Monday, April 25, 2011

New Peking - @@@@@

I normally do not blog about local eateries, however felt that this was an exception to the rule. Those following the current favorites link on the right sidebar know that I feel this place has my favorite pork chops. So when meeting a friend for lunch on Friday, April 8 we decided to go here as it was centrally located for both of us.


Naturally I ordered the pork chops. They are thin-cut and lightly breaded in what I assume is corn starch or flour and then wok fried. They are also mixed with a combination of garlic, jalapenos, and peppers. The resulting taste is amazing as they all mix together while the hot oil still barely covering the fried pork chop enhances the flavor. The portion is also large so that results in leftovers for late-night snacking. Interestingly enough when I eat the leftovers I generally do not heat them up. The medley of peppers and garlic seem to get stronger as it ages and the breaded pork chops are still tasty cold.

I would definitely recommend New Peking for the person that wants to try some Chinese that is not the usual popular Cantonese style. The addition of the spices and jalapenos give this food an extra kick that may surprise those used to the more traditionally thought of Chinese food. Clear 5 of 5 rating for the pork chops meal.


colors alone should indicate the amount of flavor this dish has
  
29105 Ford Rd
Garden City, MI 48135

Five Guys - @@

Wednesday, April 6 we went to Five Guys, the hamburger chain best known for filling your take out bag with fries regardless of the size you order.  No picture was taken here due to the limited amount of room at the table especially with half of the fries still in the bag.  I do not like this mainly because I dont like the fries.  If the fries were better, I would love packing the fries into the bag.  But the fries are thicker cut with the skin on still and fried in peanut oil I think.  I would prefer vegetable oil as I just think the peanut oil gives it a stranger flavor.  The cheeseburger was ok, nothing special.  I also got a bacon wrapped hot dog that was not as good as I was picturing.  Give me a coney dog anyday.

While the food was passable, I still have to give this a 2 of 5.  Normally I would go for the 3 because it was standard, but got it got knocked down because 1) mass quantity of not good fries does not make them better and 2) dinner should not be at a fast food spot.  I am definitely biased in the fact that I want to have dinner at a place that serves you rather than go up to the counter after a long day at work.  I equate the counter with lunch spots.  I am sure there are exceptions to this rule, but I am not making one for Five Guys.

1080 Fall River Ave
Seekonk, MA 02771

Red Stripe - @@@

On Tuesday, April 5, we went to Red Stripe in the Wayland Square section of Providence. I had read good things online about this restaurant being that it was local and reasonably priced. Walking in, it was a nice place that had a neighborhoody feel. It was not too big of an eating area and had an exposed kitchen.

While looking through the menu, I noticed an interesting sounding side item…a “slow cooked giant 14 oz veal & beef meatball”! I had to try it even though it seemed like a side for the pasta. I asked for the meatball with a little red sauce as an appetizer after getting confirmation from a few others that they would help eat it. The server said he has never had that request before which I found quite amusing. When it came out, it was large, but not nearly as large as I was picturing. While sharing it, I definitely could’ve eaten it all. It was good with the meat mixed well giving it a light feel. Perhaps that is why I felt like it wasn’t filling me up as much due to the combination of meats.

For my entrĂ©e, I ordered the Red Stripe shepherds pie. It was their take on the traditional English dish, except instead of beef they used Long Island duck confit. It sounded quite exotic as it was also mixed with peas, corn, mashed potatoes and a demi-glaze. After ordering the meatball, the server indicated that I would “definitely have left-overs” so that was also a good thing. When it came out, the shepherds pie was served in an individual cast iron skillet. I liked this as it 1) kept the food warm throughout the meal and 2) ensured it was prepared individually as opposed to a large pan of food. There was also a good amount of duck that was layered on the bottom, however it seemed to be lacking that extreme richness that I have associated with duck. The vegetables were mixed throughout and the pie was topped with mashed potatoes in an otherwise similar function to regular shepherds pie. One interesting thing that I noticed was that the filling was not liquidy at all. I am used to the filling being more gravy-like similar to a chicken pot pie. Here it seemed like the filling and potatoes were 2 distinct items that were combined to form the dish. Even with that issue out there, I still finished the normal sized portion easily.

This is the type of place that I like trying out. A local eatery that has some non-typical dishes and not part of the corporate downtown area. The surrounding Wayland Square area also had potential for additional trips back due to its unique eateries and shops such as this one. While giving this place a 3 of 5, I would always choose this over more commercial chains like TGI Fridays and Max & Ermas.



14 oz meatball app - pretty straightforward

unique shepherds pie with shredded duck instead of beef and/or lamb

465 Angell St
Providence, RI 02906

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

La Creperie - NR

After eating at Kartabar, we continued walking the streets of Brown and stumbled across this small creperie that was literally down an alley.  I do not think google maps would find it.  As we passed the trash canisters in the alley, my coworker commented that we were crazy going down there after only seeing a sign on Thayer St pointing down the alley to this place (it was not that far down the alley).  I can not comment on the crepes as I didn't get one even though they smelled pretty good.  I was too full.  Instead I opted for a fruit smoothie that had too much apple juice in it.  The main reason I found this spot blog-worthy was the music they were playing.  I got to listen to 3 tracks of Gang Starr's Moment of Truth while I was waiting for my smoothie.  Full disclosure - the wait wasn't that long; it was just that I wanted to hear more of "Above the Clouds".  I need to dig that cd out of the boxes again.  No rating due to me not trying a crepe.

82 Fones Aly
Providence, RI 02906

Kartabar - @@@@

On Monday, April 4 we went to Kartabar, a restaurant in the campus section of Brown University.  Feeling adventurous after work, we decided to drive over to the "college hill" section of Providence where Brown is to check out the offerings over there.  From what I gathered, the main street in this area is Thayer St with different restaurants and stores branching a few blocks out from Thayer.  Being my main frame of reference is U of M, I would more closely relate Thayer to State St in Ann Arbor.  It is not quite as undergrady as South U but not as dressy as Main St.  Thayer St has the pizza spots (rolled into a cone nonetheless!), burritos, sushi, and various other sit-down restaurants.  Interestingly I noticed quite a few of the sit-down restaurants were Mediterranean-inspired places.  Lamb and hummus were well represented it seemed.  Also talking to the host at Kartabar, most of the area is owned by the same person similarly to Ann Arbor.  After walking the blocks and looking at various menus, we decided on Kartabar mainly because a large party had just emptied into the streets with smiles on their faces.

Kartabar was a restaurant that seemed to turn into a lounge/club?? on weekends and later at night.  It had a cool vibe with some pretty good music going on.  It was more late 90's, early 00's R&B that I havent heard in a while.  There was also a side room that they probably open up on the weekends for the festivities.  I really enjoyed the layout and the music, with the type of interior where you think the entrees are pricey.  To my surprise they were not.  A hamburger was like $7 which seems really cheap even in a college area.  Since it wasnt too busy, I wonder if people have the perception that it is more expensive than it really is.

I ordered the french onion soup as an appetizer that was oozing cheese.  The broth was really good and flavorful, and the onions were cooked down appropriately; nice and carmelized.  This is important since I do not like the strong, crunchy texture of onions.  One interesting take on the soup was the topping of swiss cheese as opposed to the more classic gruyere.  They also used a smaller piece of bread in the soup than the normal large crouton.

For dinner I ordered something that I rarely think of...grilled turkey.  It said it was marinated with garlic, herbs, and white wine.  For some reason all I could think of was the turkey served at Thanksgiving - sliced turkey that was maybe finished on the grill.  This was not what I got at all.  Instead it was 2 large chunks of turkey breast similar to chicken breasts that were cooked on the grill.  It was actually very good.  I am not sure if the marinade made it good or what, but the meat was very tender and juicy.  Cooking it on the grill gave it additional flavor than baking or even pan-searing it seemed.  I was very pleased even though it was not what I was picturing when I ordered it.  It was accompanied with mashed potatoes (so-so) and steamed vegetables which were not overcooked which is all I can ask with steamed veggies.

I thought this place was a great find that we just stumbled across.  The interior and music were cool and the food was surprisingly good as well.  It was a good place to hang out, relax, and get some good, reasonably priced food.  Overall a 4 of 5 and I would definitely go back again.  Reading reviews online, it seems it turns very clubby on the weekend nights, so I would advise if you are going for dinner to go during the week.

not sliced turkey at all

284 Thayer St
Providence, RI 02906
 

Shogun Steak & Seafood - @@@

On Wednesday, March 30 we had an informal team dinner at Shogun, a hibachi-style restaurant down by the airport.  It was informal in the sense that we were working late and everyone just seemed to be hungry at the same time and we decided to go out.  Shogun was an interesting choice since we were all hungry and it was not that close to work.  However some wanted sushi so this was suggested.

I feel that if you have been to one hibachi restaurant, you have been to them all.  Case in point with Shogun.  One interesting "feature" was that the building literally looked like someone's house on the outside, definitely not like a restaurant much less a Japanese one.  But once inside you could see the familiar hibachi grills (there were about 8) with a bar in the back.

I ordered the steak and chicken combo which you may know comes with soup, salad, vegetables, fried rice, and shrimp appetizer.  Soup was a basic miso soup which is always ok.  The salad is pretty straightforward iceberg lettuce, tomato, cabbage and a ginger-orange dressing (I think).  I am not a huge fan of the vegetables just due to the type they use as opposed to how they cook them.  The fried rice is pretty normal as well, however here it was rather moist, which is kind of odd for fried rice.  It was at a hibachi grill though that I learned to add both butter and sesame seeds to mine for added texture and flavor.  Shrimp is what you expect when put on a flat-top.  The steak was a strip steak that they sear off and then cut into cubes.  They also mix in butter to create an extra richness.  It was alright, but since it was cut into cubes, it was cooked more medium than medium-rare.  The chicken was seared and cubed again and cooked off.  It was average in terms of flavor (slight seasoning with salt/pepper and garlic with more butter).

There was also sushi ordered which I tried (spicy tuna plus some other crazy concoctions).  I figured why not try it while it as there.  I notice I take like one bite max so the amount of fish that I taste is minimized.  Is that how you are supposed to eat sushi??  Fried dumplings (goyza) were also ordered as an appetizer which were pretty good.

All told, the experience here was pretty good.  It is always interesting watching the chef in front of you, however there were no key learnings like with the fried rice.  The food was average tasting so I would give this a 3 of 5.  I would go back, but would also want to try other offerings first.  I would also recommend this type of place with a group of people as it is always more comfortable sitting at a table with a bunch of people you know as opposed to half strangers.


76 Jefferson Blvd
Warwick, RI  02888

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Tortilla Flats - @@

Wow, it has been a long time since I have updated this.  Been pretty busy with work but still have been eating!  I went to this restaurant on Monday, March 28 after hearing good things about this place. 

When I walked in, the place was designed like a neighborhood establishment with artifacts on the wall.  Not sure if this was done intentionally like an Applebee's or that is what they grew to add, but it looked pretty neat.  However when seated at a booth, the bench was incredibly uncomfortable!  We are talking 90 degree benches that were all wood, not meant for lounging obviously.  In fact, we asked to be switched to a table where they had more comfortable wood chairs. 

Once settled into the "comfortable" wood chairs at the table, I expected to get some chips and salsa with the drinks.  To my surprise, they had to be ordered as an appetizer.  I thought chips and salsa were always included similarly to bread at Italian restaurants and pitas at Mediteranean restaurants.  Strike 2...

For my main dish, I ordered the Chile Rellenos.  These are green chile's stuffed with meat and lightly fried.  They are then topped with a sauce and served with the traditional beans and rice.  The concept is really good and I was hoping for something that resembled the chile rellenos that I had in Arizona.  I knew they probably wouldnt be as good, but they were only ok.  The meat was not that flavorful and I wished there was some cheese melted on top for extra flavor.

I did order desert here...fried ice cream.  I havent had that in a while and forgot what it tasted like.  Here it did not taste that good as it was too cereal-ly.  The ice cream ball seemed too small for the amount of corn flakes they used so that kind of overpowered the taste.  I think drizzled honey would've went better with it compared to the melted chocolate sauce.

Overall I gave Tortilla Flats a 2 of 5 due to the complaints above.  The seating, chips and salsa, and not so good food would have me try many of the other Mexican restaurants in RI before coming back here.  To be fair, the drinks are supposed to be made stronger than normal so that may be a plus for those that are seeking margaritas.  Otherwise I would head elsewere.

chile rellenos - needs more cheese!





fried ice cream - too little ice cream, too many corn flakes

355 Hope St
Providence, RI  02906

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Camille's - @@@@

On Tuesday the 22nd, we went to Camille's, an Italian restaurant on Federal Hill.  As mentioned previously with Andino's, there are Italian restaurants aplenty on the Hill.  Without knowing which are good, one could walk around and there would be some sort of restaurant with historical significance.  That's what we did.  We literally found parking and walked into the first Italian restaurant we saw.  I did joke to go to the Chinese restaurant on the Hill, but that was not well received...

Camille's is a relatively expensive restaurant and one of the dishes that I was thinking of getting was the daily special (no listed price), so I did not order an appetizer.  The bread and butter provided was better than Andino's and we ate that while waiting for the food.

I ordered the veal porterhouse which also came with parmesan mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli rabe.  Again it was a thick cut veal chop that was presented brilliantly with a 2 green flowers(?) that made it look like antennae.  The veal was ordered medium-rare and it was also cooked correctly, more so again than Andino's.  The veal was tender as expected but also not dry.  The wine sauce reduction also helped to flavor and moisten the meat.  The potatoes were really good as the saltiness of the parmesan helped flavor with the sharpness.  The combination of the oil from the sauteed rabe and reduced sauce helped add to the flavor of the potatoes.  I also thought the rabe was cooked well as it was tender but also had a snap to the stems.  The garlic and oil combination is always a winner too.

I struggled with the rating of this place.  On almost all levels I thought that it was better than Andino's, but not by much.  At least not a whole ranking higher.  I guess if there was ever a time for half rankings this would be it, however the point of no half rankings is to make the decision.  Therefore for this meal, I give it a 4 of 5 due to the direct comparison of Andino's where it won out as well as the overall "niceness" of this place.  It was clearly a more upscale restaurant that may or may not have liked us being so loud with our joking and conversation.  Luckily it was empty enough and rather large so it did not matter.  Overall a good restaurant that I would recommend but at the same time I would try others on the Hill before coming back here.


71 Bradford St
Providence, RI 02903