Local 121: Local but tasteless

Rhode Island has had a long tradition with promoting local food. Farm fresh RI, the organization I spoke of in an earlier post, has promoted an even broader awareness of Rhode Island grown food. In the past decade the trend to buy locally for restauarants has soared. Gracie's downtown, Cook and Brown House and Al Forno's; all powerhouses in Providence culinary institutions, have all adopted this idea of telling guests where there food comes from. Local 121, a restaurant that thrives on this notion, has however forgotten to include taste on the menu. A brainchild of the owners of local club AS220, this restaurant has always had an excellent ambiance and great looking menu. The execution always fails however. I was taken here this past week by a family friend and again I made the mistake of thinking I was going to have a good meal. I ordered "Steamed Matunuck Littlenecks with Grilled Baguette", which in actuality turned out to be rubbery little-necks with burned baguette. The sauce is also usually absent from dishes. In the case of my salad: "Jonah Crab and Snow Pea Salad" there was no sauce/dressing to speak of. Now I fully appreciate the desire to move to sustainable foods. I am a member of the Slow Food Movement and a staunch supporter of tightening my food imprint radius to support local farmers. Where some chef's err, is in thinking that this "Green-washing" will make them better cooks. If you can't produce a good dish, marking it up with local farms isn't going to make it better. This restaurant is not only a sad happenstance for local farming, but for foodies everywhere.

Los Andes

Los Andes on Chalkstone Avenue in Providence is a cultural epiphany. I first came here after just leaving Argentina a couple years back, and was shocked at how well the food mirrored that South American feel. Heavily spiced, huge slabs of meat with heart attack inducing sides (get the cheese rice). One of the most fantastic things about the menu however, is the sheer size of it. I'm not just talking about the portions either (read: HUGE) I'm talking about the amount of things that can be ordered. From beef hearts to fantastic Hominy based ceviche, you could even bring a vegetarian here. I don't know why you would but it's possible. The meat is cooked primarily Parilla style (see the picture above), this means slow cooking over coals, and THIS means excellent texture with rich smokey flavor. The sauces, when they are served, are on the side. This means the flavors are genuine and not added. Even the fish is cooked in this Argentinian style. There are fusion dishes, to be sure, but if you want the real experience go for the excellent tilapia ceviche or the table site parilla, where the server will bring a grill to your tableside. While not the final word on class, Los Andes is a culinary masterpiece. The food and portions and fantastic as well as the price. Even better is if you can make it on a Friday night, where an Ecuadorian band can be found playing live.

Farm Fresh Rhode Island

My parent's were hosting a wedding at their house for my sister's best friend last weekend. When they decided they wanted to go with a menu of local produce, fish and meat, they went to the local foodie: me. Luckily for them, I had just created a new social networking site where I had done a great deal of research on where the best and most sustainable food in Rhode Island could be found. All of my research yielded one fact however, there is already a driving force in Rhode Island Fresh food and that is Farm Fresh RI. This website has, get this, a local farmers market on EVERY day of the week. I was able to pick up some beautiful Seabass and shellfish on Thursday from the Local Catch at the Armory park market; Cupcakes and Bread on the Friday Providence Downtown market; and perfect produce at the Hope Street market on Saturday morning. All of these markets run all summer long, and some even transition into the winter. It was a huge success and while I was forced to dirty my hands on opening some oysters, everything was perfectly fresh, even the two day old shellfish. The problem with these markets however is their stock is extremely limited. While it would be nice and all to think of them as markets in the more traditional sense, for one to be able to get the quantities I required, I had to be their at opening on each of these days. They are more of a tasting novelty, and could never be used by chef's as source of local catch. That said, it is a perfect way for people in the area to become aware of the local growers. If you really want to get in on all that Farm Fresh RI has to offer visit their website. They offer food tasting events and great information on some of the efforts being taken to promote sustainable food in our communities.

Chez Pascal

It's been sometime since I last updated this blog but with my semester drawing to a close I will be updating a few more times in the next few days in order to fulfill my blog obligations to the class that I started this blog for. PHEW, now that that's out of the way. During the past Providence restaurant week (which was actually two weeks from July 8th-21st) I made my regular outings as a good foodie should. That aside, one of my favorite places to go, no matter the occasion, is Chez Pascal on Hope Street. In a city that prides itself on it's local culinary mastery, Chez Pascal is a proverbial crown jewel. Unlike many Providence culinary food gems (ehem Al Forno's) I don't see the usual self obsession at Chez Pascal. The best indication of this is the fact that the Chef/Owner Matt Gennuso spends his daytime hours going around the city in a food truck serving up his meaty concoctions. No instead, Chez Pascal is a clean and enjoyable culinary experience with which to set as a backdrop. The food is excellent, and the portions are neither grandiose nor are they miniscule. Even during restaurant week, which is primarily why my girlfriend and I were there last week, the portions were the same size as usual. There is a great deal to be said for this as many participating restaurants will keep the cost of running the weekly deals down by skimping. Not so at the Chezzy.

I started out with a fantastic pork terrine, rounded out with the short rib you see above, and finished with a tasty raspberry cobbler. The polenta under the short rib was excellent even by the Italianate standards that we have in providence. But of course the star I should say was the pork, something that Chef Gennuso is an expert in. I loved the experience, and I loved sharing it with someone I love. As a foodie it is often easy to be overwhelmed by the experience and forget the occasion or who is with you. The lack of pomposity or overbearing waiters is what sets Chez Pascal apart from it's upper tier competitors. This is perhaps the perfect date location. Aside from restaurant week, Chez Pascal can be on the relative cheap from Tuesday-Thursday when they offer a great $35/Person Bistro Menu that samples the best of the weekly menu.

Nick's on Broadway

Went to Nick's on Broadway last night with my parents and a few of their friends. Being a tiny place (roughly 35 person seating) I knew to make a reservation far in advance. What I didn't remember was that Nick's often makes you wait even when you have a reservation. O man was it worth the wait and cavetching from the older people in our group. We all had opted for the "four-course savory menu" which brings four small courses of some of the finest local food you can get in Rhode Island. A Nick's staple and signature is the Oysters with capers. If you are a true Rhode Island foodie you love oysters, just part of the deal, and these are perfect. The toppings don't detract from the purity of the oyster nor are the covered by the Oyster's subtle taste. The other standout course was the corn-crusted bluefish over barley in pesto. Good stuff. The tasting menu is on the pricy side (60 dollars per person) so I wouldn't recommend it on a value proposition. But as a pure pallet pleaser there are few places in Providence that can delight as Nick's does. The combination of local food (a bit over presented in that everything's origin is given alongside the dish) and perfectly executed sauces is a delight.

Sakura on Wikendon St. Still great rolls, still bad service

Sakura on Wikendon Street is something of an institution in Providence. There have been many "more upscale" sushi joints that have come and gone in the past couple decades but for natives there has always been the rivalry between this gem and Tokyo, which is just up the street. It is inevitable when growing up in the 02903 that you become a die-hard of one or the other. Some of my friends treat it something like the GM vs. Ford Rivalry, thumping tables and beating chests about which of the two is better. I've always been a Sakura man. I'm a sucker for the fact that there is still part of the restaurant that allows you to eat on the floor (and where people are relegated to when the rest of the place is packed). The BYOB is also great, much better to bring your own saki than to pay Haruki East's ridiculous prices. Best of all though, the great rolls fantastic and at around 12 bucks for 12 rolls, still a huge bargain. The presentation is so funky and whimsical. There have been nights when I've been at Sakura late with my girlfriend and Akira, the main chef and owner, will just do something really wacky like put lights in the radish as in the picture above. The service (or lack there of), however, is also part of the show. Staffed entirely by Akira and his wife Sakura's family, the check is always long in coming as is the food. Sure you could say its part of the charm. But as a devout the show is getting a little old. I appreciate a family business as much as the next dude but when you're in a rush this is not the place to go. Unfortunately you won't see me quit Sakura any time soon. The Crazy Roll and Tiger Maki are too good for me to give up on, even if it comes a half an hour cold.

Albie's Place in the URI emporium

Now I get that campus (or slightly off-campus) food is never intended to be the last word in fine dining. Greasy food is what the students want. Cheap, great tasting and greasy are the criteria. Unfortunately Albie's Place in the URI emporium only lives up to one of these things: greasy. Visiting one of my friends today at the Kingston Campus of URI, I was subjected to Albie's. Now I've been to Albie's before and I knew what I was getting into, so I only agreed when he agreed to pay for lunch. This is because the price/food ratio, hell the value/edibility ratio, of this place is just atrocious. Now I'm a burger lover, plain and simple, and when I'm going to go greasy and have the option of burger I go for it. And I'm sorry but if I want a greasy burger, I don't expect to pay 8-10 dollars for the middling grade version. The buns are straight from a package and the fries are those overly squishy type that I loathe. Even the ketchup has that slightly... browned age to it. That's fine, I get that Albie's can cater its below average food to students when there aren't many options. Unfortunately for them, this is no longer true. This past semester the owners of the Burrito powerhouse Caliente's opened the Burger Shack. Now those are some damn fine burgers.

Sawadee, that Thai place on Hope

I just got back from Sawadee on Hope Street on College Hill. As with many great American Thai establishments, the place is a dive. There is a pervasive mildew smell emanating from some funky HVAC going on in the front of the place (probably bad humidity). The waiting area for the small 10 top is actually the stoop in front, which in this case was huddling in the pouring rain. But I couldn't care less. The BYOB policy rocks and so do the Curry Puffs. The menu is fairly traditional Thai but the specials are what you come for. As you can see from my post-order Chinese Broccoli with Crispy Pork

the specials are imprinted under the table glass on tacky placards. I think its fantastically unique. You can only see the pork specials of the night but the waitress also pointed out the mango specials under my left elbow, as well as the roast chicken special under my right. The food is satisfying without the extra helping of oyster sauce that you come to expect from low rent Thai. Needless to say the Crispy Pork was superbly crispy and the broccoli fresh. The real reason I came though was the house's Tom Yum soup. While it may seem to be a ubiquitous dish, there is an actual art to this ultra tangy soup and Sawadee has nailed it. Sure it smells like your grandmother's basement and sure the waitress are trying to shuffle you out. But I couldn't have cared less And better yet! I had a $10 coupon from Rhode Island Monthly.

Goldilocks on Supermarkets

As a member of the real world, the majority of my food comes from a chain supermarket. Sure I could have made my inaugural post about the best sushi in Rhode Island(it will probably be my second now), but in reality most of the food I consume is purchased at the ‘mart. Because of this, as well as the increasing schism between white and blue collar, there have really been two distinct tiers of food shopping. There is your budget market and there is Whole Foods. Where there was once a range of price tiers at various markets; Whole Foods has become the monopoly of high value food in New England.

            Sure you could get all pedantic about the “multitude of options in specialty markets” or the like in a given residential area, but lets face it, Whole Foods has bought most of the great local chains that once dotted our fair state. Bread and Circus has been dead for a decade, and Nature’s Harvest for two. This is sad for me, because I honestly hate Whole Foods.

            Whole Foods is based out of Austin, so there is really nothing local about it. Nor is the food restricted to an-anything-mile-radius to keep carbon footprint down. The ‘greenwashing’ and self-entitlement of its food are nearly as insufferable as some of its self righteous patrons. Yesterday I watched a woman (illegally) park her Escalade in a handicap spot so she could run in to buy some sustainably farmed salmon. It’s not entirely Whole Foods’ fault either as we as consumers continue to truly buy into the message that if you buy their branding, you will be healthier and more earth conscious.

            Happily there are a few hold-outs peppered around the state that still offer fantastic food without the snoodery. As a University of Rhode Island student living in Narragansett during the school year I have come to know Belmont Market in Wakefield. Sure Belmont has had to adopt some of the large chain’s conventions (namely the labeling of food as organic) but it has also attempted to stay true to it’s local roots.

            East Side Market on college hill is also a fantastic supermarket. What is more incredible is that when Whole Foods built a franchise less than a quarter mile away, East Side continued to thrive. The meat is local and the fish is (within reason) wild caught. The staff is friendlier and unpretentious. The range of quality on items is vaster than encompassed singularly by either Whole Foods or Stop-and-Shop.

            These local markets are really the Goldilocks special of our local food landscape. While they are neither the last word in pretension or value, places like Belmont and East Side have flourished as stand alone pillars of the food community. They are unubiqutious and uniquely Rhode Island