sprinklez's Profile
Prov. Rest. Week
opa was a disappointment. there were 3 of us and we did the restaurant week menu which is mainly lebanese. basically, they brought out many plates of food to be shared between the 3 of us. i enjoyed the lesuirely pace of the meal and most of the plates were good but i didn't think the meal was comparable in value to a gracies or chez pascal. the plates were mainly hummus or grilled vegetables with garlic sauce. my favorite plate was this fried piece of fish. it was great -- except that there was only 1 small filet of fish to be shared among the 3 of us. the entree portion was good (grilled meatballs, lamb, steak, and chicken) but the meats were dry. the desserts were the most disappointing. a slice of tiramisu and 3 pieces of baklava to be shared between 3. the baklava at east side pockets is significantly better than the ones offered at opa
i left feeling like i was tricked. i don't think a family style meal for 3 in which most of the plates were shared is worth $100
Prov. Rest. Week
i'm still unable to check out the menus! none of the links work! this is so rhode island to have this great event but then screw up on a basic necessity such as knowing what each restaurant has to offer. anyway anyone know of an alternative to finding out the menus?
providence restaurant week 2009
http://www.goprovidence.com/RestaurantWeek/
none of the links works! what gives?! anyone know where else I can find the menus?
thanks
Restaurants near Pawtucket?
for vietnamese, there is pho horn on north main st between the border of providence and pawtucket. it's hidden in this plaza that doesn't have a lot of things going on. but the food is great and cheap. its right before north main st turns into main st in pawtucket.
Asian Market in Providence?
oh there are so many asian markets in providence! my favorite is sunny market on reservoir ave. it's cambodian and there's even a seafood market next door. the produce is dirt cheap. another fav is on broad st next to pho paradise and mcdonalds. i forgot the name though. the only problem with this one is that they only take cash. actually if you just drive down broad st and elmwood ave, you'll see many asian markets.
asiana is more korean/japanese and quite frankly, i think it's too pricey for basic asian staples.. i prefer southeast asian markets more.
ISO good asian in Providence
hey i tried to go there a few sundays ago and they were closed! my bf thought i was imagining things. glad to see they're still open and will give them another try.
Where can I find live blue crabs?
i dont know where you're located but ive had good luck getting live blue crabs at asian markets. I dont know if they're currently in season, but generally, you can call around a few places and ask before hand.
Lao Sze Chuan - Could there be authentic Chinese sit-down in Milford CT?
actually hot pot is kinda like a savory fondue except the base is a broth and not cheese. so you choose whichever soup base you'd like and order what kind of meat/veggies you'd like. they bring out the meat/veggies on platters and you cook the meat/veggies in the broth. i havent had hot pot at this new place but asian hot pot in general is always a fun, interactive, and delicious meal.
btw, stomach or tripe is delicious in hot pot. the tripe is a good carrier or flavors. ive never had pork ears in hot pot but ive had them braised -- very good.
Thai grocery
i'm assuming you're in southern ct? i'm not sure about the milford/stratford area, but there are numerous cambodian grocery stores in bridgeport where you can find everything you're looking for. check out pursat supermarket on maplewood ave in bridgeport
"Fresh" Seafood near Hartford, CT
why does that mean that the seafood isn't fresh? head on shrimp is probably less processed than headless shrimp. anyway, when i lived in hartford, i bought a lot of seafood from apple tree on new park rd and adong asian market on new britain ave. the seafood is probably not yuppie quality, but the prices are reasonable and i never had a problem with freshness.
Avoid Cafe L'Elizabeth's in Providence
wow that is pretty ridiculous. I would've been so pissed! Yeah you should always be wary when a menu doesn't list the prices. Thanks for the warning; I'd definitely avoid this place. Listen up restauranteurs, it is not ok to charge that much for a can of soda! That's like a 1000% mark up.
Providence Restaurant Week 2008
see my review of aspire.. i managed to squeeze in another restaurant week dinner in... i'm stuffed!
Comments on Aspire in Providence?
I went to Aspire last night for restaurant week. The decor is absolutely gorgeous with lush colors and giant chandeliers. The food is typical restaurant fare. I didn't get a look at the regular menu prices but I'm assuming entrees are in the mid-20s. the bar is beautiful and seems like a fun place to get drinks.
I had the ceasar salad which is the best I've ever had. Their croutons were garlicky and not too hard. My bf got the fried calamari which was also pretty good. The portions were huge -- we were kinda full just from eating the starters. We both got the steak frites which came with fries and a side salad. I wasn't too keen on the sauce; it was just too sweet for me. I like my steak simple and unadorned so other people might have liked the sauce. The salad was arugula with shaved fennel and was my favorite part of the dish. The fries were ok. For dessert, I had the creme brulee while my bf got the fourless chocolate ganache tort. the desserts were mediocre in my opinion. if i had to go back, i'd probably just hang out at the bar and grab a ceasar salad.
Providence Restaurant Week 2008
gracie's was great!
we all got the gnocci to start.. the dish reminded me of that comforting feeling you get when you have soup on a cold wintry night... im being over dramatic =)
then we had the duck breast as our entree.. it wasn't bad although i wish the duck skin was crisper. my friend had duck for the first time and she enjoyed it
for dessert, i had the short cake with plums and a sabayon sauce. my friend got creme brulee and my other friend got the banana marscopone cake. we all enjoyed our desserts
what i really appreciated about gracie's was their excellent service and attention to details. we were given an amuse bouche of watermelon and pickled jicama prior to our starter. after our starter, we were given blackberry sorbet to cleanse our palate before our entree and after dessert, we were given these star tart cookies. it was a good experience overall . we definitely wouldn't be able to afford gracie's if it wasn't for restaurant week!
on to CAV tomorrow...
Providence Restaurant Week 2008
we are going to gracie's tonight, CAV on thurs. and new rivers on tues. New River's is incredibly small but I'm surprised to hear about the service. Their food is worth it though. I think you should give them a second chance. chez pascal's food and service are always impeccable to me; ive never had a bad time there.
Crab Leg Craving
oh the nordic lodge! went there in the beginning of may for my birthday. it is this scandinavian style seafood buffet. you basically pay $75 (includes non alcoholic drinks and all taxes and gratuities) for all you can eat lobsters (whole lobsters... as much as you want), crab legs, oysters, clams on the half shell, steaks, many varieties of desserts including chocolate covered strawberries. the idea is ingenious. but do not attempt to eat your money's worth as i did. i was very ambitious and ended up stuffing myself and not really enjoying my meal. you will end up in a lot of pain. it's an interesting experience that everyone should try at least once.
Update? Cambodian on Wickenden in Providence
im obsessed with their green curry! you can really taste the lemon grass and coconut milk in the curry. very complex flavors
Amherst Chow
So my friends and I are heading to our 5 year college reunion at Amherst during the upcoming memorial day weekend. We are looking to visit our old "haunts" like the Freshside, HOT, Flavors, and Pasta E Basta. Before we psyche ourselves too much- do these places still exist? I want to prepare myself for any potential disappointment..
And are there new chow-worthy places to try in Amherst?
Dining in Providence...
check out garden grill on the providence/pawtucket line on the east side.. a few of my friends are vegetarian and they love that place.. i've had a few of their entrees and i liked them even as an omnivore. rasoi (right next door) has a vegetarian brunch buffet on the weekend.. dont know if you like indian but it is mighty delicious
Just Moved to Providence RI...LOST
for sushi, i prefer tokyo.. it's not as "pretty" as haruki but less expensive and I think they have a more diverse menu.. Although my absolute favorite dish there is the grilled hamachi collar... I'm drooling just thinking about it!
Indian: hands down rasoi or kabob and curry. don't waste your time at India.. it's a nice place to have a drink, but the food is just awful. not just snacks is interesting but for what you pay for "snacks", you can get a meal at the above mentioned places
Burgers: I hear so much about the burger at laterie but haven't had it myself. I like the burgers at LJ's.. it's a barbeque place but you can get a nice traditional burger with a beer
Chicken wings: i love the angkorean wings at angkor on wickenden... they're peanutty and marinated in some sort of lemon grass mixture.. very delish
you can get your mussels fix at red stripe
happy eating!
Prov RI Horn Toot: El Rancho Grande
I tried to go there on May 3rd just to check it out.. but totally forgot that it was Cinco de Mayo weekend.. the place was packed and we didn't feel like waiting for an hour.. plus there was a mariachi band and the atmosphere just seemed too chaotic.. so we drove back to westminister and went to la lupita instead.. this place has "tacos" in neon signs.. the place was cafetaria style and we were the only non-spanish speaking crowd.. definitely a no frills kind of place.. btu the three of us were full and happy for only $15 total.. we each got beef tongue and tripe tacos, we shared some chicharones, a tamale, nachos, and grapefruit soda.
however, given the overall positive words to rancho grande, i will have to check it out. i just hope that it's not food catered to the hipster crowd
My first visit to Chez Pascal
chez p. is my absolute favorite place in pvd! they also operate a hot dog cart during warm days at the park across from the restaurant.. anybody tried the hot dogs yet? i hear they have interesting condiments and toppings.
Providence/Pawtucket and pizza delivery
i live on the prov/pawtucket line too and let me say how frustrating it is when a pizza place (ahem fellini's!!) wont deliver to you because you live a block away from the providence line... especially when you absolutely love their artichokes pizza .. but i digress.. we order from city line pizza which is on pawtucket ave/north main st and the pizza is decent. it's not as good as fellini's but it does the trick
Update? Cambodian on Wickenden in Providence
it is hard to distinguish what is authentically cambodian because the southeast asian countries are pretty similar in culture so many dishes and flavors are similar. But you will get a good approximation at Angkor. I would have to say it is pretty authentic although I wish the menu was bigger and had less noodle dishes and more family style dishes. They do have whole fried fish which I haven't had but it looks pretty good. My favorite thing there is the street noodles which has a creamy spicy flavor. My boyfriend had the pad thai (pad thai is actually a southeast asian dish and not necessarily exclusively thai) and it is probably one of the best pad thai I've ever tasted. There is a smokiness and nuttiness flavor to their pad thai that I haven't encountered at other southeast asian restaurants in Prov. Their angkorean chicken wings are also pretty good (peanuty and coconuty). I say overall, the flavors to the food at Angkor is more precise and intense than the food at say any of the Apsaras. They seem more invested in putting out great dishes (quality) over quantity like the Apsaras. They're also BYOB and they give complimentary dessert that might seem unusual to someone who isn't familiar. The last dessert I had there was this sweet rice pudding with agar and black beans. Sounds pretty gross by the description, but it was pretty good and a nice capper to a meal. I really appreciate these little touches at Angkor and because of that, I want them to succeed and do well.
newport restaurant week - apr 6-12
http://www.gonewportrestaurantweek.com/
I don't know anything about the Newport dining scene.. which restaurants are worth trying?
participating restaurants: http://www.gonewportrestaurantweek.com/ViewRestaurants.aspx
New Haven area rec for a nosh and chat
DO NOT go to the Blue Pearl. Unless you want to spend like 4 hrs "eating" when really you're starving cause the fondue you ordered is not filling enough (even though the waitress assured you that it is)
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/454567 (a more extensive review)
La Arepa - Pawtucket
oh i love this place! they tend to overstuff their arepas with waayyy too much meat to eat in 1 serving so i normally order an extra arepa so i end up with 2 stuffed arepas at a discount price. my favorite to get is the pernil (pork shoulder) with avocado.. plus the people are so nice there that you just want them to do well
Must Eats - West Hartford, CT - 24-Hour Stay
the only thing i miss about hartford is the food!
anyway these were all mentioned but i wanted to second their recommendations:
- beef tongue and beef cheek tacos at monte albans (lengua and barbacoa).. they are really delicious.. but stay away from puerto vallarta. you might want to go there cause it seems like a lot of people go there, but really its not worth it. it's just mexican food with tons of cheese on top. go to monte albans instead
- a gyro at tangiers. really outstanding
- Shish Kabob House in west hartford center. get the beef tenderloin kabobs with some spinach rice and the eggplant side. it's amazing. the eggplant is creamy and tangy. the kabobs are smokey and flavorful. i have yet to find and afghani place elsewhere and im craving it!
this is an additional rec:
- brazil pizza and grill on park st. it's a brazilian charascuria (sp?) that is cafetaria style. the side dishes arent that good but the meats cooking on the firespit are amazing. make sure you tell them "red" when they're slicing up the meat for you so you can get the medium rare pieces and not the super cooked parts.
- if you're adventurous/with a lot of people/packing heat, i'd suggest goign to frog hollow to any of the puerto rican restaurants and getting some mofongo (a delicious concoction of mashed plantains and meats).. i say this because i was kinda harassed when i was at the mercado for lunch once. it was kinda scary!
happy eating!
