The Duck & Bunny.

The Duck & Bunny

312 Wickenden Street

Providence, RI 02903

401. 270. 3300

The Duck & Bunny is a snuggery. And no, owners Jessica and Daniel didn't make up the word, but they've certainly made their new restaurant live up to its meaning: a cosy and comfortable place. Part bar, part tea shop, the Duck & Bunny is nothing if it isn't cozy and just a little bit fancy, too.

Full disclosure: I visited the snuggery for the first time a few weeks ago, but the end of the semester meant that I didn't have a moment to write about it before now. Busy or no, I wouldn't dream of leaving Providence for the summer without writing about the tastiest small bites of all. I'm talking about cupcakes, and at the Duck & Bunny they're all made in-house by Johnson & Wales pastry chefs. When possible, the chefs integrate local flavorings, like those used in the buttermilk honey glazed cupcake with lavender buttercream frosting that I gobbled a few weeks ago.

Daniel and Jessica source their food through Farm Fresh RI, which provides restaurants with weekly emails and lists of available ingredients from local farms. According to Jessica, the process couldn't be easier. Want local honey? Check out the Farm Fresh list, and if it's there, it's yours. On a chilly spring day like this one, hurry to the Duck & Bunny for a little local treat and hot cuppa.

Apsara Palace

Apsara Palace
783B Hope Street
Providence, RI 02906
401.831.4722

It's hard to walk down Hope Street on the East Side of Providence without getting hungry. Just a few blocks from Not Just Snacks and Ivy Tavern is Apsara Palace, a pan Asian restaurant which serves up Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, and Chinese cuisine. As you can imagine, covering cuisine from such a vast area of the world requires a hearty, expansive menu.

After having lived in Thailand and eaten my way through Southeast Asia during a year long fellowship, one of the things I most miss back at home is the food of the region. I crave the juicy mangoes, spicy curries, and peanuty dishes I'd eaten at street side markets. I'm often hard pressed to find a Thai restaurant able to capture those uniquely tangy flavors.

So when I arrived at Apsara Palace on a bustling Saturday night, I didn't have the heart to leaf through the pages and pages of rice and noodle dishes. Bracing myself in advance to be disappointed, I ordered the hard-to-ruin and unimaginative staple of American Southeast Asian cuisine-Pad Thai. In Thailand Pad Thai is often sold by vendors on the street in a giant metal wok that quickly cooks multiple helpings in one batch. Vendors have an array of condiments so you can make the noodles your own-hot sauce, fish sauce, peanuts, and lime help with the customization. While the dish is enjoyed as a snack or a meal by Thais, it is not by any means viewed as the nation's signature dish.

But Apsara Palace's delicious sweet, sour, and salty Pad Thai may just have renewed my faith in American Thai restaurants. Squeezing the lime over my noodles generously covered in chopped peanuts brought back memories of crowded streets abuzz with activity-motorbikes whizzing by, late night street vendors hawking fruit, and friends gossiping over steaming bowls of soup after a long day. I hope on my next visit to Apsara Palace I'll be brave enough to really explore their vast menu.

Ivy Tavern

Ivy Tavern
758 Hope Street

Providence, RI
401.421.3888

The Ivy Tavern is the best kind of neighborhood pub - one with great food that is genuinely welcoming to all, locals and non-locals alike. Located on the East Side of Providence in what is colloquially referred to as "Hope Village," the small storefront is easy to pass by, but tables in this small establishment are worth the wait if need be.

Ivy Tavern is known for its hamburgers and garlic fries, but before ordering our pub grub we focused in on the beer list. For a small neighborhood establishment, Ivy Tavern offers a, while limited, impressive selection of brews. My dining partner and I opted for two favorites from the bottled list: Chimay Red (Belgium) and Allagash White (Maine).

Since Ivy Tavern has been recognized as having "the best burger" for multiple years, we decided to try two varieties: the traditional cheeseburger and the "Accidential Purist," an innovative homemade veggie burger. For a minimal additional charge, we were able to upgrade our side (choice of fries, coleslaw, or pasta salad) to the Ivy Tavern's infamous garlic fries. In addition to burgers and sandwiches, Ivy Tavern also offers a tempting assortment of appetizers and entrees.

Both burgers were exceptional. Perfectly cooked and full of flavor. The garlic fries were addictive and numerous enough to take home and enjoy the next day (they reheat well on a pizza stone in the toaster oven).

Our waitress was extremely friendly and happy to tell us the story behind this unassuming neighborhood gem. The owner, Dave, opened the tavern seven years ago after moving to Providence from Block Island. He had run a successful place there and brought his clientele with him to the East Side. Ivy Tavern has developed a reputation as a great neighborhood bar with huge portions, great burgers, and friendly, loyal staff. Ivy Tavern does great business even in bad weather when locals opt for a night out within walking distance.

On your next trip up Hope Street, definitely stop in to Ivy Tavern for good pub grub and an "everybody knows your name" atmosphere.

Chimay Red and Allagash White.

"Accidental Purist" - a veggie burger with grilled apples, caramelized onions, brie, tomato marmalade, and mesclun - and garlic fries

Cheeseburger with garlic fries

Burger

The Liberty Elm Diner

The Liberty Elm Diner

777 Elmwood Avenue

Providence, RI

401.467.0777

Sometimes after a long week the only thing that will make me feel better and get me geared up for another one, is a Sunday morning breakfast out on the town.  When I was little, my family would sometimes go to a local diner on weekend mornings and my sisters and I would fill up on hot chocolate with whipped cream before our short stacks had even arrived. These days, I'm a little more concerned with actually leaving room for breakfast, but hot chocolate or no, these weekend meals are just as much a special treat.

After seeing Jen's post featuring the The Liberty Elm last week, I couldn't help myself but to try it out this weekend. Besides, this women-owned diner is housed in a 1947 Worcester Lunch Car* and with all this talk about Food on the Move having my breakfast cooked up in a vintage lunch car seemed like a must.

The diner serves its fair share of eggs and bacon, but it isn't your average greasy spoon. Liberty Elm supports the use of local and regional products and you can rest assured that you'll be eating happy eggs with your preservative-free bacon. My own breakfast was a crust-less quiche made with Narragansett Creamery herb and garlic Angelito cheese and Allen Farms pea greens and it was every bit as delicious as it sounds. Locally roasted New Harvest Coffee was the perfect accompiament to the eggs, but the real treat was the freshly squeezed orange juice made with Liberty Elm's brand new juicer, happily cranking out fresh juice at the rate of 24 oranges per minute.

If you're searching for a traditional Rhode Island treat, then it's the Johnny Cakes you're after. They're made with Kenyon's Gristmill White Cornmeal from Usquepaugh and drizzled with real New England maple syrup. And if you're feeling especially hungry for locally-sourced goodness, be sure to check out this week's Earth Dinner, a prix fixe all-local farm-to-diner menu being served on April 22. See details, here.

*If there are any other history nuts out there, you might be pleased to know that in January of this year, the Liberty Elm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can read more about the Diner's History, here.

Haruki East

Haruki East
172 Wayland Ave.
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 831-1150



The first day of spring break should be savored. For me that meant a lazy morning of catching up-with chores, correspondence, and on sleep. It also meant a chance to try out the lunch special at Haruki East (which thankfully lasts until 3pm for the ultra lazy), a Japanese restaurant only two blocks from my apartment.

I'd never been to Haruki before, though Rhode Island is home to three Haruki Restaurants. The manager on duty told me that the Cranston restaurant is known for offering "authentic" Japanese dishes, while my neighborhood Haruki offers Japanese fare "with an American kick." I appreciated this insight, though I don't think someone like myself- whose Japanese culinary experience has mostly come in the form of supermarket sushi, droopy rice rolls found smashed between plastic- would be able to tell the difference.

Haruki's lunchtime special offered a variety of meals, perfect for the cash-strapped and indecisive graduate student looking for a lunch out. Most meals come with a small bowl of salty miso soup (mostly broth with tofu, scallion, and seaweed bits). Looking for maximum food variety, I opted for the bento box, a popular Japanese lunch meal that comes in a segemented box with room for several different food items. Unlike the family style of eating at my favorite Southeast and South Asian restaurants, I received my own box of food-no need to share. The largest portion consisted of tempura (battered and fried) seasonal vegetables with a dipping sauce. The box also included gyoza (fried crimped dumplings), a hearty rice roll, fruit, and sesame green beans. My dining partner opted for the Wayland Maki sushi roll with shrimp tempura and seaweed (sans caviar). The manager on duty told us that Haruki East's sushi chefs have been working their magic for over a decade-but wouldn't go into more detail, stating that their techniques and ingredients are top secret.

Unlike other lunch specials, the meal left me pleasantly full, but not over stuffed. Haruki's bamboo painted walls offered a welcome and relaxing change to my normal Saturday routine, and a chance to taste many different Japanese foods in one sitting. The perfect way to start my break.

Julian's.

Julian's

318 Broadway

Providence, RI 02902

401.861.1770

"Handmade with love and imagination," is the tagline that folks at Julian's best like to describe their style. I sat down a few weeks ago with manager Brian Oakley to dig a little deeper. As a recent transplant from North Carolina, I had nearly fallen off my chair the first time I ate at Julian's and saw the menu's promise of fried house pickles. Delighted, I quickly scanned the menu for shrimp and grits. And while my desire was met on that particular night with a special of shrimp and beet infused grits, Julian's doesn't resign itself to only southern cooking. Chef Mike Nice explains that his inspiration comes from all over the place and that having developed a trusting following, he has the freedom to experiment with different flavors and culinary traditions. The menu reflects the variety of influences with dishes ranging from naan white pizza with white potato-leek sauce, watercress, oyster mushrooms, mozzarella, and balsamic reduction, to a pesto-tofu scramble, to a tempeh sausage cassoulet. 

Julian's is perhaps best known for its brunch offerings and Star Wars figurines, but lately its dinner menu has been getting special attention, too. Monthly Beer Dinners have been selling out within hours, eager customers craving the dinners that pair an assortment of beers with six courses of carefully selected menu items that bring out the best of the brews' flavors.

But even though Julian's offers customers an impressive international beer list and a range of dishes with influences from Asia to France, the restaurant hopes to serve foods that come from places a little closer to home. And their committment to handmade comes out in the dinners they prepare using goods from local sources. Poultry is delivered from local poultry company Antonelli's on Atwells Avenue and last summer Julian's paired with local chefs in RAFT's heirloom vegetable grow-out. Getting supplies from local farms is standard practice for Julian's. Farmers like Catherine of Red Planet Vegetables, drop by the restaurant on a weekly basis, offering up the week's garden favorites for the chefs to incorporate into nightly specials. Julian's doesn't even have a walk-in refrigerator, so they can guarantee you're getting only the freshest ingredients. And condiments from ketchup to mayo are all house-made.

As for the atmosphere inside the restaurant, it somehow manages to be equal parts cozy and frenetic: neon road signs paired with a giant hanging whisk and rotating displays of works by local artists all contribute to the scene. And Julian's latest over-sized acquistion? An English double-decker bus--soon to be outfitted with a kitchen. Now we're talking about food on the move...

FOO(D) at AS220

FOO(D) at AS220
115 Empire Street
Providence, RI
401-831-FOOD (3663)


I must admit I sometimes forget that food can be art, but I was reminded by a recent visit to FOO(d), the restaurant at AS220, a non-profit community art space, here in Providence, dedicated to supporting local artists.  In line with the mission of AS220, FOO(d) supports local New England farmers, using locally grown ingredients to create a variety of delicious and affordable dishes.  (I'd say this is a site for Erin to visit, too.  Who knew? Cheap and locally sourced!)  Money spent in the restaurant goes into AS220's programming, supporting the creative community.  I spoke with Guy Michaud, the manager and head chef, who described the restaurant as a conduit between food artists and the artists working and presenting at AS220.



Struck by the delightfully diverse menu, I wanted to know how Guy chooses which dishes to offer.  Guy explained that the menu is seasonal and determined by what produce is available from local farmers that season.  After conversing with farmers and learning about the available ingredients, Guy creates his dishes, and chef Justin Earsing creates a "mirror menu," making all the options (except the pork empanadas) vegan-friendly.  It is very important to Guy and Justin that everyone entering FOO(d) feels comfortable and has no trouble finding something to eat, regardless of food allergies or restrictions. And with so many dishes under $10, my friends and I were excited to dig into the wide variety of options!



{Of course, I had the mac and cheese with broccoli and bread crumbs - yum!}



{A more health-conscious friend had the spinach salad with goat cheese, radish and almonds}



{I plan to try this one next: grilled cheddar cheese with garlic spinach on olive bread}


And though not photographed here, I must mention the always delicious empanada with pulled pork, roasted sweet potato and carmelized onion, which I just had to split with a friend despite being rather full from the large portion of mac and cheese. Having tried the empanada before, I now have trouble going to FOO(d) and not ordering it.


Between the fun and funky atmosphere and the yummy, locally sourced and CHEAP food, I find myself returning to FOO(d) at AS220 again and again.


Many thanks to Lucia for the fabulous photographs!

Not Just Snacks

Not Just Snacks

833 Hope St

Providence, RI 02906

(401) 831-1150

"Food is a very personal thing. You want to eat somewhere that someone you know well has told you about," Mohammad Islam, owner of Not Just Snacks told me recently. To Islam having a meal is about trust-though customers may not know him personally, when they walk into his restaurant they are putting their stomachs in his hands-and trusting that they won't wake up the next day with a bellyache. Or heartburn.

Islam came to Rhode Island in 1998 from Bangladesh. A year later he opened his store, Not Just Spices, located on upper Hope Street on the East Side of Providence. The shop catered (and still does) to a largely South Asian community, carrying spices and prepared foods from the subcontinent. Two years later in 2001, when the restaurant across the street became vacant, Islam opened a second business, Not Just Snacks. Unlike the shop, Islam's restaurant Not Just Snacks is popular with the college hill community, many of whom return frequently hoping to enjoy tastes from past travels to South Asia.

Mr. Islam tries to create as "authentic an experience as possible", making sure he serves the same food to his customers as he eats in his own home. Meals are served on metal "thalis" simple plates and small bowls filled with chutneys, yogurt, and sauces-distinctively of the region. A traditional tandori oven in the kitchen helps ensure that Islam's Naan, a fluffy crisp bread, is baked to perfection.

I arrived for the first time to Not Just Snacks overly hungry-and bordering on cranky. Luckily a fast arriving appetizer- the ever popular samosa (a fried triangle filled almost to bursting with potatoes, onions, peas, and coriander accompanied by spicy sweet chutneys for dipping) helped to tide me over until the rest of the meal arrived. And arrive it did. Turns out my eyes may have been bigger than my stomach, as the table filled with palak (spinach) paneer (a ricotta cheese/tofuish blend commonly found in Indian curries), a Mughal inspired chicken Biryani dish (a slow cooked rice and meat dish seasoned with chili, cardamom, cinnamon, garlic, onions, ginger and mint leaves), and baskets of Naan. Islam also made sure that I had a mango lassi (yogurt drink) to soothe my out-of-practice tongue. Honey ginger naan- a special creation of Not Just Snacks inspired by a traditional Indian dessert- also helped balance the spiciness of my meal. My one regret is that I didn't save room for the piles of milky, sugary, fried sweets that Not Just Snacks is known for. Guess I have an excuse for a return visit.

Angkor Restaurant

Angkor Restaurant

333 Wickenden St

Providence, RI 02903

(401) 383-2227

On the East Side of Providence, a fold-out sign on Wickenden Street promises a passer-byer, "Authentic Cambodian Cuisine" at Angkor Restaurant.  Though I've walked by the sign numerous times, I'd never stopped-mostly because I wasn't sure what I'd find inside.  Unlike Cambodia's neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, many Americans do not associate this Southeast Asian nation with distinctive and flavorful curries, rice dishes, and soups.  Instead its contemporary history of genocide overshadows a rich culture and heritage.

But thanks to friendly owner Chutema, diners at Angkor Restaurant are able to experience the many layers of history that shape Cambodia today, from Hindu and Buddhist art which adorns the walls (inspired by images found on temples of the ancient Khmer empire, the restaurant's namesake), to stories that capture the realities of the Killing Fields.  Chutema and his family, like many Cambodians in the 1970s-1980s, were resettled in Rhode Island after escaping Pol Pot's regime.  Luckily, their culture and recipes also escaped cultural annihilation by the Khmer Rouge, brought to America by Chutema's late mother-in-law, Bopha Kem.  Before escaping Cambodia, Bopha Kem recorded her aunt's recipes from when she worked in the kitchen of a royal palace in Northwest Cambodia.  Today these recipes serve as the foundation for Angkor's food, though Chutema has adapted the menu to meet the tastes of the Brown and RISD students and faculty who frequent the restaurant.  Chutema leaves the kitchen often to talk to diners and share his family's story- though he makes sure not to share the secrets behind his tasty dishes, which Johnson & Wales student have tried unsuccessfully to get out of him.

Based on Chutema's recommendation, I started with Angkor's signature dish, Medicine Soup, or Nam Yaa, which he described as "chicken soup on stereoids."  This perfectly spicy noodle soup is touted for its delicious healing power, relying on a combination of herbs, lemon grass, ginger, galangal, garlic, karffir, limeleaves, chicken and shrimp for its unique flavor.  Luckily I brought along an equally enthusiastic dining partner to help me try two more dishes, including fresh spring rolls and an overflowing platter of Banh Hoi, a Vietnamese put-it-together-yourself-dish of rice noodles, fresh lettuce, mint cucumbers, tofu and vegetables, bean sprouts and peanut dipping sauce.  After scrapping our plates clean, we left Angkor with a new appreciation of the cultural power of recipes and the spices of Southeast Asia.

Stanley's Famous Hamburgers

Stanley's

371 Richmond Street

Providence, RI

(401) 270-9292

There's always room for milkshakes and fries! So after samples and stories with Rhody Food Tours at the Providence Athanaeum (check out Erin's post) we headed to Stanley's in Providence's Jewelry District for their famous stanleyburgers and some Quebec fries (what they call "poutine" in Quebec or "disco fries" in New Jersey, my home state).  

{Stanley's Quebec Fries}

Stanley's menu tells us that "in 1932, a Polish immigrant named Stanley F. Kryla had a dream: to make an honest, affordable hamburger." Stanley opened his restaurant in Central Falls during the Great Depression, offering fine and affordable comfort food. Stanley's dream lives on with a new owner since 1987, Gregory Raheb, and has expanded to include more selection on the menu and this second location in Providence.

{Stanley's Chocolate Milkshake}

Though we couldn't speak with Stanley himself, our server sometimes tells the late-night drunk crowd that he is Stanley. We were happy to learn about some of his experiences having worked there for almost a year.  He shared with us the favorite item on the menu - the famous stanleyburgers served with grilled onions and pickles, which people often order in 2's or 3's as they are small, tasty and cheap (only $1.99).  The chili cheese fries are the favorite among the late-night drunk crowd. (Stanley's in Providence stays open until 2am Thursday-Saturday.)  Our server had recently stopped eating beef and pork, so the menu of edible options was shortened. Luckily, Stanley's serves a "bomb" veggie burger that he enjoys.  

{Stanleyburger and fries}

Having sampled many disco fries in New Jersey, discovering these gravy drenched fries covered in melted mozzarella here at Stanley's in Providence was a perfect way to kick off my search for delicious and cheap Rhode Island diners and dives.

A Rhody Food Tour.

     After a few weeks of planning the details of Small Bites, we decided to kick things off with a group visit to the Providence Athenaeum. Doesn't sound like a typical choice for folks looking for a bite to eat, does it? Well, while on a typical evening delights to be found there are of a decidedly more literary bent, last Friday night, they were purely of the culinary variety. The Athenaeum hosted a veritable culinary extravaganza as part of its Friday night salon series and featured Mike Ritz of Rhody Food Tours along with chefs and owners from four different Providence restaurants. 

     As founder of Rhody Food Tours, Mike Ritz plays tour guide, sharing with tour-goers some of the best of what Rhode Island cuisine has to offer, in places where you might least expect to find it.  On Friday night, Mike shared the stories behind his Immigrant Cuisines of Greater Providence Tour, and brought along chefs Sanjiv Dhar from Kabob & Curry and Rasoi restaurants, Maria Meza and her son Joaquin from El Rancho Grande, and Kazu Kondo from Ebisu. Guests were invited to munch on samples while listening to the stories behind the restaurants from the chefs themselves, all of whom bring culinary traditions from across the globe to Providence. 

     As for us, we couldn't have been happier. Delicious food, stories to go along with it, and four restaurants we'll be sure to hit up soon!

{Tamales and Flauta from El Rancho Grande}

{Gyoza from Ebisu}

{Quesadilla's from El Rancho Grande}

{Samosas from Kabob & Curry}

Update: On March 13, March 27, April 3, and April 24, Rhody Food Tours will be hosting Immigrant Cuisines Part II! Email Tours@RhodyFoodTours.com for more information.