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.
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| flaming sausage aka Chourico `a Bombeiro |
580 N Broadway
East Providence, RI 02914
Those fried potatoes look really good. I like my potatoes crunchy!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever been to one of those churrasco all-you-can-eat places? I'll bet you could do some damage at one of those!
Oh hey Optopus, are you talkin bout the Brazilian spots?!
ReplyDeleteWell even if you're not, they're like one of the best things ever, in life. I went to a Fogo de Chao for the first time in 2008 (DC), and it was heavenly. Planned it all out too - got there for the early dinner, so we could get the first dinner offerings, completely passed on the soup and salad bar, would be a total waste of GI space where meat could be digesting, and so we could digest the meal for later, and was sure to ask for any chef's specials for the night from the back. Soooo goood...not to be confused w/ Arby's.
Um there's a decent spot in SE Michigan - Gaucho's in Novi. In the last 5 years, my stomach has lost buffet abilities, so I had to prep it for a couple days before going w/ Jon to one for lunch one time. Lunch is the way to go too! They have all but maybe 3 of the dinner offerings for half the price.
Hooray Brasil!