Riviera Inn - @@@

Well my long awaited 2nd trip to a Portugese restaurant.  If you remember, I went to Madeira a few months ago and came away very impressed with the Portugese cuisine.  The abundance of meat and potatoes made me a fan, but was it a one time thing or a long-term trend?

Riviera Inn is another large Portugese restaurant around the East Providence area.  It seems that all of these restaurants have multiple hidden rooms because throughout the meal there were people going in and out of a door to another room.  These people going in and out were not the same either, they were legit new customers.  It's like they have a secret room for gambling mah-jong style or something like that.

If you recall, last time I started out with the flaming sausage appetizer.  Obviously for comparison reasons I had to get it again.  This time it was a little crunchier on the outside with the casing and a little spicier.  I enjoy both of those characteristics so I will give the slight edge to Riviera on this one.  Again it came out on fire but as an added bonus it was sitting in a pig dish.  How awesome!  The portion was noticeably smaller than Madeira which is another reason Riviera barely beat it out.

Going with the same entree, Portugese steak, I clearly give the edge to Madeira.  If you recall, this dish is steak topped with a slice of ham and sunny-side up eggs smothered in a brownish sauce that is not thick enough to be called gravy.  The meat was thicker, juicier, and more tender at Madeira.  At Riviera, it seemed like the cut was round steak while Madeira used sirlion.  Those that know cuts of meat know instantly the difference, but I realize not everyone will want to be Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York.  Round steak is near the butt of the cow and thus is a heavily worked area which causes the meat to be tougher initially with less fat content.  It is usually cooked slower and in a liquid braise and not conducive to quick high heat like the searing for Portugese steak.  Another bonus side note - my college go to meal was pan fried round steak drizzled with olive oil and pan fried red potatoes.  Or broiled round steak - either way in hindsight it was not the best of meals.  Back to the present, the sauce was not nearly as flavorful at Riviera for reasons I cannot remember now.  I just remember that the sauce was much tastier at Madeira.  The ham and eggs seemed similar at both places.  You still got the dual starches with the rice and fried potatoes, however Riviera was missing the side vegetable as well.

Overall, I think Riviera is a decent enough place for Portugese food, but in no way would I recommend it over Madeira.  This sort of confirms that Madeira really is that good.  Either way, I am a fan of the Portugese meals and will go back to them when I have the chance.  I give Riviera a 3 of 5 and could even go to a 2 when comparing it head to head with Madeira.  Since these are not strict peer rankings, I rank Riviera as an overall decent place.

flaming sausage aka Chourico `a Bombeiro

580 N Broadway
East Providence, RI 02914

Thayer St - Brown University - @@@

One night we decided to go very casual with the dinner and get some pizza in the College Hill area of Providence.  Providence has a few colleges in the area, but the most prestigious is Brown University.  An Ivy League university, it is the 7th oldest in the US established in 1764 (per wikipedia).

First on the list was Toledo Toledo pizza.  Their claim to fame (and the reason we remembered it) was that it served its pizza in a cone.  Yes a cone.  Like an ice cream cone except warm with savory ingredients instead of cold, sweet ingredients.  Reviews on this one were lukewarm at best.  They get points for originality however usability is a bit lacking.  First when they bake/warm it up, they have to have a special contraption to keep it upright.  This is not efficient.  Then they have to have similar stands to keep them held up while you wander over to pick up your order.  Next is a challenging part...eating it.  You can't start too quick or else the hot oil and ingredients will kill your mouth.  So you are stuck holding it or lying it down, which causes ingredients to fall out.  And I am not even going to go into the salad in a cone.  I am guessing after a night at the bars this might be better, but for me on that night I am going with a 2 of 5.

Next was some sweetness at La Creperie where I went for a crepe.  You may remember that I did a quick entry about this place earlier because I stopped by for a smoothie and they were playing Gang Starr.  So I went back to try out a crepe.  Sadly they were not playing memorable music that night, but the Nutella and banana crepe was good enough to remember.  Though not the most sanitary looking building, they got it done with a warm, tasty crepe that was not overpoweringly sweet.  I give it a 3 of 5.  If you can find it in the alleyway, I suggest you give it a try.

To round out the night, I had another slice of pizza at Antonio's which is located across from Toledo Toledo.  Its sign advertised $1 cheese slices, but I went for the chicken pesto.  This pizza was really tasty due to the mass quantities of chicken and flavorful pesto sauce.  Similar to NY style pizzerias, they have the slices cooked and on display and then warm it up when you order it.  I feel this gives the crust that extra crunch and allows the cheese to melt even more.  I did think this pizza was good especially when compared to Toledo Toledo, and will rank it a 4 of 5 as I would definitely go back for more.  I did not try the $1 slice, but if the size of the chicken pesto slice is the same as the cheese, it would definitely be a good value.  Much larger than the Backroom/In-and-Out of former Michigan days.

Overall I like Thayer St.  I have been in the area a couple of times and there are reasonable choices for the late night college crowd.  I also noticed a few sandwich shops and surprisingly a few Mediterranean places.  I think I mentioned it before, but it is a cross of Main St and South U at Michigan with it leaning more towards the South U atmosphere.  Nice area that you can count on for late-night eats.

Toledo Toledo - pizza in a cone

La Creperie - filled with Nutella and bananas

Antonio's

Toledo Toledo Pizza Cone's
257 Thayer St
Providence, RI 02906

La Creperie
82 Fones Aly
Providence, RI 02906

Antonio's
258 Thayer St
Providence, RI 02906

Shula's 347 Grill - @@@@

While in Providence, I did a miny steak challenge with 2 straight nights of steaks.  The first night was Fleming's Steakhouse located in the Westin and the second night was Shula's 347 Grill in the Hilton.  Both were good steaks that I would never refuse, however I preferred Shula's due to the juiciness of the steak and better sides.

Fleming's is a very nice upscale steak chain that has locations across the US.  It is a more traditional steakhouse setting in the fact that it was dimly lit, high booths, and leather seating.  I was looking forward to going because one of my favorite ribeyes was eaten at that very location.  It was a bone-in ribeye cut that was accompanied with sides of creamed spinach and Fleming potatoes which are cheese and cream sliced baked potatoes with a touch of jalepeno.  The steak was cooked on point, but it did not have that great juiciness that I had remembered.  The spinach side was good, but the potatoes were not hot throughout.  They were served in a mini crock similar to a french onion soup bowl, but were barely warm in the middle.

The next night I went to Shula's.  Perhaps because what I was looking for was more casual, but I preferred the interior of Shula's.  It was bright, modern, and had flat panel tvs on the wall showing playoff basketball.  Again ordering the bone-in ribeye, this steak was juicier and more flavorful than the previous night.  Again it was cooked as ordered...medium-rare.  The loaded baked potato was a satisfier and the cole slaw was surprisingly good.  It was a good creamy mixture but still had good crunch to the vegetables.

When ranked against each other, I clearly preferred Shula's over Fleming's.  The quality of food was better and in my situation the ambiance was nicer.  I would equate Fleming's to a date restaurant while Shula's is a spot to hang out at.  I give Shula's 4 of 5 and Fleming's 3 of 5 but either way it is a good steak to get.

Shula's steak

Fleming's
One W Exchange St
Providence, RI 02903

Shula's
21 Atwells Ave
Providence, RI 02903
  

Tito's Cantina - @

This blog will be short because I do not want to rehash previous lessons learned.  I have gone to a few "Mexican" restaurants while in the Providence area and did not care for them.  I got a recommendation to try another that was close to the office and a bunch of us went there to try it.

To start with our appetizer, we ordered a sampler and we got a bunch of fried items that seemed to come from the grocery store.  Jalapeno poppers, fried cheese, wings, and one other forgettable item was presented.  The only defense is they are a Mexican restaurant, but still...

For dinner I got the beef enchiladas.  I wanted to try the verde enchiladas or something like that but the server recommended the beef ones instead.  Totally marginal choice.  Food was uninspiring looking when presented and takes the term "homemade" seriously.  I think I could've cooked it at home.  No memorable seasoning flavor, small portions, and slow service are not the ingredients for a good restaurant.

Unfortunately giving this place a 1 of 5 for the reasons above.  I didn't want to try desert here and if I remember correctly ran over to the Cheesecake Factory when I got back to the hotel.  With so many other good restaurants and cuisines in the area, I don't think I will be going back to another Mexican place if it is my choice.

1379 Fall River Ave
Seekonk, MA 02771
 

Ivy Tavern - @@@@

Went to a casual bar-ish restaurant called Ivy Tavern in Providence one night due to good reviews online that indicated their burger was great.  I wasn't expecting too much as I heard about Lili Marlene's at the same place and I thought their hamburgers were just average.

Walking in was your typical neighborhood spot that I would compare to The Brown Jug, perhaps a little smaller.  Basic seating, few tvs, and just people hanging out.  Good atmosphere perhaps enhanced with the Celtics-Heat game on (yes, still way behind on blogs).

To start had some roasted (I think) feta cheese appetizer that was pretty good.  Just a piece of feta that was seasoned with herbs and a very mild spread I believe based with olives.  Spreading it on bread points was a tasty way to kick off the meal.

For dinner, I had to order the burger since that is what they are known for.  I also opted for the bonus of bacon and chili since the menu claimed the chili was "famous" or "award winning" or some other fairly generic adjective that every restaurant can claim.  Fry selection was regular or garlic...hmmm I'll go with the garlic!  In short, the hamburger was very good.  Large, juicy, and full of flavor, I really liked it.  Surprisingly the addition of bacon and chili did not do much for me, as I tasted more of the meat and cheese flavor.  The chili did make it harder to eat by hand, and if I were to go back again I would go without it.  The bun was large and did hold up well relative to the mass quantities of ingredients inside.  Also toasted right and helped add to the overall burger taste.  The fries were extremely good.  Thicker cut fries that I expect when topped with stuff, they were fried per order very crispy.  The remaining oil on the fries help cut the raw garlic, but they were still strong and great.

I would definitely come back and recommend this place for a good burger.  It was good, local spot that I would've never found without online recommendations.  I give it a 4 of 5

758 Hope St
Providence, RI 02906