Restaurants

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Hartley’s Pork Pies

Homemade meat pies from Hartley's

The beef and pork meat pies from Hartley’s

10:30 am is not too early to enjoy a housemade beef (stamped with a capital B) pie (the pork pie is unmarked). At Hartley’s Pork Pies in Lincoln, that actually may be the only time you’ll get one since they can sell out before 1pm. The hot pies fresh out of the oven have a thick homemade crust providing the perfect balance to your choice of meat. The ring of liquid on the top of the crust hints at the savory broth within.

Hartley’s Pork Pies
871 Smithfield Ave
Lincoln, RI 02865
(401) 726-1295

(open until 1pm or 2pm, whenever the pies run out)

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Lucky Garden: Yum Yum Dim Sum

Our dim sum spread on the lazy susan.

Our dim sum spread across the lazy susan.

We might have been inspired by the children’s book Yum Yum Dim Sum that we had borrowed from the library or perhaps from our lazy morning browsing photos from our Taipei trip–but suddenly we had the urge for dim sum.

Pan Fried Tofu Wraps, Steamed BBQ Pork Buns, and Pan Fried Turnip Cakes.

Pan Fried Tofu Wraps, Steamed BBQ Pork Buns, and Pan Fried Turnip Cakes.

We arrived at Lucky Garden midday Saturday to find bustling tables filled with both Chinese and American families sampling the dozens of dishes on their special dim sum menu. Our favorites included the crispy Pan Fried Tofu Wrap with chives, the Pan Fried Turnip Cake, Chicken Congee (a porridge-like soup with chicken), Scallion Pancake, Salt & Pepper Homemade Tofu, and Steamed Fried Dough Rice Rolls (basically a doughnut wrapped in a noodle–how can you not like this?). The desserts, also, were excellent–their egg tarts are made with a delicious buttery homemade dough, and although I tend to avoid the more gelatinous desserts, even I couldn’t resist their coconut pudding.

As usual, we ordered way too much, which is why the following weekend, we wisely decided to invite some friends along with us.

Lucky Garden
1852 Smith Street
North Providence, RI
www.luckygardenri.com

Also see their dim sum menu

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Mystery Meet Podcast Episode 26: Farmstead Inc. in Providence

June 2014: Farmstead has been sold and will no longer be run by Chef Matt Jennings


Badge - Podcast 150x113Recently, I was interviewed for Mystery Meet’s Find Dining Podcast to share my restaurant recommendations in Providence. To listen to the podcast, visit Mystery Meet Podcast Episode 26: Farmstead Inc. in Providence.

Also, check out some of the links to our blog posts for some of the places mentioned:

Farmstead, Inc.
Nick’s on Broadway
Plouf Plouf Food Truck
Pawtucket Winter Farmer’s Market
Waterfire
Delekta Pharmacy’s Coffee Cabinet
Diners/Delis in RI
Flo’s Clam Shack
Siena

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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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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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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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Quickly: Chinese Fast Food in Downcity Providence

The egg puff at Quickly.

The popular California chain Quickly has opened in Downcity Providence to serve Chinese fast food and snacks. After our recent dinner, we walked over to Quickly for dessert — Thai milk bubble tea, mango slush and an egg puff to share. Popular street food in Hong Kong, the egg puff (Gai Dan Jai) reminded us of a homemade waffle still hot off the griddle. Not surprisingly, it was devoured by the family within minutes.

Quickly
Northeast corner of Dorrance & Westminster
Providence, RI
www.quicklyusa.com

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Providence Coal-Fired Pizza

Meatballs, ricotta, mozzarella and tomatoes top the coal-fired pizza.

Despite the fact that Providence made it to number three on Travel and Leisure’s Best Pizza in America list, I’ve remained largely disenchanted with my local slice options. For me, all pizza will always be compared to the thin-crusted tomato and fresh mozzarella pie at Mario’s on Arthur Avenue, where my grandmother has been eating for over half a century. As a result, Nice Slice, Fellini, and Caserta Pizzeria have left me unimpressed. Of course, the grilled pizza from Al Forno and Bacaro are well worth the trip, but both of these are more special occasion pizzas (Al Forno doesn’t do take out; and Bacaro makes a more  gourmet pizza). They simply don’t satisfy the urge for the casual, classic New York pizza I grew up on.

So yesterday, when Geoff walked by the new Providence Coal-House Pizza in Downcity, he called me and I came down immediately with the kids to sample it. Their custom ovens heat pizzas to approximately 900°F — much higher than traditional or wood fired ovens — which embed the pizza with a delicious smoky flavor. We tried both the margherita and meatball. My favorite was the meatball — the  combination of melted ricotta and homemade meatballs worked well; Geoff preferred the margherita. Although I typically abandon my crust, I ate it all — which says a lot. No, it’s not Mario’s, but I can honestly say this is now officially my go-to local pizza joint.

Providence Coal Fired Pizza
385 Westminster St
Providence, RI 02903
http://providencecoalfirepizza.com

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Lobster Rolls and Clam Cakes at Flo’s

The simply plain lobster roll at Flo’s.

‘Tis the season for the lobster roll — and I’ve started with my personal favorite from Flo’s Clam Shack in Middletown (across from Newport’s First Beach). It’s no frills — just chunks of plain lobster meat in a hot dog bun with iceberg lettuce. They serve the Hellmann’s on the side, which is perfect for those (like me) who’d rather go without.  And don’t forget to throw in a side of clam cakes — their fried cornmeal balls with clam mixed in.

Of course, this meal makes more sense when following hours of swimming or surfing, but I’ll leave that up to you.

Flo’s Clam Shack
4 Wave Avenue
Middletown, RI 02842

Park Avenue
Portsmouth, RI 02871