For a mid-sized town, Norwood, Mass. sure offers an outstanding variety of restaurants. Located about 10 miles southwest of Boston, many locals opt to dine out in Norwood instead of the big city knowing they can get a great meal — often at a reasonable price — and easily find a parking spot. Some of the dishes I have tasted at Norwood restaurants through the years are so good, I could picture them on the Food Network. Clearly, there are chefs in those kitchens that know what they are doing!

Here are five of those dishes that I highly recommend and  would definitely look great on the Food Network ( I do like chicken as you will see here!)…

Grilled Chicken Wrap from The Juice Bar Norwood

The Juice Bar Norwood (20 Broadway St.) is best known for its delicious healthy drinks but they also make this incredible grilled chicken wrap marinated in pesto, avocado, tomato and mozzarella cheese on a whole wheat tortilla. It’s amply-served with tender chicken and accompanying ingredients that wonderfully blend together. The pride of ownership is off the charts here, too, making it a small business to definitely check out and support.

Eggplant Parm Sub from North End Deli

What an appropriately-named place– this deli could surely find a place in the North End Italian neighborhood of Boston. That it’s tucked away in a nondescript building near the Walpole line makes it a true hidden gem. The folks at North End (445 Walpole St.) Deli take their time crafting subs as well as pasta dishes and other Italian favorites that bring the customer back to another place and time — in the best sense. It’s family-run, in business since 1977 and a small business where everyone seems to know each other. One of my favorite meals here is the eggplant sub. The taste of this sandwich has nothing to do with the quickly-served, house of pizza type of eggplant meals. It is tender with a fabulous homemade sauce and plenty of gooey cheese. Yum!

Crispy Chicken Sandwich Sandwich from SPoT!

The lines can be long at SPoT! (56 Cottage St. E) but there’s a good reason for that as some say they make the best bagels this side of New York City. Newly relocated in a spacious state-of-the-art building, SPoT! also puts those bagels to good use in the form of sandwiches. Case-in-point: the Crispy Chicken sandwich features a giant formation of fried chicken with lettuce on a bagel of your choice. Adding bacon, cheese, tomato, onions and mayo adds up to something that the Food Network, I think, would absolutely love!

Pesto Chicken flatbread from Limey’s Pub

Yes, another grilled chicken sandwich but we just had to include it! Limey’s Pub (659 Washington St.) is one of the better Irish pubs in the area and comes up big-time with this grilled chicken flatbread with fresh mozzarella, spinach, tomato, roasted red pepper and pesto. Plus, the perfectly-formed fries with just enough crunch make the meal that much better

Strawberry Lemonade Italian Ice with Soft Serve Vanilla Ice Cream from Daddy’s Dairy

Daddy’s Dairy (95 Central St.) offers an astonishing 80 flavors of hard ice cream which is great for ice cream fans like you and me. I prefer, however, to order the Strawberry Lemonade Italian Ice with soft serve vanilla ice cream and whipped cream when at Daddy’s Dairy. It’s a huge serving and the mix of flavorful Italian ice with creamy soft serve pleases the tastes buds during consumption and the dreams you have of this gargantuan dessert in between.

I’ll be posting more delicious meals and desserts from Norwood soon. Stay tuned!