[Garris]

Inspired by the suggestions here, I felt like having Korean recently. I checked out the new place on Atwell's, but it looked full, I didn't have a lot of time, and I couldn't find parking, so I zoomed down I ate lunch at Cafe Yuni, tucked (hidden?) right across the side street from Adler's Hardware off Wickenden. Their nice seems to be a mix of primarily Korean and Japanese dishes. If you're thinking of going, do it soon, as they are closing for their "Summer Break" from, I think, July 30th to Aug 31st...

It was late lunch hour, and I was the only person there. It's a small, cute space, and two employees were there watching Seinfeld (they also do takeout, of course). I had the lunch special and took a spicy spinach maki roll home to my sister.

The lunch special started with Miso Soup, which was just fine. Suitably strong and with some welcomingly firm tofu pieces. The lunch special (sorry, I forget the name in Korean) was served in a sizzling hot clay pot and was essentially a standard Korean BBQ'ed beef over sticky rice with a mixture of pickled and non-pickled vegetables covered with an egg. Hot sauce was served on the side available to mix in.

In short, the dish was wonderful and everything it should have been. Simultaneously light, flavorful, spicy, and tangy (with the pickled vegetables). The rice and egg added nice density and were a good platform for the meal. I completely enjoyed it. The only potential nit was the beef itself. I don't know how prominent the taste of the beef was supposed to be, but it served more to add varied texture here than driving the taste, as it wasn't flavorful on its own.

The maki roll was decent. It looked somewhat sloppily done (some surfaces of the seaweed wrapper weren't covered fully with rice and it didn't look cut with painstaking care, something I've seen quite a bit around here), but it tasted fresh and flavorful. It (and the entire meal) was also quite inexpensive, with the maki roll probably being $1.25 to $2 less than buying something comparable but not as tasty for takeout at a place like East Side Market.

Also, of note, was that everything was done extremely rapidly, almost qualifying as "fast food." In the time it would take a pizza place to make a pie, they had everything out to me.

I wouldn't say it's a destination restaurant, but for a light, quick, very tasty, and cheap lunch that is a mix of Korean and Japanese dishes, it's a nice place to have around, and Dell's is only a half block away for a lemonade to wash everything down. Try to drop in when they're open.

- Garris

This post has been edited by Garris: 29 July 2005 - 10:07 PM

[megad]

Ya Garris,

I hadn't heard of Shogun either until I saw a billboard for it on Route 10 (and I live in Warwick). It's right on Jefferson Blvd near Bugaboo Creek.

Its apparently a pretty popular place. The 4 times I've gone there, (all on weeknights), I had to wait 20 minutes to be seated.

You gotta try it... it's a great place.

[Garris]

A bit of a disappointing story here...

I was downtown (which is much cleaner and more appealing thanks to the DID) yesterday running some errands on a break from work, and I decided to swing by New Japan. I looked up their hours on the web, and it said they closed for lunch at 2:30. I arrive at 2:05 and find them closing up early . I know it's common for places to do that if things are slow, but it kinda ticked me off. I had a great Cuban burito wrap at Cuban Revolution to tide me over, however .

The worst example of this I've seen here was a Noodle place in Pawtucket. I called and asked what time they closed, and they said 9 PM. My sister and I drove there (about 15 minutes from where we are on the E. Side, a positive eternity by RI standards) and got there about 8:10, and they were closing up, saying, "Oh, we decided to take off early tonight." Well, that's great. I decided not to go back.

Going to the excellent Sunshine Creamery in Rumford made us feel better, however .

- Garris

BTW: Great tip about the Sandwich Hut on N. Main. I stopped by there the other day, and had a great lunch that didn't break the bank.

[EPBOY]

Hey, I got a $20 coupon from McCormick & Schmits in the mail yesterday (have NO IDEA where they got my name & address... which is somewhat disturbing).

Anyway... does anyone have any reviews of the place before I go?

Thanks

[Frankie811]

EPBOY, on Aug 5 2005, 12:54 PM, said:

Hey, I got a $20 coupon from McCormick & Schmits in the mail yesterday (have NO IDEA where they got my name & address... which is somewhat disturbing).

Anyway... does anyone have any reviews of the place before I go?

Thanks

67578"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Most of the people from this board give it a thumbs down. And so does the Providence Journal food critics.

[TheAnk]

Frankie811, on Aug 5 2005, 02:37 PM, said:

Most of the people from this board give it a thumbs down. And so does the Providence Journal food critics.

67755"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not worth the $$ really.. I prefer Hemenways and Providence Oyster for seafood.. Although the crab cakes @ Mc & S are excellent... Best I've had

[Frankie811]

TheAnk, on Aug 5 2005, 03:42 PM, said:

Not worth the $$ really.. I prefer Hemenways and Providence Oyster for seafood.. Although the crab cakes @ Mc & S are excellent... Best I've had

67758"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The crab cakes at the Napa Valley Grille aren't that bad.

[Cotuit]

EPBOY, on Aug 5 2005, 12:54 PM, said:

Hey, I got a $20 coupon from McCormick & Schmits in the mail yesterday (have NO IDEA where they got my name & address... which is somewhat disturbing).

Anyway... does anyone have any reviews of the place before I go?

67578"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd certainly take advantage of the coupon. A new chef recently started there. It'd be nice to get your report of the new chef, as I don't think anyone here has been since he started.

[runawayjim]

NY style pizza... try rocco's on the corner of admiral st and river ave. that guy runs a great business and his pizza is awesome!

as for twins, while the pizza was good, it's pricey for the size you get. a large isn't very large in my opinion.

caserta's is good pizza, but i'm usually a fan of thinner crust pizza. the sauce at caserta's is really good though.

thai star is actually on chalkstone ave, not smith st. it's the best thai food i've had, although i have never asked for their "thai menu".

good sushi... 7 moons on route 1 in north kingstown. i'm not a huge sushi fan, but this place is good and i'll go back again. i know it's not exactly in the providence area, but it's not all that far to drive to...

my favorite italian food is cassarino's on the hill. it's probably some of the best italian food i've ever had (which includes new york's mulberry st and boston's north end, which i think is the most overrated "little italy" i've been to). the price is right and the portions are huge.

[Recchia]

runawayjim, on Aug 24 2005, 09:17 AM, said:

good sushi... 7 moons on route 1 in north kingstown.  i'm not a huge sushi fan, but this place is good and i'll go back again.  i know it's not exactly in the providence area, but it's not all that far to drive to...

82714"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

mmmmmm....7 Moons is one of the only things the entire town of North Kingstown has going for it. Amaaaazing food. Best part is, when you order something like sweet and sour chicken, they give you a massive plate of chicken, instead of a massive plate with a little chicken and a ton of nasty rice.

[urbie]

eltron, on Jul 26 2005, 01:32 PM, said:

Two cents on pizza:

Providence is sorely lacking in just a good old reliable pie. I really like Caserta's, but its not really pizza - more like a donut with sauce on it.

Other than that, I've had alright pizza, but nothing reliable (not even Bob and Timmy's or Pizza Pie-er.) I've tried Sikar, and not that impressed. Sicilia's is awful. Ronzio is plain, though at least pretty cheap.

Damnit, does anyone have a definitive recommendation for really good pizza around here...!?

59249"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I hate to say it, but you guys don't know from bad pizza. You have not had bad pizza until you've been to Flagstaff.

That is all.

Urb

[Garris]

I wanted to keep this thread close to the top, so I decided to post a bit about my recent visit to Pakarang on North Main St in Providence. I took my sister there since she has never had Thai before and wanted to try. Already having once been to Pakarang, I thought it would be a decent, safe introduction.

In short, Pakarang is to Thai food what "India" on Hope is to Indian food. Essentially, a simplified (I was going to say "dumbed down," but the connotation is too negative), fusion-ish take on an ethnic cuisine. It works well as an introduction to the flavors or for people still new to the whole ethnic dining scene.

It won't really prepare you for more authentic (and far better) takes on Thai food at places like Sawaddee on Hope or Thai Star on Chalkstone. Save for Pad Thai, there are no foreign sounding names to be found on the menu and they don't scare the uniniated with things like chopsticks. This is an all silverware affair, although I'm sure you could ask for chopsticks (although that's kind of not the point here). Each menu item is accompanied by exhaustive explanation of what it consists of, so there's no disquieting mystery to the dishes.

The decor is fine, although a touch tacky. Our "Curry Rolls" were fine and perfectly crispy. My sister ordered glass noodle soup, which was fine and tasted fresh, although it was a touch bland. My coconut chicken soup was more powerful, given its sweet (coconut milk) and sour (a touch of lemon juice) combination. The chicken and mushrooms were somewhat sparse, though. My sister got Choo Chee Curry chicken, which was quite nice. Despite her insistance this was "spicy," it was about as much so to me as Diet Dr Pepper, so very mild, in my opinion. My tamarind duck looked somewhat brown and tired, but tasted nicely and had that nice tamarind tart. The duck itself was a bit dry and tough, about what I expected it would be. The best Asian duck I've had in the area by far is Lemi's BBQ in Cranston (has everyone gone to Lemi's yet? No? Well go tomorrow!).

The prices are what you'd expect for mid-level ethnic dining. Service was fine. We didn't have desert. The crowd was otherwise entirely Brown and RISD students, not surprising given the close location to their campuses and its late hours of operation.

As you can tell, this kind of "ethnic cuisine lite" fare doesn't really appeal to me, and I probably won't be back on my own. But if Mom and Dad come into town and are looking to feel like they took a little culinary adventure beyond the usual Appleby's or Gregg's fare, this will be high on the list. The next time, I might even be able to get them to eat at Sawaddee...

- Garris

This post has been edited by Garris: 11 September 2005 - 09:05 PM

[runawayjim]

Garris, on Sep 11 2005, 11:03 PM, said:

I wanted to keep this thread close to the top, so I decided to post a bit about my recent visit to Pakarang on North Main St in Providence.  I took my sister there since she has never had Thai before and wanted to try.  Already having once been to Pakarang, I thought it would be a decent, safe introduction.

The decor is fine, although a touch tacky.  Our "Curry Rolls" were fine and perfectly crispy.  My sister ordered glass noodle soup, which was fine and tasted fresh, although it was a touch bland.  My coconut chicken soup was more powerful, given its sweet (coconut milk) and sour (a touch of lemon juice) combination.  The chicken and mushrooms were somewhat sparse, though.  My sister got Choo Chee Curry chicken, which was quite nice.  Despite her insistance this was "spicy," it was about as much so to me as Diet Dr Pepper, so very mild, in my opinion.  My tamarind  duck looked somewhat brown and tired, but tasted nicely and had that nice tamarind tart.  The duck itself was a bit dry and tough, about what I expected it would be.  The best Asian duck I've had in the area by far is Lemi's BBQ in Cranston (has everyone gone to Lemi's yet?  No? Well go tomorrow!).

check out citysearch.com's description of pakarang's decor... i think they used the term "underwater sea cave", which was our deciding factor when we decided to eat there...

the food wasn't bad, nothing overly "ethnic" in my opinion. definitely american-ized thai food.

i haven't had sawadee, but thai star is my favorite (it's close to where i live and i can call for take out, and leave after i hang up and it's ready when i show up).

[megad]

Garris.. what do you like at Lemi's besides the duck? I've been there twice.. had the duck the first time (Very good), but had something else the second time and didnt really like.

[Jenkins]

Went to Z Bar Saturday night and for the first time did not have a good experience. The waitress was inexperienced and forgot basic items (like silverware). But I can overlook that, she just needs some experience most likely and was very nice. More disturbing was that 3/4 meals came odd luke warm and were average at best. Plus, the place was mostly empty, and in the past it has always been hopping. So much for impressing my out of town friends with a great Providence meal Maybe the small crowd had to do with the food in general going down hill recently. Anyone else have a similar experience recently. It is too bad really, because Z Bar is/was one of my favorite places...

This post has been edited by Jenkins: 12 September 2005 - 06:55 AM

[BBascule]

megad, on Sep 11 2005, 09:20 PM, said:

Garris.. what do you like at Lemi's besides the duck?  I've been there twice.. had the duck the first time (Very good), but had something else the second time and didnt really like.

96474"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Try the scallion pancakes at Lemi's.

[Cotuit]

Jenkins, on Sep 12 2005, 08:55 AM, said:

Went to Z Bar Saturday night...

96589"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I went to Z Bar at the beginning of the summer when it was just getting warm enough to eat outside. The service was OK, not bad, but nothing to write home about. The meal was good, not fantastic. What was bad, is I sent my beer back twice because the glass tasted of soap. And the third beer I got still tasted like soap.

[Garris]

Jenkins, on Sep 12 2005, 06:55 AM, said:

Went to Z Bar Saturday night and for the first time did not have a good experience... <snip> So much for impressing my out of town friends with a great Providence meal  ...<snip>  Anyone else have a similar experience recently. It is too bad really, because Z Bar is/was one of my favorite places...

96589"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Odd experience. My few times at Z Bar, it's been packed. Still, if you were looking to impress out of towners with a great Providence meal, I'm not sure Z Bar would have been my first choice anyway...

megad, on Sep 11 2005, 09:30 PM, said:

Garris.. what do you like at Lemi's besides the duck? I've been there twice.. had the duck the first time (Very good), but had something else the second time and didnt really like.

To be honest, I've enjoyed most everything. The BBQ selections are what I usually get, although I have found all of their appetizers to be excellent (I especially like the scallion pancakes). I also often get their specials, which change. My sister has gotten many of the Americanized selections, which I've found to be much lighter and more tolerable than the usual Americanized chinese found in RI. Their General Tso's chicken and their Chicken Chow Fun I recall both being very tasty in that category...

- Garris

[Jenkins]

Garris, on Sep 12 2005, 08:08 AM, said:

Still, if you were looking to impress out of towners with a great Providence meal, I'm not sure Z Bar would have been my first choice anyway...

96634"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, not the place I would choose for a "great meal", but they have somewhat reasonable prices with a good atmosphere, which was a consideration. I find that Providence has a bunch of great yet pricey restaurants, but lacks mid-level places (Oak, maybe 3 steeple, a couple on Thayer, any other recommendations?)

[runawayjim]

Jenkins, on Sep 12 2005, 11:56 AM, said:

True, not the place I would choose for a "great meal", but they have somewhat reasonable prices with a good atmosphere, which was a consideration. I find that Providence has a bunch of great yet pricey restaurants, but lacks mid-level places (Oak, maybe 3 steeple, a couple on Thayer, any other recommendations?)

96748"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

it depends on what you're looking for for mid-level. cassarinos, while italian, is definitely mid-level (and i'd say on the lower end of mid-level). it's the best italian food i've had anywhere. paragon on thayer also isn't overly pricey and has pretty good food. it really depends on what you're looking for, but it's there. the bombay club has pretty good indian food and the prices aren't too bad. pakarang is decent american-ized thai, nothing special, but it's not bad and the prices are reasonable. what sort of food are you looking for? also, you only mentioned places on the east side. there's a whole other world on the other side of the river...