded good, as did seafood Sorrento ($14.95), mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp in tomato sauce. Anthony's also serves veal in marsala sauce ($13.95), char-grilled pork chops ($13.95), and a fillet mignon in a red wine sauce ($15.95); but we'll explore these choices when the weather is cooler.

I honed in on the pasta selections, which include pasta cinque ($10.95), spinach, pancetta, tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and white beans tossed in a bullet pasta; pasta carolena ($11.95), broccoli, artichokes, pignoli, roasted garlic and romano cheese tossed with gemelli; as well as lasagna ($8.95). My choice was pasta fuzzi ($10.95), described as roasted peppers, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, imported olives and herbs in a lemon and white wine sauce.

My guest considered chicken disaronno ($12.95), sautéed with gorgonzola, toasted almonds and Amaretto cream sauce, and lucky duckling ($12.95), a char-grilled breast of duck in a sweet apricot and raspberry sauce, before settling on chicken carciofini ($12.95), medallions of chicken sautéed with artichokes, fresh spinach, capers, roasted garlic, and sun dried tomatoes in a marsala sauce over linguine.

Our dinner plates were decorated with finely chopped fresh herbs; my guest's had a rosemary branch speared into his mound of pasta. As predicted, the portions were more than we could consume in one sitting; the remains were just as delicious when microwaved the following day.

I liked the bright, lemony flavor of the sauce on my linguine. The capers and olives were assertive too. There weren't any sun dried tomatoes, as noted on the menu, but I did sample some from my guest's plate where they were plentiful. He was pleased with the chicken, though the sauce didn't contain any artichokes. They were hardly missed; the marsala and sun dried tomatoes gave the sauce a slightly sweet and tangy taste.

We saved room for dessert, but the raspberry tart we shared was as dry as a biscotti; we should have ordered coffee to dip it in. Our bill, including tax but not tip was $41.80.

* Since this review, Anthony's has added air conditioning for a better dining experience.