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Rasoi: South Indian Cuisine in Pawtucket

Chef Sanjiv Dhar from Rasoi (stop #3 on the Rhody Food Tours: Immigrant Cuisines of Providence).

When I miss New York after reading that there is a fancy new yakiniku place around the corner from our old apartment, Michele takes me to Rasoi. I remember that Indian food was lousy in the West Village. And South Indian food? Forget it.

The Thali at Rasoi.

Not in Providence. There are several great South Indian places nearby, and Rasoi is one of them. Upon every visit, I order Thali — but I never have the same meal twice. Six or 7 small bowls surround a mound of rice, and tonight the bowls were filled with spinach and homemade cheese (Saag Paneer); yellow lentil stew; a thick, sweet sambar; red-roasted cauliflower; homemade yogurt; a sweet potato curry; and a little dessert.

As an aside, I should mention the mixed pickle at Rasoi. For me, mixed pickle is the corned beef hash of the Indian restaurant world — it’s a barometer of how good the food is. The mixed pickle here is a delicious mixture of pickled lemon, peas, and bitter melon — and it’s tender (I don’t like that hardened lemon skin in most store-bought Indian pickles).

The traditional Indian dishes here are great too. The simple Chicken Tikka is delicious, with a crisp shell and fresh herbs instead of the more common red pellicle-crust that covers it after a bake in the tandoor. Their version of Biryani combines a sweet and savory assortment of whole spices. And a bowl of their Idli Sambar is as good for dinner as I imagine it’d be for breakfast in India.

Rasoi Restaurant
727 East Ave # 6
Pawtucket, RI 02860-6184
(401) 728-5500
www.rasoi-restaurant.com

Rhody Food Tours
http://rhodyfoodtours.com/tours/

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Legendary Lovers Collection for Valentine’s Day

The mouth-watering Legendary Lovers collection from Garrison Confections.

The mouth-watering Legendary Lovers collection from Garrison Confections

I know I already wrote about Garrison Confections, but I felt compelled to highlight their Legendary Lovers collection of handmade chocolates for Valentine’s Day. The truth is I adore chocolate, but I generally dislike boxes of chocolates. I find most of them have unappetizing gooey centers so the box ends up filled with half-bitten, abandoned blobs.

But not the Legendary Lovers collection. Each of these little morsels contains a perfect balance of soft interior with a thin crisp chocolate outside, such as the John & Yoko, a homemade pistachio marzipan enrobed in dark chocolate, or the Francois Bouche, a raspberry ganache and raspberry pâte de fruit enrobed in dark chocolate. Of course, expertly made chocolates like these come at a price — $26 for a box of 12 to be exact. The truth is we are lucky to have such an extraordinary chocolatier in our state — chocolate this good is hard to find at any price. It may seem expensive, but like fresh locally grown produce, there’s value in the real thing.

Yesterday, we stopped by their Central Falls location — a modest building with a miniature chocolate shop inside manned by chocolatier Andrew Shotts himself. They are typically not open to the public, but made an exception this weekend and will be open Monday, February 14 from 11 am-6pm, so there’s still time to taste for yourself (they also take online orders). Even better, he shared the news that he’s planning to open a shop in Providence. So I guess I’ll just have to go there myself when they open and eat more chocolates for yet another report.

Garrison Confections
72 Ledge Street
Central Falls, RI
www.garrisonconfections.com (see their Valentine’s collections)

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La Sorpresa

At La Sorpresa, this little sampler is ideal.


When I walked into La Sorpresa’s new location on East Avenue, I immediately noticed some thick slices of crisp pork belly. But it was an enticing little sampler dish that the customer ahead of me ordered that piqued my interest.

A fresh paper tray of plantains, morcilla, smoked sausage, tiny potatoes, crisp-skin pork belly and thin, roasted rib meat (seen in the photo, wedged between the morcilla and the plantain, in the center) was prepared for me, and I ate a beef empanada while I waited. I spotted a particularly puffy pastry on my way out, which turned out to be their delicious homemade version of a raised Colombian doughnut filled with dulce de leche.

La Sorpresa Bakery
498 Broad Street
Central Falls, RI 02863-2844
(401) 475-0032

La Sorpresa
385 East Avenue
Pawtucket, RI
(across from the Modern Diner)

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Little Bites of Heaven – Peruvian Treats

Buttery cookies filled with dulce de leche.

I had never tried Peruvian desserts before yesterday, and now I know what I’ve been missing. This weekend , I stopped by the Little Bites of Heaven stand at the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers’ Market and tried several of their offerings including “Sweet Divine” (Alfajores) butter cookies with dulce de leche filling; “Blissful Choco-tejas” soft caramel and pecan candies covered with dark chocolate; “Holy Cake Roll” a vanilla cake with dulce de leche filling; and “Heavenly Lucuma” chocolate shortbread cookies with lucuma filling. Lucuma, for those who don’t know (I didn’t) is a fruit native to Peru with a flavor resembling maple.

Soft caramel and nut inside a crisp chocolate coating.

Since they don’t have a store yet, you’ll have to go to the winter market to sample for yourself (which is well worth the trip anyway). Perhaps soon enough they’ll go the way of the Cupcakerie and have a store of their own…

Tiny Bites of Heaven
www.tinybitesofheaven.com
available at the Winters Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays

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Sledding at Moses Brown in Providence, RI

Madeline on one of the novice hills


Although I grew up in New York City, our building in Riverdale happened to be perched atop a hill making sledding at least feasible, if a bit dangerous (your ride ended with a tree or in the road). But it’s hard to imagine a more perfect sledding spot than the one at Moses Brown School. With over a foot of snow in the Providence area today, we joined dozens of kids and adults with an array of brightly colored sleds and tubes who arrived there for sled rides down a variety of hills – some short, subtle ones for beginners and two steep ones for the more adventurous. All of them end in a nice flat field of snow making it fairly safe, except for the occasional collision (like the one when Madeline crashed into me as I stood in her riding path to take an action shot).

The hills at Moses Brown make a great sledding spot.

For our first time out, we stuck to the novice hills and gave the two sleds we bought yesterday at Benny’s a couple of good runs. I’m just glad that I bought two sleds, so when Madeline wanted to go by herself, there was still another sled for me.

Oh, and if you were out there, we were the (only) ones carrying an infant bundled in a car seat.

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Allie’s Donuts: Worthy of the Doughnut Capital

An assortment of old fashioned and raised doughnuts from Allie's Donuts.

You’d think in the doughnut capital of the United States, there would be a plethora of great options a short drive, or better yet, a short walk from my house. But a Google Maps search shows only two local options – Honey Dew Donuts and Dunkin’ Donuts – fine if you’re desperate, but lousy if you’re looking for a fresh homemade doughnut.

If you’re willing to travel for your doughnuts however (which I am), then there is a great option – Allie’s Donuts in North Kingston which has been around since 1968.

Allie's Donuts

Inside, they offer doughnuts in two categories – old fashioned and raised – each in assorted flavors such as sugar coated, chocolate frosted, glazed, jelly-filled, and chocolate. The old fashioned are usually the type of doughnuts I find too dry, but Allie’s are crunchy on the outside and soft and moist inside. The raised are soft inside and out so that they practically melt in your mouth. We tried several different kinds – all delicious, although personally I prefer a darker chocolate frosting (the chocolate donut, on the other hand, was right on).  They even make “donut cakes” for birthdays and other lucky occasions – something I’ve never heard of before, but will be sure to be trying at the next opportunity.

There’s no doubt how fresh Allie’s doughnuts are since they sell bags of day-old ones at discounted prices. But for me, the fresher, the better so next time instead of arriving at noon on a Saturday, I’d like to be there at 6 am when they open.

Allie’s Donuts
3661 Quaker Lane
North Kingstown, RI

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Rock-a-Baby for Little Music Lovers

Melody, Rhythm and Harmony - the Rock-a-Baby puppets.


Combine a live band, familiar rock-n-roll songs, and three clever puppets, and you get Rock-a-Baby, a musical learning experience for babies and toddlers. The classes originated in New York City, although watching a video from one of the NYC classes makes me glad I live in the much more low key (and less populous) state of Rhode Island.

Madeline and I joined one of the first Providence sessions this fall with about a half dozen other children ranging in age from six months to three years. Each class, hosted by singer Kate, pianist Marc, and guitarist Benny, focused on a different ‘theme of the week’ with songs to match and a new instrument in the spotlight to explore. The format perfectly balanced the repetition kids need (starting class with the same song and ending with bubble time, for example), while offering some new exposure to instruments or musical concept. Even adults were entertained by the repertoire of songs and the Henson-like humor of the Rock-a-Baby puppets.

Alas, as much as I loved Rock-a-Baby, Madeline is getting a bit old for it so we may try some classes at the RI Philharmonic this spring. I mean, she could be playing Beethoven’s waltzes at four-years-old. As for our new addition, Lucy, I’m sure she’ll be a Rock-a-Baby fan as soon as she can stay awake long enough to attend a class.

The 2011 classes begin in January, but for a preview you can see the Rock-a-Baby group perform as part of the Bright Night celebration in Providence, RI on December 31 at 1:30 and 3:30 pm at the Providence Children’s Museum.

Rock-a-Baby
Classes in Providence and Warwick, RI
www.rock-a-baby.net

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Garrison Confections: Rhode Island’s Chocolatier

Garrison Confections produce delicious artisan chocolates right here in Rhode Island.

Yes, it’s true that I have a new cavity for the first time in decades, and I’ve found a reason worth making more – Garrison Confections. This artisan chocolatier in Central Falls, Rhode Island makes such excellent chocolate that it rivals the likes of Galler in Belgium. Their “turtles” – salty caramel covered with a sliver of dark chocolate and sprinkled with pecans – are definitely addictive. And their hot chocolate mix reminds me a bit of Burdick’s, which I also love (although, in my opinion, you only need 2 heaping teaspoons instead of a 1/4 cup for a steaming mug).

Tasty "turtles"

If you happen to be buying a present for someone with a sweet tooth, they have plenty of pretty designed chocolates in fancy boxes. As for me, I’m sticking with the turtles.

You can visit their factory outlet this month for the holiday season, or you can find them Saturdays at the Wintertime Farmers’ Market in Pawtucket.

Garrison Confections
72 Ledge Street
Central Falls, RI 02863
www.garrisonconfections.com

Top photo by roboppy.

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Ebisu for Winter Treats

Making Takoyaki at Ebisu

It was cold and rainy when I came home on the train from Boston. I remembered a note sent from Ebisu restaurant that they were making Takoyaki – a pan-fried sphere of creamy batter, crispy on the outside, with a little piece of octopus in the middle. As tasty as a Rhode Island clamcake with a Japanese spin to it.

They make shabu-shabu too, which is delicious with their homemade dipping sauce.

My next trip will be all about sitting at the bar and ordering plate after plate of yakitori. I saw their shishamo (little grilled fish) which looked like they would go great with a tall cold beer.

Ebisu Japanese Restaurant
38 Pontiac Avenue
Providence, RI
(401) 270-7500
info@ebisuri.com
www.ebisuri.com

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20 Minutes and $5 at the Wintertime Farmer’s Market

The Yams and one of their biggest fans.

It was 12:25 on Saturday when my daughter said she wanted to go to the Farmer’s Market. “Ok, hurry up, it closes in half an hour,” I said, rushing her out the door. I had only $5 in my pocket, but no time to stop at the ATM. I didn’t think there would be much time for shopping anyway.

We walked hand-in-hand into Hope Artiste Village at 12:40, and it was still busy. First stop, McCarten Violins. They moved across the hall this year to a bigger space, and gauging from appearances, this was needed. The shop was full, and Madeline loved to watch people testing out the instruments.

Next stop, across the hall in the “Greenhouse,” all the food vendors are set up. Thankfully, Tina’s Caribbean is here now too. The Yams are still playing, and Madeline spent our first dollar on a small bag of Nettie’s Kettle Corn. Our time slipped by with dancing, and the Yams got dollar #2. A few minutes before 1pm, we finally walked the hall, and watched everyone finishing up business. I was happy to see that all of the studios lining the market hall were filled with designers and artists, and we stopped in to draw a picture, pet a puppy, and watch a painter at work. The last three dollars were spent on a meat pie at Tina’s, and Madeline and I talked with some friends and listened to the last strains of music. It was a well spent 20 minutes.