eG Foodblog: chrisamirault - Place Settings

[Chris Amirault]

You're either brave or crazy ... blogging and hosting at the same time.  I'm sure Andrea and Zeke are going to miss you this week!

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Spoken like someone who knows!

Very envious of Miss Silvia.  What's the coffee culture like in Providence?  Are there enough choices to make it difficult to discipline yourself to use your machine, or are you better off not going out?

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Miss Silvia is a dream, tis true. I cannot say enough about that machine. As for the rest of Providence, there are a few great coffee shops in town, but it's not as caffeinated as other towns. My favorites are White Electric (they serve the best coffee in town consistently, I think), Reflections, and the Coffee Exchange, which is sort of the the granddaddy of them all here in town.

But I must confess that I have another regular coffee source that is very Rhode Island, if not too eGullet:

Large iced black no sugar. Yesss......

[Daddy-A]

Large iced black no sugar. Yesss......

That was better than one of the "shocking plot twists" promised on Survivor!!!

Don't worry Chris, we still love yah!

A.

[Jason Perlow]

Actually, if you are talking regular coffee, Dunkin Donuts makes a pretty damn good cup of Joe. They have a rather large office coffee bean delivery side business and they seem to be rather quality oriented in the stuff that I have sampled from offices that use them.

[Chris Amirault]

Like Jason said! Besides, not drinking Dunkin Donuts coffee will get you tossed out of the state. Just like trying to get sauerkraut on your weiner.

[jgarner53]

I have to admit that I am a bit disturbed by the coffee flavor options Dunkin' Donuts is offering. Blueberry? And, uh, how is the "vanilla spice" different from "french vanilla" (and if it's french vanilla, are there egg yolks in it?)

And glad to see a less than perfectly clean kitchen/fridge. Love the yellow and black tile on your backsplash. Is that original to the house, or did you do that (judging by the black granite countertops and newish looking cabinets)?

[mizducky]

First, for an app, we have nime chow, a.k.a. goi cuon, a.k.a. fresh spring roll. This is a staple item at the many pan-Southeast-Asian restaurants found throughout the Providence area, and the familiarity of the dish is an indication of the wide dissemination of Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, and Hmong cuisine over the last few decades. I ordered this particular one at HON's (House of Noodles, a great pho joint just over the Cranston line on Rt 2, a.k.a. Reservoir Ave) by requesting "goi cuon" as written in the Vietnamese menu, but the hostess made sure to confirm that I wanted "nime chow," using the more familiar Cambodian word for a fresh spring roll. Like last week's bloggers, Susan and Kristin, I'm hoping to make a southeast Asian meal this week.

We're pretty flexible about names, as you can also tell from the main course, the NY System weiner. Many would tell you that this short dog, topped with mustard, minced onion, chili sauce, and celery salt, sitting in a center-split bun, is the official food of Providence. Its origins have been traced to Coney Island, but that's probably apocryphal; it's more likely that a canny weiner vendor several decades ago thought he could sell more franks to hard-working folks if he gave 'em the NYC seal of approval. I bought this one at the Olneyville NY System shop down the road from Hon's on Rt 2, the closest source to my house for good weiners; you'll likely see one of these making its way toward my mouth sooner rather than later!

For dessert? Why, the longer-than-it-is-wide dessert of choice among the fine folks who turned Providence into a foodie haven in the mid-20th century: the cannoli. I have yet to find a perfect cannoli in Providence -- if you know a contender, please post here -- but, given its central place of Federal Hill in the establishment of the city's culinary credibility, leaving Italian-American food off my little paper plate would have been a travesty.   This baby is from Scialo Bakery, nearly 100 years old and still in fine art deco form.

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Well, I didn't guess your identity as the new blogger, but at least I mostly guessed the content of the paper plate (I erred on the NY system weiner's exact name, but I did ID it as some variety of chili dog). I know, I know ... that and a dollar will get me a cup of DD coffee (or however much it costs these days). Sorry to hear you haven't found the Ur-Cannoli yet--I recall going on similar quests in Boston back when I lived there.

As to suggestions for stuff for you to check out on our behalf:

I've only been through Providence on (many) trips between New York and Boston, but when I was a kid my parents used to take the family on vacations to the Rhode Island seashore nearly every summer--the icy cold waters didn't bother us because the beaches were so gorgeous and uncrowded. And there was yummy food! Chris, is there any possibility of you making a field trip down to the Narragansett area? I know it isn't all that far a shlep. And I wouldn't mind knowing if Aunt Carrie's still lives up to my (inevitably nostalgia-encrusted) memories.

And speaking of Emeril, I recall he's an alumnus of Johnson and Wales. How much of a presence is that school in the Providence culinary scene? Is there anything photogenic over there that you might be able to check out for us? (I'm guessing they probably have some kind of training dining room open to the public, like other culinary schools I've lived near...)

And oh yeah--anything in the way of Portuguese food would be lovely to see too.

Edited October 11, 2005 by mizducky (log)

[Daniel]

Hey Chris,

Very excited to read your posts.. The last time i was in P-Town i didnt get to really check it out.. Looking forward to seeing it through your eyes..

[daniellewiley]

I have to admit that I am a bit disturbed by the coffee flavor options Dunkin' Donuts is offering. Blueberry?  And, uh, how is the "vanilla spice" different from "french vanilla" (and if it's french vanilla, are there egg yolks in it?) 

And glad to see a less than perfectly clean kitchen/fridge. Love the yellow and black tile on your backsplash. Is that original to the house, or did you do that (judging by the black granite countertops and newish looking cabinets)?

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My mom tried a free sample of the blueberry iced coffee this summer. She said it wasn't gross, but it was way weaker than the regular variety. Kind of watery, in fact.

I'm just jealous that the DD there has iced coffee!! No one sells that here - just iced lattes, etc.

[Megan Blocker]

I have to admit that I am a bit disturbed by the coffee flavor options Dunkin' Donuts is offering. Blueberry?  And, uh, how is the "vanilla spice" different from "french vanilla" (and if it's french vanilla, are there egg yolks in it?) 

And glad to see a less than perfectly clean kitchen/fridge. Love the yellow and black tile on your backsplash. Is that original to the house, or did you do that (judging by the black granite countertops and newish looking cabinets)?

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My mom tried a free sample of the blueberry iced coffee this summer. She said it wasn't gross, but it was way weaker than the regular variety. Kind of watery, in fact.

I'm just jealous that the DD there has iced coffee!! No one sells that here - just iced lattes, etc.

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I can't believe I know this, but, based on the TV commercials, I believe vanilla spice has cinnamon in it as well as vanilla... I'm with you on the blueberry - I can't understand how coffee would taste good with blueberry flavoring in it. Sounds like something someone came up with (shall we say) under the influence. Crazy New Englanders and their herb gardens.

Edited October 11, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Swisskaese]

I can't wait to see more. I haven't been to Providence in almost 10 years.

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What did you eat when you were here?

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It was before I kept Kosher; I had seafood. But, I do not remember where. Somewhere on the waterfront.

Edited October 11, 2005 by Swisskaese (log)

[Chris Amirault]

And glad to see a less than perfectly clean kitchen/fridge. Love the yellow and black tile on your backsplash. Is that original to the house, or did you do that (judging by the black granite countertops and newish looking cabinets)?

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Oh, you're too kind! Those "black granite countertops" are formica or something, and the cabinets are anything but new (save the knobs, which we replaced). Most of the design elements are not too great, save that tile and the flooring (see below), which are fantastic.

Save some painting, we've done no renovation in the kitchen whatsoever, but instead have had to put in some furniture to address some serious counter and storage issues. To wit, this shelving system sits on the kitchen table:

And this shelving system (thanks, dad!) rests against the wall across from the table:

Finally, we found a 1930s cabinet unit taken from an apartment building in the lower east side of NYC, onto which I secured heavy-duty rubber casters. It's now the floating island in the room, storage for all my bowls, silver, utensils (some of 'em anyway), towels, and a few other things:

Someday, we'll blow out the wall that the big shelving unit rests against, open the kitchen up to the dining room, and do it all up right. Or so we hope!

[Swisskaese]

You have given me some ideas for my kitchen storage problem. We just moved to an apartment that has a lot less cabinet space than our former apartment.

[Pan]

[...]The first is Baroudi Bakery, which is also a small Middle Eastern store. Any halwah fans out there?[...]

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[raising hand] Me me me!

Actually, I keep away from it most of the time, lest I should eat too much and regret it. But man, that stuff is good!

[Chris Amirault]

Well, mizducky, you and I are on some interesting shared wavelengths!

I've only been through Providence on (many) trips between New York and Boston, but when I was a kid my parents used to take the family on vacations to the Rhode Island seashore nearly every summer--the icy cold waters didn't bother us because the beaches were so gorgeous and uncrowded. And there was yummy food! Chris, is there any possibility of you making a field trip down to the Narragansett area? I know it isn't all that far a shlep. And I wouldn't mind knowing if Aunt Carrie's still lives up to my (inevitably nostalgia-encrusted) memories.

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Argh! We were there yesterday! We drove all up and down the coast during a lot of rain. I didn't bring the camera, I'm afraid! Aunt Carrie's was closed -- Columbus Day -- so we went to Iggy's across the street, which was underwhelming. Too bad; their Oakland Beach location is pretty good.

And speaking of Emeril, I recall he's an alumnus of Johnson and Wales. How much of a presence is that school in the Providence culinary scene? Is there anything photogenic over there that you might be able to check out for us? (I'm guessing they probably have some kind of training dining room open to the public, like other culinary schools I've lived near...)

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J&W is a strong presence throughout the food community, for pretty obvious reasons. Many of the chefs in restaurants are J&W vets. We also live three blocks from their harborside campus (where the culinary classes are). Funny you should ask if there's anything interesting over there I should check out.... Perhaps later in the week there might be something on the way, yes? Hmmm??

Very excited to read your posts.. The last time i was in P-Town i didnt get to really check it out.. Looking forward to seeing it through your eyes..

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Oh, I remember what you experienced, Daniel: porn in the Escalades, if I'm not mistaken! I'm hoping to steer you clear from that, you'll be happy to know!

I'm just jealous that the DD there has iced coffee!! No one sells that here - just iced lattes, etc.

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You know, I used to travel to Saudi Arabia all the time in my previous job, and there were Dunkin Donuts there -- but none served iced coffee. Go figure!

[Jake]

Chris, great to see you blogging Your posts are always enjoyable. I have only been to P-town once, during a summer trip to Cape Cod while in University. Gotta say, I don't remember much...beer, seafood, and some really, really great onion rings.

Do you and Andrea (and family) travel a lot, or have done so in the past, or have most of your tastes developped from what you have in your home state?

[Chris Amirault]

[...]The first is Baroudi Bakery, which is also a small Middle Eastern store. Any halwah fans out there?[...]

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[raising hand] Me me me!

Actually, I keep away from it most of the time, lest I should eat too much and regret it. But man, that stuff is good!

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He only had almond today, no pistachio, I'm afraid.... But it's still fantastic stuff....

[Chris Amirault]

Do you and Andrea (and family) travel a lot, or have done so in the past, or have most of your tastes developed from what you have in your home state?

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Thanks, Jake! Andrea and I don't travel as much as we'd like, but between us we've been to all of the continents save Australia and Antarctica. She in particular has done a lot of travelling in Europe, mostly of the backpack and hostel variety. I've also been to all of the continental states save North Dakota.

Interesting to try to figure out where my tastes came from, as I've really no idea. My meals at home were pretty unadventurous growing up, but I had an eclectic group of roommates when I lived off-campus: a Korean guy, an Irish-Jew-American vegetarian, a Swiss-American, and a US Foreign Service brat who had lived in France, Pakistan, India, and a few other places. Eating dinner with them every week was an enlightening experience! I probably should give them credit, because before that I was pretty unaware.

[johnnyd]

Right on, chris!

Nice to see you at the helm this week, sir.

About twenty years ago my biz partner and I were delivering 200 handmade futons in a huge truck to Brown University from Burlington VT. It was four in the morning and we were really tired and really lost.

Suddenly, the neighborhood started to look familiar... it reminded me of a typical portuguese town. There was a light at the corner ahead and I swear it was that bakery. The door was open and guys were yelling in portuguese.

I got out of the truck and asked for directions in my bad portuguese. I returned to the truck with an armful of "papo secos", small, tasty rolls. My pal couldn't believe it. We were starving, too.

There are some really good pastries made with dulce de leite that you should try sometime. Sometimes portuguese pastries seem too sweet but they actually compliment cheeses and "bicas", their tiny espressos.

blog on, neighbor...

[Jake]

MMMM, and I LOVE the portuguese custard tarts with the thin flaky crust.

[torakris]

It is nice to just sit back and watch the show this week

I can't wait to see the bibimbap!

[Chris Amirault]

Just back from our CSA pickup. The CSA is run by the Southside Community Land Trust at the Urban Edge Farm, and we pick up our stuff in the SCLT City Farm on Providence Street:

We've been getting great radishes all summer and into the fall, and every time I think of Lucy (bleudavergne)!

Sorry the pictures are so dark. We've got a great head of cabbage, some fine leeks, great apples (not sure of the type), excellent Romaine, onions, garlic, oregano...

... and kohlrabi.

Ideas, s'il vous plait!

[mizducky]

[...]The first is Baroudi Bakery, which is also a small Middle Eastern store. Any halwah fans out there?[...]

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[raising hand] Me me me!

Actually, I keep away from it most of the time, lest I should eat too much and regret it. But man, that stuff is good!

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Oops, missed this the first time around. Another halwah/halvah fan here. Haven't had any in ages. Need to fix that sometime soon.

Very excited to read your posts.. The last time i was in P-Town i didnt get to really check it out.. Looking forward to seeing it through your eyes..

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Chris, great to see you blogging  Your posts are always enjoyable.  I have only been to P-town once, during a summer trip to Cape Cod while in University.  Gotta say, I don't remember much...beer, seafood, and some really, really great onion rings.

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Heh. As a former resident of New England, I think it should be clarified that "P-Town" is the more-or-less official nickname for Provincetown MA, all the way on the end of Cape Cod; but that our fearless blogger is holding forth from Providence, Rhode Island, which, while a perfectly delightful city in its own right, is a very different kettle of fish (so to speak) from the equally-delightful Provincetown.

(sez she who has spent some very wild and wonderful weekends in Provincetown in her time...)

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks, Ellen! While I was making the caldo verde (pix to come) I was thinking, "Do they think I'm on the tip of the Cape?" Not this week, anyway. We're on that Rhode Island, you know, the one out in the middle of the Atlantic....

[johnnyd]

While I was making the caldo verde (pix to come)...

This better be good! I make caldo verde around ten times a winter so I consider myself a master! Perhaps a battle caldo verde is in the cards?

[daniellewiley]

re: kohlrabi, I love it raw.

I peel it, slice it very thinly, and salt and pepper it excessively.

yummy

Edited October 11, 2005 by daniellewiley (log)