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 entrée, 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