We can - and we'll show you how 

Goldstar Diner waitress Jennifer Adams.

By Charlene Arsenault
Photos by Jeff Loughlin

When Rachel Ray gallivants around for her $40-a-day show on The Food Network, she'll hit anywhere from Manhattan to a village in Paris. She needs that $40 to get through the day of food. But when Worcester Magazine (myself and photographer Jeff Loughlin, specifically) decided to cop the idea and produce our own version of hitting the city on the cheap together, we settled on an amount that would both let us have some options — but provide a challenge to watch our budget and dig for the deals. We came up with $20 a day. Heading out on the city for three days, we tried to find the biggest bang for our bucks, and hit our target two out of the three days. Of course we tipped like Rachel Ray, too, which is embarrassingly cheap; and we don't recommend this.

Off and on for years, and more strictly for the last two months, I've been eating vegetarian. It's a tough challenge to be a staunch supporter of animal rights, yet drool over a crock pot full of corned beef and cabbage. But I compromised my fragile ethics (on this subject), slipping for the sake of journalism to give our carnivorous community a well-rounded taste of the area. I plan to continue to avoid the crock pots, unless the dish is made with those wonderful Quorn products.

The assignment didn't help with the Weight Watchers program I joined in early July, either. It sure was a yummy cheat of a time, though. On to our jaunt.

Day 1

Nancy Burdett (left) and Carol Lareau, long-time waitresses at Long Island Hot Dog at Webster Square.

Lots of hot dog places have a secret sauce recipe, and Long Island Hot Dog and Restaurant in Webster Square is no different. They’ve got one in the safe, and you couldn’t pry it out of the owners’ hands on their death beds.

“The recipe came with the restaurant,” says Nancy Burdett, who has waitressed at Long Island for 31 years. “They won’t tell us what they put in it. I don’t know where it is - I guess locked in the cook’s head. John Padadopoulos does all the cooking in the kitchen.”

Like The Pickle Barrel (see Matt Quinn’s review, page XX), Long Island has a very standard but extensive menu that runs from breakfasts to sandwiches and salads to rib-sticking home-cooked entrees such as meatloaf, lasagna, stuffed peppers and seafood. We headed in for breakfast, however, and I kept it light, ordering the breakfast special: two eggs, home fries, toast and coffee for $3.75.

“It’s always busy in here pretty much,” says our waitress, Carol Lareau. “A lot of elderly people and a lot of regulars come in here. I think it’s because of the prices. A lot of people are on fixed incomes. I mean, a cheeseburger, fries and a drink is $5.25. We’re cheaper than McDonald’s with better food.”

The bill:

Two eggs, home fries, toast and coffee: $3.75

Tax and tip: 78 cents

Total: $4.53

Bartender Katie Pastor serves up a piping hot bowl of Polish Peasant soup at Art's Diner on West Boylston Street in Woowoo.

Art’s Diner on West Boylston Street, a blink-and-you-miss-it bar almost across the street from The Halloween Outlet, used to have a good 300 or so bras tacked to its ceiling inside. They’re not up anymore, as fire marshals made them clear them out shortly after the devastating Rhode Island fire at The Station nightclub a few years ago. But that’s the kind of place it is: a place where, at some point, you may have been compelled to donate your bra to the distinguished collection.

With a pool table, arcade game, long dark bar, and a closet of a kitchen, they do not churn out gourmet meals at Art’s. But they do have a sturdy lunchtime menu of sandwiches and soups that people have been gobbling up for years. And for the cheap. We stopped in on a Thursday, and Katie Pastor was behind the bar — she’s there Tuesdays through Fridays. The lunch menu, though, runs every weekday.

The blackboard boasts a bunch of sandwiches (which you can get on wheat, light rye, pumpernickel or a bulkie) that includes meatball and turkey. One of the specials was Polish Peasant Soup ($1.95 a cup, $2.95 a bowl). Loughlin ordered a bowl, and was quite impressed — particularly for a soup coming out of a closet in a bar.

“It’s almost like a boiled dinner,” Pastor tells us. “It has kielbasa, carrots, celery, onions and cabbage with a nice strong broth.”

Indeed it does. I picked the seafood sandwich special, which comes with potato salad and a pickle, and topped it off with a soda water with lemon. It did the trick for $4.50.

“We’ve had lunches since the original owner [Richard Messina] owned it,” says Pastor. “He just sold the place to Douglas Roy. He’ll keep the lunch menu going. It’s successful. If anything, we’ll be adding to this. Doug cooks all the food. The big sellers are the pastrami, meatball sandwiches, daily soups and chili.”

The bill:

Seafood salad sandwich, pickle, potato salad: $4.50

Soda water with lemon: $1

Tax and tip: $1.15

Total: $6.65

'Celebrity chef' Paula McCarthy, owner of Zia Grill at Scano's on Shrewsbury Street.

Paula McCarthy is one of our city’s “celebrity chefs.” As the owner of Zia Grill at Scano’s (Bakery) on Shrewsbury Street, her blunt, friendly approach to service and cooking has struck a chord with the neighborhood and beyond. Her monthly cooking classes sell out as quickly as she posts them, and her switch from ditching weekly breakfasts to serving dinners has proven a positive move. Her name is McCarthy, but her cooking style is traditional Italian.

“The Italian ladies in the neighborhood couldn’t accept that I cook like I do with the name McCarthy,” she says. “They would ask me about it and I would tell them, ‘Well, I’m legal because my dad is half Italian, but my dad’s mom’s name was Levis, so they were Jewish-Italian people and they didn’t have an Italian name.’ This bothered these ladies so much. They were ladies from the neighborhood who would eat the gravy and bracciole. I called my father a few months ago and said, ‘Dad, what was your grandmother’s maiden name?’ He thinks for a minute and goes, ‘Bacigalupo.’ Thank you. Now, I got the Bacigalupo. It’s all set. The ladies accept it.”

Zia means “aunt” in Italian. The concept for McCarthy for the restaurant, then, is based on the idea of a loving aunt doing your cooking.

“It’s as if you went to her house every time you wanted to,” says McCarthy, “and you didn’t know what she would be making, but you knew it would be good.” The regular menu is basic by design so McCarthy can get as “wacky as I want” with the specials. The best deal on the menu, our waiter tells us, is the three-course Italian dinner, which includes a hefty bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, baked bread from Scano’s, minestrone soup and ricotta pie. It’s $10.

I chose the vegan appetizer for my dinner, as McCarthy’s consciousness of vegan concerns has been raised.

“A vegan enclave discovered the Zia Grill,” she tells us.

The night’s choice is a Piadina Verdure, a dish McCarthy learned about during her trip to Italy last year. Essentially, it’s an Italian quesadilla, containing a cannellini bean pate, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, olives and ciopolene onions on grilled flat bread. We brought our own bottle of wine, got baskets of free bread and water. I made out well for $7.

“I go to bed with a food magazine every night,” says McCarthy, who says she keeps the prices down by doing all the cooking, and much of the shopping is done at local vendors. “I go in the bathtub with the food pages from The Boston Globe. Yes, I’m consumed by food. We won’t talk about what I think about at other times. It’s just food and sex — that’s pretty much all I think about, and it’s mostly food.”

The bill:

Piadina Verdura: $7

Tax and tip: $1.45

Total: $8.45

DAY ONE TOTAL: $19.63

Day 2

Breakfast banana split at Murphy’s Grill.

Murphy’s Grill at 171 Stafford
St. in Worcester (located on the right after you pass Webster Square toward Leicester, passing the row of Vietnamese restaurants, Worcester Bling Bling, tattoo shops, CVS, Blockbuster and Christo’s — another great spot for cheap eats if you don’t care about updated furniture) is a little hut of a place that is part diner, part quaint restaurant. The food — and Loughlin and myself have eaten here quite a few times — is consistently fresh, inventive and reasonably priced. Truly one of those “hidden gems” (neighborhood folks tell us the $6.95 fish and chips dish at Murphy’s is simply the best around, made with real haddock in mammoth portions).

Dolores “Dell” Carey, our lively waitress, helped us with a choice. I got a cup of Joe, and decided on the breakfast banana split, a creamy frenzy of non-fat yogurt, bananas, strawberries, peaches, pineapple, granola and whipped cream.

“The banana split has been here for quite some time,” says owner Ed Murphy, who bought the joint when it was called Sisters about three years ago. “It was a seasonal thing. We typically did it in the summer and then got a lot of requests, so now we serve it year-round. That isn’t my creation. That was already on the menu. The Texas French Toast Foster is mine, though. It’s a really delicious take on the Bananas Foster dessert. We use thick Texas French toast, take butter, brown sugar, bananas and walnuts and caramelize them, we flame it with rum and serve it over the toast and put whipped cream on it.”

The bill:

Breakfast banana split: $4.95

Bottomless coffee: $1.50

Tax and tip: $1.34

Total: $7.79

Brenna Kokoski of Mac's Diner, in her salad days.

We couldn’t have missed Mac’s. It’s almost synonymous with the word “deal” around here. A Shrewsbury Street institution since 1931, it’s reportedly the oldest diner in Worcester and the second-oldest restaurant (beat out by one year by The Wonder Bar up the street), according to owner Chris “Mac” McMahon. It’s had a line of “Macs” owning the Old World Italian restaurant, that has basil growing out back and fresh breads constantly baking in the kitchen. Joseph McMahon opened the boxcar diner in 1931, and his son Paul took over in the early ‘60s, knocking down the original diner and rebuilding it with an outdoor patio lined with flagstone and brick.

“This place is like Mount Rushmore,” says Paul. “It’ll never be complete. There’s always a lot of work to be done.” In fact, five years ago, the patio was closed in.

“It was outdoors, but there were walls,” says Chris, who took over the business recently. “My dad’s uncle had a tile business and he was always getting scrap tile. He put all this flagstone, brick and masonry in. I think it’s the only thing he knows how to use — bricks and cement. They filled in as they went. It was like a trellis. Now that it’s closed in, we get more use out of it that way.”

The lively atmosphere is created not only by the family, but by the employees and regulars who define the place — and the day we stop in, this includes a woman who clutches a large, homemade crucifix, even when she heads to the restroom. Everyone knows her. She blesses us all, as well.

Our waitress, Dee Coleman, has been logging hours at Mac’s off and on for 34 years.

“I love Mac,” she says. “I know his family, his children. I live off Shrewsbury Street. I came here as a child when his father owned the diner. I wasn’t allowed in. Women and children were not allowed in. We’re talking the ‘50s and ‘60s. It was a truck stop, and you know the truck drivers. In those days, we didn’t want to go in a tavern anyway. There were other nice places you could go.”

Now, it’s nice. Mac’s is a BYOB restaurant open for dinner Thursdays through Saturdays from 5-9 p.m. and every day for lunch.

I cave and order a chicken cutlet sandwich, partially because there is no vegetarian choice on the menu — partially because it just sounds delicious. A simple breaded cutlet on bread with mayo, lettuce and tomato, it comes with a bowl of homemade pea soup and a soda (which is self-serve, and there are two liters of Polar on the counter available to pour from) for $4.50. The priciest thing on the lunch menu is $6. Chris says the lunches are great, but dinners are a true bargain — a gourmet-style meal on a budget.

“We have a very basic pasta marinara for $5 up to things such as seafood, steaks and veal dishes for $14.50,” says Chris.

Adds Paul when asked how today’s business compares to the days of yore: “Of course there was less competition. When you have a pie that big and you keep taking slices out, there’s not much left for you. I was a lot better off in the ‘60s when I was doing one third of the gross I am doing now. I lived better then. Those were the times. I used to be able to close all winter and go to Colorado. I’m lucky if I can get away for the weekend now.”

The bill:

Soup-sandwich-and-a-drink special: $4.50

Tax and tip: 94 cents

Total: $5.44

Dishing it at The Pickle Barrel.

The Pickle Barrel on Pleasant Street is also an institution. The food there can be somewhat institutional also, but it’ll feed you well, and is always a bang for the buck. With very little ambience, this large, brightly lit restaurant with a rack of Wonder bread for sale is similar to a small school cafeteria, and attracts many patrons from nearby high-rises as well as the working crowd.

“We get everybody,” says Gus Giannakis, one of the owners. “The mayor comes here. We get people from the courthouse. A lot of judges come here, along with people who are in the cases. It’s good food and a good price.”

Indeed. The extensive menu ranges from a quarter-pound burger and fries for $3.95 to fish and chips for $5.75 to roast beef dinners for $5.95. The day of our visit, they had a baked haddock special, so I tried it. A decent piece of fish, served with a ball of potatoes and canned wax beans, it was satisfying for $6.50. Loughlin called his potted beef dinner for $5.95 “quite good,” and he can be picky. We topped it off with a can of soda for a buck, and a nice conversation with Giannakis and the new waitress Amanda Powers.

“I love the people and I love the business,” says Giannakis, whose family opened The Pickle Barrel in 1974 (prior to that it was Sterling’s Five and Dime). “I do everything here. I do anything that needs to be done.”

The bill:

Baked stuffed haddock, mashed potatoes, beans: $6.50

Diet Coke: $1

Tax and tip: $1.56

Total: $9.06

DAY TWO TOTAL: $22.29

(oops, we didn’t quite make it)

Day 3

Short-order maestro Arthur Mingos at the Gold Star Restaurant on Gold Star Boulevard.

There’s a guy who’s been eating
at The Gold Star Restaurant on Gold Star Boulevard just about every day (except for when he moved away) for 15 years. And Bob Mault doesn’t live in the neighborhood. He surmises that he must pass a good 11 restaurants on the way, too, from his Rutland home.

“I’ve tried other places,” says Mault on a recent morning, sitting at the bar at The Gold Star. “I come here just about every day. The food, quality and price — it’s just good service. I come here for all different meals, but at least once a day.”

One thing he — and many others — come in for is the corned beef hash. Unlike canned hash, this “world famous” dish is a blend of real diced corned beef, lots of potatoes, onions and spices such as oregano. Loughlin said it could almost rival the hash at a place called Star Over Hingham Harbor.

The Gold Star’s an upbeat place. The help, including the waitresses, have been there for years. Ours, Jennifer Adams, is going on her ninth year and Mary O’Day has been serving up coffees for 13 (she was even our “cover girl” once).

“Everyone is just good here, you know,” says Adams.

There are some remarkable specials at The Gold Star. I got the one with two eggs, a choice of two pancakes or French toast or waffles, toast and coffee. I never understood the thought pattern of putting toast with French toast — it’s the same reason I question the bread sticks-with-pizza combination, too, that they offer at Domino’s (how about a salad?). Anyway, it was good, filling, and cheap. And again, the vibe at The Gold Star is untouchable.

“Everything is fresh here,” says Adams. We have daily specials, and it’s usually what Spiro [Manalatos, the owner] picks. He’s owned it for 16 years. Everyone who is here has been here forever.”

The bill:

Two eggs, two French toast, raisin toast and bottomless coffee: $2.95

Tax and tip: 62 cents

Total: $3.57

Iwona Gago (left) and Diana Bies preparing sandwiches at Tom's International Deli at 118 Water Street.

It’s pretty easy for us to run across the street to Tom’s International Deli on Water Street, as Worcester Magazine’s offices are literally a bulkie’s throw away. This staff frequents the place, as it offers a wonderful selection of sandwiches and salads for lunch, as well as interesting European specialties you can pick up for dinner later.

Open since 1969, Tom’s helped define a street that was largely made up of Jewish bakeries and delis. Tom’s, Widoff’s and Weintraub’s, are the few pillars from history that now merge with a new culture that includes the Blackstone Tap, 86 Winter and Blu. Part grocery store, part deli and part bakery, Chris Barcikowski and his family took over the place in December of last year.

“We have a lot of European specialties we sell — Polish, German, Turkish,” says Barcikowski, “so it’s a lot of stuff you don’t find in your everyday market. We have a lot of homemade products and cold cuts. My father goes to New York every Wednesday to get fresh cold cuts, specialty stuff and cakes.”

Barcikowski says one of the better specials is the “lunchbox special,” which includes a full-sized grinder, bag of chips and 20-ounce soda for $5.99. There’s also a specials board that boasts a few sandwiches and side orders, as well as soups. A pile of club sandwiches sit pre-made throughout the day, too, for only $1.99.

I got the combo special, a delectable corned beef sandwich, chips and a diet coke. It sat in my stomach like a wonderful rock. I felt guilty, but ... yummo.

The bill:

Lunch special (sandwich, chips, soda) - $4.99

Tax: 75 cents

Total: $5.74

Dinner being prepared in the tiny Da Lat kitchen.

Frequent diners are constantly raving about Da Lat on Park Ave. as one of the best Asian (Vietnamese) restaurants around — and a restaurant that fits the college-style wallet.

“Mostly we keep our prices low because of the students,” says owner John Le. “We cater to students. It used to be a little cheaper than it is, actually, but everything has gone up so we went up a little bit.”

Da Lat may have all the ambience of a local pizza place, but the food contradicts its surroundings, concentrating on fresh, healthy, traditional Vietnamese-style cooking. Le’s family took over the restaurant in 1995 when they came from Boston, where they had been working for a restaurant in Chinatown. It was long before the local boom in the Vietnamese population, which resulted (especially recently) in a boom in Vietnamese restaurants. Many still argue that Da Lat’s the best.

“Well, that’s the way they do business,” explains Le. “[The Vietnamese people] don’t know what to do, so if they see you do well, they try to do it as well. I don’t know the exact number, but Worcester has the second biggest community of Vietnamese, second to Boston.”

Back in his country (his family moved to the United States in 1990), Le says everyone knows how to cook. It’s simply a way of life. What makes Da Lat a perennial favorite, he thinks, is the fact that his chef has remained consistent.

“As long as the main chef is here, that’s it,” he says. “The rest is secondary. This food is very traditional. It’s strictly Vietnamese and no mix. The dishes we prepare with fresh vegetables. We don’t keep overnight vegetables. We go every morning and pick them out. There is no fat because we use vegetable oil, and rice you can’t go wrong with.”

You really can’t go wrong at Da Lat. We’ve had a few meals here (which, by the way, is BYOB to keep the price down), and this one was equally enjoyable. I chose a “Do Chay” (vegetarian) style dish — yes my conscience is attacking me again — called Dau Hu Xao Cari. It contained firm sautéed tofu tossed with curry, scallions, red and green peppers, and was served over white rice. It was tasty, but quite spicy, as my face felt like it would burst into flames by the last bite — and I mean that in the best way possible. I cooled it down with a delicious glass of “Soda Chanh,” which is fresh lemonade and soda. Da Lat is also known for its fine selection of Boba drinks, which you ironically can order with or without the Boba.

The bill:

Dau Hu Xao Cari and rice: $5.95

Soda Chanh: $2

Tax and tip: $1.66

Total: $9.61

DAY THREE TOTAL: $18.92 o

Charlene Arsenault may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .