Asian Restaurants: Thai Star

Who loves Thai food? Hardly anybody hates it! Of all Asian foods, Thai food is probably one of my favorites (if not my favorite!). Thai cuisine is known for their spices and plethora of flavors used in the cooking. AND IT ALL TASTES SO AMAZING. I promise I’m not being biased. Promise.

While there are many Asian restaurants in Providence, RI, Thai Star has got to be one of my favorites to go to for Thai food. It’s especially quick, cheap, and super authentic. Thai Star doesn’t really sweeten up their food for American taste buds, but that’s okay! Everyone loves it still! Plus, the owner is awesome. She’s super friendly and I don’t think I know anyone who’s been there and hasn’t said anything nice about her!

Order Recommendations

While you’re there, check out their Angel Wings. They’re simply fried chicken wings served with a sweet sauce, but their perfectly crisp and not heavily floured so that they’re so cakey. If you’re a fan of crab rangoon, I’ll have you know they’re also awesome here. For entries, I do recommend getting a noodle dish. My favorites are the classic pad thai, pad see ew, and spicy vegetable noodles. My boyfriend’s favorite is the crunchy pad thai, so if you want a little crunch, it’s definitely worth trying! Not a huge fan of noodles in general? PLEASE try the chicken in the garden. Chicken in the graden is a spicy chicken dish made of ground chicken and an assortment of vegetables, tossed in a spicy sauce that mixes ever so greatly with white rice.

Eat in at Thai Star or pick-up! Dishes usually range between $9-$15 and is relatively cheap with great portion sizes.

Thai Star is located at 1088 Chalkstone Ave in Providence, RI and is not too far from Rhode Island College and Providence College. Check out their website here for more information!

Asian Restaurants: Dumpling Cafe

Happy Chinese New Year!

If you’re in the Boston area, please check out Dumpling Cafe! My sister and her boyfriend found this little restaurant in Chinatown Boston and ever since, we would occasionally drive almost an hour out from where we live just to eat their soup dumplings, otherwise known as Xiaolongbao (小籠包). Believe me. They’re AMAZING.

The first time I had the soup dumplings filled with crab, I almost cried. Have you almost cried because you ate something that tasted so good? No? Then I advise you to go to the Dumpling Cafe, even if it’s just to try the soup dumplings. Still not impressed? Well, I’ll have you know that the second time I ate the soup dumplings, I was so happy I felt drunk. These are some seriously amazing soup dumplings.

The Dumpling Cafe has an assortment of others foods. I haven’t really tried the other foods yet, except for some grilled squid and crab rangoons (which were also amazing), but I’m sure the food is great too. And when I say that the soup dumplings are great, believe me. I would not want to drive an hour out to Boston otherwise.

The Dumpling Cafe is located at 695 Washington St in the Chinatown area in Boston, MA. Check out their website for more information!

Asian Restaurants: Ebisu

Now that Restaurant Week in Providence, RI is over, I’ve found more time to go to other restaurants that did not take part in Restaurant Week, one of which is Ebisu. Ebisu is a Japanese restaurant located around the Reservoir Triangle/Edgewood area in Providence/Cranston. Unlike typical Japanese restaurants in the area, Ebisu specializes in authentic ramen and shabu shabu (which is like a Japanese hot pot).

Occasionally Ebisu will have specials for the night, which usually include really amazing Asian fusion dishes. As an Asian person, I’m very picky about my Asian fusion foods. Some “Asian fusion” foods I find are not made with nearly enough love and usually taste empty to me — I don’t generally believe that foods made with typical Asian ingredients should be considered “Asian fusion”. But Ebisu does it well. SO well, in fact. So, if you get the chance make sure you try one of their awesome Asian fusion dishes, like a Japanese Surf and Turf!

On my last trip to Ebisu I ordered:

• Takoyaki balls as an appetizer
• Tantanmen ramen from the Special’s menu

If you ever get the chance to go to Ebisu, please order the Takoyaki balls. Takoyaki is a traditional Japanese food made of octopus and fried into a ball shape and also made with a sweet sauce. These are probably my favorite things to eat when I’m at Ebisu, but I’ll let you know it’s not the only amazing thing.

As usual, my ramen was amazing. Now, don’t get this ramen mixed up with the $0.10 Maruchuan ramen that you get at a supermarket — the ramen at Ebisu is FRRRRRRESH! The broth isn’t powdered and you can tell that the ingredients are made fresh and the broth is probably made from a paste instead. Regardless of the matter, Ebisu ramen isn’t packed with sodium but rather packed with so much more flavor of all meats and vegetables!

Also to try while you’re at Ebisu — the grill menu! Another feature of Ebisu is the grilled skewers menu. Ebisu has so many meats on the grilled skewers menu from chicken heart, liver, gizzards, and chicken skin. My personal favorite from the grilled skewers menu are the gizzards. Although it sounds a little scary… believe me. The gizzards are amazing!! As are the rest of the menu… Lots of the skewers on the menu are also grilled with a special sauce so as to make the meat even more tasty.

In the end, Ebisu is definitely a different type of Asian restaurant around and the foods aren’t greasy and are still packed with lots of flavor! It’s not expensive either! Packed with a full bar and awesome food, there’s no reason to not try something new at Ebisu!

Ebisu is located in Providence, RI at 38 Pontiac Ave. See their main website for more information.

Restaurant Week: Bacaro

Alas, the time has come for Restaurant Week in Providence to end. But have no fear! You have until at least tonight to find yourself a late lunch and dinner at a Restaurant Week restaurant! And if you weren’t able enjoy Restaurant Week, no worries — these restaurants will always be around in Rhode Island and are AMAZING year round, like Bacaro!

Most recently I went to Bacaro, located in Providence, with my sister. Bacaro is an Italian wine bar located downtown and is probably one of our favorite places to go! They have a large menu with many selections — flat pizzas, pastas, entrees, olives, antipasta, and the list goes on!

When I first saw the Bacaro Restaurant Week menu, I got really excited; my favorite pasta dish was on the menu — Pasta con I Funghi! I felt like Bacaro had selected it just for me :’) (just kidding). There was no doubt on my mind that I was going to enjoy Bacaro during the Restaurant Week at all! And of course, I did.

As normal Bacaro-goers, my sister and I ordered a few other small appetizers in the menu before enjoying our Restaurant Week dishes. We ordered our regular apps — Castelvetrano olives, pan-seared scallops, and the foie gras crostini. Now, I may be biased but I really do think that these appetizers/tapas are really top notch choices! The olives are just awesome, and the scallops are “OH MY –! MELT IN YOUR MOUTH” amazing. The scallops themselves aren’t too heavy and the truffle oil just makes the scallops THAT more savory. The foie gras crostini is simply perfect. The foie gras is served on semi-hard wafers that aren’t hard to bite through and the foie gras is perfectly creamy and flavorful. It is, in no way gamy, and is even served with a homemade Bacaro jam that does not destroy the flavor of the foie gras.

After finishing our appetizers, we continued on to the Restaurant Week menu (I know… we eat a lot). For my Restaurant Week appetizer, I selected the Caesar salad. Although just a Caesar salad, I’ll have you know that this salad was still unlike any typical Caesar salad. This Caesar salad was a lot more light than other Caesar salads I have had. The dressing and cheese was not overwhelming and the croutons were not greasy. In fact, the croutons were real bread, fresh from the oven! I mean, if any restaurant can one-up a traditional Caesar salad, you know that restaurant must be awesome. Bacaro certainly is!

After finishing my salad, I had the Pasta Con I Funghi (of course, it’s my favorite!). The Pasta Con I Funghi is a homemade egg tagliatelle pasta (Bacaro makes their own pasta from scratch I’ve heard…) with parmesan cheese, truffle scented eggs, and mushrooms. If you are not a fan of mushrooms, I can assure that the mushrooms in this dish are not overwhelming in the plate. In fact, like the scallops, the truffled eggs makes the pasta super savory. What I love about this pasta dish so much is that it’s light, not drowning in pasta sauce, yet so packed with flavor. After looking at that Pasta Con I Funghi dish, you’ll be wondering why your dish is empty because unbeknownst to you, you’ve already finished the whole pasta dish because it was so delicious!

After devouring my Pasta Con I Funghi, I enjoyed an apple crumble (as listed on the Restaurant Menu). The great thing about Bacaro and desserts is that they make desserts to order. They don’t keep desserts in freezers only to serve — they make it once you order. I advise to have a good idea about what dessert you would like to enjoy so that it’ll be readily made once you’re done eating your entree dish. So, of course, since desserts are made ready to order, my apple crumble was so warm. I especially liked my apple crumble (and I don’t usually care for apple crumbles) because it was perfectly portioned, not overwhelmingly sweet, and fresh and warm!

So, if you’re in a rush to find a great restaurant to finish off Restaurant Week in Providence, definitely take a look at Bacaro. Not looking for a Restaurant Week restaurant? Still look at Bacaro!

Bacaro is located at 262 South Water Street in Providence, RI by downtown. For more information about the restaurant, check out their website! Also, follow them on Twitter @BacaroRI for the latest restaurant news!

Korean BBQ: Sura

Over the weekend I was able to enjoy some Korean barbecue in Johnston, RI with my sister and some of her friends. For those who are not familiar with Korean barbecue, it is a special Korean (dish?) eatery that serves customers raw meats that they order which they then cook on hot plates located on their tables. Going out to eat Korean barbecue with your friends is certainly both enjoyable and entertaining!

Sura, located in Johnston, specifically, serves both Korean barbecue as well as traditional Korean meals. Customers have the option of ordering either of the two. As of late, Sura offers All-You-Can-Eat barbecue (around $20-$23 per person), which has made it a very popular choice for restaurant goers! In fact, if you would like to go to Sura for dinner, I recommend making reservations — we’d gotten to the restaurant around 7PM at night and it was very, very packed!

A staple of Korean restaurants is that they serve starter dishes to go with your order. Many of these dishes range from cured tofu to kimchi and pickled cucumbers (though pickled differently so as not to make actual pickles). With our All-You-Can-Eat barbecue, we were served kimchi, salad, and noodles and cabbage. Each person at the table was also given a dish with places for two dipping sauces for the barbecue: a teriyaki sauce type and a creamier garlic, almost peanut sauce. My personal favorite was the teriyaki for dipping.

For the barbecue, we chose a variety of beef short ribs, porks (pork belly and spicy porks), calamari, and shrimp, which were all very good! The beef short ribs were especially tender and flavorful and the spicy pork had the perfect Korean kick to it! I can assure you, though, no matter what meats you decide to order, EVERYTHING WILL BE AMAZING. And, while you are eating Korean barbecue, be sure to order yourself a bottle of soju, which is a Korean alcoholic beverage similar to vodka. Sura also serves the Japanese alternative — sake — and beers and beverages!

After eating barbecue, we planned on doing karaoke. And yes, Sura offers karaoke rooms if you’re into that sort of thing. I know I’ve always wanted to try karaoke and I sure as heck am into it now! Sura has three karaoke rooms, so if you’re having dinner there, be sure to put in a reservation to rent a room because they are popular and the rooms at Sura are definitely fun to enjoy with your friends! Each room has couches for you and your friends to sit on and have an excellent selection of songs from Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and the USA. Everyone in attendance within our group was able to find US songs to sing. They ranged from New Wave, 90′s pop and ballads, to music from the 2000′s and rap. The rooms were also very fun to be in, in general, with the dot-laser lights! Two people are able to sing at the same time and if you’re worried you might not want to sing, you can also enjoy playing with a tambourine that glows every time you hit it! Karaoke room rentals go for $35 an hour at Sura.

If you’re looking for a good time with your friends but want to stay low-key, Sura is the place for you! You can enjoy both food, music, and drinks! The service is excellent and the owner (I’m pretty sure it was the owner seating us) is very friendly! He even stayed there until 1AM when we left! Although fun, be sure to be prepared to drop some wad of cash if you’re planning to go all out on the barbecue, karaoke, and drinks. With the karaoke and drinks, it’s easy to lose track of time and order many drinks while singing and having a good time with your friends.

Overall, Sura is worth the visit. I highly recommend it and I can assure you that I will be back to Sura very soon!

Sura is located at 300 George Waterman Road in Johnston, RI. For more information on the restaurant services and All-You-Can-Eat menu, check out there website!

Restaurant Week: Rue de L’espoir

Don’t you think I forgot about Restaurant Week!

In the wake of the new semester came the return of my boyfriend into Providence, RI and to celebrate his return we went on a date to Rue de L’espoir, upon my request because I had never gone their before. Rue de L’espoir is an American bistro inspired by French cuisines located on Hope Street. Similar to Chez Pascal, Rue de L’espoir uses organic produce local to the New England area. In fact, Rue de L’espoir is RI Green Certified!

Now on to the meal.

I began the Restaurant week menu with the amuse bouche, as advertised on the GoProvidence menu page, which tonight consisted of a tiny cup of hummus and two crackers. To my surprise, the restaurant was also offering a choice to customers of a soup or house salad to go with the amuse bouche. While my boyfriend ordered the house salad, I ordered the soup which was an asparagus and cheddar soup. The soup was very delicious and tasted almost like a broccoli and cheddar soup. On the other hand, I was the biggest fan of the amuse bouche simply because I felt the crackers were a little more charred than I would have liked.

I was a little disappointed about the selection available for the entree  only because the in-restaurant menu did not offer the scallop fettuccini dish I was hoping to order. To substitute the scallops and fettuccini I, instead, ordered the scallops and ravioli dish. The presentation itself was very nice, thought I found the dish to be a little too rich. The scallops were very delicious but unfortunately I forgot how rich in taste scallops are in general. The raviolis had a nice texture, but I was taken aback a bit because of the fishier taste (I think they were filled with some sort of shell fish). Overall, by my third bite I was experiencing seafood-overload and I was wishing that I had ordered the steak and fries like my boyfriend. I’m not saying it was horrible, but it was certainly a little bit more rich and fishy than I was hoping for (the sauce was a little more fish-heavy than what I was used to too).

After the main course was over, my boyfriend and I ordered the chocolate pot de creme and the creme brulee, respectively. I was a little overwhelmed by the richness of the ravioli dish so I ordered a cup of coffee to go with the creme brulee. My creme brulee was very good, but also very rich, and I was thankful that I had ordered the coffee. I tried my boyfriend’s chocolate pot de creme (which is a thicker chocolate mousse) and found that to be very rich too, but very good at the same time. Unfortunately after eating so many rich foods of some sort of thick creamy texture, I couldn’t finish my creme brulee and ate about half of it.

The food was good, but a little tooo rich for my liking and I was taken aback a little when our main dishes were brought out before we finished our soups and salads and the fact that the menu was not the same as the one listed on GoProvidence (otherwise, I might have reconsidered my decision going there). Nonetheless, the waitress was very friendly and the service was very good! Overall, my experience at Rue de L’espoir was decent.

Rue de L’espoir is located at 99 Hope Street in Providence, RI. For more information on their other two restaurants and their locations, check out their website.

Restaurant Week: Cav

I finally got in my second Restaurant Week trip last night! My sister and I went to her choice-restaurant — Cav. Cav is a magical award-winning restaurant located in the Jewelry District in Providence, RI with great atmosphere! Upon walking in, customers will notice the large pieces of artwork around the restaurant. These pieces, owned by the owners of the restaurant who often travel, practically bring customers into a magical world where different cultures from around the world collide! There is no doubt that going to Cav would be a unique  experience from any other restaurant that you might go to.

Now let me continue on to the food…

To start, I had their starter salad of wild greens, chopped walnuts, and goat cheese in a walnut vinaigrette with chopped apples on the side. I had my first bit and ohhhhh goodness it was sooooo good! I mean, I’ve had salad before, but this one wasn’t quite drenched in the salad dressing, nor had too many overwhelming ingredients — the walnuts, goat cheese, and apples. When I first saw that goat cheese was in the salad, I immediately thought, “Am I going to like goat cheese…..?” But golly, I did! The goat cheese was not too dry, but particularly creamy With just a few simple ingredients and a kick-ass dressing, the salad was both refreshing and filled with great flavor!

Onward forth, to the main course! For my entree, I selected the haddock dish served with black trumpet risotto and truffled asparagus wontons in a red wine Procini reduction. This was an interesting choice for me only because I typically order a red meat dish when I go out to eat dinner but I was not disappointed! When ordering a fish dish, I’m always afraid the fish will be a little overcooked and too dry. But, like I said, I was not disappointed. The haddock was cooked perfectly so that it wasn’t dry and was tender and meaty, but not too tender. Packed in the red wine reduction, the fish was also somewhat juicy and very flavorful. I was a fan! The risotto that was paired refreshing. It was a little harder than what I’m used to with risottos but nonetheless, it was still good. What got me with this dish were the two truffled asparagus wontons that were served with the haddock. Eating my first wonton was like having a food orgasm in my mouth. Upon eating it, I fell into food heaven and I wanted to cry because I was so happy — so happy that I raved about it and felt like I wanted to cry. I made sure to save the second wonton for last. My sister noticed that I was saving it and made fun of me a little. I then I had no choice but to rave again and although I wanted my sister to try the wonton, I admit, I got too selfish to give that last wonton away. So, if you do go to Cav in the next week and order the haddock… Please. Please, please please savor those wontons!

Lastly, for dessert I had the blackberry sorbet. As expected, the blackberry sorbet was very good. It was served in a glass cup on a plate, topped with a chocolate covered peppermint stick. Altogether, the sorbet was a perfect mix of sweet and refreshing and I felt like I could actually taste the fruit!

If you’re looking for a restaurant with a relaxed and sociable crowd and cultured artwork, Cav is a perfect place to check out!

Cav is located at 14 Imperial Place in the Jewelry District of Providence. (Did I mention it’s really cute outside of the restaurant, which is also located in what looks to be an old mill?)

Check out their main website where you can find more information about booking business and private parties! Here, you can also find the Restaurant Week menu listed!