eats, rhode island

Watermark Café

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My latest café crush is the newly redesigned Watermark Café in the RISD Store (Rhode Island School of Design, for you out-of-towners). The store is always a great place to fawn over art supplies and glossy books, and now the cafe has been revisioned as a source for healthy, creative food and drinks.

RISD’s Watermark Cafe
Watermark Cafe

Watermark offers coffee, pastries, salads and sandwiches. The comfy, dark wood room has a few tables, some great magazines (I flipped through Saveur), and a nice view of downtown and the river. It reminds me of a museum cafe, except you don’t have to pay an entrance fee!

This would be a delightful stop if you’re visiting Providence and want to rest after a tour of the RISD museum, which is just up the hill.  I just poked in for a quick cup of coffee after a meeting, but I plan on returning for a snack soon.

It’s open 9-6 Monday through Thursday, 9-3 on Friday. The RISD Store is located at 30 North Main Street, but the public entrance is on the pedestrian-only Canal Street by the river.

Watermark Cafe
30 North Main St., Providence (entrance on Map Marker Canal Street)

eats, rhode island

Vivo at the Italo American Club

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Among the amazing mansions of Broadway is #477, built at the end of the 1800s. With each floor measuring around 3,000 square feet, it almost makes the neighboring houses look like cottages.

The Italo American Club, Providence

You’re probably wondering what this has to do with food.

477 Broadway is the home of the Italo American Club. Their restaurant, Vivo, is open to the public for lunch and dinner. After a few months of curiosity, we finally went to check it out.

It’s even more impressive inside than out. The downstairs has dark wood paneling, an ornate bar, unusual ceiling details and little corners that make you want to bring a book and stay all day.

Continue reading Vivo at the Italo American Club →

baking, cooks, soups

My (Almost) Vegan Week

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Maybe it was an overly indulgent week of Valentine’s treats, cheese and duck-fat fried poutine, or maybe it was the RAVE diet vegan infomercial we saw in the hotel, but something made me want to give animal products a break this week.

I wasn’t planning on being awfully strict – after all, someone brought a bag of Reese’s to work yesterday and there’s the matter of a gallon of vanilla ice cream already in the freezer. Instead, my goal was to eliminate animal products from my cooking.

The verdict? Although I don’t see myself becoming vegan or even vegetarian, I would like to cook this way more of the time. Aside from being healthy for myself and the world, much of the food I made was inexpensive and lasted longer than meaty leftovers.

Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin oatmeal made with steel cut oats and soymilk

Here are some of my favorites from this week:

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins – I have to admit, my heart usually sinks a little when I’m offered vegan baked goods. But these excellent muffins don’t suffer at all from lack of eggs or butter.  I substituted maple syrup for the molasses and used whole wheat flour.

Pumpkin oatmeal – I cooked steel cut oats in a mixture of unsweetened soy milk and water, adding some nutmeg, cinnamon, maple syrup and raisins. Then, in the last few minutes of cooking, I stirred in the leftover pumpkin from the muffins, about a half cup. It was delicious – luckily I made enough to last for a few mornings.

Chipotle split pea soup – Split pea soup usually gets its smoky flavor from ham; here, the smokiness is accomplished with chipotles (an ingredient I find myself using more and more). Not only is this vegan, but it’s also very thrifty – the whole batch, around 10 servings, cost me less than $2 to make.

Tofu scramble – onion and bell pepper sauteed with firm tofu, topped with scallions, parsley and avocado. Looked and tasted great, kept me full for hours.

eats, rhode island

Valentine’s Dinner

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Going out for Valentine’s Day isn’t top priority for me, but El Rancho Grande‘s Valentine’s Dinner was impossible to resist. I’m happy I reserved early because the 22 spaces (2 seatings of 11 each) sold out quite quickly.

The restaurant was dressed up for the night – curtains, tablecloths, candles, fresh flowers, low lighting. The mood was enhanced by the attendees – everyone was smiling and a few couples were even holding hands over the table. Aww!

Tres Leches cake for El Rancho Grande’s Valentine’s Day dinner
Photo of the Tres Leches cake by Elaine Collins

Now, onto what we ate:

The first course was Ensalada de Picante de Espinacas con Adereso de Chocolate. I was going to say that I’d never experienced chocolate in a salad, but then I remembered La Laiterie’s chocolate dinner. However, this salad was totally different – the chocolate was incorporated into a thin but dark vinaigrette-like dressing for baby spinach. Fresh strawberries and sliced almonds paired well with the almost coffee-like deepness of the dressing.

As an appetizer, we had a treat for the eyes as well as the palate – Chiles en Nogadas. This recipe is so creative and unusual, it’s hard to believe it’s almost 200 years old (it was conceptualized for Agustín Iturbide, the first ruler of independent Mexico, proudly using the colors of the Mexican flag). The dish consists of a poblano chile stuffed with meat, nuts and fruits, covered in a creamy walnut-based sauce. For decoration and to tickle the tongue, pomegranate seeds are sprinkled over the top. An interesting twist is that the chile is served at room temperature, which I feel was a complement to its flavor. If you’ve seen or read Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate), you will recognize Chiles en Nogadas from the wedding near the end.

Continue reading Valentine’s Dinner →

eats, maine, travels

Staying Warm in Maine

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We spent the weekend in and around Portland, Maine – the perfect last-minute getaway at less than a three hour drive. The weather wasn’t prime for tourists (except skiers), but we drove up to LL Bean in Freeport, bought down jackets, and spent the rest of the time alternately walking around in the cold and warming up with some delicious food.

First, we took a short trip from LL Bean to Brunswick, where we ate at Richard’s German American Restaurant. Located in an old brick building in the center of town, the restaurant has a great atmosphere – brick and dark wood paneling, beer steins and antlers decorating the walls. We drank Ayinger Celebrator on tap and enjoyed buttery rolls with sweet peppery mustard. I had Wiener Gulasch and Jeremy had the Schlactplatte, with sausages and smoked pork. We couldn’t help trying the desserts either (Sachertorte and an apple dumpling swimming in vanilla sauce). It was all delicious and piping hot from the kitchen!

Food at Richard’s in Brunswick, Maine
Celebrator, Wiener Gulasch and Sacher Torte at Richard’s, photos by Jeremy and I

Later that night we had a light dinner at Gilbert’s Chowder House on Portland’s waterfront Commercial Street – clam / seafood chowder and a shared lobster roll. The chowder was thick and slightly sweet, and the roll was filled with big pieces of lobster.

Poutine and beignets at Duck Fat
Poutine and Beignets at Duck Fat, photos by Jeremy May

Sunday morning we went to Duck Fat on Middle St. for an early lunch. As their name hints, Duck Fat specializes in Belgian fries fried in duck fat. We had a bowl of poutine (their fries topped with duck gravy and cheese curds), beignets with chocolate sauce and a giant french press pot of coffee.

We also browsed some great shops, including Le Roux Kitchen, a two-story cooking and gourmet food store. I couldn’t resist a bottle of their 18-year balsamic vinegar. We also passed Rabelais, a book store dedicated to food writing, but unfortunately (or fortunately, for my very full bookshelves) it was closed.

cooks, desserts

Easy Fudge

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Fudge is often thought of as a rare vacation treat, sampled and occasionally purchased at gift shops (“shoppes”?) or on the boardwalk. But it’s actually very easy to make – especially with this shortcut recipe.

Easy Fudge - with M&Ms
I made this m&m fudge for my valentine (who also took the photo). Credit: Jeremy May

If you’re looking for a last-minute treat to make for your valentine this year, this is it. This recipe skips the messy and difficult techniques – all you have to do is melt, stir and pour. Still, every time I’ve made this fudge, it’s gotten rave reviews. Enjoy!

Easy Fudge

Ingredients

  • 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 12 to 18 oz of chocolate, either chips or bars*
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup mix ins, such as m&ms, nuts and/or dried fruit

* I love dark chocolate, so for the M&M fudge, I mostly used Baker’s Semi-Sweet chocolate and added a few ounces of a Ghirardelli 100% unsweetened baking bar.

Procedure

  1. Spray a 9×9 pan (or 9×13, for thinner fudge) with non-stick spray, or line with wax paper.
  2. If you’re using chocolate bars, chop them into small pieces.
  3. Pour the can of condensed milk into a pot.
  4. Stir in the chocolate and heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the chocolate is completely melted. (You can even do this in the microwave. Just take it out every minute to stir until completely melted.)
  5. Turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla and then the mix-ins.
  6. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
  7. Allow to cool in the refrigerator until firm. Cut into squares. I usually find it easiest to remove the whole slab from the pan before cutting.

Variations and ideas: Stir in 1/2 cup peanut butter. Use peanut butter, butterscotch or white chocolate chips. Make two different batches of fudge and layer. Some recipes call for 2-4 tbsp of butter, which is melted with the condensed milk and chocolate.

crafts, makes

Valentine’s Day Giveaway

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As a thank you for reading my blog, I’d like to give away this necklace I made.

Valentine’s Necklace Giveaway
Valentine’s Day choker, about 17 1/2 inches long

You can enter by making a comment on this entry (it can be about anything…for example, what has been making you happy lately?)

I’ll draw a name at random on Monday February 18th and contact the winner by email for an address. Of course, this contest is for both the ladies and the gentlemen out there.

By the way, if you read blogs in an aggregator like Google Reader, I’d be so happy if you would subscribe to my blog!

watches

Local “Bug Man” on Colbert Report

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Just wanted to forward this on to you all. If only I had cable, I’d love to see this!

Bugs not Drugs
I’ve had the pleasure of tasting David’s grasshoppers (or crickets?), which as you can see above, we passed around in a ziploc bag. It’s hard not to caption this photo “Bugs, not Drugs”. I also got to try a very exotic – and surprisingly delicious – water bug at last year’s Food for Thought.

David Gracer of Providence-based, Sunrise Land Shrimp (SLS), will be a featured guest on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report at 11:30 P.M. EST on February 13, 2008. This appearance follows a whole-page write-up on the company in New York Times Magazine on Sunday, February 10, 2008.

Gracer is looking forward to talking with Colbert, though he’s also expecting lots of curve-balls, and some of the things spoken in humor may not necessarily represent SLS’s official positions.

About Sunrise Land Shrimp
Continue reading Local “Bug Man” on Colbert Report →

cooks

Bringing Lunch

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We all know that bringing a lunch to work is less expensive and usually healthier. But it can be a hard task to keep up with if you aren’t prepared. Here are some tips that have helped me bring my lunch at least 95% of the time.

My Work Lunches
A few of my past lunches. Want to see the details? All these lunches are on Flickr.

First, develop a system for carrying your lunch. It could be a fancy lunch container, but it could just as well be a nice bag to hold your ancient mismatched containers. The key is to give yourself an option that makes you look forward to bringing your lunch so you’ll do it more often. Make sure it fits your lifestyle – if you don’t do dishes daily, you might be better off with a few identical containers.

I own a Mr. Bento and Mr. Bento and use them often, but if I hadn’t had an amazon.com gift certificate to spend, I would have been perfectly happy bringing reusable tupperware-style containers. My current favorites are Ziploc Twist & Loc, and I also love reusing glass jam jars like the beautiful ones from Bonne Maman.

Second, narrow your food options. What type of lunch food satisfies you? Not just your hunger, but your senses? You might like biting into a sandwich, or you might prefer something that requires a knife and fork (I do – it makes me feel like I’m eating something substantial). Do you have a microwave at work? Is messy or fragrant food going to be a problem? These questions will give you a place to start.

Third, develop a formula. Preparing lunch is a lot easier if you don’t have to think about it too much. Usually I’ll prepare a main dish and a side. I don’t mind leftovers and don’t require variety, so I usually make a large quantity of something on the weekend and eat it for several days. If you do crave change, think about freezing a portion of each dinner you make for later lunches.

Here’s my basic formula:

Continue reading Bringing Lunch →