Best Food Neighborhoods in NE

[Chris Amirault]

I'm a very proud resident of Providence, and believe that we have more than our share of outstanding food neighborhoods. I'm interested in other food hoods in New England, places where you can walk from shop to shop or cafe to cafe and get great foodstuffs, meals, drinks, and so on.

My two nominations in Providence would be Atwells Avenue on Federal Hill, long-time home of the Italian-American community in RI, and South Providence, where dozens of great shops, food trucks, cafeterias, and cafes filled with Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Guatemalan, and other goodies line Elmwood Avenue and Broad Street. (I go into great detail about Providence in this thread.)

What about your New England burg? Where are the places where you withdraw a wad of cash, park your car, and return a few hours later with several bags of goodies and a full stomach?

[slbunge]

I haven't really spent much time in the rest of New England but my favorite food neighborhood in Boston area, by far, is the North End.

It certainly doesn't offer ethnic variety, but even with throngs (and I do mean throngs) of tourists, the place really holds it's own as a real neighborhood with very good food.

Here are some of the highlights, all are accessible on foot by walking a total of about 8 blocks.

Shopping:

Two outstanding butchers literally around the corner from each other: Abruzzese and Sulmona (I believe that Abruzzese is on Salem and Sulmona is on Parmenter). A great Italian greengrocer: the place is known as Alba's for the owner but there is no sign (Parmenter street between Salem and Hanover). A dry-goods purveyor for beans, herbs, spices, and coffees: Polcari's (corner of Salem and Parmenter). A candy shop with nuts and dried fruits for baking: Dairy Fresh Candies (Salem Street). A solid Salumeria for cheeses, cured meats, and canned goods: Salumeria Italiana (on Parmenter). A very good fish monger: Giuffre's (Salem). A great 'wine for the masses' wineshop: Martignetti (Cross Street between Salem and Hanover). An excellent wine shop with hard-to-find Italian aperitivi, liquori, and digestivi: Cirace and Son (North Street).

For baked good there are two very solid bakeries: Maria's (Cross Street) and Modern Pastry (Hanover Street). Both are head and shoulders above the overly sweet and intensely popular Mike's Pastry.

Eating/Drinking:

For coffee shops to pep you up halfway through the trip, there are some great ones. My favorite is Caffe Dello Sporto on Hanover. I want their espresso to be better, though.

Restaurants abound but there a few worth mentioning with respect to eating while shopping and before leaving the neighborhood to head home with your bounty. For fantastic Italian American lunch food you must make the effort to get to Galleria Umberto (Hanover) during weekday lunch hours to try their arrancini and other hard-to find classics. Another great lunch spot is the Daily Catch (Hanover) which is so small that basically every table is the kitchen table (you'll see what I mean when you go) but the food is wonderful, particularly the house specialty black pasta with chopped squid, garlic and oil (menu lists it as aglio olio). For a quick bite, I'm a huge fan of the pizza slices at Ernesto's (Salem).

That's my long-winded vote. You will not leave the neighborhood hungry. I also suggest shopping there sooner rather than later. With the destruction of the elevated central artery that separated the North End from the financial/government district, I worry that there will soon be intense pressure for the neighborhood to gentrify. That sort of pressure may make it difficult for a small shopkeeper to continue to do what they do best at their little corner of the world. Longtime residents will probably tell me that this has already happened but I still think the neighborhood's food is outstanding.

Edited April 9, 2005 by slbunge (log)

[elrap]

Lowell, Massachusetts. I work near there and it's unbelievable. Not Paris or the North End, OK, but suspend disbelief and talk a walk with me (bring sturdy shoes and some pepper spray). . .

Start at Pai Lin market, currently expanding but when it reopens will undoubtedly be the largest and best-stocked Cambodian grocery between Phnom Penh and Orange County, California. In the same industrial mini-mall, get a sandwich or some pastries at the no-name sandwich shop, or eat noodle dishes at the very clean and popular Red Rose restaurant next door.

Walk a few blocks south over the highway, ignoring, for the moment, the howetown crowd at the Four Sisters / Owl Diner and look on your left for the Romeo y Juliette sandwich shop, which makes Brazilian feijoa on Saturdays, and will sell a freshly grilled X-Tudo (a hamburger with cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, a fried egg, potato crisps, peas and carrots; all on the same bun) any day of the week.

Since you've already had a hamburger, might as well round out your day with a hot dog at Elliot's, another block or so to the south. This place has been there since the 1920's, selling very good chili dogs and a thing called the Lincoln, which is a hot dog with the relish on the bottom. It may also be the only fast food place in America where none of the prices end in a '9.'

It's a bit of a haul from there on foot, but it wouldn't be fair not to mention the Angkor Kingdom, with its big window sign, 'Best Loc Lac in Town.' In their case it's not false advertising, and they have plenty of local competition preparing what I guess is a national dish of fried cubes of beef, crunchy and sweet, served over shredded lettuce.

Next to and around the corner from Angkor Kingdom, which is the most upscale Cambodian place in town, are two more oriental markets and an all-you-can eat Cambodian lunch buffet.

I wouldn't necessarily trade it for Hanover Street, but I've never seen anything like Lowell. Their favorite son (after what must have been a tough childhood), Jack Kerouac, would be proud.

--L. Rap

[Chris Amirault]

Great ideas! Let's hear it, NH! Maine, whassup? And CT...??

[pam claughton]

The North End, for all the reasons already mentioned.

But also, my little hometown of Plymouth! From where I live, I can walk down to the waterfront and have my pick of excellent seafood restaurants with fantastic harbor views, like Isaacs, the Mayflower, East Bay Grill, and even a good Italian one with a view, Mamma Mia's. There's also a great waterfront family owned fried seafood restaurant and complete fish market, called Wood's, that has the freshest fish, and good prices. From here I can stroll up Main Street, have breakfast at one of several options, a cute little diner called the All American where I get Green Eggs and Ham....scrambled eggs with pesto, or a small bistro where they have homemade foccacia bread for toast.

There's an excellent Indian restaurant, deli, Italian bakery, my favorite Mexican restaurant, Sam Diego's, several pubs, more restaurants, loads of shops, and a coffee shop, Kiskadee, where two local young men have built quite a following, with internet access, live music, fresh baked goods, and coffee that they buy and roast themselves.

And just a short, less than five minute drive away, is a great butcher, Piantedosi who also has gourmet items like demi-glace and Italian breads (a related family business), and Quintals's fruitstand has fresh veggies and fruit.

:)

Edited April 13, 2005 by pam claughton (log)