Tomato Soup

A Goodbye

Well, I have some news.  Andy and I are going to be moving at the end of June. This sudden upheaval is the reason for the cessation of posts, it's not because I don't love blogging (and food!) anymore!

Therefore, this post is going to be the last from Providence. I may continue blogging from out next destination, but I haven't yet decided...so  I will promise to update on the status of that.

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog over the past year and a half- it had been wonderful being part of the food community and exploring the great restaurant scene of Rhode Island.

But, rest assured, there are plenty of great places to continue to get your RI food fix. Here are some blogs that are well worth a read, and a bookmark!

-The Perfect Pantry

-Stephanie Does

-What Steph Eats

-Providence Palate

-Edible

Lili Marlene's

I'm back! And I know I never mentioned that I was going to be gone, but that's because I fully intended on doing some long-distance blogging. However, that never worked out- because while I was in Atlanta for Passover and vacation, I kept myself pretty busy!

But, no fear, I do have some great posts up my sleeve. First up: Lili Marlene's on Atwells. Andy and I headed there for several reasons. One, because we love Loie Fuller's, the owner of Lili's other restaurant. And two, because we heard from several sources that Lili's had some great, cheap food.

For an appetizer, we split the tomatoes and mozzarella:

It's really not quite tomato season yet, but these tomatoes were pretty good. I also loved the generous slab of mozzarella on top of the tomatoes- often restaurants serve this dish with only a thin slice of mozzarella on top, but Lili's did it right.

Then I had to have the Shrimp Po' Boy. I had heard from my sources that this was the sandwich to get, and they are absolutely correct:

Just like the mozzarella, they did not skimp on the shrimp. You can see it literally pouring out of the sandwich! The shrimp were perfectly fried, and the toppings on the sandwich complimented them well- pickles, herbed mayonnaise. And the fries. Yum. Some people herald these fries as the best in Providence- and while I can't claim that because I'm not a huge fry eater, these were very very good.

Andy had a chicken sandwich which I couldn't snap a good photo of (the restaurant is very dark, and my camera is awful- thankfully I am in the process of buying a new one!) but he liked it, but preferred my po' boy. I really think it is a star of the menu at Lili Marlene's.

While we really enjoyed our food, Andy and I decided that Lili Marlene's is more a place for drinks, and for eating as an after thought, instead of a destination for dinner. Not because the food isn't good, but the ambiance does not lend itself to a weekend meal, especially as the nights get brighter and Lili Marlene's remains shrouded in darkness.

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.

 

Waterplace

Last weekend I went out with a friend, Kelly, for her birthday. The restaurant was her choice, and she had been raving about a salad she had at Waterplace- so she saw this as the perfect opportunity to go back to have it again. As plentiful as they are, I had never been to a Pinelli Marra restaurant before, and Waterplace is their newest endeavor, which opened last summer.

It is a huge place, and when we mentioned that the place looked quite empty, the host confirmed that Waterplace is really a summer destination for diners- they have an impressive three-tiered patio area and a "rooftop" bar/dining area. It's quite impressive that a restaurant group in Providence can afford to have this large of a restaurant situated downtown when most of their revenue is from the summer months.

We started with the Honey Chipotle Calamari with an amazing Scallion Pesto dipping sauce. It was unique and fantastic. Kelly said she's sick of "RI Style" calamari with hot pepper rings, and so she is thrilled when an RI restaurant offers something different. I really enjoy the hot pepper rings, but would order this Honey Chipotle Calamari over RI Style any day.

For our main meal, we both had the salad that Kelly had been talking about. It was a grilled hearts of romaine salad with crumbled goat cheese, slow roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives, toasted soy nuts, and a warm applewood bacon vinaigrette:

The presentation certainly could have been better. While there are a lot of colors on the plate, this looks like a mess with rotted greens. Grilled romaine lettuce is not the most attractive thing, but I'm sure there is a way Waterplace could work with this salad to make it a little more pleasing to the eye- instead of like a heap of whatever is in the kitchen. The scallops also were a little paltry, and were even more dwarfed by the rest of the stuff on the plate. However, it was good. The soy nuts were an interesting addition, but I loved the crunch they added and the subtle nutty flavor. The goat cheese went well with the scallops and the dressing made the whole thing taste like a bacon wrapped scallop.

For dessert we had the espresso chocolate creme bruleé:

It was tasty, and I really enjoyed the strong espresso flavor and the more subtle chocolate. I don't think I would return to Waterplace for the food, but I may be one of their summer patrons to take advantage of their massive patio space for a drink.

Chez Pascal

I hope you're all as excited to read this post as I am to write it, because...I finally went to Chez Pascal! Shortly after moving to Providence, and seeing this unassuming little restaurant nestled off Hope Street, people started telling me how great it was. But, time and money are always of the essence (especially when you are a food writer- why couldn't I pick something cheaper to blog about!?) and there are so many restaurants to try, and so I couldn't find the opportunity. I did make it to the hot dog cart over the summer, and that trip just served to peak my interest.

But, finally, last night Andy and I went for it. I called, made the reservation, and checked the clock all day long until it was time to go. The place inside is adorable- comfortable and warm, but classy. All of the staff are friendly and relaxed. There are no pretensions anywhere at this restaurant.

Andy and I started with the Warm Salad of Red Cabbage, Walnuts and Apples with a Blue Cheese Flan & Pumpkin Seed Oil:

They actually split the salad for us in the kitchen, and Andy doesn't like blue cheese, so I got this beautiful round of blue cheese flan all to myself. I am always surprised when a salad overwhelms me with its deliciousness. I usually like to try other appetizers, and only turn to a salad when I'm afraid of being too full, or nothing particularly strikes me. I chose this salad for the latter reason (I did want the escargots, but Andy would not go for that), and also because the flan and the pumpkin seed oil interested me. And I am very glad I did. For such a simple salad, it packed a lot of wonderfully subtle tastes that worked perfectly together- the light dressing, the creamy (but not too strong or pungent) flan, the sweet apples, and the crunchy walnuts.

After munching on some French bread, our mains arrived. I had the Bomster Scallops with red chili oil, celery root puree, celery salad, and a warm crepe with gruyere and potatoes:

Again, the simplicity of this dish, yet the wonder of the flavors, delighted me. The beautiful, rich flavor of the celery root thrived in the butter sauce, and the crepe added a nice texture and cheesy flavor dimension to the scallops. The scallops were absolute perfection with their crispy seared outsides, and warm buttery insides.

Andy had the Arctic Char with chickpeas:

I honestly wish I had more details to provide about this dish, but Andy can't remember, and Chez Pascal is closed on both Sunday's and Monday's. But, on Tuesday, I plan on calling to gather the details and I will re-post them here! Details aside, this was fantastic. The sweetness of the chickpea salad contrasted with the saltiness of the glaze and the fish brought to mind a Moroccan flavor, and it was very well executed.

And then, dessert. There were two items on the menu that we really wanted to try, and we couldn't bare to get just one. We asked the waiter if it would be an obscene amount of dessert, and he said no- so we trusted him. In reality, it was a lot of dessert. But, admittedly, we ate it all!

We had the Chocolate in 3's which consisted of a  macadamia nut and caramel tart with chocolate chantilly cream, a chocolate molten cake with chestnut ganache, and a chocolate and peanut butter mousse with a feulletine cookie crunch:

And we tried the Pedro Ximénez  poached apple bread and butter pudding with caramelized apple compote and maple ice cream:

Oh my. There are not words enough to describe this wonderful ending to our meal. Everything was delicious. The chocolate and peanut butter mousse, I think, was the winner of the Chocolate in 3's- but I am hopeless in the face of anything with peanut butter and chocolate. I am also an avid fan of chocolate desserts, and rarely order fruit type desserts- but this bread pudding will make me think twice before skipping right to the chocolate desserts. It was moist and perfectly sweet. It wasn't too dense (as some bread puddings can be) and a bite of the pudding, drenched in apple compote and with a spoonful of maple ice cream was perfect harmony.

Throughout the whole meal, I kept asking myself why I waited so long to go to Chez Pascal. Dear readers, you were right in your insistence that I must go. It was one of the best meals I have had in recent memory- it truly trumped some of my more recent fine dining experiences in Providence. As we left, I met one of the owners, Kristin- and I could not stop smiling as I told her how wonderful the meal was. And her reaction made me love Chez Pascal even more- she acted like a brand new restaurant owner, who had heard her first compliment. She was genuinely overjoyed that I enjoyed my meal, and seemed flattered that I would take the time to tell her. I will, absolutely, be returning.

Locally Harvested Food and Drink

I really like that Local 121's sign includes the phrase "Locally Harvested Food and Drink". It makes me happy that the sustainable movement has really taken flight, especially in a small city like Providence that can really mobilize its population. Not too long ago I made my first visit to Local 121, but just for drinks. We were really charmed with the place, so were excited to go back with Andy's mom before the theater on a Saturday night. The dining room is gorgeous (it has a slightly more upscale feel than the bar area, but both feel grand).

Since I loved my hot toddy so much, I had to start with a cocktail again this time around. This time, I chose the Dark and Stormy because I was eager to try the ginger beer:

The ginger beer was fabulous, and the drink was strong- a great combination in my book! For appetizers, Andy and his mom split the Root Crisps with herbed creme fraiche, and I had the Salad of Local Greens with red wine vinaigrette:

This was the perfect starter. It was lightly dressed so the  freshness of the greens really shined. And it was a good thing it was light, because for my main I had the North East Family Farms Grilled Strip Steak:

The steak was covered in a smoked paprika butter, and served with a twice baked potato and wilted swiss chard. It was all good, but not memorable. I thought the greens were over-salted and there was nothing particularly special about the potato, except that a twice baked potato is almost always tasty as long as there is cheese and fluffy potatoes. The steak was done a little rarer than I asked, but Andy didn't mind so he finished the rest of it for me.

Andy has The Local 121 Burger with aged Vermont cheddar:

I had a small bite, and felt the same way Andy did- that it tasted different. That was the best way to describe the meat. I personally didn't care for it, and thought maybe it needed a little more spice, and Andy said there were many other burgers he prefers more.

Andy's mom had the Prima Pasta special of the day which was fettucini with broccolini in a light cream sauce:

She liked it, and thought it was the perfect portion and that it was perfectly sauced- with a hint of red pepper flakes. But while she finished the bowl, she didn't seem 'wowed'- much like Andy and I's reactions.

For dessert we had the Chocolate Tart with house made ginger ice cream:

The ginger ice cream was the best part, and the tart was certainly made with a wonderful quality bittersweet chocolate. But the crust was too dry and flavorless and it made the dessert feel a little less balanced.

There was nothing in the particular flavors, presentations, or offerings that blew me away. In fact, I felt everything was fairly standard and could be easily re-created in my home kitchen for a better price. But that can be true of many dining out experiences, and that isn't to take away from the beautiful decor and my admiration for Local 121's mission. However, I don't think I will be going back for dinner anytime soon. For drinks in the cozy bar, certainly, but there are other restaurants I'd really like to try, or try again, before returning to Local 121.