Long Live Ragoût

My aunt Claire recently passed, and with her went the best ragoût in New England. Or at least Rhode Island, but definitely Manville.

While the US may be more familiar with its Italian cousin (think Ragu), a French-Canadian ragoût will put hair on your chest, or at least some pounds around your middle. A Parisian ragoût, or stew, to put it simply, might contain vegetables like mushrooms and can pick and choose the meats that might be involved. But in northern Rhode Island, it means only one thing—slow cooked pork meatballs with a brown gravy laced with shredded turkey and heavy with chunks of large, boiled potatoes. Its a closer kin to Swedish meatballs than any pasta sauce or delicate Parisian stew.

Aunt Claire would brown the flour for the gravy in the oven, even well into her 80s. She’d make it probably once a year, usually around or after the New Year. She’d made pounds and pounds of potatoes. She’d roast a turkey and shred the meat. The whole family would get together and take turns sitting at the table for a hearty bowl with a side of warm French bread topped with a healthy amount of butter. Most people would also go home with Tupperware leftovers that we’d freeze for another day or eat the following day, hungry again for the thick, rich gravy and moist meatballs.

She’d make a lot of ragoût. I mean a lot. She was the oldest of 10 children and never had any herself, but her sisters and brothers more than made up for that—one of them had 10 kids of her own. All in all, there were probably 8 siblings with their spouses and children that would show up at that table for a helping. That’s easily a consistent group of 30-40 people (sometimes more, sometimes less) that would look forward to ragoût every season. And if you couldn’t make it one year, you’d probably have a Tupperware set aside with your name on it.

I will miss Aunt Claire, and not just because of her cooking. Still, many of my memories are tied to food with her. On New Year’s Day, when we would visit, she’d have made liver pate… a mound of liverwurst topped with a layer of cream cheese and slices of green olives that you’d scoop up on a cracker. Or homemade peanut butter Ritz sandwiches dipped in chocolate. Or Oreo-cookie “truffle” balls. Or dinner roll sandwiches of chicken or ham salad. Whenever we’d visit, she’d try to feed us. It was difficult to sit without a plate in your face or leave without a doggie bag.

Food was her way to show that she cared. That was easy to see. And if you can measure it, then she loved us all a lot. We all love you as well, Aunt Claire. Rest in peace. I hope the food wherever you are is half as good as the food you prepared for your family.

Fancy (Gourmet) Donuts in Providence

Is it possible to have a fancy donut glut?

Providence is a small town, but somehow we have TWO establishments that create things like a Passion Fruit glazed donut, or Maple Bacon, or Peanut Butter and Jelly. These doughnuts are slightly larger than average, fluffy, sticky and gooey. They are also $3.50 each and up. That means that even a half dozen is going to cost you +$20.00.

PVDonuts was first on the scene and caused a commotion from the start. LONG lines form every morning at 8:30am or earlier and people wait in the winter cold for a chance to purchase crazy donuts at crazy prices. They sell out pretty much every single day.

Now Knead Donuts has opened in the Downtown area. A small, bright, clean space is their home in what will be a sort of Boutique building, modeled after the successful conversion of a former brothel into the Dean Hotel (the same group of designers/investors are involved in the building). Knead is their first street level tenant.

Knead. Get it? Like Need?

Knead has less of a line, so it has that going for it. On a Wednesday morning I was in and out in no time. The place, as I have said, is nice and clean and neat, with lots of white tile everywhere. The donuts all looked pretty good, but I was dismayed that they only offered drip or ice coffee. I was going to drop about $4 on a donut, so I wanted a fancier coffee or espresso-based drink to go along with it.

The donut I got was Brown Butter and Toffee. Toffee is my favorite thing ever, and on a donut I can think of very few other things that I would rather have. I’ve had PVDonuts before as well, and I can say that this donut from Knead — flavor-wise, texture-wise — was on par. The springy, fluffy, brioche-style innards are very light and yet the donut itself is heavy. It is not as large as the brioche donuts from PVDonuts, but it is the same price or maybe a little bit more.

The crumbled topping of toffee bits was nice and a little messy in a good way. The glaze was sort of maple-flavored, brown butter and toffee all mixed together, and had a nice sweetness to it that wasn’t over the top.

The coffee… was just coffee. I love coffee and drink it black, and I can’t say that this was in any way exceptional. It was good, better than serviceable, but next time I think I will skip the coffee, especially if it adds $2.75 to the price tag (I’m guessing here, as I paid in cash and did not get a receipt. Prices were not listed anywhere, either).

And this all brings me to the takeaway. I am a New Englander at heart, which means, I am cheap. I like Allie’s Donuts and the (former) Donut Bazar and even Dunkin Donuts will do in a pinch if I have a craving. I don’t think I need $3.00+ donuts, as delicious as they might be.

One donut and one coffee cost me $6.78

That’s a decent lunch at most places, that’s easily a far better coffee and a bagel with cream cheese at White Electric (or two of their donuts from Supreme Donuts out of MA if you get there early).

I’m sorry, but because of the high ticket price at Knead, and the long lines at PVDonuts, I might just wait it out with any one of the old school donut shops in the area and see if this fancy, expensive donut trend dies down a little bit.

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Old School, non-fancy Donuts

Allie’s Donuts, North Kingston RI
Ma’s Donuts and More, Middletown RI
Donut Bazar, Cranston RI (Retired!)
Sip N Dip, RI and MA
Donut Xpress, Woonsocket RI

And stay tuned for the RI Food Fights #BestDonutRI competition.

The Bachelor Farmer

I don’t get to travel much these days, but recently I was part of a business contingent that visited Minneapolis and one of our major clients. It is a yearly ritual that I got to be part of as Design Director for the first timer.

The client contacts – two whip-smart women in the HR department – and four guys (my company) were taken out to The Bachelor Farmer, a place they had not yet been to but for whom they had heard very good things. Whoever recommended them knew what they were talking about. I wish I snapped a few photos, but I was so wrapped up in the evening that it seemed almost silly to take a few and boast, “I’m going to blog about this.”

The atmosphere is casual and understated, with a bit of an IKEA flair to it (blonde wood, cottage-y patterns and colors, a little bit of industry in the lighting and table legs). The food is deceivingly simple and follows the current trend of being local, sustainable and reflective of the season and place.

The website says that they honor Minnesota’s Nordic heritage, but to me they were simply preparing comfort food, some of which had a Nordic flair. There was no strange fish dish that smelled of lye here, so don’t even get that in your head.

We were a raucous bunch of six when we shared a few plates of appetizers. A local farm had lost its entire season of crops to a series of unfortunate weather events, so the sugar snap pea appetizer was ordered – proceeds from the dish went straight to the farm’s recovery efforts. It was a salad of julienne sugar snap peas tossed with housemaid cheese, walnuts, cider vinaigrette and herbs from the restaurant’s own rooftop garden. Deliciously fresh, we could have easily sent another plate of this salad around the table instead of just the one. The vinaigrette was light and the overall taste effect was “green” and summery.

The Farmer offers a set of toasts to share as well. Four slices of local bread are toasted for each order, and enough topping to pass around. We ordered the duck liver pâté with orange confit, prune marmalade and pickled rhubarb. The overall effect to my not-so-refined palette conjured up a rich, gourmet hamburger flavor for some reason. There was a lot going on in that pâté and everyone at the table loved it.

The group also turned out to be fairly adventurous and ordered the beef tartare. While some of them hemmed and hawed about it, we all tried it and found it surprisingly light, fresh tasting and full of interesting texture and flavor. The tartare is raw beef, finely ground and served with a small egg atop (quail?), capers, cracked pepper, sea salt and other seasonings which I can’t remember – six in all. Our more experienced client prepared the dish for us by piling all of the seasoning on top of the egg and then pushing it all down into the beef. After mixing it all and passing the plate, even the squeamish tried it and were pleasantly surprised. The effect is hard to describe, as you aren’t supposed to eat raw beef on a regular basis, and maybe that is part of the appeal.

It should be noted that the drinks we had for the first round were great as well. I can’t recount what everyone had, but my bourbon with high-end vermouth and Campari was excellent. I also had a Swedish porter with my entree that paired very well and had a great looking label.

For an entree I ordered the grilled pork sausage with fingerling potato salad, roasted cauliflower and bacon-cider jus. The sausage was juicy and lighter than I expected, which was a good thing, as the au jus was very rich. Though it mentioned bacon, the flavor was not overwhelming or over-salty, which I enjoyed. The cold potato salad was a nice oily complement and the roasted cauliflower was great. They seemed to use baby florets or at least cut them into smaller chunks, so there was a more charred-surface-area to vegetable flesh ratio.

Overall, the meal was excellent, the staff very nice and helpful, and the decor and general atmosphere comfortable. There are some elements of fun as well, like the wine board – when a table orders a half bottle of wine, the rest of the wine goes up on the board as available by the glass. You never know what or when something will pop up, but they seem to go fast as the competition of getting a glass of something that could be truly wonderful eggs people on.

Thumbs up, Bachelor Farmer. I don’t travel to Minneapolis often, but I will come back if given the chance.

As a side note, the area around the hotel we were staying at (town of Edina) was nothing but strip malls and chain eateries. The sameness was intense and a little threatening. The Bachelor Farmer is located in downtown where things are a lot more authentic, so don’t worry. It is a real place that feels real, and that was another great thing about it, as the sameness of the day’s journey – from the indoor-mall quality of airports to the rental car place to finding the hotel amongst Starbucks and Super Targets – started to wear down our spirits.

Wayland Square Diner (Ruffles)

When it was called Ruffles, I wanted to give it a try, but never did. My wife said she used to go with her grandmother, and that it was exactly the type of place that grandmothers took their grand kids. Its been there for a long time, so long that no one seems to remember anything that was there previously. The Wayland Diner, as it is known now, is also one of a dying breed – it used to be that small diner-style eateries were on every street. Hope Street had one (where Blooming Blossoms is now, we think) and Thayer Street, and more. Now, they are few and far between.

The interior is fresh and newly renovated, but the charm is still there. Vintage tables and a long counter lined with tools are not a new addition, they are the pieces that have been there since the diner opened. I think it is called “authenticity”.

The food is new as well, at least I think so. Lighter in general, but not without the standard diner flourishes of home fries and buttered toast. We ordered off the specials board, as everything else on the menu seemed standard fare. Not that we were complaining, but the chance to try some diner food with a home-cooked twist was too much to pass up.

The place in general was very kid friendly. There were already some kids sitting down inside and out when we got there. The menu had some kid options as well, but since we didn’t know what we’d be getting into, we brought some yogurt for the little girl. Still, she had some of our fruit and some of an extra muffin we got on the side.

I ordered an avocado, mushroom, tomato and onion scramble with home fries and toast. I got an iced coffee on the side. The scramble was very good, and the portion was reasonable. I was actually able to finish it all, including the toast and home fries. It wasn’t greasy or particularly heavy, which was nice. The veggies seemed very fresh and the cheese made itself known but was not overwhelming.

Beth got a bacon and cheese quiche with fruit salad and coffee, and the site I had was pretty rich. I mean, it was a bunch of chopped bacon with eggs and cheese, what did we expect. Still, the portion was reasonable and she was able to finish it as well without feeling over-stuffed.

Because our entrees were satisfying but not over-the-top, we handily finished the grilled blueberry muffin we got on the side, and the little girl had plenty of it as well. By the end of the meal we were pretty full, and took a little stroll around the square.

All in all we’d go back, and make sure to get there on the early side of things. The diner started to get pretty full by 9:30am, but we got there at about 8:45 and were able to take our pick of booths. The service was quick and courteous, and like I mentioned, there are plenty of old favorites on the menu.

Ebisu

Ebisu is a lovely little Japanese joint on the Providene/Cranston line, almost on Park Avenue. I visited once years ago with friends, and meant to take Beth ever since. Alas, I never did… until our wedding anniversary this year.

A small bar off the right seems to be for the regulars. Not a typical Sushi bar, but more of a sports bar feel. To the left is the ample dining room. The decor is simple and has that typical “Asian” flavor, whatever that may mean to you. The food, though, is not like most Japanese.

Shabu Shabu is the dish to order here, and it is served for two people. A steaming pot of dashi is brought to the table and rests on an electric or propane stove to keep just below boiling. There are many flavors of dashi available to complement to set of raw ingredients you get. Much like Korean BBQ where you cook your ingredients to your liking, you cook your food in the hot dashi by swishing it in the broth. The familiar swishing sound is where the dish gets its name – shabu-shabu roughly translates to “swish-swish”.

In addition to Shabu, they have a menu of traditional Japanese delights as well as more dishes that you don’t see often. A set of Roti is available, which is different types of vegetables and meats on skewers and grilled. They also had a Japanese curry, which seemed out of place, but which was fabulous.

The Order:

• Crunchy Brussel Sprouts appetizer
• Yasai Tempura (vegetable) appetizer
• Robata Roti (skewer) of mushroom wrapped in zuchini
• Shabu Shabu: surf and turf mixture with seafood dashi
• Katsu Curry with Chicken (Japanese curry with breaded chicken)

Crispy Brussel Sprouts

The brussel sprouts were a surprise hit. Salty, crispy, with a light soy sauce… they were the Cauliflower 65 of brussel sprouts. We’d got back just to get more of those!

The roti was a nice surprise as well. The one we got, mushrooms and thinly sliced zucchini, were much lighter in flavor and texture than the brussel sprouts. The sauce they came drizzled with was also very tasty and light.

Surf and Turf Shabu Shabu with udon noodles

The surf and turf mixture for the Shabu consisted of octopus, fish balls, salmon balls, white fish, salmon, and scallops for the surf,  and strips of thinly sliced beef for the turf. We got ours with thick udon noodles, but rice and other noodles types are available. Side sauces provided were Goma (sesame) or Ponzu, and while both were delicious, the sesame was a stand out.

The Shabu Shabu was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, even though a “glass half empty” person may whine that if they wanted to cook their own food, they’d have stayed home. I took the larger, thicker vegetables and put them in the dashi right away – the corn, the bok choy, the tofu and the zucchini. The other items cooked pretty fast, depending on your taste. The fish balls take a little longer to get hot in the middle than one might expect, but the thin slices of beef were perfect after only 20 seconds.  The salmon I preferred raw, and the white fish got a quick swish as well. The octopus is touch no matter how you cook it, and, well, its not my favorite anyway. Beth ate most of that. Drinking the broth with the wide spoons was encouraged, and after getting even more flavor from the items we were cooking in it, it was delicious.

Finally, the Japanese curry, another surprise dish. A big piece of chicken (other meats available) was breaded and fried and served amongst a thick and creamy curry sauce that was more like gravy. It was spicy, but not overly so. It was definitely thick and seemed like a dish that fisherman on the Japanese coast would eat during the cold and windy months – something that puts meat on your bones. While most of Japanese cuisine is light, in my mind, this dish was a stark comparison. We’ll keep it in mind for another round, I’m sure, but maybe when the weather gets colder.

Overall, quite a lovely experience. Great service, a great menu, and a unique selection that puts a twist on the classic Japanese sushi house. The Shabu Shabu hot pot experience is great for larger groups, too, and gives the option to share multiple dashi flavors with the table. Highly recommended.

Rasoi

This is a quick review, because I waited way too long to write it. I love Rasoi, and actually prefer it to other Indian places in the City. Other places are too Americanized (Not Just Spices might be my all time favorite, but really, it is quite different than Rasoi and India (in the best way possible) so it is almost in a class of its own).

We hadn’t had Rasoi in awhile, and wanted to use this opportunity to order something out of our comfort zone. We also wanted to make sure we’d have a fantastic dinner, so we had to order some of our favorites as well. Here’s what we got:

The Order:

• Cauliflower 65 appetizer
• Garlic Nan and an order of Paneer Nan
• Tandoori Chicken dinner with masala potatoes and lentils
• Bengali Seafood Stew with basmati rice and vegetable

(the total, under $50)

The lovely and tasty Cauliflower 65

First, the favorite… Cauliflower 65. If you haven’t had it, do yourself a favor and order it as soon as possible. Fried florets dipped in a breading of 65 spices – its not hot spicy, but instead full of flavor and fried goodness. It takes cauliflower and does to it what french frying does to potatoes. Its like they added bacon… Its hard to describe, its just really good. Get some.

Nan, for the uninitiated, is simply fluffy rounds of bread baked in a tandoori oven. Simple enough, and topped with a variety of savories.

Now, the rest of the order was outside of our comfort zone. I mean, not really, since I don’t think you can actually order something terrible at Rasoi. We usually get the mango curry or saag paneer, but this time, we wanted to try different dishes. In short, we were glad we did.

Bengali Stew and Tandoori Chicken

The Bengali Seafood Stew was great, with all sorts of seafood in a lovely, creamy sauce. The Tandoori chicken was fantastic, with a great bit of char on the outside of the chicken (bone in) but not so much to make it dry or overcooked. The pictures don’t do it much justice, but are the best I could.

In short, thumbs up for Rasoi. You can’t go wrong, and if you eat at the restaurant instead of ordering take out, its a lovely experience with great service and ambiance.