Tomato Soup

The Liberty Elm Diner

The Liberty Elm is another one of those places (of many) that I have been wanting to get to ever since it has opened- and ever since I've seen pictures of its delicious food popping up on flickr all the time!

We managed to get there on a Sunday morning- and JUST beat the morning rush. We were seated promptly at a booth at the window, but had to wait a while to get served. If you're going anywhere for a Sunday brunch (especially any place small that fits a couple dozen or so people) you just have to be willing to make it leisurely. And we were, as long as we had some coffee sitting in front of us. Sunday's, while a crapshoot on the wait, are a great place at The Liberty Elm because they have a live bluegrass band that rocks all afternoon.

I was actually in the mood for lunch when we arrived, so I had a bowl of their vegetarian lentil soup that they serve with foccacia (they have two soups that change daily- a veggie and a meat):

And a beautiful slice of veggie pizza:

I really liked the consistency of the soup. Sometimes, lentil soups can be really thick and heavy (which is not what I'm usually looking for in the middle of the day) but this was brothy and light. I do think it needed a little more spice, but other than that, it hit the spot on the cold rainy day. The pizza was fantastic. The crust was hearty, but not too thick and doughy, the sauce was very flavorful and the taste of fresh tomatoes was apparent, and there was the perfect amount of cheese. It was a great compliment to my soup.

Andy felt like breakfast so he had a ham, cheese, and broccoli omelette and a side pancake:

Andy thought the omelette was just average. Everything- including the toast- came out pretty soggy, but, in Andy's words "I don't want to be unnecessarily negative, it just wasn't my style. I like my omelette to be a little bit crispier." But the pancake, we both agreed, was excellent. It was fluffy, not to heavy, and served nice and piping hot. Next time, I think I'm going to order a big stack of them!

Sawaddee

I've been to Sawaddee before. But, it was long enough ago that it was before this blog existed (about a year and a half!) so I decided that it was probably time to return, especially because I remembered that their pad thai was some of the best I'd had in Rhode Island.

The great thing about Sawaddee, besides the fact that the food is good, is that it is also BYOB. The bad thing about Sawaddee is the ambiance. Andy and I always feel like we are walking in on a family dinner in a cramped dining room whenever we enter the place- it's really that small. It's also a little tired and shabby looking, with bad lighting, so it is definitely not a place to go for atmosphere.

We started with the chicken Sa-Tae with peanut sauce:

The peanut sauce was amazing, but the chicken wasn't char-grilled enough to our liking. It was tender, for sure, but the outside was lacking the crispiness that usually makes this dish.

For our mains, Andy and I went with our favorites. He got the chicken Red Curry:

And I got the shrimp Pad Thai:

The Pad Thai was as good as I remembered, and still deserves my vote for best in Rhode Island. The noodles were flavored perfectly, without being too sticky, heavy, and gooey. The shrimp were huge and fresh, and the portion size was great (and only $7.95)!

However, the Red Curry didn't receive the same review. The flavor was there, yes- the chilies, the lemongrass, the coriander- but it was very, very oily (which you can tell from the picture). The oiliness really ruined the texture of the curry, making it too runny, and the flavor from the oil lingered a bit too long on your tongue after a bite. Andy said he wouldn't order it again.

I've said it before, but I really think Providence is lacking in the Thai area. There just aren't any real stand-outs that ever keep me coming back.

The Continental Cafe

A great dinner in Philadelphia was followed the next morning by a great brunch. My sister had offered a recommendation for brunch as well (Morning Glory) but, in our haste to get on the road and back to Providence, we opted for something only a block or so from our hotel- The Continental.

Approaching the restaurant, all we could see was a giant olive perched atop the sign, but as we got closer we could stare inside at the masses of people crowded inside a trendy, brightly colored restaurant. The restaurant is two levels, both with bars situated at the back. Upstairs, where we sat, there were booths and two tops with swinging chairs! But, not only the decor was great- so was my pumpkin waffle:

The waffle was served with vanilla bean butter and real maple syrup, and it was one of the best waffles I've had in a long time. It was crispy on the outside, and soft and airy on the inside. We all agreed that it was unbelievably light and the pumpkin flavor was perfect. It would have been fun to stay in Philadelphia for another night and see The Continental Martini Bar in its true light...but it was definitely worth a stop for brunch.

Monk's

Recently Andy and I made a one-night trip to Philadelphia for a friends birthday. If you only have one night to eat in Philadelphia, where do you go? We needed something casual, inexpensive, and close to our hotel. So I called my sister in France to ask her. She did her undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania and loves Philadelphia so I knew she would have a good answer- Monk's Belgian Café and Beer Emporium. My sister loves the fries, and her husband thinks their burgers are the best he's ever had- so it seemed like an easy decision. It is quite a popular place. We went at 6 o'clock to grab dinner and there was already a 30-45 minute wait. But the wait was worth it, because I had the best mussels I have ever had:

You can't see the broth in this picture, but it was an amazing mixture of  Hoegaarden, fumè, toasted spicy chile de arbol peppers, chervil & garlic that Monk's calls the "Red Light." It was heavenly and I certainly used the roll provided to mop up as much of the broth as possible. But, the broth didn't outshine the wonderful taste of the briny, succulent mussels.

Alongside my huge pot of mussels was a little basket of little fries with Monk's famous bourbon mayonnaise:

These fries were addicting, and you couldn't help grabbing a bunch between your fingertips and dunking them liberally into the bourbon mayo. And all of this delicious food was only $9.95- a pretty great price for a restaurant in the heart of Philadelphia.

One person in our party did order a burger- and between massive bites he made a couple comments about how good it was, but other than that, I can't confirm that they are the best burgers so I'll just have to trust my brother-in-law on that one- especially because if I ever make it back to Monk's, I'll be ordering this beautiful pot of mussels again!

The Blue Elephant, Round 2

About six months ago, Andy and I tried the new breakfast joint on Wickenden, The Blue Elephant. As a summary- we loved the atmosphere, the menu was fun, the service was great, but the food was just okay. I promised to return again after the restaurant had some time to settle in (the first time we went was only two weeks after they had opened). So, last weekend, Andy and I decided it was time for our second brunch at The Blue Elephant.

I had the lox and bagel platter:

The lox were delicious, as was the chive and red onion cream cheese served on the side. But the bagel- presumably the most important element to this brunch platter- was not good at all. It was stale, and even toasted the bagel was tough and tasteless. I do not know where they get their bagels from, but I wish I would have asked so maybe I could have made a suggestion.

Andy had another omelette, but this time he tried the Pollack with sausage, roasted red peppers, red onion, and American cheese:

I didn't actually realize what a colorless plate this was, but the inside of the omelette was certainly prettier. Andy felt the same way about his omelette as I felt about my bagel- some aspects were good, and others fell a little flat. Luckily, brunch at The Blue Elephant isn't a bank breaker- so it is easier to be satisfied with some of the so-so aspects of the meal. All in all, we left feeling the same way as the first time: we loved the atmosphere, the menu was fun, the service was great, but the food was just okay.