REVIEW: Parker House Restaurant ***1/2 / $$$$

The Parker House Hotel Restaurant is one of the more storied restaurants in New England. Not only is it the namesake of Parker House rolls, but it is also the origin of Boston Cream Pie. The hotel has been in continuous operation for over 150 years and is an absolute landmark in Boston history.

The restaurant is fabulously appointed, with giant chandeliers dropping down from twenty-foot ceilings, well-dressed tables, intricate carpets, and lighting that is a bit too dim for my tastes. It is not ultra-refined in details and service like, say, the restaurants of Alain Ducasse such as Le Louis XV, but I like that. I find, and always will find, details for the sake of details nothing more than an excuse to charge more money. And classic French service and cuisine is filled with details for their own sake.

I have now been to The Parker House on four occasions and enjoyed it very much each time. The service is always good, and the decor is a treat. There is also a relaxed sense that one gets, probably because it is, after all, a hotel restaurant. They have a buffet for brunch and breakfast, and bar patrons wander in and out. It's not a restaurant where you feel that there is any particular behavior or dress that is expected. Even if those things are expected, I like being in a restaurants where it feels like they aren't. And the Parker House has the benefit of both feeling that way, and also being that way.

The food is all flawlessly prepared. But, again, likely because of its status as a hotel restaurant, all of it is just very good, default expensive food. Good cuts of steak? Check. Lobster in some form? Check. I can't say much bad about, since it's all, again, perfectly prepared. And it's also not for those with a bland palate. But it's also not anything that you couldn't get elsewhere.

One bright spot for me was the onion soup. It is the absolute best onion soup I've ever had at a restaurant. The onions are actually cooked, which is a concept that many places seem to not quite get, and it has a powerful wine flavor to it. It bathes your tongue in a rich, beefy broth, and the whole experience is invigorated with the strong sweetness of the onions, and the bright twinge of the sherry. The kitchen was also not stingy with the cheese, which, again, is a memo that many other restaurants have not yet gotten.

Other than that, if you want some standard continental fare with a New England twist, prepared perfectly, in what is arguably one of the nicest dining areas around, you would be well-served to check out the Omni Parker House Restaurant. And if you are from far away lands and want to visit Boston, the hotel's decor is like a luxurious time machine to an era before modern design ruined everything. I like everything about The Parker House.

Omni Parker House Restaurant: ***1/2

60 School Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 227-8600


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REVIEW: Five Guys Burger and Fries- ***1/2 / $

Oh frabjous day, callooh callay, I chortled as I ate. I have lived to see a time when fast food is legitimately good! That day has been here for years, in some areas of the country, but around Rhode Island, we've been wallowing in fast food hell. In-N-Out, Sonic, Carl's Jr.; none of these venerable restaurants are anywhere near us. When Chipotle arrived, we finally had a taste of what really great fast food could taste like, and the wait for a burger joint of equal quality was just freaking interminable.

We have Beef Barn in Cumberland, which is just as good as the best fast food, and even cheaper(!), but it's out in the middle of nowhere. I want something that's on every street corner like McDonald's... but good, unlike McDonald's. Well, Rhode Island might not have one on every corner yet, but we finally have two locations of a brand that could, conceivably, one day, have a whole bunch of locations peppering New England: Five Guys.

I have no idea why it's called Five Guys; it was started by two guys, and one of them was a woman (UPDATE: I have since found out why. The five guys were the husband and his four sons, even though the actual owners were the husband/wife team). Truly, the branding was so terrible that I assumed that it was some crappy local joint destined for failure when the location on Route 2 in Warwick opened up. But no, it's actually a large franchise with over 600 locations in North America, with more undoubtedly on the way. Even better, they've been winning awards with their burgers, even topping the legendary In-N-Out in a recent Zagat survey.

After hearing this, I set about to try them. A grueling journey of nearly twelve minutes exhausted all of our resources, and we were half-dead upon arriving. Thankfully, free peanuts that are available by the front door provided succor. Oh, and about the free peanuts, it's nice that they've chosen to provide sanitary, clean, easy-to-use paper baskets to load up. The only other place that I know of to provide free peanuts is Texas Road House, which serves them up as part of some grotesque schtick where you shell the nut and throw the remnants on the ground. It's just like a local bar, h'yuk! Fuck you. No it's not. It's disgusting. Give me a trash can.

It was a Saturday at about 5:00pm, so I'm assuming that this isn't always the case, but the place was bedlam. There was a long line, and the dining area was about 75% full. The sheer size of the kitchen staff blew my mind. They must have had ten people grinding away behind the counter, with perhaps more in reserve. The crew size paid off, though, with lots of orders coming out with great speed. It was slightly slower than, say, a McDonald's, but not by much, and faster than a Johnny Rockets.

The noise level in the dining area was "intense" according to my girlfriend, Danielle. People in the kitchen were yelling information to each other, people were yelling at each other in the dining room. The line waiting for orders to come out was squeezed in with the condiments and soda. As Danielle put it, "I think I have shell shock from what just happened." The energy level is much higher than any other fast food place at which I've eaten, even Chipotle during the rush. It's something that I can certainly deal with, but it's also something that I would avoid if possible.

Prices are excellent. I came into the place and, coming from a restaurant management perspective, the amount of money that they're spending on labor must be enormous. Well, it's easy to see how this works. They are selling in bulk, and they don't really give you an option to not buy in bulk. It's in this way that their prices are not that much higher than McDonald's. Five Guys' cheese burger is $4.99, which includes two patties by default, and ALL toppings are included in the price. McDonald's Angus burger is $3.99, with a similar level of toppings, and only one patty. You can opt to buy single-patty burgers, which are called, ahem, little hamburgers. This is still a huge hunk of food, and further illustrates their business model of forcing bulk on you. They further default to bulk delivery with the french fries, where even a small overflows from their serving cup and partially fills the bag in which they're stored. A large fry is honestly the equivalent of two whole potatoes.

When I ate the Angus burger from McDonald's, it didn't taste half-bad. The problem was that it tasted like the best McDonald's burger that I had ever eaten. The bread still had this odd sweetness that McDonald's bread has, the cheese was still crap, and the burger tasted like a McDonald's burger, just better. Five Guys tastes like a burger. Their patty is very beefy, with very little seasoning (which I would have kinda' liked). It's tender, juicy but not too, and not at all greasy. I ran across a single hard bit in the beef, but that did little to detract from the impression of quality. The toppings were crispy and fresh, and there are OH so many of them, and the bacon was delicious. It tasted like real, fresh, hot bacon. Not rubbery strips that have been sitting in an oven for hours. The only disappointment was the cheese, which was crappy American cheese, with no option for any other kind. I guess fast food has to have its calling card somewhere. Make no mistake, though, these are, without doubt, the best fast food burgers available.

The french fries offered a similar impression of quality. It's obvious that fries are a popular item, since their supply of potatoes has overflowed into the dining area. Bags of the little spuds were everywhere. They're a bit soft for my taste, but perfectly seasoned, popping with fresh potato flavor, and hot, hot, hot. I very much enjoyed the Cajun seasoned fries, which tasted like real Cajun spices, like, paprika! Spicy! I'd ditch the ordinary fries for Cajun on every visit.

By the end, I was done with my burger, and not even halfway through my small fries. Danielle couldn't finish either, and a girl next to me at the counter couldn't finish her single-patty burger. These are large, hearty burgers for very little money. I was not as impressed here as I was with Chipotle, which really blew me away with the incredible quality of every item, but at the same time, Chipotle is significantly more expensive, with all menu items at $6 or more. Still, I see them both standing in the same vanguard of quality fast food that is sweeping the nation.

All of this makes me ponder the state of fast food in the United States. McDonald's, Burger King, and all of the old guard have built up large numbers of locations, extremely advanced logistics, and an almost unreal level of quality control. But at the same time, they've built up reputations as fast food, and that means crappy quality.

We first saw market segmentation with the emergence of so-called casual dining restaurants like TGI Fridays, which upped the price and service, but not so high as to be competing with expensive, singular restaurants. This pressure in the middle of the market caused many, if not most, of previously expensive restaurants to adapt some of the trappings of casual dining, such as no dress codes.

McDonald's and the rest of the fast food industry, instead of increasing quality or selection, doubled down on price to compete. Prices either dropped or stayed the same regardless of inflation, and we saw the emergence of dollar menus. What this threatens to do, though, is amplify the market and demographic segmentation, creating the dietary haves and have-nots. Those that can afford to spend a little more will continue to do so, forcing fast food to drop prices and quality even further in an effort to spur growth. But this will drive more of their demographic up-market, and the feed-back loop continues. We'll eventually end up with casual dining and high-end fast food like Chipotle serving the middle class, and traditional fast food serving the bottom 10% increasingly bad food, thus further relegating this demographic to an eternity in the lowest echelons of society.

I think that McDonald's was aware of this destiny way back in the 1990's when they introduced the Arch Deluxe. It was a disaster for them, but that insight into the direction of the market is probably why they're doing gangbusters business while Wendy's and Burger King fight for small growth numbers (McD's is about three times the size of BK, but does TEN TIMES the revenue). They absolutely don't want to be the company that's shoveling slop into the mouths of the lowest of the low demographic.

Perhaps this is too complex a subject for a simple restaurant review, but sitting in Five Guys, eating a legitimately good hamburger, and leaving with a stomach bursting at the seams for less than $6, I realize that McDonald's has problems on the horizon, and it's only going to get worse.

Five Guys Burger and Fries: ***1/2

http://www.fiveguys.com


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Hours
Most locations open daily from 11:00am to 10:00pm

REVIEW: Mainstreet Coffee- ***1/2 / $

Not too long ago, East Greenwich's main drag was littered with empty store fronts, a few bars, and that was about it. Now it's littered with over-priced shops, cafes, restaurants, and thirty-something yuppies out to get laid as they cruise the street in their financed BMW's, Aston Martins, and Bentleys.

Depending on your perspective, that could be a downgrade. Regardless, route 1 through EG is now one of the nicer walks to be had in Rhode Island. Not as cramped and busy as Warren, not as subtly disgusting as Westerly, and not as smelly and pretentious as Thayer Street.

But what is one to do if one doesn't want to get busy drinking at 2:30 in the afternoon, while being hit on by old, weird men who never seem to leave? Thankfully, for you, there are a few cafes. For those who prefer a finely tuned mini-bohemia, Starbucks is available, which is acceptable as always, but why would you go and do something weird like that when one of RI's best cafes is right down the street in the form of Main Street Coffee.

On your way in, MainCoff is eminently welcoming. With a string of attractive tables, sidewalk art, and comfortable chairs all before you ever get in the door, you can tell this place was founded, and is run, with a degree of passion. The inside is 100% cafe. Wood, floral art, and lots of browns, reds, and blacks do not break any ground in the cafe aesthetic. This isn't a criticism, but more an observation because the interior is very nice. It's a bit cramped, but they make good use of what they have. The large windows running along the front of the building allow copious amounts of sunlight to wash over the room, and when opened during the summer it opens up the entire cafe. It all conspires to create an atmosphere that feels wide open even while being rather small.

An array of tables and chairs are wedged into the street-view area, near the door. The sitting area in the back, with some cushy couches, chairs, and (non-cushy)skylights, that provide the comfiest seats in the house. Still, especially during mid-summer, it's the street chairs I prefer. If you go through the small arches, you'll pass through to the second part of the cafe, which is a bar called the Toscana Lounge, replete with those aforementioned weird, old men. This area also sports lots of dark tones and projects a similarly upscale tone as the cafe area. Don't bother talking to the bartender. She's too busy deflecting come-ons from the weird, old men.

Their food selection is very good. I like their cakes, cookies, pastries, and muffins. Their selection of cakes borders on suicidal. I found too many of their varieties overly sweet. Good, old, chocolate cake is still good. I liked their muffins, very flavorful, moist, and crumbly. Some of their creamy desserts, like mousse, underwhelmed. They had that spongy texture and firmness that comes from pre-packaged mousses. A lemon pastry also tasted like a cleaning agent. These complaints aren't deal-breaking in the grand scheme of their menu, which is solid and supports their drinks well.

Oh, the drinks, but before we get to the coffee, I'll discuss the smoothies. As with a number of places that shall remain nameless... oh hell, I'll name them, as with places like Coffee Exchange, the smoothies, here, are made with juice, syrups, and ice. They do a decent job blending the ice till it's smooth, but that's not really a smoothie. That's a slushie. A smoothie usually has no ice in it. Just look at the Wikipedia entry for smoothie, FRESH FRUIT. I won't knock off any points for this because so many other places are guilty, but if you fancy yourself a smoothie gourmet, take a trip up the road a bit into Warwick and get a real, good, healthy smoothie from Fresh City.

With only a small amount of support food, MainCof doesn't deviate from the cafe model as does places like Brewed Awakenings or Three Sisters. The purpose of your trip is a drink. This puts a lot of focus on the drink because, if it sucks, there is nothing drawing you back. So often am I let down by the quality of the coffee, but here, thankfully, I am not. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I received the best latte I've ever gotten outside of Providence's cafes, here. The espresso was well-pulled, the milk was perfectly texturized and free-poured like a real barista should.

Then, sometime after that, I received an even better latte. So good, in fact, that it's one of the best I've ever gotten. It was made by the owner and was a milky masterpiece. First off, it's not the best latte I've ever had. That honor still goes to CofEx. The espresso wasn't the best roast, in my opinion. I prefer darker, more powerful roasts because they stand out better in a milky drink like a latte. It was a bit astringent on the tongue and was short on body. Flavor was good, some subtle nutty notes, but was otherwise not well-suited to a latte. I wonder if it was an African blend. For lattes, good, ol' fashioned Colombian is my favorite.

Still, like dust and memories, these criticisms are washed away when the espresso is capped with that clarion badge of a master barista, latte art. Not only is this the only latte art I've ever received in Rhode Island, it's some of the most defined, attractive art I've ever received. It may seem like a weird obsession, as the pour has nothing to do with how the drink tastes, but for me the time and care taken to make latte art is what tells me that I'm dealing with a real master of their craft. It says, in no uncertain terms, that the barista gives a crap. Before this, I would have said that CofEx and Blue State Coffee were RI's best, but CofEx and Main Street Coffee are now in a league all their own.

So why not four stars? On a more general level, I always receive quality drinks. The very worst I have ever received is as good as any Starbucks. Cappuccinos are topped with dense, silky foam. And mochas sport attractive swirls of chocolate syrup on top. Unfortunately, CofEx has every one of their baristi perfectly trained, and MainCof doesn't. Being only as good as Starbucks doesn't compete with a place where the espresso is always better. Granted, this criticism also applies to Pastiche, Blue State, and Caffe Bon Ami, so Main Street Coffee is in some good company.

Sooooo, yes. Excellent atmosphere and decor, combined with a solid menu and very good coffee and espresso, allows Mainstreet Coffee to overcome its few mistakes. And while I was impressed with my earlier latte, the caffeinated masterpiece that followed really pushed them over the top. It's East Greenwich's best cafe, and one of the best cafes in the state. In this writer's humble opinion, if you are in the area and don't stop by for a drink, you're just plain dumb.

Mainstreet Coffee: ***1/2

http://www.mscoffee.net (The web address is on their business cards, but the link is dead. I'm not sure what's going on, there.


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137 Main Street
East Greenwich, RI. 02818
401-885-8787

Hours
Monday through Thursday 6:00am to 10:00pm
Friday & Saturday 6:00am to 12:00am
Sunday 7:30am to 10:00pm

REVIEW: The Panini Grill- ***1/2 / $

Small and inauspicious, the Panini Grill is a place that you try with low expectations and leave amazed at what you just got. The sandwich menu is large, with diverse ingredients and tastes, the prices are very competitive, and the smoothies are excellent.

Nothing is particularly impressive with the place's looks. The outside is simple, the inside is simple and diner-like, the website is simple, and the menu is simple. Not simplistic, just simple. The only thing that really stands out in the dining area is a large, Dr. Who pinball machine next to the entrance. Seems a bit odd outside of a bar or arcade, but it adds some welcome, and needed, pizazz to the interior.

The menu is large and varied. A wide selection of vegetarian sandwiches guarantees that you'll find something for your ethically inclined friends. The quality of the ingredients is very good. My Steak & American sandwich had tender, flavorful shaved steak with very crisp lettuce and firm tomatoes. The Monster had good, fresh-tasting turkey with honey mustard that was, um, honey mustard, and mild muenster. The bread was, again, fresh and tasty. I would have preferred a bit more heft to the bread, but it still held up well to mountain of meat. All of the meat was moist, but not wet. There were no oils dripping down my hand, and no slimy leftovers. Low on fat, high on fuckin' good.

You have your choice of five breads. It's nice to see a sandwich shop providing more than just long rolls or round rolls. I got the herb foccacia and it was very good. As I said, I would have preferred a denser or thicker roll, but it held up well enough and stayed together. It was well-herbed and toasted to perfection.

A real bright spot for me was the smoothie. Something lots of places do is add ice to the smoothie to drop its temperature almost artificially. This RUINS the texture. It makes the drink watery and sour, and totally defies the name by being anything but smooth. Not here! These are the best smoothies I've had outside of Fresh City. The recipe was great, the price was good, and its texture was smooth embodied. I had the Berry Booster and I immediately wanted another. Fresh, frozen fruit, good, strong yogurt, and good juice all made it one of the best smoothies I've ever had. I only wish they offered different sizes because the one they have is woefully small.

They have a good selection of sides, mostly pasta salads. Only four soups to sample, but they are good. I liked the cream of broccoli soup the best, even though I wanted more texture to the soup. The chunks of broccoli were really small. Still, it was thick and flavorful, and it went wonderfully with the salty bits of panini toast that were so perfectly toasted as to be crispy yet soft. Salads are large and give you a good chance to sample how crisp and fresh their produce is.


I also liked that the Panini Grill knows exactly what it is. It's a sandwich shop and it's doing everything it can do to be that sandwich shop. It's BYOB, it has free wi-fi, and they deliver. An office-worker's dream. They do so many small things to add value to your meal. The fresh toast with the soup. The utter heft of the sandwiches. The free wi-fi. It all combines to to form a value/quality combo that really captured my heart.

And that's where Panini Grill shines. For the money, they give you some really big sandwiches with high quality produce and a number of extras. This place blows the chain sandwich shops clear out of the water and rests comfortably next to another of my favorite sandwich shops, Jim's Deli. Jim's Deli still has the selection to end all selections, but five breads at PG, the different taste inherent to panini, and the excellent smoothies makes Panini Grill a must-try for lunchtime zombies in the area and worth a short trip.

NOTE: I've only ever been to the Middletown location, so my comments on the interior obviously don't apply to the Newport location.

The Panini Grill: ***1/2
Price range for two: $12-$25

http://www.thepaninigrill.com/


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687 W Main Rd
Middletown, RI 02842
401-324-6199


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186 Thames Street
Newport, RI. 02840
401-847-7784

Hours
7 Days 10:30am to 9:00pm
Middletown Location
Sunday 10:30am to 6:00pm

REVIEW: Blue State Coffee- ***1/2 / $$$

Liberal? Conservative? Anarchist? Sexually frustrated? Who cares? Blue State Coffee may have a political agenda, but the superb coffee, atmosphere, and baristi deliver a winning experience that certainly gets my vote.

Open for less than a year, Blue State Coffee charges headlong into an ever increasing crowd of cafes eager to provide Rhode Islanders with their daily caffeine. While quantity is quickly entering the stratosphere, quality... not so much. The number of cafes was going up, and thus you'd expect competition to increase quality. Sadly, it seemed that that tenet of capitalism wasn't taking hold. Owners persisted in thinking that to operate a cafe, one required nothing more than an espresso machine, cups, and some tables.

I'm sorry, but if that's all you've got, don't bother. Go home and come up with something else, because the cafe business is definitely not for you. So many a time do I go into a cafe only to be served a latte that wouldn't pass for acceptable at a Starbucks, and that's exactly the point. Starbucks IS the bar. It is average. It's never bad, but it never truly excels. If you cannot be better than average, than you have no reason to exist. There are Starbuckses...es...'s... Stars-buck everywhere. You have to provide something that they don't.

That's what I get at CofEx, what I don't get at Felicia's, and what Blue State gives in spades.

Blue State's owners have obviously gone whole-hog. The interior is well-finished, large, airy, and plenty of seating and free wi-fi. I liked the edgier, more modern look to the design, as opposed to the wooden, earthy feel of CofEx and many other traditionally designed cafes. Some parts of interior are a bit bare, and the hard interior results in harsh acoustics. Escaping outside is always an option, with the nice, but unshielded from the skies, al fresco area raised from the street. If I was to pick a favorite design, it's still Coffee Exchange or Caffe Bon Ami, but this is certainly pleasant. Blue State has an ace up its sleeves, though: a different personality. Whereas other cafes are content with being just that, Blue State wants to be a vehicle of righteous change/indignation.

Their whole shtick is that they represent the blue (democratic) states as opposed to the red (republican) states. The inside is packed with political books, CD's, shirts, and those tireless warriors of the political battlefield, bumper stickers. They push a variety of liberal points, but thankfully they don't let this intrude on the business of making great coffee. They let it supplement the atmosphere and provide a sense of interaction with the customer. You can vote with small wooden chips as to which charity you want donations to go. You can monitor the progress on an update board situated just above the sugars and creams and look at the vote containers fill with chips. Blue State also advertises, more strongly than any cafe I can think of, their use of fair trade, organic, shade-grown coffee. You certainly can't accuse them of not practicing what they preach. As opposed to the comically hypocritical Cuban Revolution. But as I said, this never intrudes on the business. If you disagree, it doesn't matter, because Blue State is still first and foremost a cafe.

And I liked it because of that. I liked BS... hehe... because it's very much a cafe. It doesn't try to be some restaurant-lite. It's primary purpose is the coffee and some drinks and goodies to go along with the coffee. The selection of goodies is sourced from a variety of local producers, including Seven Stars, but the selection remains pretty thin. They also have an assortment of hand-made waist-enhancers hand-made by locals. These can get pricey, though, with some small cakes hitting $7. These are what push BS from a two-$ to a three-$. Good, for sure, but still expensive, and way too lean for the morning routine. A panoply of juices, waters, and bottled drinks round out the small display and are the exact same drinks and juices you find at every other cafe.

Still, they're just the supporting cast. The real star is a coffee. Unlike so many cafes, BS flies high instead of falling on its face. Given to me was one of the best lattes I've ever had. Again, New Harvest takes some credit -it seems that everyone is using them at this point- but the pull was perfect, the texture of the milk was perfect, and the temperature was also the closest to perfect I've encountered in a cafe, 157 degrees. It didn't have latte art per se, but it was an attractive swirl pattern that made the drink especially attractive. In the world of espresso, the stuff I had was a dead-match for the drinks I regularly get at CofEx. Simply excellent.

So why not four stars, like CofEx? Because CofEx is more than just a cafe. It's a roaster, a supply house, an experience, and let's the belt buckles fly with a wider selection of bagels, cakes, and cookies. Still, even though Blue State is just a cafe, it's a cafe that produces some of the best espresso in the state, and is also more within walking distance of the area of Providence where shit actually happens. For all this, Blue State is well above average, touches brilliance with its drinks, and is one of your best bets for the morning buzz.

Blue State Cafe: ***1/2
Price range for two: $6-$10

http://www.bluestatecoffee.com/


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300 Thayer St
Providence, RI 02906
1-877-626-BLUE (cute)

Hours
Monday through Friday 7:00am to 11:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 8:00am 11:00pm

REVIEW: Caffe Bon Ami- ***1/2 / $

I'm going to start reviewing cafes. Good places to get more than a cup of joe are pretty lean outside of the Providence area, and I figured it was time to start seeking them out. While I've reviewed a few non-restaurant places in the past, they all had the common thread of food service. In my cafe reviews, I'll check out places that serve primarily coffee.

After a big, hearty dinner at Feast or Famine, we decided we wanted coffee. Feast or Famine's espresso machine has been broken pretty much since the beginning of time, and even before then the espresso was only OK. I wanted a big, hearty cappuccino.

On the way up, I had spotted a cafe just before which looked very well-appointed and just screaming for a visit. And who am I to deny a talking building? Caffe Bon Ami is wonderfully appointed indeed. The chairs and tables look fabulous, there's a variety of plants in the corners, and the usual array of Italian-ish pictures purchased at Wal*Mart adorn the walls. Luckily, the rest of the place is well done enough where the few smatterings of tack don't ruin it. Overall, the place is very Euro-chic. Humorously, as of this writing, one of the key words on Google Maps for Caffe Bon Ami was "pretentious." A little bit, but I've seen much worse. *Cough*Mediterraneo!*Cough*

Large doors in the front of the building open up during warm summer nights to allow the front stone porch to fill with caffeinated coffee-swillers and some nice speakers provide enough music for atmosphere. They have a variety of Big Train Chai for some pretty standard prices, and a selection of random coffee and tea-related goodies (Like a nice-looking cast iron teapot). On one side of the cafe they have a selection of bean coffees for bagging and selling. While this looks really nice and adds an air of gourmet-chic, any coffee lover will tell you that open-air beans is the worst way to store coffee.

Service was very friendly and looked suitably bohemian. One of the women there was apparently a family member, perhaps the mother of the owner, judging from the picture on the shelf. Overall service is as quick as can be and produces some very good espresso. They have a wonderful-looking and well-worn semi-automatic machine (sorry for all the hyphens) in the back, and a large selection of teas, Big Train chai, coffee, espresso, and juices. They also have a good-looking selection of brownies, something with caramel in it, and other such gut-busting "immondizia delizioso." Nothing amazing, but a good selection to compliment the coffee.

The selection of drinks is one of the better ones I've come across. Since this is a cafe and not much else, this is a good thing. I don't understand cafes that serve primarily coffee and have such small menus. Diversify, for Pete's sake! Prices are competitive across the board. Three drinks came to about $10, very reasonable,♦ and they have an adorable selection of mugs and cups if you drink it there.

Tea, mocha, and chai were all ordered. The chai was... chai. It was Big Train. Very good, but it's very good everywhere. The tea was also excellent. The mocha was very well-prepared, with a good heap of dense, light foam on top. I requested whole milk, which is harder to steam than 2% or less, which means the barista actually knew what she was doing. Shocker!

Their cinnamon on top was sweet and not very strong. I think it may be a sugar/cinnamon mix, or it may just be sweet cinnamon. I'm not sure. Nevertheless, it was good. The espresso had a good, strong coffee flavor. Tasted Columbian to me, but in a mocha it's hard to tell. Big kudos goes to them for not dumping half a barrel of cocoa into the mocha. I find that lots of places think "the more chocolate, the better!", a crime even the venerable White Electric Coffee and Pastiche are guilty of, which completely ruins the taste of the coffee. Coffee and chocolate compliment each other very well and a mocha is designed to express that.

Overall, I was impressed with Caffe Bon Ami. It doesn't break any ground, but it does everything it sets out to do very well. The selection is wide, the atmosphere is excellent, service is excellent, and it makes no errors in its coffee offerings. They don't do anything amazing to really set it apart, but doing everything well is an achievement in and of itself, which raises Caffe Bon Ami to an above-average status that's totally worthy of your time and dime.

Caffe Bon Ami: ***1/2
Price range for two: $5-$15


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Caffe Bon Ami
1082 Park Ave
Cranston, RI. 02910
401-943-8400

Hours
Monday through Wednesday 7:00am to 5:00pm
Thursday 7:00am to 10:00pm
Friday & Saturday 7:00am to 11:00pm
Sunday 8:00am to 1:00pm

REVIEW: Gregg's- ***1/2 / $

It's hard to review a Rhode Island institution, and usually pointless. Everyone knows about the place and already likes it or doesn't, so really, this review is more or less a declaration of love for what may be the very best average restaurant around. Founded in 1972, Gregg's now occupies four locations: North Kingstown, East Providence, Providence, and Warwick. All four locations have identical menus, and the menu is huge. Not quite as large as, say, The Cheesecake Factory, but larger than most other places.

Only the North Kingstown location has a different decor, which is kind of disappointing. I like the warm and woody charm and color of the other three locations. Still, all four locations scream family restaurant from every beam and board. The generally relaxed manner of the staff and the simple options on the menu continues this theme. I like the menu a lot. It's all "down home" recipes. Pot pies, chicken, gravy, and sandwiches galore. It's all perfectly affordable for almost anyone on any budget. And this is all fine since basically everything in the menu is delicious. Delicious not in a fine-gourmet kind of way, but delicious in a down home, made-by-mom kind of way. It's comfort food and, man, is it good.

Gregg's is perhaps most famous for their desserts, which they sell to seemingly countless local stores and restaurants. The chocolate cake is a multi-award winner, the cheesecake is has few peers, and their chocolate chip cookies, made with BUTTER, taste like fresh Toll House cookies made by grandma. Gregg's is bested in the pastry department pretty soundly, though, with Emilio's Bakery. But they should take solace with their chocolate cake. It really is the best around. Again, it's the cake mom made.

I keep using the motherly allegory, but that's the best way to describe Gregg's. It's mom. Unless your mom was Julia Child, this is what mom made, and in that capacity, Gregg's is perfect. Any night. Any time. If you don't really know what you want to eat. head to Gregg's. They'll take care of you right.

Greggs: ***1/2 (But my soul gives it ****1/2)
Price range for two: $15-$30

http://www.greggsusa.com/

Hours All Locations
Sunday through Thursday 11:30am to 12:00am
Friday & Saturday 11:30am to 1:00am

REVIEW: Pagoda Inn- ***1/2 / $

Originally an Inn for horse-riding travelers (the horse tie posts are still standing), this little piece of the east became the Pagoda Inn in 1966 and has been owned by the Chan family since 1993. The matriarch, Cindy Chan, oversees most of the restaurants operations whilst her husband, Fung, handles the kitchen. The Chan's purchase back in 1993 was something of a God-send to local Chinese lovers since the options in town were pretty grim. Cindy's business acumen and Fung's kitchen skills have since transformed Pagoda into one of Rhode Island's best Chinese restaurants.

Entering, the dining area isn't as tacky as many Chinese places seem to get, being tastefully colorful with the expected smattering of photos from China. I'm just glad there aren't large, ceramic dragons everywhere, staring at you like they want information. The seats are all comfortable and hug your bum nicely, but some are a bit tattered from years of wear. Take-out is the foundation of their business, so you rarely have to wait for a table. Service is fantastically friendly. Some of the nicest I've met.

Upon sitting you're met with a rather standard array of Chinese offerings. It's the quality and depth of flavor that separates their food. Their fried rice is complex, with a variety of ingredients that other establishments seem to ignore, such as green onions. Standouts are their crab rangoons, sweet & sour pork, and a house-made duck sauce that is to die for. As the years have gone on, a few items have also seen a drop in quality, such as the General Tso's Chicken. Perhaps they're training new chefs, but that, combined with some items being overcooked, detracts from the overall experience. In comparison to other chinese places, everything stands up well, even the recipes that have withered. It's just not as good as it once was.

Other items are fairly by-the-numbers, but it's all cooked with great skill and choice ingredients, save for the use of dark meat instead of white in the General Tso's. The drink menu, compliments of bartender Kyle Chen, is diverse and colorful. It's a treat for those who like wild-looking drinks. Previously, like most Chinese places, the dessert menu was non-existent. Recently, though, the son of the owners, Danny, has begun baking and now offers a wide array of baked goods under the wildly inventive name, "Desserts by Danny." He uses real butter in his desserts, no shortening, and it shows. They are quite delicious and I recommend taking a package home.

Pagoda Inn's food may have warranted a full five stars not too long ago. The options for Chinese were just so dreadful in South County that the existence of such good food should have been sang on high. But, with the emergence of Seven Moons nearby, it is no longer the far-and-away best. And if you're willing to travel outside of a town, many other places with good food have opened. As the overall quality of Chinese increases, so does the bar for what defines average. I seriously doubt Pagoda Inn could ever be called average, but while its traditional recipes are some of the best Chinese-American this side of Chinatown, they lack inventiveness and flair. There needs to be something more to call a restaurant a true destination. Even still, if you find yourself in North Kingstown area, and hanker for some Chinese, Pagoda Inn remains one of the local greats, and should be on the top of your list.

Pagoda Inn: ***1/2
Price range for two: $15-$30

http://www.pagodainnri.com/

Pagoda Inn
7315 Post Road
North Kingstown, RI 02852
401-294-2200

Hours
Sunday through Thursday, 11:30am to 10:00pm
Friday & Saturday 11:30am to 11:00pm

REVIEW: Spice Thai- ***1/2 / $

Nestled in a strip mall with such illustrious neighbors as an empty front, a Christian ministry, a bad pizza joint, and a nail salon lies some of Rhode Island's best Thai food. Spice Thai remains true to its heritage and its name with some serious spice on the menu.

Spice Thai is primarily a take-out place, which means that the dining area consists of three to four tables with meager table dress. If you're on your way through town and you want someplace to grab a bite, it's an adequate eating environment. The rest of the walk-in area is pretty basic, with a few paintings hung on the walls and some dividers cordoning off the back part of the restaurant.

The service is lighting-quick and very friendly. Much credit to them goes for offering delivery; something that has been a stand-by of Asian cuisine in other places but has yet to catch on in Rhode Island. Delivery is dependent on whether they actually have the person there to do so or not.

Spice Thai's menu is headlined, whether they like it or not, by the most well-known Thai dish in America, pad thai. Well, they've got nothing to worry about. It's some of the best I've had on the road. Well spiced, well cooked, well everythinged. I was impressed with first taste and have remained impressed with each of the many times I've eaten it since. It's not as complex as the pad thai I've gotten some places else, and it's not as rich as the recipe I like to make for myself, but it's better than nearby Seven Moons. Unlike their more famous competition, Spice Thai is not at all shy about pouring on the spicy flavors. If you want it hot, they will give it hot. I liked this very much.

The menu is quite large. Not as big as your average 4,000-item Chinese menu, but still containing a few dozen options. Every single one of their appetizers is very well done. Salads and soups are larger than their prices would indicate, and if you get one of them and an appetizer, forget an entree. You'll probably be full. Their noodle and rice dishes are quite excellent.

Some of their dishes are hot as hell, but a bit watery in their texture. The Volcano Chicken will knock you down, but the texture is not wholly satisfying. Entrees, like the noodle dishes, are all offered with meat, seafood, of vegetarian. I have yet to eat one I didn't enjoy. Their Sweet & Sour was especially tasty, since its texture and presentation is entirely different from the style popularized in Chinese cuisine. It was a breath of fresh air, as it were.

There are no surprises with the food. It's all basic, well-tread territory. Spice Thai does it all very well and is willing to maybe scare you a little with the spice. They will cater to a duller palate, but they'll make it hot if you want. The fact that they deliver is also utterly fantastic. I'm not sure if that will be enough to guarantee success in the face of Seven Moons and Pagoda Inn, but I certainly hope so.

UPDATE 11/20/2009: It's getting a bit confusing, but Spice Thai has changed ownership again. It passed from the original owner/founder to a local affiliated with another thai restaurant. Apparently, the founder was associated with another place in Connecticut and didn't want the trouble of two businesses.

It has since passed back to the original family, with a sister running Spice Thai. The recipes are all different, but the pad thai tasted much closer to the original than the last recipe. If you disliked what happened after the first owners left, you would be well-served to give it another shot.

UPDATE 5/13/2010: It's been this way for awhile, but I just got around to updating the page; Spice Thai is gone. Kaput. Never to return. So very, very sad. Some of the best all-around basic Thai that I've ever eaten is now gone. Well, I wish the owners the best of luck with their other operation in Connecticut. I think it's Thai One, in Branford. Not Thai One On.

Spice Thai: ***1/2
Price range for two: $15-$30

Spice Thai
7661 Post Road
North Kingstown, RI. 02852
401-294-9888 (Delivery available over $15)

Hours
Monday through Saturday 11:00am to 10:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm to 10:00pm

REVIEW: Maharaja Buffet- ***1/2 / $

Maharaja is a buffet and most likely Montreal's best deal. As Indian cuisine goes, it's not all that inventive, and it's of bad-to-excellent quality, but there's just so much of it that you can't help but find something you like, and the price is beyond unbeatable. At $15 Canadian, this is, without doubt, the best deal in all of Montreal. It's best on weekdays, for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday cost $17, and lunch is $12, instead of $11.

The dining area is huge, so there's rarely a wait. And even if there is a wait, they get people in and out very quickly, so it's short. The dining area is well decorated. They have some nice touches, even though many of them are Wal*Mart chic, such as the paintings on the wall. I especially liked the giant, golden hookah.

The selection is so large it's pointless to to try and pick standouts. Most importantly, who cares? It's a buffet! Here, you can try everything and I recommend you do. Some of it is dodgey. Some of the chicken is very dry, and the cuts of meat aren't the best, but the recipes are all very good. Very importantly, they are not timid. There is no shortage of spice in these dishes and I loved it. Still, if you want grander presentation and higher quality ingredients, you may want to try Gandhi or Le Taj. Especially Le Taj, which doesn't up the evening's cost too much but provides better food in almost equally large amounts.

But complaining about the quality of certain foods is irrelevant. This is a buffet and you don't come here to be a gourmet. You come here to eat and to do so cheaply. And as buffets go, this is one of the best. When in Montreal, a trip to Maharaja is a must. It's dirt cheap and the food is very good. Selection is amazing. And the satisfaction of stuffing yourself silly with naan and tandoori chicken is something that will stay with you for some time.

Majaraja Buffet: ***1/2
Price range for two: $15-$20

http://www.buffetmaharaja.com/

1481 René-Lévesque Bld. West,
Montréal, QC H3G 1T8
514-934-0655

Hours
Daily 11:00am to 11:00pm

REVIEW: Carlos & Pepe's- ***1/2 / $$

I love living in the United States. I love it because pretty much nowhere else on Earth are you going to find the mind boggling selection of foods available as we have them here. Even Montreal, a city I love, and also a city in very close proximity to the US, does not have the wide selection of foods available even in a small, and generally crappy, city like Providence. What Montreal needs is a little dash of spice.

Thankfully, Carlos and Pepe's delivers that spice. They sell themselves as Montreal's number one Mexican restaurant and bar. They should probably just say Montreal's ONLY Mexican restaurant and bar. Ok, it's not that bad. Montreal actually has a handful of them. Some of them are pretty good, and one of them may even be better than Carlos & Pepe's, but we'll discuss that later.

Carlos & Pepe's has a fantastic interior. It's like they went back in time and kidnapped a very tacky interior decorator from Tenochtitlan. It's great. It's so tacky, it works. The service is a well-oiled machine, and it damn well better be. Almost every night they're pushed to the breaking point by a constant stream of people. The waits can sometimes be pretty nasty, so I'd recommend just avoiding it altogether on Friday and Saturday. They also have the best specials on weekdays.

The seats and table dress are all very good. I was especially impressed by the fantastic lighting. It really sets the mood. There is also a pub upstairs that is... a pub. Basically, it's a good pub to go to since you can get the full menu upstairs as well as down. There drinks are big, colorful, full of booze, and reasonably priced. Definitely a good bar.

The nachos brought to the table are tasty and the salsa is good. No complaints there. The menu is very large and has a wide variety of Tex-Mex foods. It's all pretty basic. Nothing amazing. The prices are all excellent. Tacos are a good standby, as is the burrito. The chimichangas are what I usually get, but that probably says more about my love of chimichangas than the quality.

My major complaint is the lack of spice. I once ordered something that had a chili pepper next to it, denoting hot, and it was rather bland. I don't know if they're playing to the audience in Montreal, but what they call spicy is not what I call spicy. Other problems include tough meats that are sometimes overcooked, and stuff that should be cheesy being almost totally devoid of cheese. Minor complaints, I feel. Still, Carlos & Pepe's needs to step it up if they want to be compared favorably on all levels to Casa de Mateo. The nearby competitor is better in many ways, even though it has less than half the character of C&P's. It's food quality is usually higher, and their recipes take more chances with spice.

Also worth mentioning is La Iguana. There, Semi-traditional Tex-Mex is melded with a sort of Caribbean touch. It's very nice, but I'm not interested in that. I want Tex-Mex and only Tex-Mex. I want it hot as hell and I want steak, and for that, C&P's goes head-to-head with Casa de Mateo for dominance. No other place even compares to these two. C&P's has the larger menu and more character, but Casa de Mateo counters with better recipes and better food. I lean towards C&P's and, when in Montreal, usually found myself eating there if I wanted Tex-Mex. That could be because my Hotel was always closer to C&P's, but proximity aside, Carlos & Pepe's is a great Tex-Mex place in its own right and certainly worthy of a trip. But if it kicked it up a notch, it could be something very special.

Carlos & Pepe's: ***1/2
Price range for two: $25-50

http://www.carlosandpepes.com/en/

1420 Rue Peel
Montreal, QC H3A 1S8
514-288-3090

Hours
Monday through Thursday 11:30am to 1am
Friday and Saturday 11:30am to 2:00am
Sunday 11:30am to 12:30am

REVIEW: Café République- ***1/2 / $$

I love Montreal. I'm not sure why. As far as cities go, it's pretty. It's clean. It has its fair share of homeless. Maybe it's the French/English mix that enchants me. Or maybe it's that whenever I go, by chance, I wander into some of the best restaurants they have to offer. I wandered into Chez La Mere Michel. I wandered into Toque!. With absolutely no knowledge, I simply amble into some of the world's most fantastic restaurants.

Café République may not be world-class, but it's damned good, and my favorite place for a night of coffee and cake with friends while roaming the length of St. Catherine Street. Or Peel Street. Or a number of other streets. Actually, Café République is scattered all over Montreal. The locations are operated separately and provide different decor and personality. The food selection is very similar and all provide a wide selection of coffee and alcoholic drinks.

All four locations are decorated very nicely. Dark wood tones give you a comfy feeling that goes well with a warm cappuccino or espresso. Lighting is muted, warm, and romantic. The Saint Catherine location especially provides a fabulous view of the street by which to people-watch. Tables are dressed nicely and everything is is polished and clean. The Peel location also offers a raw-wood feel with many plants and wicker-like decorations.

The Peel location is situated right next door to the new location of the Peel Pub. It's much nicer, with vastly superior food. If you're on the hunt for breakfast, the slightly more expensive food is immaterial. République is it. Those breakfasts are large and use wonderfully fresh ingredients. Preparation is as good as it could get. Nothing too inventive, mind you, but all very good. All five locations now offer breakfast.

A dinner menu is available, but it's only good. Everything is competently prepared, with good ingredients and the such. Prices are also reasonable, but there are a great many other restaurants in the city at which I think I'd rather have dinner. Still, if you choose to eat here, you won't be wasting your money. Their paninis are very strong and their soup special is usually quite tasty.

The real attraction for me is the coffee and desserts. They have some of the best desserts in Montreal. Chocolate cake, mousse, tiramisu, and a wide variety of cheesecakes combine to provide a selection that is almost without peer in the whole of the city. The coffee is also excellent. It's consistently among the best I drink when visiting, and I drink a lot of coffee when visiting. Cappuccinos are perfectly steamed, with a delicate foam that tickles the lips. The roast is nice and dark. They also have a wide selection of liqueurs which can be mixed to give you a real late-night warm up during the cold winters.

For breakfast, Café République is very good. If I lived in Montreal I'm sure I would become a frequent visitor. Dinner is good. But the coffee, oh the coffee and the cake. Those are excellent. If you find yourself in the area, make sure to stop in for a cappuccino and a cheesecake. You will not be disappointed.

P.S.
Since writing my review, I've read a number of horror stories about varying quality between the locations. The bulk of my experiences were at the Peel location and the St. Catherine location. I never found either place to be anything but good.

Café République: ***1/2
Price range for two: $15-$40(C)


1200 RUE PEEL
MONTRÉAL, QC H3B 2T6, Canada
514-875-1200

93 STE CATHERINE O
MONTRÉAL, QC H2X 1Z7, Canada
514-840-0000

1051 AVENUE BERNARD
OUTREMONT, QC H2V 1V1, Canada
514-277-0502

1429 RUE CRESCENT
MONTRÉAL, QC H3G 2B2, Canada
514-845-5999

3563 BOULEVARD SAINT-LAURENT
MONTRÉAL, QC H2X 2T6, Canada
514-840-9044

Hours
Breakfast: Daily 7:00am to 11:30am
Dinner: Daily 7:00am to 1:00am

REVIEW: Cafe Nuovo- ***1/2 / $$$$

I had initially heard of Cafe Nuovo because of the desserts. Later, I would hear other things, but for the most part, people raved about the desserts. After finally going a few times, pretty much everything I heard was confirmed.

Nuovo is a notorious haunt for Waterfire-zombies and businessmen getting blasted. While I didn't witness any zombies on my trips, the business crowd was in full force. Unfortunately for Nuovo, this crowd causes a lot of noise during peak hours that undoubtedly annoy other patrons. It certainly annoyed me. One of the poor wait staff was charged with handling a table-full of them. Judging from the diners, as they got drunker, she got more attractive.

The restaurant's ambiance is very nice. I loved the high-backed chairs. The lighting is romantic. And tables are perfectly dressed. It had a casual trendiness that wasn't overpowering, just... chic. Something about the design hasn't aged well, though. It seems too 1990's modern. Service is beyond fast. Wait staff is a well-oiled machine with few hiccups. They apologized for the long wait and I didn't know what they meant. I had been sitting for no more than three minutes before I was inundated with wait staff. I had heard that the staff is primarily male. I saw a number of women, but they were treated strangely. At times, the men would kind of hijack tables from the women, much to the visible annoyance of the women. Very odd.

The menu is good. I liked the play of certain styles and ingredients, but the success of that play is spotty. Some Asian-influenced dishes, such as the Szechuan Surf & Turf, are so heavy on the salt as to nearly overpower the dish. Prices are odd. The adequate crab cake costs an eye-popping $13, but the filet is a very reasonable $31. I was somewhat disappointed in the selection. There was some grilled pizza that did not belong on the menu. It was tossed on as though paying homage to the city Nuovo calls home. Don't bother. People can get pizza elsewhere. Give me something new. And really, that was the biggest complaint. Nothing new. Food presentation is glorious from beginning to end, but it's covering up food that uses fusion to further hide blasé recipes.

The wine list is very good, but expensive. Some barely adequate vintages carried insane prices. A good example is Opus One, which is everywhere. Most other places carry it in the $200 range. Here, it's nearly $300. They had some affordable wines listed, but not many, and only two bottles go below $30. I've been warned that the wines are aimed at the business crowd, for when you have the expense account card with which to splurge. I agree with this assessment. Moreover, my personal rule of thumb to determine a crap sommelier, whether Opus One is the priciest wine on the list, is just barely overcome with only four bottles more expensive, and by less than $20.

Now to the good stuff, the desserts. Stunning presentation and inventiveness give you art when you expect crème brûlée. And at $9 each, they're an absolute bargain. Baked Alaska? Hooyah! Mousse? Badaboom! I can't recommend the food completely, but the desserts are impossible to not recommend. As for other aspects of the night's conclusion, my cappuccino was the largest I've ever gotten and pretty good. Tea selection is pathetic. They have a mind-boggling five varieties. Sugar comes in the form of a jar of flavored and colored rock candy. Nice touch. And that's a good analogy for all of Nuovo. Food that takes a back seat to style. Not too much of a back seat, but noticeable. Even the desserts, presented wonderfully, are all rather basic in inception. They makes an attempt, but Al Forno still has the best desserts in town. Nuovo succeeds, surely, but more as an exercise in style over substance.

UPDATE 5/22/2009: I have had a number of very positive experiences at Nuovo that do much to change my initial perceptions of the food. The fusion food that's there is still too salty, but the menu overall is richer and less gimmicky. I'll add some photos shortly, but until then, I'm adding half of a star. The reason for going is still to experience the desserts, but dinner definitely won't disappoint.

Cafe Nuovo: ***1/2
Price range for two: $40-$100

Cafe Nuovo
One Citizens Plaza
Providence, RI. 02903
401-421-2525

http://www.cafenuovo.com/

Hours
Lunch: Monday through Friday 11:30am to 3:00pm
Dinner: Monday through Thursday 5:00pm to 10:30pm
Friday and Saturday 5:00pm to 11:00pm
Open Sundays for Waterfire

REVIEW: The Oak Hill Tavern- ***1/2 / $$

The Oak Hill Tavern is one of those local haunts that is populated almost exclusively by people you knew from high school and never really wanted to see again. The dining area is so down-the-pub that it's almost nauseating. This is precisely what major chains like Smokey Bones are desperately trying to recreate when they cover their insides with schlock and shtick.

Like the atrocious Texas Roadhouse, the floor here is covered in the spent peanut shells of the army that has traipsed through over the past few hours. Unlike Texas Roadhouse, this isn't some nauseating gimmick meant to drive home the fact that "this is a real, Texas steakhouse! Huh'yuck!" Flat screen televisions litter the bar area, there's a dart board, and drunk locals yell a lot. Basically, it's a bar. A bar so genuine that it seems almost fake.

Like most local haunts, The Oak Hill Tavern succeeds heavily because it's the only game in town. Unlike most local haunts, The Oak Hill Tavern doesn't rely on this by producing acceptable but otherwise underwhelming food. On the contrary, they may be quietly cooking up some of the best food available in Rhode Island.

The Tavern's purpose as a tavern is evident in the menu. Appetizers are bar fare, such as buffalo wings and french fries. The wings are, um, buffalo, and if a basket of french fries could ever be considered gourmet, it's here. They season them in a way that you can't quite get anywhere else. Of note, their grilled pizza is better than you'd expect. A lot better. In fact, it's pretty good.

The bulk of the menu is standard offerings made special by the seasons and spices used on their meats. Their sandwiches are very good. Burgers are especially tasty. They season their meat very well. But this is all immaterial. The real food at this place is the BBQ. They've been doing it here since the mid-Cretaceous and it shows in a sauce without peer, ribs that are nearly unmatched, and chicken and seafood offerings that are great. Sides are pretty good. I'm a big fan of their baked beans.

Nothing surprising. Nothing inventive. Just very simple, BBQ dishes powered by a sauce and spice recipe that is nearly untouchable. If you're far away, I can't say to make the drive. It's excellent BBQ, but the offerings at Smokey Bones are somewhat comparable, and LJ's BBQ in Pawtucket is excellent as well. But, if you consider yourself a rib connoisseur, you absolutely, positively must make a journey to The Oak Hill Tavern.

The Oak Hill Tavern: ***1/2
Price range for two: $15-$30

http://www.oakhilltavern.com/

Hours
Tuesday through Sunday 3:00pm to 12:00am (Kitchen closes at 10:00pm)
Kitchen closed on Mondays. Bar open.