RhubarbPudd's Profile
Best Pie in RI?
This is great! Thank you. Schartner Farms it is, as soon as I can get there. I'll report back.
Obscenely Cheap in RI?
Places in Rhode Island that are ridiculously cheap? The kind of place where you wonder how on earth they stay in business. A limited menu is fine, and ambiance matters not a whit. For Parameters, let's say Entrees six dollars or so, and under... or, two people feast on a bunch of little things for under $15 dollars. I mean dirt cheap -- but obviously with tasty eats.
If you've ever been to Evanston, IL, I'm thinking "Pita Inn"-territory. (If you haven't, trust me, and go when you can: divine Greek food, with most things costing $3 or $4.)
Arepas on North Smithfield counts. Where else?
Best Pie in RI?
Sorry for the rhyming title... Where can you buy really great pie in Rhode Island? It can be from a restaurant or a farm stand or a bakery. I actually bought a great pie from Eastside Marketplace a few years ago that was mango and strawberry, a combo I'd never had (but which works!)... but I'm sure there are sublime pies out there that I don't know about. Thanks!
Broadway in Providence seems a hip place to eat
I've only been to Broadway Bistro once, but had a really great meal there and am looking forward to returning. The price point is reasonable (under 20 for entrees) and the menu was really unique: my starter was a chickpea salad with ricotta salata, fried parsley and a scallion dressing... the components worked and it was just really bright and fresh. The grits and ribs app is also fantastic. It's a charming place -- and even though I'm a dessert person, and they don't have a menu (but do give a little bite of something sweet), I don't mind because the savory courses are great.
Mexican in RI?
I'd second the nod to El Rancho Grande on Plainfield: http://www.elranchogranderestaurant.com
My landlord is from Mexico and told me that this was not only very authentic, but that some of the dishes (the homemade mole, for example) would be standouts in Mexico too. I just love this place: friendly service, absolutely delicious, freshly prepared food, and a charming interior. It's also very inexpensive: you can get lots of little things -- three-bite tacos for a buck or two -- or a big order of enchiladas for $10. I love the tacos arabes (spicy pork and pineapple in a chile sauce in a fresh tortilla); the mole is great; the salsa verde is bright with tomatillos and with perfect heat. The only thing I wish they had more of is desserts (they don't have many, and I wish they offered tres leche cake), but overall they're absolutely outstanding. Also, look for a dinner they do on Valentine's Day with all the courses made with chocolate.
Need to buy cocoa powder
Try nutsonline (http://www.nutsonline.com/). I buy dried fruit, snack mixes, and grains from them (quinoa, barley, teff), and although I've only ever purchased one-pound bags, they sell 5-lb and 20-lb orders with the price reduced per pound. They also offer organic products. I've found the quality to be very high, and the prices to be fair. They're a nice company to deal with, too.
I'd also second the nod to Penzey's. I love their cocoa powders, but they do tend to be quite oily, so think about whether you like that in a cocoa.
Top 5 Best restaurants in Rhode Island, Not fancy
Best non-fancy in Providence for my money. By cuisine...
NEW AMERICAN: La Laiterie in Wayland Square (burger and polenta fries!)
runner-up: Broadway Bistro (a more limited menu, but great and unique food)
FRENCH: Chez Pascal's prix fixe menu ($30 for three outstanding courses)
MEXICAN: El Rancho Grande (the one on Plainfield Street)
MIDDLE EASTERN: Shish Kabob (555 Smithfield; no atmosphere but good food)
INDIAN: Rasoi or Kabob and Curry or Not Just Snacks (Rasoi's my favorite, but you can't go wrong with any of these)
One night in Pawtucket/Providence: a chow-ish fave? NewRivers, Cafe Nuovo, Gracie's, Bway Bistro, Hemenways, ...?
Those are all good choices, but they are very different in terms of vibe and cuisine: New Rivers is delicate, refined, and elegant: their food is incredibly high quality ingredients to which very little is done. When I was there a few months ago, I had perfectly cooked vegetables (each one to ideal doneness) and I remember tiny delicate little cookies at the end. It was lovely and feminine and more refined than I tend to like. It was good; it just didn't move me. La Laiterie is a bit raunchier; and I mean that in a very good way -- it's my favorite restaurant in Rhode Island, by far. The food is exciting: the last time I was there I had an app of chicken cracklins with an aioli malt sauce. The burgers are juicy and the polenta fries eye-rollingly good, and the flavors are huge and bold and vibrant. The desserts are less pristine and delicate than at New Rivers, and more satisfyingly comfort food-y. Broadway Bistro is more like La Laiterie in spirit, and has excellent food (though it's more fusion-y), but you should know it doesn't serve dessert (you end your meal with tiny little bits of something: a complimentary chocolate truffle or a small bite or two of pudding). When I went recently, I was struck by the vibrant flavors (sesame ribs and cheesy grits as an app; yes, it works) and interesting combinations (e.g. fried parsley on chickpeas and cucumbers and ricotta salata in a scallion dressing). Some reviewers say there's too much going on on each plate there, but I really enjoyed our meal. Both La Laiterie and B.Bistro are reasonably priced for the quality of food, and New Rivers is a bit higher (as is Gracie's). Correspondingly, the former are more casual and a bit noisier (esp. La Lait, which doesn't take reservations and fills up quickly and densely); the latter two are more refined, darker lighting, quieter. You'll have good meals at all of them, but it just depends on what you like. Enjoy!
Great Cookies in Rhode Island?
When I want a great cookie, I tend to travel as far as my tiny kitchen on the East Side of Providence where tiny chocolate chip minis, crackly ginger fats, and chunky oatmeal-coconut cookies can often be found. If, however, I want something Rabelaisian, I head out to grab one of the platter-sized cookies from Meeting Street Cafe. They're satisfyingly large and don't suffer for it (they're not dry or cakey), but I still wonder: who has the very best cookies in Rhode Island? I'm thinking of delicate shortbreads, or interesting flavor combinations or especially chewy textures, even savory cheese cookies or biscotti that might convince me I like biscotti (a hard sell...).
So: Where are the cookies that can beat good homemade ones?
scrumptious under $10 -- in/around Providence
This is an old thread, but a timeless topic! Because of the original responses, I went today to two of the recommended places on Smithfield Ave: Shish Kabob (555 Smithfield) and La Arepa (574 Smithfield). Let me add to the chorus of praises for these places. They were both in business; inexpensive; and delicious! At Shish Kabob, we had a succulent lamb kabob with a cinnamon-flavored pilaf; fried kibbeh with pine nuts and ground spiced beef; and grilled meat-and-tomato breads (Lachmanjan) with a creamy hummus. All this with warmed, thin pita -- a feast for two hungerers -- came to $18. This is the kind of place that makes one smile: it's just a (very nice) man and a huge grill and a big fridge with marinated meats. It has little atmosphere, but great food, and you know that you're paying for what really counts.
La Arepa sells small corn cakes stuffed with various meats, cheese, beans, and/or avocado, all for about four or five dollars; today, we tried their basic corn cakes stuffed with spicy shredded chicken, which played nicely against the thick corn cake, sweet with a fresh clean white corn taste. I took a plain one home too to slather with honey. We'll definitely be back to this stretch of Pawtucket; as other posters have noted, there's a pork pie place and a bakery on the same street within a few blocks, so you can make an entire afternoon of great eating.
So, many thanks to those who recommended Shish Kabob and La Arepa -- they were as fabulous as promised!
To continue the discussion of under-$10 haunts in Rhode Island, my personal favorites include Rancho Grande (on Plainfield Street; praised in other chow threads); Hope Street Pizza (which has a pink-sauce pasta that is surprisingly delicate); the Modern Diner (especially in the fall, when they stuff everything with mascarpone and pumpkin); Spike's (for incredibly good hot dogs, and a reminder that the bun is important too); LJ's for honey fried chicken; take-out samosas and pakoras from Not Just Snacks on Hope... yum.
Finally, one of the better places to find under-$10 goods... or, frankly, under-$5 goods: the winter farmer's market in Pawtucket. (It runs from April to November and is a fabulous place to grab bread, cheese, hardier vegetables, chocolates, pesto, etc.) The panini sandwiches from Farmstead (usually something like a spicy mustard, sliced apple or prosciutto and a sharp cheddar) are a steal at five bucks -- I spend a lot more at their downtown sandwich place -- and the Jamaican and Indian booths are great places to grab yummy and filling grub (especially the super-spicy potato patties at the latter).
