Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Duck and Bunny - again!
On Thursday, April 5, back to Duck and Bunny. You get a funky warm atmosphere, filled with tasty food, delicious wine, all shared with equally funky artwork -- "Duck with a pearl earirng" followed, of course, by Vincent Van Bunny. . .
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tini's in Downtown Providence
Another of favorite eating haunts, Tini's, wedged between Gracie's and the Bravo Brasserie on Washington Street in downtown Providence requires a certain suspension of your ideas about what a restaurant should and shouldn't be. The sign above the door says "Food Bar" and indeed that's exactly what it is: a bar that serves food. U-shaped the bartenders are also foodtenders and they do an incredible job of both. The long and short of it is the superb service is outdone only by the incredible food served up by Chef Darius Salko.
Wednesday nights dining out in downtown Providence are often a quiet affair and Tini's was no exception last evening. We started out with a glass of cava for Susie and I had an Ipanema cocktail (Brazilian rum, lemon juice, simple syrup and cranberry juice), both perfectly suited for toasting Susie's late brother, her incredible mother and the future of the French Tarte.
For starters Susie had the bruschetta special and I had Brussels sprouts, followed by short ribs ravioli for Susie and the steak and fries for me. The steak was prepared nearly sushi-grade (think tuna) but tender, sweet and matched in flavor by Tini's succulent fries -- the best I've found in the city so far. All washed down with a light Bardalino -- a bit light for the steak but nice nonetheless. Susie rounded her meal off with the lemon gelato. Wonderful!
Two suggestions: comfortable stools would be nice touch; the ones there now are like sitting on a plank of wood (which it is) and they're difficult to move in and out. This is a bar after all. . . And maybe a couple of nice full-bodied reds available by the glass?
Tini
200 Washington Street
Providence, RI 02909
tel. 401-383-2400
online: www.thetini.com
Wednesday nights dining out in downtown Providence are often a quiet affair and Tini's was no exception last evening. We started out with a glass of cava for Susie and I had an Ipanema cocktail (Brazilian rum, lemon juice, simple syrup and cranberry juice), both perfectly suited for toasting Susie's late brother, her incredible mother and the future of the French Tarte.
For starters Susie had the bruschetta special and I had Brussels sprouts, followed by short ribs ravioli for Susie and the steak and fries for me. The steak was prepared nearly sushi-grade (think tuna) but tender, sweet and matched in flavor by Tini's succulent fries -- the best I've found in the city so far. All washed down with a light Bardalino -- a bit light for the steak but nice nonetheless. Susie rounded her meal off with the lemon gelato. Wonderful!
Two suggestions: comfortable stools would be nice touch; the ones there now are like sitting on a plank of wood (which it is) and they're difficult to move in and out. This is a bar after all. . . And maybe a couple of nice full-bodied reds available by the glass?
Tini
200 Washington Street
Providence, RI 02909
tel. 401-383-2400
online: www.thetini.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Three great places to eat in Providence
For a week or so in early March we hit three of our favorite eateries here in Rubetown: Ama's on Luongo Square near home, Duck and Bunny on Wickenden Street in the Fox Point area and Broadway Bistro on, you got it, Broadway at the corner of Pallas Street.
Ama's is small and intimate, what one reviewer on Chowhound styled as a "jewel of a place," right across from one the city's more popular watering holes: The Avery. Run by Mike Sears, one of the most underrated restauranteurs in Providence ("Lili Marlene" to "Loie Fuller" to "Ama" and coming soon an honest-to-God diner one block from our home), with some of the best tasting and best priced food in the city, this was our umpteenth visit to Ama's and, as always, a pleasure.
Three of us started out with a new app, lightly fried edamame pods with a scrumptious dipping sauce. While I love the succulent peas themselves, edamame pods have never been one of my favorite foods, I usually find them tough and barely edible. But these were tender, tasty and cooked to perfection. We also ordered our standard app, the house green beans.
As usual, Susie and Andrea each had the Bento boxes while I went for the fish and chips. A bottle of sparkling accompanied us throughout.
After a long Friday at work for one and an even longer day at home for another we were feeling an urge for a taste of crepes in a cozy setting. And crepes here in Greater Gritworld pretty much meant Duck and Bunny. Billed as a "snuggery," Susie and I had recently gone there for the first time for Valentine's Day dinner and were eager to return and try their regular menu on for size. We weren't disappointed.
For an aperitif, we each had the "mojitoph," a delicious concoction of fresh mint, sugar, lime juice with a splash of fruit puree, topped with champagne. The salads are fresh, flavorful and huge -- Susie and Andrea split one as an app leaving enough to take home. The crepes were equally substantial and equally delicious. Susie had the "Distinguished Lincoln" crepe, ham & Gruyere with caramel mustard; Andrea had one of her favorites, the Mazzy Star, with Portobello, Fontina with rosemary and truffle oil. I had "Creperito", stuffed with brown rice, black beans, cheddar, onions, spinach, and house made salsa and guacamole with sour cream. Whoa! What a meal!
Service was friendly, attentive and the ambience cozy and inviting -- at least in the fireplace room near the bar.
http://www.theduckandbunny.com/
This past Monday evening Susie and were in need of comfort food (trust me on this), and that meant our neighborhood favorite: Broadway Bistro for ribs 'n grits. It was quiet when we arrived so we picked out a choice spot in front overlooking the street life. We started with two glasses of Italian prosecco, followed by celery puree soup for Susie and a bean stew for me. Although billed as an appetizer, we each had ribs n' grits for the entree -- plenty of food believe me, washed down with a nice, comfortable palate-pleasing Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.
Once again, and again and again, great food sensibly priced.
http://broadwaybistrori.com/
Ama's is small and intimate, what one reviewer on Chowhound styled as a "jewel of a place," right across from one the city's more popular watering holes: The Avery. Run by Mike Sears, one of the most underrated restauranteurs in Providence ("Lili Marlene" to "Loie Fuller" to "Ama" and coming soon an honest-to-God diner one block from our home), with some of the best tasting and best priced food in the city, this was our umpteenth visit to Ama's and, as always, a pleasure.
Three of us started out with a new app, lightly fried edamame pods with a scrumptious dipping sauce. While I love the succulent peas themselves, edamame pods have never been one of my favorite foods, I usually find them tough and barely edible. But these were tender, tasty and cooked to perfection. We also ordered our standard app, the house green beans.
As usual, Susie and Andrea each had the Bento boxes while I went for the fish and chips. A bottle of sparkling accompanied us throughout.
After a long Friday at work for one and an even longer day at home for another we were feeling an urge for a taste of crepes in a cozy setting. And crepes here in Greater Gritworld pretty much meant Duck and Bunny. Billed as a "snuggery," Susie and I had recently gone there for the first time for Valentine's Day dinner and were eager to return and try their regular menu on for size. We weren't disappointed.
For an aperitif, we each had the "mojitoph," a delicious concoction of fresh mint, sugar, lime juice with a splash of fruit puree, topped with champagne. The salads are fresh, flavorful and huge -- Susie and Andrea split one as an app leaving enough to take home. The crepes were equally substantial and equally delicious. Susie had the "Distinguished Lincoln" crepe, ham & Gruyere with caramel mustard; Andrea had one of her favorites, the Mazzy Star, with Portobello, Fontina with rosemary and truffle oil. I had "Creperito", stuffed with brown rice, black beans, cheddar, onions, spinach, and house made salsa and guacamole with sour cream. Whoa! What a meal!
Service was friendly, attentive and the ambience cozy and inviting -- at least in the fireplace room near the bar.
http://www.theduckandbunny.com/
This past Monday evening Susie and were in need of comfort food (trust me on this), and that meant our neighborhood favorite: Broadway Bistro for ribs 'n grits. It was quiet when we arrived so we picked out a choice spot in front overlooking the street life. We started with two glasses of Italian prosecco, followed by celery puree soup for Susie and a bean stew for me. Although billed as an appetizer, we each had ribs n' grits for the entree -- plenty of food believe me, washed down with a nice, comfortable palate-pleasing Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.
Once again, and again and again, great food sensibly priced.
http://broadwaybistrori.com/
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Duck and Bunny for St. Valentine's Day
With a name like "Duck and Bunny" a restaurant has to be good or at least hire people with a wild sense of humor. This place has both plus a delicious menu and one of the most comfortable, cozy, eclectic places to spend an evening eating in Providence. We had heard good things about D & B and, as things turned out, they were all true.
It all began innocently enough when I began searching the local cyberspace for someplace offering a special Valentine's Day menu -- and when I saw Duck and Bunny's 7-courses for $75 per couple I thought "This is the place, no need to look further." We opted for the 6:30 pm seating and the optional bottle of prosecco for an additional 25 bucks.
The light rain that had been drifting in and out of Rubetown much of the day abated for the evening and made finding a parking space right on typically packed Wickenden Street just a bit easier. We walked the two blocks to D & B, past Atomic Appliances, Gary's Floral Shop and Mister sister erotica -- all so typical of this corner of Fox Point in Providence, home to George M. Cohan.
We found the D & B, walked inside what appeared to be someone's home and were ushered to our seats straightaway. Situated right next to the fireplace on a corner bench with our backs to the upholstered walls made an ideal location for people watching -- and again we were not disappointed. We spent the next 90 or so minutes savoring an incredible array of dishes prepared just for this event:
First course: Susie opted for the Mandarin Almond Salad - with toasted almonds and citrus vinaigrette and I had the Fresh Tomato Salad – with goat cheese and balsamic glaze. This was followed by a Caviar Blini of Creme fresh, whole grain Icelandic caviar, green onion.
Next up were the apps: I had the Bacon Wrapped Dates in honey balsamic glaze and Susie went for the Brie with Fig Spread and Pecans – on organic multigrain bread. For the entree We both had the Crepeccini – roast beef and gorgonzola cream sauce, forgoing the Sweet Potato Crepioli – brown butter and sage sauce.
The "Intermezzo" was an scrumptious Chilled Strawberry Soup with strawberries (duh), red wine, fresh whipped cream, followed by the a selection of 3 of our Artisanal Cheeses.
Finally, for dessert I had the Sour Cream Chocolate Cheesecake – chocolate cookie crust, raspberry coulis and Susie went for the Bunny Beignets – 1/2 dozen crispy fried crepes with powdered sugar and cinnamon & trio of dipping sauces. Tasty all the way around.
The food was wonderful and we would certainly go back for the crepes, sweet and savory, their specialty. Just a five-minute walk from Davol Square with a nice wine list and warm bar makes me think this might be just the place after work. We are most definitely going back.
Visit them online: http://www.theduckandbunny.com/
It all began innocently enough when I began searching the local cyberspace for someplace offering a special Valentine's Day menu -- and when I saw Duck and Bunny's 7-courses for $75 per couple I thought "This is the place, no need to look further." We opted for the 6:30 pm seating and the optional bottle of prosecco for an additional 25 bucks.
The light rain that had been drifting in and out of Rubetown much of the day abated for the evening and made finding a parking space right on typically packed Wickenden Street just a bit easier. We walked the two blocks to D & B, past Atomic Appliances, Gary's Floral Shop and Mister sister erotica -- all so typical of this corner of Fox Point in Providence, home to George M. Cohan.
We found the D & B, walked inside what appeared to be someone's home and were ushered to our seats straightaway. Situated right next to the fireplace on a corner bench with our backs to the upholstered walls made an ideal location for people watching -- and again we were not disappointed. We spent the next 90 or so minutes savoring an incredible array of dishes prepared just for this event:
First course: Susie opted for the Mandarin Almond Salad - with toasted almonds and citrus vinaigrette and I had the Fresh Tomato Salad – with goat cheese and balsamic glaze. This was followed by a Caviar Blini of Creme fresh, whole grain Icelandic caviar, green onion.
Next up were the apps: I had the Bacon Wrapped Dates in honey balsamic glaze and Susie went for the Brie with Fig Spread and Pecans – on organic multigrain bread. For the entree We both had the Crepeccini – roast beef and gorgonzola cream sauce, forgoing the Sweet Potato Crepioli – brown butter and sage sauce.
The "Intermezzo" was an scrumptious Chilled Strawberry Soup with strawberries (duh), red wine, fresh whipped cream, followed by the a selection of 3 of our Artisanal Cheeses.
Finally, for dessert I had the Sour Cream Chocolate Cheesecake – chocolate cookie crust, raspberry coulis and Susie went for the Bunny Beignets – 1/2 dozen crispy fried crepes with powdered sugar and cinnamon & trio of dipping sauces. Tasty all the way around.
The food was wonderful and we would certainly go back for the crepes, sweet and savory, their specialty. Just a five-minute walk from Davol Square with a nice wine list and warm bar makes me think this might be just the place after work. We are most definitely going back.
Visit them online: http://www.theduckandbunny.com/
Monday, February 13, 2012
Valentines' Day Dinner in Providence
Tomorrow is the big day for many restaurants here in Rubetown. Little does Susie know that I scoured cyberspace looking for just the right place to go for that special evening -- and I found it!
Not a word to Susie, though.
Stay tuned!
Not a word to Susie, though.
Stay tuned!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Breakfast at Nick's on Broadway - A+ again!
It's been some months since we walked the four short blocks over to Nick's on Broadway for brunch -- this time we were early and had breakfast.
We waited all of 60 seconds for two stools at the counter overseeing the cook line. As always, the service was friendly and the food delicious. we started off with a cocktail special (OK it was 9am but we were celebrating Dad's 102 birthday) of limoncello, prosecco and vermouth. Delicious!
Susie had the black beans with scrambled eggs, salsa and tortillas,
and I had an omelet with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions, with a side of chicken sausage.
If you have never been to Nick's go; if you haven't been in a while, go soon. It's always worth a wait. And this time, one of those rare times to be sure, we didn't have to wait at all.
We waited all of 60 seconds for two stools at the counter overseeing the cook line. As always, the service was friendly and the food delicious. we started off with a cocktail special (OK it was 9am but we were celebrating Dad's 102 birthday) of limoncello, prosecco and vermouth. Delicious!
If you have never been to Nick's go; if you haven't been in a while, go soon. It's always worth a wait. And this time, one of those rare times to be sure, we didn't have to wait at all.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Back to Tini's
OK, I know -- it seems we're hung up on the same places to eat in Providence, that we go to the same places over and over again. Well, there's a good reason for that -- we like those places. That's pretty simple, I should think.
Anyway, we went back to Tini's last night (Friday) ostensibly for a glass of sparkling to celebrate Susie's new space (the lease will be signed on Monday) and ended up staying for dinner.
We started out with a cocktail of gin, Campari and prosecco, along with an order of Tini's fries with mayonnaise and hot sauce. Next up was the roasted fennel app with a glass of Gruner, and then Susie had the scallops with beluga lentils (washed down by a Provencal rose) and I had the Veal Milanese (con un bicchiere da nebbiolo).
Service, as always is friendly and the atmosphere cozy and intimate (although I would opt for more comfortable stools).
In a city noted for its culinary creatives, Darius Salko is one of the most inventive chefs around -- but even more importantly he has a deep understanding of harmony and balance in his flavorings and portions. My veal, a tender cut, was breaded and lightly fried to perfection and the accompanying wide pasta tasted as if the cheese was in the pasta and not on it (no messy glob of cheesy sauce oozing oil and spreading everywhere on this dish). Susie's scallops were equally perfect and the lentils with bits of bacon made for a superb winter dish.
Tini's menu may have changed from its Tapas roots but it still remains one of the better values in Providence.
Tini's
200 Washington St
Providence, RI 02903
Anyway, we went back to Tini's last night (Friday) ostensibly for a glass of sparkling to celebrate Susie's new space (the lease will be signed on Monday) and ended up staying for dinner.
We started out with a cocktail of gin, Campari and prosecco, along with an order of Tini's fries with mayonnaise and hot sauce. Next up was the roasted fennel app with a glass of Gruner, and then Susie had the scallops with beluga lentils (washed down by a Provencal rose) and I had the Veal Milanese (con un bicchiere da nebbiolo).
Service, as always is friendly and the atmosphere cozy and intimate (although I would opt for more comfortable stools).
In a city noted for its culinary creatives, Darius Salko is one of the most inventive chefs around -- but even more importantly he has a deep understanding of harmony and balance in his flavorings and portions. My veal, a tender cut, was breaded and lightly fried to perfection and the accompanying wide pasta tasted as if the cheese was in the pasta and not on it (no messy glob of cheesy sauce oozing oil and spreading everywhere on this dish). Susie's scallops were equally perfect and the lentils with bits of bacon made for a superb winter dish.
Tini's menu may have changed from its Tapas roots but it still remains one of the better values in Providence.
Tini's
200 Washington St
Providence, RI 02903
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