Haruki East - @@@

On Wednesday, April 13, we had a psuedo team night at a Japanese restaurant called Haruki East.  I say it was a psuedo team night because it was more impromptu as opposed to planned however 4 of the 8 team members were present so can be classified as such (my rules).  This was a sushi themed Japanese restaurant as opposed to a hibatchi grill Japanese style.  I clearly did not select this place.

I was late getting to the restaurant due to some work that I needed to finish up.  When I got there, everyone had ordered some apps and sushi-ish items.  I tried a few of them, there were not too many memorable ones at least now.  I ordered a chicken spring roll that I knew was not the traditional spring roll format.  It had additional elements such as burdock(?) and lettuce.  I wanted to try it because it sounded different.  I did not finish it as I did not think it was that good, but the full disclosure here is that I wanted to try it out.

For my main meal, I ordered the teriyaki ribeye.  It was also served with potatoes and green beans.  The sides were pretty good, the green beans were still crunchy and the potatoes flavorful.  I thought the steak was really flavorful as well.  In addition to the slightly sweet marinade that it had, there were also full peppercorns giving it a peppery bite.  The flavor contrast worked well on the steak I felt.  Due to the marinade, I also thought the meat was very tender.  Ribeye is generally tender but the marinade enhanced and flavored the dish.  One interesting thing was that the meat was pre-sliced.  I am still undecided on it as I still cut the strips so it was not that it saved me time but rather more for presentation?  What do you think about pre-slicing your food at restaurants?

One other interesting item of note at the restaurant was the ordering process.  We have some coworkers that ask the server what they would recommend to eat and then take that.  It really elimantes the viewing of the menu and works well for those that either have restrictions (vegetarian) or are open to anything.  I like the concept since the server will usually pick a specialty or a personal favorite.  My coworker did this to our server tonight and the server was clearly stumped and confused.  He said he would take any sushi that she ordered for him and she did not understand this.  She named numerous fishes and sushi types and they were all fine for him.  After her initial confusion of the concept, she was able to order what my coworker said were good dishes.  An interesting ordering technique that I figured I would share...

This place was busy on the weekday even though we dined after 8 pm showing that it is a well-known place around town.  That is always a good sign.  I thought my ribeye was good and almost a 4, however the sushi aspect and non-memorable appetizers did knock it down a point.  I give it a 3 of 5.  I feel those that like sushi would appreciate it more and is really on the border of getting a 4.  I would recommend it to others looking for this type of food.

172 Wayland
Providence, RI 02906

Lili Marlene's - @@@

Wow, incredible backlog of restaurants to look at.  On Tuesday April 12, we went to a local bar called Lili Marlene's that is also on Federal Hill.  Even though there are mostly Italian restaurants in Federal Hill, there are the assorted other types too including Chinese and American.  I learned of Lili Marlene's online through yelp listing good burger spots and a coworker also said it was pretty good.

Walking in it was clear this was the dive bar that the online reviews noted.  It was a tiny spot with 4 tables.  It was also relatively dark similar in manner to Red Coat Tavern in Detroit.  We were able to get a table easily as it was self-serve seating and looked at their expansive menu.  And by expansive I mean hamburger, cheeseburger, fries, or rings.  They also had a few appetizer selections that were inspired by bar food.

To start, I ordered some sliced sausage with spicy mustard that was really good.  The sausage was cooked well and even though it was sliced it was still juicy.  The mustard was flavorful and added a nice, cool contrast to the warm sausage.

For dinner I opted for the cheeseburger and fries.  If the menu reminded you of Miller's Bar in Detroit, the burger presentation was similar as well in that it was simple.  Burger came with no-frills, just bun, patty, lettuce, and tomato.  One thing I noticed was the white American cheese that is always used out east.  I have not seen the yellow American used at all.  As for the taste, the burger was plain and simple, not overly juicy.  To me, it seemed like a normal burger that was on the smallish side.  I did order another one as I was pretty hungry that day.  I did like the fries as they were the thinner, crispier type that I prefer.  They were not shoestring size, but more the shape of McDonald's than anything else.

I thought this place was a good place to hang out and get some food and drinks.  They also have free pool at least on the day I was there which is always a bonus.  Though the burger was not outstanding, I thought overall it was a cool, local spot that I would go back to if I wanted to hang out in an informal setting.  With this, I give it a 3 of 5.

422 Atwells Ave
Providence, RI 02909

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 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

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