Dinner at the UXLocale

photograph from UXLocale website

A former colleague from WAM, Elaine Pusateri Cowen, opened a new restaurant in Uxbridge. The restaurant is called The UXLocale at 510 W. Hartford Ave. Locals will recognize the location as the old Haywagon Restaurant.

Himself and I went there Saturday night. I had called earlier to make reservations. I suggest you do, too, because when we arrived there was a wait time of one hour. The place was hopping and Elaine hasn't had her Grand Opening yet. Make reservations, but trust me, if you have to wait, it will be worth it. The bar looked very inviting if you had to wait.

The interior is spacious and at the same time cozy, and rustic. Comfortably casual. Because the grand opening hasn't taken place yet (scheduled for 5. November 2016), I had expected a very limited menu. Surprise! Lots of choices.

We started off with a sausage slider on a freshly baked popover. Heaven. The house salad was real salad, not just a handful of bagged lettuce with carrot and cabbage shreds. And no (nasty) cheese. Himself had the antipasto salad. I took a taste of the prosciutto. Wonderful!

There is also a large wine and beer selection. I can't remember the name of the red wine I had, but it's fruity notes reminded me of the lambrusco my grandma had with her meals.

Elaine had my favorite dish on the menu. Linguni a la vongole, Linguine with clams. Now, truth be told, I'm not big on going out for Italian food. Growing up Italian, I was spoiled by the food I got at home. My mother and grandmother (all the women in the family) were excellent cooks. Ma always made the linguine and clams in red gravy (sauce). Elaine served her version in a white wine sauce. And it was delicious and beautifully presented. Look how gorgeous with the fresh clams in the shell. Don't tell Ma because she used canned clams! (I was too busy eating and enjoying that I didn't take a picture of the dish so I swiped the photograph from Elaine's website. )

Himself had another pasta dish, Papa's Vitamin G. No complaints.

A satisfying slab of chocolate cake ended an enjoyable evening out. That and chatting with my favorite Elaine when she came into the dining room.

There is also a selection of wood-fired pizzas. They looked delicious being brought to other patrons. We'll definitely be making another trip or two back.