Year: 2012

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Dok’s Deli: House-Smoked Meats in Providence

September 2013 Update: Dok’s Deli announced that they would be closing — extremely sad news since they had undoubtedly the best sandwiches I’ve had in Providence (not to mention the best homemade potato chips I’ve ever had). Here’s hoping that they will open again soon in a new location.

"The Pastramisseur" house-smoked pastrami with brown mustard on rye.

“The Pastramisseur” house-smoked pastrami with brown mustard on rye.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted for lunch–until I arrived at Dok’s Deli. The aroma of house-smoked meat had me as soon as we walked in the door. Dok’s smokes their own corned beef, pastrami, turkey, chicken and salmon–all of which you can also purchase by the pound. Since my deli order usually consists of a tuna fish sandwich, I asked to taste their corned beef and pastrami. Geoff found this amusing (even though it was his idea), but the Dok’s Deli guys gladly complied.

After my taste test, I chose the house-smoked pastrami on rye; Geoff ordered the reuben. Both were excellent and came with perfectly browned and salted homemade potato chips (had I known that, I wouldn’t have ordered a side of fries, but we ate them anyway). They even brine their own pickles.

A side of handcut fries with your sandwich and chips?

A side of handcut fries with your sandwich and chips?

Next time, Geoff plans to get a pound of their gravlax to go. I’ll be getting the Wedge Salad made with homemade blue cheese dressing and house-cured bacon. My guess is that we won’t make it through this weekend without them.

Dok’s Deli
146 Ives Street
Providence, RI
www.doksdeli.com

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Rock Spot Climbing: Rock climbing for all levels (and almost all ages)

Rock climbing–it’s for kids too.

It was as if she’d been rock climbing her whole life. That said, she is only five. Today, my daughter kept up with the best adult climbers as she adeptly made her way up the 30-foot climbing wall at Rock Spot Climbing in Lincoln over half a dozen times. Using top roped climbing, she was harnessed into a belay device to protect against a sudden fall and create a smooth, slow (and apparently fun) ride down.

When my husband asked her before bed if she’d like to go back, she said yes, she’d love to go back tomorrow.

Rock Spot Climbing
100 Higginson Ave
Lincoln, RI

1174 Kingstown Rd
South Kingstown, RI

www.RockSpotClimbing.com

They also have the largest indoor bouldering facility in New England at:
67 Sprague St
Boston, MA

 

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Kreatelier: Sewing Workshops for Children

The proud owner of a handmade doll–that is, made by her very own hands.

Soccer, gymnastics, piano — these are the afterschool activities that may typically come to mind. But sewing?

Since Geoff bought himself a sewing machine last year, our five-year-old daughter has taken an interest in a new type of arts–the material kind. So for her birthday, she received a private sewing workshop from Kreatelier’s Alexis Cormier. When I left her there with Geoff, I figured she’d make a little hand-puppet or something. Instead, I arrived an hour later to discover she had nearly completed a doll in her own likeness, down to the curly hair.

Of course, in addition to the sewing workshops for children and adults, Kreatelier is also a store selling locally handmade bags, pillows, fabric jewelry, clothes and other items. And for anyone not interested in making a doll from scratch, those are for sale too–complete with custom clothes and shoes.

Kreatelier
804 Hope Street
Providence, RI
www.kreatelier.com

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La Crêperie

Digging into the second crêpe — butter and sugar.

We are a crêpe family. We usually have a stack of them in the refrigerator ready to be filled on request: egg and cheese, butter and sugar, banana and chocolate.

Inside La Crêperie, on a tiny street off Thayer.

But this morning the request came, and we couldn’t fill it, so we went to La Crêperie, which serves up traditional French crêpes–wheat or buckwheat–composed with your choice of savory or sweet fillings. They also have Belgian waffles, wraps, salads, and smoothies–none of which we’ve tried yet. Like I said, we’re a crêpe family, and judging by the stream of customers this morning, we’re not the only ones.

La Crêperie
82 Fones Alley
Providence, RI, 02906
http://creperieprov.com/

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Gold Stone: Chili Oil Fish

Chili Oil Fish from Gold Stone.

When I go to a new diner, I always order corned beef hash–I find it’s a leading indicator of general diner quality. Is the corned beef homemade? Is the hash crispy and flavorful?  When I first tried  Gold Stone, I came for the Mapo Tofu–my Szechuan corned-beef hash–and it was as satisfying as my standard, from Mary Chung.

When I returned to Gold Stone, I asked them for a specialty that I have been ordering more often than Mapo Tofu: Chili Oil Fish (pictured), which was rich with a thick slick of chili oil and perfectly cooked pieces of white fish (flounder?). It may become my new standard.

Gold Stone
840 Allens Ave
Providence, RI
(401) 781-8887
www.goldstoneprovidence.com

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Apple Picking and Brunch at Knight Farm

Enjoying an apple straight off the tree.


Each year we try to find a new farm for apple picking in addition to our old favorites. In past years, we’ve discovered Jaswell’s Farm, Hill Orchards, and Sweet Berry Farm. This year, we decided to try Knight Farm, founded in 1800.

Although many farms have stands or shops (Jaswell’s and Sweet Berry Farms are my favorites), few have restaurants. When we arrived this morning, it was clear this was a popular place for brunch and with good reason. It’s certainly nothing fancy, but they serve simple comfort food in a charming and rustic atmosphere. I ordered an egg sandwich, and I was not disappointed.

Knight’s apple orchards feel relatively compact to some of the others (they have about 40 acres versus Jaswell’s 100 acres), but really how many apple trees do you need? We had no trouble picking our own crisp, tasty apples. Of course, the real work came later — peeling apples, rendering lard (from Pat’s Pastured Pork), rolling the crust, and baking the pie. Not that I did any of that. But I did eat a piece of the resulting pie, and it was delicious.

Knight Farm and Restaurant
1 Snake Hill Road
North Scituate, RI
www.knightfarm.com

Also see Farm Fresh RI’s Pick Your Own Guide near Providence.

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A View from Fort Wetherill State Park

Perched on the rocks overlooking Narragansett Bay.

Not everyone may think it’s a wise idea to drag their one- and five-year-olds up a jagged cliff overlooking a 100-foot drop to the ocean, and I can’t disagree. Nonetheless, we did exactly that yesterday at Forth Wetherill State Park in Jamestown, RI. Here, there are no fences or barriers to rely on, just common sense. Geoff liked that — it’s very European, he said.

The view from Fort Wetherill State Park in Jamestown.

From the peak, you can see a wide expanse of Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor — yesterday the water shimmered so beautifully that our five-year-old said “I wish I could paint that.” As for our one-year-old, it took a good deal of cajoling and wrestling to keep her from careening over the edge. No wonder my back hurts today. Still, you can’t beat the view.

Fort Wetherill State Park
Jamestown, RI
http://www.riparks.com/fortweth.htm 

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Radish: The New Truck on the Block

The new Radish truck on their first day on Thayer Street.

Roasted vegetable sandwich, homemade garlic aioli and a side of fries.

We had decided to get some dinner at Plouf Plouf, but they weren’t parked in their usual spot on Thayer that night. Not to worry, a new truck had appeared — Radish. It seems they perhaps overheard my complaint about the lack of great sandwiches in the area. Of course, I do love the down-to-earth offerings at Geoff’s Superlative Sandwiches on Benefit Street — their generous tuna sandwich and bucket of pickles come the closest to a New York deli that I’ve found in Providence. However, in contrast, Radish has arrived to offer a more gourmet variety of sandwiches, soups and other dishes inspired by local farms and their ingredients. The sandwich we tried featured layered roasted zucchini, red peppers and caramelized onions with a side of garlic aioli on ciabatta bread. Pair that with some fresh thick-cut french fries, and you’ve got quite a meal in your hands.

Between Plouf Plouf, Mama Kim’s, Rocket, and now Radish, it seems Thayer Street’s best food now arrives on wheels.

Radish Food Truck
http://whereisradish.com/
http://www.facebook.com/whereisradish
https://twitter.com/whereisradish

Geoff’s Superlative Sandwiches
163 Benefit Street
Providence, RI
http://geoffssandwiches.com 

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Hasbro’s Our Big Backyard at Roger Williams Park Zoo

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On a hot city day, there’s nothing quite like a mini water park. Now, in addition to a handful of others in Providence, we’ve got one at the zoo.

I’ve typically steered clear of the zoo in the summer, but the addition of Hasbro’s Our Big Backyard at Roger Williams Park Zoo has definitely changed that. Kids can cool off in a variety of sprinklers, ponds and other water play, making the zoo a much less oppressive experience.  

One tip — when you plan your visit, check the zoo hours. We didn’t and arrived only 40 minutes before the 4 pm closing. When you visit the zoo, it’s nice to have time to see some animals too.

Roger Williams Park Zoo
1000 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, RI
www.rwpzoo.org
(first Saturday of every month free to Providence residents)

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La Maison de Coco

It can’t quite rival the chocolate tarte at Bread & Roses in Paris. Of course, this one’s just a few towns away and pretty delicious too, so I guess I won’t complain…

Honestly, it’s about time that Newport had a charming little tea and chocolate shop, and on Bellevue Avenue no less. Last weekend, we stopped in to Maison de Coco and despite the fact that it was 80 degrees, I ordered a tea-infused dark chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and a chocolate tarte. The chocolat chaud was perfection — not as thick as Burdick’s, but with an equally rich flavor.

The inside of La Maison de Coco.

Although the shop has a petit café where you can enjoy your treats, Geoff and I had to take turns since the kids were asleep in the car (more chocolate for us). On his trip, he selected a handful of chocolate truffles, also tea-infused and also delicious.

Between the beaches and surfing, Flo’s and Frosty Freez, I didn’t really need another reason to go to Newport. But now I have one.

La Maison de Coco
28 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
www.lamaisondecoco.com