The latest addition to Providence’s food truck scene.
“It’s the hottest sauce you’ve ever had,” I was informed as I asked for the sauce to be added to my green chile cheeseburger. Whether it is or not, we’ll never know, since it was artfully diluted within the green chiles. The burger was good, the west african sweet potato and peanut soup, better.
Rocket Fine Street Food
near Thayer Street
http://rocketstreetfood.wordpress.com
The bento box at Ama's.
There’s only one thing I like more than pictures on the menu (which Ama’s doesn’t have), and that’s an assortment of dishes to taste. As we reviewed the menu, our waitress informed us that their bento boxes take some time to come out since each dish is prepared to order. Consequently, there was no question what I wanted — food worth waiting for.
Tucked on a side street in the West End of Providence, Ama’s is not your ordinary Japanese restaurant — there is no sushi and no maki. What you will find, however, is perfectly prepared chicken yakatori, edamame stuffed yuba, panko-crusted fish with a wasabi ginger mayonnaise, impeccably seasoned udon noodle soup, paper-thin mushroom gyoza, and enough sake to wash it all down.
Ama’s
3 Luongo Memorial Square
Providence, RI 02903
Baby Doll play set available on Etsy in Rhode Island: http://www.etsy.com/listing/46824903/
If you’re doing some last-minute shopping, that’s all the more reason to keep it local. Here are a few ideas (feel free to post others in the comments) for great children’s gifts that are either invented and/or made in Rhode Island.
Handmade local items at Craftland.
Craftland
Located on Westminster Street in Providence, this packed little shop sells jewelry, t-shirts, cards, puppet-making kits, toys, you name it. All the items are hand-crafted by regional artists.
www.craftlandshow.com
Seven Acre Toys
Providence, RI
Wood blocks, rattles, mobiles, teethers and more.
http://sevenacretoys.com
Pockets of Learning
Warren, RI
This children’s toy company makes unique soft toys. We still have the three little pigs set that Madeline got as a gift years ago. I’m not sure they still make that, but they have a soft tea set that I’m sure Lucy would love.
www.pocketsoflearning.com
Etsy
Local searches in RI
On Etsy, you can find local artisans who make dolls, toys, clothes, etc. A quick search for “children” in Rhode Island brought me to this adorable mini baby set (pictured above), owl wall plaque, and toddler aviator hat. See the full list of children’s items in Rhode Island.
Mill Street Puzzle Company
Newport, RI
Located in Newport’s Historic Hill, this company creates American-made jigsaw puzzles that celebrate American heritage.
www.millstreetpuzzles.com
Bananagrams
Providence, RI
Let’s not forget one of my personal favorites — a word game for the Scrabble-obsessed.
http://bananagrams.com
Hasbro
Of course, Hasbro, the maker of Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh and a plethora of other toys and brands is also located in Rhode Island. In fact, it’s one of the big national public companies located in the state (CVS is another), and as such is a major employer here. Buying Play-Doh doesn’t have the same feel as buying a hand-crafted item. Still, a local job is nothing to scoff at when you’re unemployment rate still exceeds 10 percent…
www.hasbro.com
Who out there has other suggestions?
My Cortado
A perfect cortado–a shot of espresso or two with a matching volume of steamed milk–can be found the excellent Flan Y Ajo. Here you can also find a Spanish pinball machine, a quiet place for an excellent lunch, and a worthy replacement for Farmstead Downcity.
Flan y Ajo
225A Westminster St
Providence, RIwww.flanyajo.com
Another perfect Cortado?
Blue State Coffee
300 Thayer St
Providence, RI
At Blue State, if you can, order the cortado to stay–not to go. The glass makes a big difference.
Madeline joins the riders on the Flying Horse Carousel in Watch Hill.
There are a handful of things that Rhode Island can claim to be the “oldest in America” — such as the oldest synagogue and the oldest lending library. Apparently, we also have the oldest carousel.
The Flying Horse Carousel in Watch Hill originated in 1876 and is named for the fact that its 20 horses are not attached to the floor but remain suspended from a center frame, swinging out or “flying” when in motion. There is an age limit — no one over 12-years-old may ride, and I particularly liked the sign recommending you re-consider if you are over 100 lbs or over 5 feet tall. Rides are $1 for an inside horse and $1.50 for an outside horse.
The Easton's Beach carousel makes for a great rainy day activity.
Madeline chose an inside horse, and after two rides appeared sufficiently mesmerized so I figured she’d had enough. Our next stop will be either the Crescent Park Carousel in East Providence or the Slater Memorial Park Carousel in Pawtucket…
Flying Horse Carousel
Westerly, RI
www.visitrhodeisland.com/what-to-do/amusements/458/flying-horse-merry-go-round/
Atlantic Beach Carousel
Westerly, RI
www.atlanticbeachpark.com/amusements
Easton’s Beach Carousel
Newport, RI
www.cityofnewport.com/departments/economic-development/beach/home.cfm
Carousel Village, Roger Williams Park
Providence, RI
www3.providenceri.com/parks-and-rec/carousel-village
Crescent Park Carousel
East Providence, RI
www.eastprovidence.com/content/668/830/834/default.aspx
Slater Memorial Park Carousel
Pawtucket, RI
www.pawtucketri.com/about/pointsofinterest.php
For more information on Rhode Island carousels, see http://sos.ri.gov/kidszone/carousels/ or KidoInfo’s list.
The Providence Juice Company truck parked at Lippitt Park in Providence.
Blackberry and lavender infused lemonade.
Providence Juice Company
www.pvdjuiceco.com
Providence / Lippitt Park Farmers Market
www.farmfresh.org/food/farmersmarkets_details.php?market=11
Bibimbap at Soban
Over the past two years, we’ve been impressed with some of the Korean food in the Providence area, including Sun and Moon in East Providence and, of course, Mama Kim’s Korean BBQ food truck, which serves up some tasty pork sandwiches. So when we learned that the owners of Juniper had opened Soban, a Korean eatery, on Thayer Street — we were among the first patrons on opening night.
Mama Kim's Korean BBQ often parks on Thayer Street.
It’s hard to judge a restaurant on its first night — they wound up with a full house and dozens of take-out orders so they were obviously a bit overwhelmed. So I’ll forgive them any service mishaps for now.
We ordered the steamed pork and chive dumplings, made with thin, fresh dough and a well-composed filling. For the main dish, I ordered the Bibimbap — a classic Korean dish served in a hot stone pot with meat, vegetables, and rice topped with a cracked egg which cooks as you mix it together (along with spicy chili paste to your liking). Geoff ordered the spicy tofu stew made with soft, fresh tofu that melts in your mouth simmered with shrimps with the heads still on in a spicy chili broth. I skipped the shrimp, but tasted the tofu. Soft, fresh tofu is a rare find and nothing like the rubbery cubes you find in more commercial miso soup.
For Madeline, we had ordered Duboki, chewy strips of rice (imagine grains of rice larger than your fingers) in a sweet and hot chili sauce with onions, carrots and fish cake. It was delicious as well, although by the time it finally arrived, Madeline was fast asleep in the stroller. Fortunately, it makes a great breakfast the next day as well.
Soban
272 Thayer St
Providence, RI
Mama Kim’s Korean BBQ
www.mamakims.us
Madeline creates her own art during the RISD Museum's Tours for Tots.
Someone recently asked Madeline what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“Well,” she replied. “I’m already getting started. I’m an artist.”
So apparently in support of her current career, we visited the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum yesterday during their Tours for Tots. The hour-long program, which continues Thursdays in June, offers children ages 3-5 an interactive tour of one of the museum’s exhibits, along with a chance to create their own art. Yesterday’s tour brought us to the wooden Dainichi Nyorai Buddha, which sits 9-feet tall in its own dimly lit gallery. The children learned the story of Siddhartha, as they discovered how to sit and think like Buddha. We then moved to an open room where the kids spread out on the floor and created their own crayon drawings inspired by the story. The event ended with all of the new ‘artwork’ on display for everyone to admire.
A still from Schnitt's "Once Upon a Time"
Each week brings a different tour, so you can attend more than once. And while you’re there, you can get your fix of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, and other masterpieces, along with some less traditional art like Sarah Sze’s notepad cut into a tiny and intricate fire escape or Corinna Schnitt’s video loop Once Upon a Time, which shows what happens in an unsupervised room full of chickens, cats, birds, fish, bunnies and a goat. Who says art museums are for adults?
RISD Museum
Tours for Tots
Thursdays June 2, 9, 16, 23 at 2 pm – 2:45 pm
(meets in the Chace Lobby, free with museum admission)
www.risdmuseum.org (also see family programs)
Sarah Sze
artist website | exhibit info
Corinna Schnitt
artist website | exhibit info
The Columbus Theatre makes the list of the one of the most endangered properties in Providence this year. Trigphotography image taken by Frank C. Grace.
The exact month we moved to Providence (August 2009), the Columbus Theatre on Broadway was ordered closed by city inspectors. Apparently the theatre was overdue for fire code upgrades that would cost over $100,000, which owner Jon Berberian couldn’t afford. As one of the few independent theatres in the city, they had hosted the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Picture Start Film Series. Ever since its closing, the theatre has sat dark with an “opening soon” sign hanging outside.
This past week, the Providence Preservation Society released its annual “Ten Most Endangered Properties” list and included the Columbus Theatre. The purpose of the list is to generate a priority list of historic structures in jeopardy and to work with property owners, developers and other interested parties to effect a positive change in the building’s status. Some of the properties featured on past lists have been saved, such as The Foundry, now the apartment building The Promenade, or the Shepard Building, now home to URI’s Providence campus.
The Providence Preservation Society welcomes members and accepts donations to support their preservation advocacy work. Let’s hope this is the year for these buildings to be revitalized. I can’t wait to start shopping in The Arcade on Westminister Street…
Providence Preservation Society
21 Meeting Street
Providence, RI
www.ppsri.org
The Rhode Less Traveled: A Rhode Island Blog 