26 replies to this topic

[Liamlunchtray]

Ok, so a little off topic, but the place we used to get Pizza delivered from (Dina's on Federal Hill) has closed and I was curious if anyone has any suggestions for decent pizza delivered on the West side of town.

Also - Suggestions for Take Out? We always end up going to the same places - Not Just Snacks, Wes' Rib House, Gourmet House (although its not as good with the new owners), etc etc. Any suggestions? Providence has so much amazing food and I feel like I dont take advantage of it enough. When we go out to eat the kids are usually with us, so there is always a fear of the unknown....

Liam

[Cotuit]

Liamlunchtray, on Jun 1 2005, 11:58 AM, said:

(Dina's on Federal Hill) has closed

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So is that official? They had a sign up that they were closed for two weeks, of course for 4 weeks before that they were randomly closed. I walked by the other night and they were closed (no sign about the 2 weeks), but the help wanted sign was still in the window. I wish they had had better food, because they were terribly convenient to me.

I usually get pizza delivery from Ronzio's on the hill. They're pizza is pretty good, nothing to write home about, but adequate, and we usually get a deal with their coupons. Their calzones are hit and miss, I'll get one and love it, then get one and not be able to eat it (I've officially given up on them).

Of course there's always Casserta's, but they don't deliver, good for take out though.

The Chinese Place on the Hill, Chef Ho's is good.

I've found that Cilantro's burritto place on Weybosset delivers to Atwells Ave., I think you're further west than me, so they may not go to you.

There's a chinese place in Eagle Square that I don't think I've tried yet, maybe I did, I can't remember.

Gepetto's on DePasquale Plaza has pretty good food, I'm pretty sure they do delivery and take-out. I've never tried their pizza though.

Al & Betty's at Atwells and Dean do take-out, but I personally hate take-out Diner Food.

[Liamlunchtray]

Cotuit, on Jun 1 2005, 11:09 AM, said:

So is that official?

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No, I just kind of assumed. They started being randomly closed, then sometime you would call and they just wouldnt have any drivers or they would be like "tonight we only start delivering at 10pm", and now they have been closed for a month. Their pizza wasnt the greatest, but they were always fast, reasonably priced, and very friendly. They would throw in feww soda or fries and stuff sometimes too, which I liked.

Liam

[Garris]

Liamlunchtray, on Jun 1 2005, 09:58 AM, said:

I was curious if anyone has any suggestions for decent pizza delivered on the West side of town.

Also - Suggestions for Take Out?

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Check if some of the better East Side Pizza joints deliver to you (Pizza Pie-er, Minerva's, etc...).  The new Shanghai Chinese on Thayer delivers, but I don't know if they go to the West End...  For take out, I'd much rather go to Apsara Palace on Hope than the nearby Gourmet House, which I've never thought is all that good.  To be honest, when I feel like Asian, I drive to Lemi's BBQ in Cranston for authentic food (it's just that good) or Little Chopsticks for Americanized Chinese on Smith Hill, but I also take my food a bit more seriously than most...  Sawaddee is my easy choice for Thai, on lower Hope St.

For takeout, there's just so much that good in the metro area, much of it West of 95.  Check out my "best of" list below on the Chowhound website.  Virtually all those restaurants have takeout.

http://chowhound.com...ages/25157.html

- Garris

[Lova]

Sometimes Sikar delivers.

The Cookie Place delivers, and fast.

Mokana's (Broad St next to BK) told me they deliver, but I just walk.  

Best Taste (Chinese on Mineral Spring) is good and deliver, but Im not sure how far.

My new fave SE Asian joint is Mekong on Smith, just up from Patrick's.

[Cotuit]

I really need to go collect some menus on Smith Hill. I'm sure places up there would deliver to me. The pickin's on the Hill for cheap take-out/delivery are surprisingly slim.

[eltron]

Pizza Pie-er delivers to the west side, though I'm not sure down into the Armory.
Expensive, but I much prefer it over Ronzios. (though I order extra sauce every time and it gets more and more sparse).

Apsara is a five second drive from your place. That would be my staple. In fact, it IS my staple.

Phoenix Dragon is good for the standards, and the staff are insanely nice.

[Cotuit]

eltron, on Jun 1 2005, 03:16 PM, said:

Phoenix Dragon is good for the standards, and the staff are insanely nice.

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Is that the place on Broadway?

[eltron]

Cotuit, on Jun 1 2005, 03:19 PM, said:

Is that the place on Broadway?

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Yep.

[kinematix]

Don't know how far they'll drive but the liquor store in Wayland square delivers boos for free (maybe a 10 dollar min) Only used the service once during a key Red Sox game and I give it high marks. In theory it should cut down on drinking and driving too

[pesphoto]

Im surprised no one has mentioned Bob and Timmys or Sicilia's on Federal Hill.
Bob and Timmy's great bbq chicken pizza is my favorite! Of course Sicilia's has the stuffed pizza and they deliver until the wee hours of the morning!!

[TheAnk]

Try Bombay Club on Fed Hill for take out.. Great Indian..

Don Jose Tequilas on Fed Hill for mexican.. Mexico Garibaldi for "authentic mexican" in Mt Pleasant...

Fidas for late night rot gut food..

I really think Casertas is maybe the most overrated place.. Ever.. Not even decent in my book...

Sicilias for Stuffed pizza.. Never for subs though...

Jade East in Fruit Hill for the Best Damn General Tso's Chicken..  On the planet...

You can't beat Wes's though... That place is a staple in The Ank's diet..

[Garris]

TheAnk, on Jun 3 2005, 01:55 PM, said:

Try Bombay Club on Fed Hill for take out.. Great Indian..

Agreed.  I'm shocked how many people, even foodies, in Providence haven't been there.  Many co-workers of mine from India also confirm this is the best and most authentic in the area (short of their own kitchens, of course ).  We don't have a lot of Indian in Providence, but what we do have is quite decent in my book.  Taste of India has a nice buffet and Not Just Snacks and Kabob and Curry are both quite good as well, if all being a solid notch or two below Bombay Club.  I'm not a great fan of "India," which while tasty, strikes me more as slightly overpriced fusion than anything else.

TheAnk, on Jun 3 2005, 01:55 PM, said:

Don Jose Tequilas on Fed Hill for mexican.. Mexico Garibaldi for "authentic mexican" in Mt Pleasant...

Eh, I wasn't impressed by Don Jose Tequilas...  I'll have to try Mexico Garibaldi...

TheAnk, on Jun 3 2005, 01:55 PM, said:

I really think Casertas is maybe the most overrated place.. Ever.. Not even decent in my book...  Sicilias for Stuffed pizza.. Never for subs though...

I think Casertas is quite good...  You have to like Neopolitan style pizza in the first place, however, which isn't my favorite.  It's funny, I think Sicilias is very overrated.  It gets a lot of slack for being our only Chicago-style stuffed pizza place, and I've had much, much better of that style.  It's decent, but very overpriced in my book...

TheAnk, on Jun 3 2005, 01:55 PM, said:

Jade East in Fruit Hill for the Best Damn General Tso's Chicken..  On the planet...

I'm intrigued.  Where is this?

TheAnk, on Jun 3 2005, 01:55 PM, said:

You can't beat Wes's though... That place is a staple in The Ank's diet..

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Wes's is quite good.  I prefer LJ's, however.

- Garris

[Garris]

Lova, on Jun 1 2005, 12:36 PM, said:

My new fave SE Asian joint is Mekong on Smith, just up from Patrick's.

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Lova, tell me about Mekong.  Is it SE Asian, or one of RI's 4-cuisine restaurants?  What dishes do you like?  I often pass Mekong going to and from the Providence VA and when I feel like Asian near there, I get Little Chopsticks or Thai Star.  Mekong's exterior wasn't the most inviting...

Please, tell me what you like menu-wise!

- Garris

[Garris]

eltron, on Jun 1 2005, 01:16 PM, said:

Phoenix Dragon is good for the standards, and the staff are insanely nice.

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The staff there is quite nice, and their standalone dishes are good, but I was very disappointed in their dim-sum when I tried it, so Lucky Garden in N.Prov is my dim-sum choice for Providence right now.  For authentic chinese, I love Lemi's BBQ in Cranston!

- Garris

[Frankie811]

OK Garris, just what the heck is dim-sum  anyways?????????   You've been talking about it for weeks now  

[Cotuit]

I hate Sicilias   A frozen Uno's pizza from Shaw's is better.

[Garris]

Frankie811, on Jun 5 2005, 01:15 PM, said:

OK Garris, just what the heck is dim-sum  anyways?????????   You've been talking about it for weeks now  

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Dim Sum is basically the Chinese version of tapas, or essentially a meal composed of many appetizers without entres.  The appetizers usually range from 2.00 to 5 dollars each, and there is usually 2-4 items per plate.  It's best to go with a few people so you can all share.  

In the large dim sum houses (the closest would be Boston), they actually roll the dishes on push carts around the restaurant, and when one rolls by where you want something, you point to it and they add the cost to your bill on the table.  It's a lot of fun.

Here in Providence, the dim sum is ordered off a menu and they serve them to you piping hot as they are completed.  For the uninitiated, they usually have a picture book to give you a better idea of what the items look like (since these are usually more authentic items, not the standard Americanized Chinese fare, much of which never existed in China in the first place).  Because this is labor intensive (the dim sum items are fairly complex, and there are often 30-50 items in dim sum!!) dim sum is usually offered only on weekends during brunch hours (although there may be one or two in Boston that do dim sum daily).  Check out a sample menu at Lucky Garden's website here: http://www.luckyandp....com/dimsum.php.  

Outside of areas with large Asian populations, what restaurants call "dim sum" seems to vary.  Many people I know who live in large cities wouldn't consider it an "authentic" dim sum without the push carts, as it is here in Prov.  In Burlington, VT, an Asian restaurant there advertises a dim sum that is more akin to a tasting platter than anything else.  

There are three restaurants in the Prov area that have dim sum: Lucky Garden in North Providence (the best, in my opinion, and also with the largest and most authentic menu, check out http://www.luckyandpearl.com), Phoenix Garden on Broadway (OK, kinda smallish dim sum menu and taste was only OK), and one I forget the name of in Rolfe Sq in Cranston (I didn't like that one at all, although its dim sum is daily).  If anyone is aware of others, please let me know.

The best dim sum I've had in North America was at some of the large dim sum houses in San Francisco, and especially in Vancouver, BC, where the dim sum items were amongst the best meals I've had anywhere.  NYC also has several excellent places, although purists argue they aren't as good as the West Coast places (and I'd agree in my limited experience).  The Boston places I've been to have merely been OK, not quite as good as the best places in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Lucky Garden, in taste, I think is near the level of some of the good Minnesota places.  

A more complete dim sum history is here:
http://www.cuisinene...sum_intro.shtml

Enjoy!

- Garris

PS: Does anyone know a great tapas place in the Providence metro?

Edited by Garris, 05 June 2005 - 09:36 PM.

[pdxstreetcar]

I order Dominos a lot but its not exactly the best pizza around, although it is cheap and reliable.

[Frankie811]

pdxstreetcar, on Jun 6 2005, 01:35 AM, said:

I order Dominos a lot but its not exactly the best pizza around, although it is cheap and reliable.

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Worse pizza around town.