Olympic birds nest

Cool Olympic birds nest picture. The area around it is odd...not much development as it stayed a big open space for the city.

Mao!

Mao at the Forbidden City right before the guard on the right yelled at me

Authentic Peking Duck??

Was it more authentic?? Answer no. Tasted just like the good duck houses in Chinatown. Still really good. I have found on this trip many non-eaters so I had quite a bit of the pancakes and skin. So good. Allegedly $50 for the whole duck so I can't even say it was cheaper. But delicious nonetheless....

Temple of Heaven

Picture at the temple of heaven of the Hall for the Prayer of Good Harvest with Pam

Summer Palace

Picture from the lake boat ride at the Summer Palace for the emperor

Boarding for China!

Check this out!

Flew over this today...what is it??

PJ's Pub - @@@@

Real local bar that caters to work people after work. The proximity of the bar to the center makes it a favorite of many. The drinks are reasonable but I thought the food was quite good. I first tried some of their wings (Caesar salad flavored?!?) and the were large and crispy. They were topped with dressing and shredded lettuce so I thought that was kind of strange but yet oddly good. I think they are cheaper on Monday's which is always a good thing.

Main course I got a double burger with bacon, Swiss and all the condiments. The cheese was great and melts, burger juicy and grilled, and bun held up well to the massiveness. Side of curly fries were great too. The price I think was under $10 so good value too.

Like many others come here after work or just if you want a good bar meal. The menu will not amaze, but what I had was quite solid.

1139 Pontiac Ave
Cranston, RI 02920

XO Cafe - @@@@

Went to this spot Tuesday night. I had been here when it was XO Steakhouse, but was interested if there were any changes made. The menu seemed a little more balanced, with coworkers getting meatloaf, scallops, and chowder. I went with the prime ribeye and side of mashed potatoes.

The steak was cooked ideally medium rare and quite tender. Being a ribeye I of course loved it. I also got the chimichurri sauce on the side and it had a nice garlic flavor along with the herbs. The potatoes did seem to be lacking in flavor and were quite smooth. I prefer some texture of lumps to add to the potatoes.

Others seemed to enjoy the meal as all the plates were clean at the end. The price was reasonable for my meal, a la carte the steak was under $30. Quite decent if it was prime because it was over a pound. Sides ranged from $4-$8 which again is quite reasonable. I will most likely go back especially if you want a good place a touch north of downtown.

125 North Main St
Providence, RI 02903

Cracker Barrel - @@@

Haven't been here in so long although I did go to a real life, non-commercialized version in Arizona. It was surprisingly good, refreshingly cheap, and an overall good experience. Will the food be the best you ever had? No. But will they do classical comfort food like the country fried steak well? Yes.

Also look at the sides...3!! Got mashed potatoes, corn, and broccoli cheese bake all with the meal for like $9! Also included a biscuit (great with honey as a desert) and cornbread (wasn't that good). Also I found out they make the sawmill gravy from scratch which is refreshing. All in all a good experience that I shouldn't wait so long to go back to.

Red Fez - @@@@

Went here for dinner tonight. Let me first start off by saying there is no sign to the restaurant. I think it is all based on local knowledge. When getting there, it is a small space with 5 booths, a long hightop table, and bar. We sat at the rather uncomfortable hightop which seemed too low for the barstools. The menu was similarly sparse with about 6 entrees and 6 appetizers. Mix in a few sides and you get a menu that supposedly rotates frequently.

So for dinner I split the steak frites along with chicken wings, corn fritters, and poutine fries. The steak was flavorful with a chimichurri sauce on top that just helped the flavor of the ribeye even more. The steak was cooked medium as requested and topped with a herb compound butter. The cool part was they put the crispy fries under the steak allowing them to soak up the juice and sauce.

The wings were Thai spiced and grilled. They were served up hot!! They again had a good flavor with some bonus heat. They were dry rubbed which allowed the spices to really penetrate the wings. I think they were served with some sort of sauce, but none was needed in my opinion.

Corn fritters and poutine fries were also tried. I didnt care much for the fritters; think hush puppies with corn on the inside. Usually I like fritters but today they didn't do it for me. The fries were again crispy but topped with a gravy that I honestly don't remember the flavor of.

Cool place, interesting concept, and good food makes me think I will return here in the future.

49 Peck St
Providence, RI 02903

Ironwood - @@@

Rare posting of a Michigan spot. Went here with some friends after golf and was decently surprised. This is a sports themed place that served some pretty good food. I got the brisket and while it didn't come close to the Texas stuff, it was passable. Fries were the seasoned ones and were amazingly hot, which I liked. Brisket had good flavor but was somewhat dry. Oddly I couldn't order the beef brisket sandwich but was able to get the platter. Does that make sense?

The 2 things I liked the most were the value ($13 for meal and included salad) and the abundance of hdtvs. It would be a good place to watch a game as flat panels were everywhere. It is not fine dining nor does it try to be. As long as they stick with their theme, I would try it again especially for a game with some friends.

840 West Ann Arbor Trail
Plymouth, MI 48170

Spain - @@@

Went back to Spain again last week and I was honestly a little disappointed from the first time. This time I got the arroz con pollo (fantasy football??) because the server said it was just like the paella except with no seafood. The problem is that the rice was not crispy at all. The food itself was good, well spiced and obviously presented amazingly, but I was missing that crunch to the rice that I expected. I think the problem was that the vessel it was served in was so deep. The food was super hot, so I know they baked it, but I think because of the depth the rice didn't get crispy. Chorizo, while there, did not add much perhaps because it was sliced so thinly. Still a good place to eat at, amazing value ($15.50 for this monster dish), and worth it to come back. I was just hoping to find that really good Spanish paella rice that I have heard so much about.

1073 Reservoir Ave
Cranston, RI 02910

Taco Bell.

Thursday night flight got cancelled so went international with dinner. I haven't been here in a while, so I tried all sorts of stuff: chalupa, nachos, Doritos tacos, and a potato burrito. Sadly they were out of the apple empanadas. It was as expected. Perhaps most revolutionary for me was this hard taco cardboard holder so it won't get crushed I can only imagine. I don't know if they are for all the hard tacos or just the Doritos ones.

This one was in Cranston, RI

Taco Bell

Thursday night flight got cancelled so went international with dinner. I haven't been here in a while, so I tried all sorts of stuff: chalupa, nachos, Doritos tacos, and a potato burrito. Sadly they were out of the apple empanadas. It was as expected. Perhaps most revolutionary for me was this hard taco cardboard holder so it won't get crushed I can only imagine. I don't know if they are for all the hard tacos or just the Doritos ones. 

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Sedona from a distance

Amazing day driving back to Phoenix from Flagstaff. Had no idea it could be mid 80s in AZ in the summer

Brandy's - @@@

Early Flagstaff breakfast at a reasonably famous place that Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives went to. Obviously known for breakfast, I was eager to try something local. Though I am not usually a breakfast fan, I still can throw down with some omelets from time to time.

Went with the omelet with sausage, chorizo, and muenster cheese. I also ordered spinach too but there was no green stuff to be found. Boo to that. They also top the omelet with hollandaise sauce which is interesting. Regardless of what Anthony Bourdain says about hollandaise, I wanted to try it out here. First off the muenster cheese is so underrated it is silly. A great melty cheese, it tastes mild and melds well with other meats and toppings. Chorizo was a nice spice punch and sausage was good too. Hollandaise was creamy and unique; I wouldn't do it every time but was a good addition today. Side of country potatoes were well seasoned and slight crispy on the bottom, although I personally would've liked it a touch more well done.

Overall a good breakfast place to try out. Would I make it a must-stop every time...no. But I feel breakfast places are all around the same level, I can't think of anything where the breakfast was on a totally different level. There are bad places and good, with many at the good level. Two other people I was with also agreed with a 3 - pretty decent. If you are into DDD and around though, make sure you try it out for yourself.

1500 E Cedar Ave
Ste 40
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

Jacky's Galaxy Waterplace - @@

Went to this fancy Chinese restaurant the other day. I think I put this place on the blog before as an oxymoron. Fancy and Chinese don't seem to go together. Basically the same ingredients as your local Chinese spot but with a 200% up charge. The food was ok but certainly not worth the money. Our server was new and slow. He brought out food at odd intervals and different times. I did order the Restaurant Week menu which gave me a bonus app of boneless spare ribs and desert, but it didn't do enough to convince me to grade it higher. Also notice the broccoli is already cut which in my mind is a way to think you get more than you really do. The garlic was also halved as opposed to diced which made it tougher to eat. The decor was nice as one would expect from a PF Changs type restaurant; large fish, bright open area and white tablecloths. Overall if you want to see the water and eat Asian food then go here, otherwise there are much better places downtown.

200 Exchange St
Providence, RI 02903

Nautika - @@@

Went to this East Greenwich spot on the water this weekend. Got the veal and pepper sandwich. It was interesting since the sausage was beef not pork. Tasted good, pretty standard sandwich for a spot that specializes in seafood. It was also topped with balsamic reduced onions (actually sweet!) and roasted red peppers. Odd how I am starting to like these vegetables but they definitely added to the sandwich.

One bad thing was since it was a Friday night they had a live band who was playing about 10 feet away from where we were eating. Needless to say the conversation was limited when they were playing. At least it wasn't rock music but still detracted a bit.

Along the waterfront there are a bunch of places to eat at and I think this place is the best of the bunch. They all serve seafood though so these reviews may be skewed by the abundance of chicken sandwiches and fries type reviews. I still recommend this one the most but I think they all make the money off of the drinks they serve up endlessly on the weekends.

28 Water St
East Greenwich, RI 02818

Kitchen Bar - @@@

Went to Kitchen Bar tonight for a lightish dinner since we had grabbed some apps at the Marriott lounge. I went with an interesting sounding app...pulled pork fried wontons. Right size, they hit the spot. Inside was a good amount of pulled pork, allegedly house smoked. It tasted good but was slightly runny/puréed. Would've loved it even more if it had more chunks of pork. The fried wonton skin was perfectly crispy and topped with shredded carrot. Also it had a sweet and spicy sirracha glaze that was quite good. Think sweeter Asian zing sauce at BDubs. All in all good presentation and ingenuity I thought.

Only going 3 right now cause I didn't have a main dish. Others got a pizza that looked very standard and a calzone that looked typical. Will go back again to check for a full dinner but for now a decent find by my coworker.

771 Hope St
Providence, RI 02906

Block Island, RI

Just leaving Block Island, RI after a day of relaxing on the beach

Cabby Shack - @@@@

Went to this place out in Plymouth Massachusetts last Saturday before golfing. Wanted something to eat but not too much so this bread bowl clam chowder fit the bill nicely. Add that to the fact that this was much hyped by chef Beau MacMillan as "the best chowder he ever ate" and I was sold.

Chowder came out great, thick, creamy, and full of flavor. The base was a nice cream, but the telling point was the spoon that stuck straight up, allegedly a good judge of thickness. The bread bowl was slightly odd; a sweetbread as opposed to sourdough loaf. Still good though.

As a side note, my friend got a fried clam roll and it was absolutely packed with fried clams. They were also quite good, although it may have just been the fried-ness.

I would recommend this place to get chowder for sure. Best ever?? Quite possibly. As far as other seafood I am not sure since I dont eat it, but judging from the amount of people there and the great view into what I can only assume to be the Plymouth Bay, I would guess it is pretty good. Check it out!

30 Town Wharf Rd
Plymouth, MA 02362

Bravo Brasserie - @@@@

Went to dinner here tonight after I was inspired by Anthony Bourdains book Kitchen Confidential that I finished yesterday. Since he is a somewhat chef at Les Halles and he was talking all sorts of French, I decided I wanted steak frites.

Got to the restaurant and didn't even need to look at the menu...steak frites it was. I also mixed in a French onion soup as well, but that was fairly ordinary. The bread that came out however was really good. First off it was hot aka right out of the oven they say. The butter was whipped which meant easily spreadable. And it was just a loaf of white French bread, not even cut up. Just tear in and enjoy. Then the steak frites. For some reason I was envisioning a thin cut of sirloin, ha this was just the opposite. A fistful size cooked perfectly medium rare was finished simply with some fresh cracked pepper. Juicy and great, it was meat prepared straightforward from the broiler I imagine. The frites were nice and crispy, as I had imagined they would be. Golden brown, they were cut nice and thin and once finished with some salt were very tasty. Definitely hit the spot on dinner.

For some reason I always think of French food as cream based sauce meals that are really rich. I greatly enjoyed this alternative where they take good ingredients, spice slightly and cook perfectly. Do check this place out and I think one of my better PVD meals.

123 Empire St
Providence, RI 02903

Fenway seats

This was my amazing seat at Fenway. Forgot about the old school parks with obstructed view seats. Great game and really fun though - definitely need to check it out if in Boston!

Fenway Park - @@@

Went to a Tigers-Red Sox game a few weeks ago. Though the Tigers lost 6-4, it was still a fun time. Had a bunch of random food - steak sandwich, fries, sausage, but also had to get the famous Fenway Frank. Strictly on the food I have had better at ballparks. It is what it looks like, a hot dog served in a special New England style bun. Steak sandwich and sausage was good - I think better than the hot dog. All in all, decent for a 100 year old spot.

Chelo's - @@

Went to this waterfront restaurant last night with our team. It was really hot and humid, but thought it would be cooler by the water. Haha we were wrong. The food was meh, but I don't think people come for the food. The waterfront marina and weather gets the people in. Unlike Harborside, there is a wide range of people which makes it more of a laid back place. I could see it turning into more of a club-type atmosphere on the weekend though.

Got a steak sandwich which was totally standard, nothing special. Steak not overly tender, bread not especially tasty. But again the food is not the main reason why people go. Also I didn't have seafood which is obviously what this place is geared towards.

Would go back for the atmosphere but grab a bite somewhere else if you are hungry.

1 Masthead Dr
Warwick, RI 02886

Spain - dessert

Quick picture of the tres leches dessert. Can't remember ever trying it so I wanted to get it here even though I was full basically already. Good, not overly sweet, soaked cake with a vanilla cream on top. It was served chilled which I liked. I enjoyed it

Spain - @@@@

Went to Spain tonight for dinner. The restaurant in Cranston, not the country. It was really good, got a chorizo appetizer, smothered veal cutlet, and tres leches dessert. Oh and also garlic soup. All really good.

The smothered veal cutlets were covered with cheese, spinach, and imported ham in some reduction sauce over mashed potatoes. It was really good how it worked together. I am slightly skeptical about authenticity as I had a similar pork chop dish from an Italian spot yesterday.

Appetizer of chorizo was spiced with paprika and olive oil. It was well seasoned and crunchy on the outside, with tender pork on the inside. Oil was also utilized for the bread as it was a great compliment. Garlic soup was interesting. It was about the consistency of a cream soup and did not have overpowering garlic flavor. More refined, I did not finish the whole bowl but it was worth a try.

I do look forward to going back it was that good. I will look to try more typical dishes like either paella or arroz con pollo. Coworker also agreed that it was one of their favorite meals so far in RI. Will go back for sure.

1073 Reservoir Ave
Cranston, RI 02910

La Casona Restaurant - @@@

Went to this local Colombian restaurant with a local Colombian coworker the other day. Place is definitely not a tourist spot. I couldn't even find it on yelp. 

As you may imagine, decor was not first priority. The place is a half bakery, half restaurant. Definitely not as nice as the Bridgeport Colombian spot I went to and that wasn't even that nice. So let's go with the food here. Started off with a fruit juice with milk that my coworker ordered for me. I told him to get me something authentic. It was good, and quickly downed that with some empanadas. The empanadas were good and had an amazingly "fresh" salsa. It seemed fresh but was stored in containers that probably are not cleaned after each emptying. I enjoy the Colombian style empanadas because they integrate the shell with the filling. Sort of like mashed potatoes and gravy, they are paired together as opposed to a separate shell and filling like say a cannoli. Had beef and chicken ones; for $1 they can't be beat but I'll take the beef. 

For dinner again went with the main meal. I think it's called bandeja and has the rice, beans, pork, steak, sausage, egg, and arepas. So the food seemed reasonably spiced, but just didn't wow me like the place in Bridgeport. The meat didn't seem as tender or flavorful. Although I think I did eat the pork correctly this time, without the rind. I believe it's called chicharron. You can have either steak or chicken, and I was able to try some of the chicken. That was well seasoned and good; it went well with the rice and salsa. The arepa was dry ad I remembered even after dipping it in the beans as recommended. 

Overall the place was pretty cool and definitely off the beaten path. Locals for sure. Our business clothes made us stick out big time so it was good that my coworker was speaking Spanish to them or they would've thought we were really lost. Good and worth a try if you are adventurous both food wise and location wise. 

804 Broad Street
Central Falls, RI

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Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles - @@@@

Last meal in LA had to be Roscoe's right? I mean where else can you get that world famous combo of fried chicken and waffles? Ok everywhere but this spot is certainly one of the most famous.

I wen there a few years ago and remember the chicken to be remarkably crispy yet not greasy. Was it still the same?? Absolutely. The chicken was fried up incredibly crispy and moist yet seemed minimally greasy. How they do it I have no idea. It is some of the best chicken I've had because of the crispness and juiciness. It is unlike other fried chickens in that it is not overly spiced, just greatly fried chicken.

So why not a 5 rating? The waffle. It is simply not as outstanding. I guess they have their secret famous recipe, but it was too mushy for me. Full disclosure here though cause I am not the biggest fan of waffles, but I prefer mine to be a little thicker and have a nice little crunch to them.

I still don't have a clear idea why the chicken and waffles concept works so well, but it does. Maybe the salty chicken and sweet waffle? Or the extra butter and syrup just matches the chicken? I don't know, but you should check this out for sure.

Note I went to the Pico location and they have a parking lot which is sort of rare for LA according to my friend. So it has that going for it too. Also as we went for breakfast (9 am), they already had a security guard in the lot directing traffic and a couple of what seemed to be off duty cops chilling in front for crowd control. Intense....

5006 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019

Street tacos

Have no idea where I was, but we checked out this taco truck late night style. Food trucks are the new cool and LA is all about them I guess. I think these were steak and al pastor. Not as good as La Pasadita though...

Philippe's - @@@

Went to the home of the French dip sandwich while in LA. Now this is disputed with another LA spot (aren't these things always disputed?) but I still wanted to try it.

We ordered one beef and one lamb and split them. The lamb is the one on the right and beef on left. Surprisingly the sandwiches did not come with au jus. Rather the rolls were already dipped so it was constructed similarly to an Italian beef sandwich. They were good, but certainly not great. I really feel the place is still around because of the claim to fame rather than amazing sandwiches. The beef was certainly tender, though not especially spiced. Same goes with the lamb, though obviously a touch more gamey. Also had a side of cole slaw which was decent. Highlight of meal was thinking the squeeze bottle was mustard when it was really horseradish! Oops!

Try it cause it is the home of French dips, but don't be expected to be blown away by an amazing sandwich. It was relatively cheap though so it was worth it. The crowd was also an interesting mix of locals and clear tourists. Also had random wood shavings/chips on the floor, perhaps for that local barish (they served beer and wine) feel. Just an interesting spot all around.

1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Souplantation - @@@

Went here last Sunday when we were all pretty hungry. There is not too much to talk about at an all you can eat salad and soup bar. They had everything a normal salad bar would have including pre-made salads for those that don't want to construct one. I liked the Asian one, light and crisp with good flavoring and balance.

Also had unlimited soups with a decent variety including chili, broccoli cheese, chicken noodle, clam chowder, and buffalo wing. Again pretty normal although I surprisingly enjoyed the clam chowder the best. I think it was because it was thick, creamy and contained more potatoes and bacon than clams.

There were also other items that I really didn't try. Think of local bakery items and you would probably guess most of them. Also since we came at the tail end of breakfast they also had frittata-like items and waffles. They also have pasta but there was no chance I was going or that after many meals of Italian. Also had a modest dessert bar that did delight me with caramel sauce.

Overall cool concept that was certainly well received in southern California. Soon after we got there, there was a wait list for seats with many large families continuing to pour in. I liked it and the price was reasonable for essentially salad. I guess this place is also called Sweet Tomatoes in other parts of the country. I would check it out again on another trip.

2825 Main Street
Irvine, CA 92614

Jazz Kitchen - @@@

Went here back to back weekend nights last weekend in LA. Friday night went with the beignets, which were fried fresh, hot and covered with powdered sugar. They were quite good after a long flight and have you enough sugar energy to keep going. From what I hear, they stay with the Cafe du Monde style of coating the beignets by dumping the powdered sugar in a bag then the beignets and shake. Pretty effective if you ask me. There was so much sugar that my cousin just dipped his hand in the bag after all the beignets were dispensed and was still covered in sugar.

The next night everyone went back for the beignets again. I instead went savory with the chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya. I thought it was ok. The rice seemed clumped together in a fashion similar to Chinese sticky rice as opposed to moist rice with the sauce. I know that sounds weird, but you can definitely tell if it is clumpy or just moist. It was well spiced after I added some Red Rooster hot sauce to it. I have never been to New Orleans, but it seems that Red Rooster is somewhat indigenous to NO as some other Cajun themed restaurants I have been to had that hot sauce as well. It is good and does not kill your mouth. Very similar to my favorite Louisiana hot sauce. Not the best jambalaya I have had but was adequate for the night.

One thing I was pleased with is that both times we went the food was served hot. I know that can be altered by a microwave, but I am still glad to get hot food. All too often the food is sitting around it seems like and just a shade under hot temperature. And though downtown Disney is built around Micky, there were lots of adultish people there, including us. Walking around at night, watching fireworks with family and hanging out certainly boosted the ambiance and made the food that much more enjoyable.

Disneyland Resort
1590 S Disneyland Dr
Anaheim, CA 92802

KoKo Chicken and BBQ - @@@

Arrived in LA on late flight from east coast and after some Disney beignets wanted something savory. After yelping some late night spots around my hotel, I settled on this Korean chicken spot down the street. I love Korean style fried chicken, as it gets super crispy and has some flavor cooked in, usually soy or garlic.

When I got here, it was this small, clean spot in a strip mall. Definitely localish which doesn't bother me at all. Next door was a liquor store with some guys sitting outside just chilling on a late Cali night. Looking at the menu it was exactly what I was looking for, some fried chicken choices. It was not a Korean BBQ where they have a center grill but I know that and was looking forward to the fried chicken. There was the soy flavored chicken but also crispy fried chicken with sauce to dip it in. I asked the server what he would go with and he suggested the fried chicken with sauce on the side. I went with the hot sauce and sweet spicy sauce.

First came out a cole slaw-ish dish that I thought was quite refreshing. It was topped with a thousand island-ish based sauce that was kinda spicy. Liked it. Then the chicken. Extremely crispy and hot when it came out; I had the dozen wings. The sauce was good but not earth shattering. The spicy sweet was like a BDubs Asian zing sauce with less heat. The hot sauce was also somewhat sweet and not nearly as hot as I was expecting. The chicken was good but lacked salt. It needed that sprinkling of salt right when it came out of the fryer to give it that last finishing touch. Overall good though.

Finally the last exciting story was mid-meal the mom of the restaurant went screaming out into the parking lot! Everyone inside was like what the heck?? We look outside and those guys chilling at the liquor store got in a fight and one guy had the other guy pinned down on the concrete. Crazy! Cops definitely called and when I left there were still 3 police cars outside almost blocking me in.

Overall cool little local spot that served some decent chicken. Would love I have checked out the soy wings as well, but they didn't have a combo. It was certainly served fresh and hot. Check it out

8532 Commonwealth Ave
Buena Park, CA 90621

Lucky Garden - @@@@@

Thursday continued with the repeat restaurants. Not much more needs to be said about this place, as it is one of my favorite spots in PVD. Got the standard black pepper beef, Chinese broccoli, and rice. No menu needed. Great dinner.

1852 Smith St
North Providence, RI 02911

Cassarino's - @@@

Continuing on going to PVD favorites, we went to to Cassarino's Wednesday night. The first time I really liked it, but I think that was before the massive Italian overload. This time I'll give it a 3 of 5 with the extra point for one of the funniest dinners in a while. There were a bunch of us just joking around and was quite enjoyable.

As for the food, I started trying to split meals and getting different courses that I would be too full to otherwise get. So we started with sampler app with fried calamari, bruschetta, clams casino, and stuffed mushrooms. Pretty good; the bruschetta was really cheesy. Salad course was caprice, which was really large. I didn't even finish it all as it had greens in addition to the basil. Not the beat I've had, wouldn't recommend it unless you are going for a meal. Main course was a penne pasta with broccoli rabe, roasted red peppers, sausage, chicken, and Gorgonzola cheese. A lot of stuff I like individually, but put together it was just ok. It was missing garlic surprisingly which I think would've helped it a lot. That is how I cook something similar to this at home. After all this, still went dessert which was a peanut butter pie. I was surprised it wasn't chilled, which I would've thought would make it better. It seemed a little dry overall and did not stand out.

Meal time overall was fun and since I know my coworkers like it we will be bak sometime. There are certainly worse places to end up at in Federal Hill.

177 Atwells Ave
Providence, RI 02903

Madeira - @@@@

Tuesday went to Madeira in what was to become the start of going back to places I have been already. Not much else to say that differs from the first post about them, I thought it was still high quality food that is served in a style I rarely get elsewhere. Still had the bife a casa (sirloin steak topped with ham, egg, and red wine sauce) with the double starches.

Appetizer of Madeira-style wings was a letdown as they were basically wing dings with a side of hot sauce. Portuguese soup also not what I expected as I thought it would have larger and more pieces of kale and sausage. But the main dish is why I came back and did not disappoint. Go here, and enjoy some authentic Portuguese cuisine.

288 Warren Ave
East Providence, RI 02914

The American - @@@

Started off the week by going to a place recommended by some of my coworkers. They had gone there earlier in the project and thought that I would like it. They were right, it was pretty good.

Started off with an appetizer of bacon, where I have a separate pic. It was good, thick cut like pork belly. Pretty salty, it was a good way to kick off the meal.

For my entree, I went with a pork chop with garlic butter and peperoncinis. Again recommended to me, it was pretty standard. They did not ask me how I wanted it cooked and I didn't think to ask. It came out more well done than I would've preferred. The butter sauce helped, and the peperoncinis added a little spice to it. As you can notice, I did not violate my rule of pork chops with bone on it. Has to have it to add flavor.

Surprisingly had desert as well. Table split some mudpie and key lime pie. As with the meal, good not great.

Perhaps the highlight of the night was the mass amount of media at the location when we pulled in. As the restaurant is connected to some office building, there a major hearing with Curt Schilling and the RI governor. Had something to do with Schilling's company or something like that according to the staff at the restaurant. Found out today Schilling just laid off his entire video game company, not a good look all around and an overall sad story for citizens according to the news.

Anyways, back to the restaurant, I give it a 3 of 5. I call this place a "corporate American" spot because it is upscale American-ish food (meat dominated dishes) that is a little more fancy for those business travelers on expense accounts. Not as much as downtown Pittsburgh; it was a little better and cheaper in comparison. Good but not great, would check it out again at some point.

311 Iron Horse Way
Providence, RI 02908

Back to PVD!

Just started my new project this week. Thanks to all that have helped us get through the past few months...it is much appreciated!!

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Beat Ohio!!!!

liking the first 2 round matchups.

this video should get you hyped for march madness...

East Coast Grill, apps

Rib appetizer from ECG.  These ribs were really good, and the reason that I gave it a 3.  The rib on the left was fried and topped with their "inner beauty hot sauce" which was quite hot.  It combined habaneros and scotch bonnetts, and was just crazy hot.  Ate it all surprisingly because I usually dont like stuff that hot.  The ones on the right are their dry-rubbed spareribs that were amazingly tender yet not falling off the bone.  Still had a bite to them, and had a really nice crust that snapped when you bite into it.  Great spicing too.  Served with a side of their sweet bbq sauce that was ok, but definitely not needed to enjoy the ribs.  Check these out for sure!

East Coast Grill - @@@

Main course at East Coast Grill. Brisket with beans, slaw, cornbread, and watermelon.  Foolishly forgot to tell them to put the bbq sauce on the side of the brisket, but I dont think it would matter.  The meat was ok, better than the Village Smokehouse but that bar was not that high.  Sides were all ok, and due to the great apps I did not want to finish them.  The reason this place gets a 3 is due to the ribs, not the brisket.  I should just leave the brisket to Texas and try other stuff at these bbq places.

Also pretty cool was that Man vs Food was shown here.  He had their "Hell Pasta" which is an even spicier pasta sauce than the inner beauty hot sauce on the ribs.  I guess ECG has a hell week where all they do is serve redicuously hot foods.  I thought that was pretty sweet.  This place also has fresh seafood and had oysters at the counter.  So it is an odd combo of specialty seafood and bbq which I guess works so you have land and sea.  I would go back for the ribs they were that good but would try something else for the bbq (or just have ribs as the main dish).

1271 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02139

Parish Cafe - @@@@

Meatloaf club sandwich. Was bold since I never get meatloaf other than at home but sandwich was great.  Was on toasted white bread, with cheese, tomato, lettuce, bacon, and some sort of dressing that I forgot but remember it was tasty.  Also had the chicken corn chowder which I tried last time and was great again.  A repeat, but well worth it because it is so good.  Highly recommended!

493 Massachusetts Ave
Boston, MA 02118

Antonio's - @@

Average Italian restaurant which by default now for me is 2 of 5. Coworkers liked it a lot, my veal piccata had too much egg mixture so it tasted like almost cooked eggs! Also no capers which I thought was odd (even though I don't eat them).  Garlic bread was pretty good though, but the main dish left to be desired.

286 Cambridge St
Boston, MA 02114

Kantin - @@@@

Ideal weekend lunch from Kantin, a quick serve Chinese stall in the Super 88 food court. Can't believe I haven't posted this as I have been here multiple times already.

Even though it is a hike for me, I like it cause they are consistent, well priced and good. I got the spicy salted pork chops and side of Chinese broccoli. Good flavor and well spiced, I really enjoy their food. Judging by their trays around me, it seems like others enjoy it just as much.

1095 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215

The Beehive - @@@

Three stars for food, five for the really cool atmosphere/building. Went here Monday night while looking for some place in the city. This South End place came recommended both by online and in person. Also it's open pretty late as an added bonus.

I will go into the food first. I had the seared duck breast with pan fried rice and roasted grapes. Also had a side of chard and kale that was sautéed. The veggies were not as good as earlier in the project at Stoddards. I didn't like the kale as much since it was neither crisp or wilted. It was in a weird medium state that didn't have the best texture. The duck was cooked medium rare, which I still find really strange for poultry. If anyone can explain that to me I would be really grateful. It was good, with a nice glaze that reminded me of the Chinese marinade used. It may have been the five spice?? The fried rice was just not that good. It was mixed with green beans, peas, and onions but just lacked flavor.

The building itself was really cool. After talking to the bartender he told me the top used to be an old theater (really small one) and the downstairs was a boiler room. What was interesting is that they still have the existing coal shoot on the top floor. Another cool thing is the downstairs bar was carved out of raw space, which amazes me that empty space could be turned into something that unique. The place was also surrounded by brick and the downstairs felt like you were walking outside into a courtyard. The description doesn't give it justice because I can't describe the little nuances that the place has.

Overall it is a really cool place to just check out and it has some good food as well. I would recommend it for sure.

541 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116

Eagles Deli - after, @@@@

Answer here is a definitive YES!!!! Crushed it in 22 minutes. It was actually really good too, the patties were really juicy and bacon crisp. Amazing for a 1.5 lb burger even though it was split in 3 patties. I am now in training for the 5 lb burger and 5 lb fries combo...

Eagles Deli
1918 Beacon St
Brighton, MA 02135

Eagles Deli - beginning

Just ate lunch here out by Boston College. Saw this place on Man vs Food for their 5 lb burger challenge. I did not do that one but this is the Nick Lachey challenge. 1.5 lb burger, 6 slices of Swiss cheese, 6 pieces of bacon, half pound of fries and drink.

Did I do it??

Only One Jamaican Restaurant - @@@@

Well reviewed Jamaican spot that some locals told me about. It's a hike but really good. Jerk pork dish on right came with rice and beans and steamed cabbage. Pretty good, well spiced and seasoned. However that did not compare to the dish on the left...esco chicken. Wow that was great. It's like spiced fried chicken smothered in a light sauce or oil or something and topped with fried carrots and onions. The dish was amazing. Not sure if you would classify it as fried chicken since it wasn't crispy, but you can tell it was originally fried. Overall really good though

160 Norfolk St
Dorchester Center, MA 02124

The Helmand - @@@@@

After the kaddo, I ordered the lamb chops that looked so good last time I was here that my friends ordered. They did not disappoint.

Here they are called Chowpan. This is important because you should always go for these as they were that good. Cooked a perfect medium rare, they were served right off the grill and the char was still brittle and flaking off the bone. Forget special touches like frenching the ribs, you just want to dive into these meaty delicacies and clean the bone yourself. They had a subtle marinade flavor but not overwhelming with oil and spices that could ruin the flavor of the lamb. Rice was good with a touch of spices in it and the eggplant side was ok. Don't let that deter you from the lamb though as that was clearly the star.

This is the 2nd time I have been here and I didn't think it could be better than last time. But they did. I am going 5 this time because everything was so good. Even the bread was fresh out of the oven and the trio of dipping sauces it goes with are flavorful. Check it out, get the kaddo and chowpan and call it a night.

PS - I think my picture of the chowpan looks better than their website pic

143 First St
Cambridge, MA 02142

The Helmand, appetizer

Kaddo appetizer. Their specialty in my mind worthy of a separate post. Description from website: "pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce, topped with ground beef sauce (which I had on the side)". Picture does not do it justice, but it is so good. Tender and sweet, with the contrasting savory-ness of the meat sauce it is something I recommend to all