Survey is Dead! Long Live Survey!

Wow! Pumpkin Pie trounced the competition in the holiday treat survey. 54% of people preferred pumpkin pie for their holiday junk, and the pie that I figured would at the very least be a contender, apple pie, barely registered. Homemade cookies made the only other sizable contribution to the voting pool, with 25% of the votes.

But now, after all of that indulging, you're fat, you're bloated, and you need to.... MAKE A RESOLUTION!!! This is a food blog, and if surveys are any indication, food-related stuff takes up three or four of the top ten resolutions, so we're perfectly aligned to talk about this.

If your resolution was about food, what form did it take?

Survey is Dead. Long Live Survey!

Well, I last asked in which season you eat the most, and boy did you answer. 54% of your answered that you eat the most in winter (just keeping warm). Fall barely got 9%, spring got NO votes, and summer only landed 18%. The remaining votes went to people who eat 24/7.

Now with summer here, I'm curious as to your favorite frozen delight? Yogurt? Ice Cream? Milk shakes? Let your voice be heard.

Survey is Dead. Long Live Survey.

I axed how far you would go for dinner. I was surprised. Then I was surprised I was surprised. If you're reading a blog about food, something tells me you're willing to go a bit farther than the average person for a plate.

An amazing 38% of you said you've gone 75 miles or more for a meal. An additional 33% said you've traveled 50 miles or more. 3% said 25 miles or more. And two of you admitted to fearing distances greater than five miles. I'm glad you were able to talk about that. I think you should be very proud of yourselves.

This next survey will carry us from summer on into fall. In which season do you eat the most? I've found that I eat very little during the summer, and subsequently lose a little weight. I gain it back during the winter, when my daily intake of stuffing increases significantly. So what about you?

Survey is Dead. Long Live Survey.

The ethnic food survey has been over for some time, and only now do I get around to putting up a new one.

I was surprised to see Tex-Mex strongly win, with 28% of the vote. I guess it's not surprising. Most of the "Mexican" places in RI suck, and there are only two El Tapatio's, so the northern, Eastern, and Southern parts of the state are out of luck.

Caribbean comes in second, with 24%. Rock on, I say. The only place I can think of is Tricia's Tropigrille. We definitely, DEFINITELY need more.

Eastern Mediterranean got 20%, which was a surprise to me. I didn't know so many people liked falafel, kebabs, and pitas. Not really my cup of tea, but more food is always better.

Southeast Asian landed 12%, which would be cool. The availability of real Thai, Cambodian, and similar foods is pretty lean. Everything we have is kinda' sorta' Chinese. Hell, we only really started getting Japanese food disseminated throughout the state within the last 15 years.

Indian and Western Mediterranean both got 8%, which is disappointing. I would love more Spanish and North African foods. I'm also hosed because we have no more Indian food in my area. India, Rasoi, and Kebob & Curry are all up in Providence.

Pacific Island and South African both got no love.

So for the new survey, I'm thinking about myself. I recently made a trip of over an hour into Massachusetts to specifically go to a restaurant. I'm planning on making a multi-hour trip for New York to visit Daniel, Per Se, and something random. And I may be making a trip to Chicago for a variety of eateries, but specifically Alinea.

How far have you traveled for a meal?
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Poll Closed

The numbers, scant numbers, for my informal survey of Rhode Island diners is over. After gathering an immense nine votes, it seems that people, at least those predisposed to reading a blog about food, are still going out about once a week.

Only one vote came in for not eating out, two for once or twice per month, and the majority of six for once or twice per week. Very scientific.

So onto a new poll!

Rhode Island is loaded with Italian restaurants. So many it's kind of weird. When it comes to other kinds of food, we come up a bit short. So in celebration of the opening of El Tapatio's second restaurant, of what other kinds of ethnic foods would you like to see more?

Poll Closed

And the final numbers are in for Rhode Island's favorite restaurants!

Two of my absolute favorites, CAV and Al Forno, bring home the gold with a tie for first place. They both nabbed 25% of total votes. It looked like 10 Prime Steak & Sushi was going to win for the longest time, but lost out in the end, with just 20%.

Surprisingly, the White Horse Tavern nabbed third, with 15%, pulling in the necessary votes right at the end. Cafe Nuovo, Castle Hill Inn, and Pot au Feu all garnered 5%.

The Modern Diner, which is Rhode Island's true contribution to global cuisine, was left with no love, but it has esteemed company. L'Epicureo got zero votes, well deserved, I feel. But so did the Spiced Pear, which I assume is because no one can afford it.

And speaking of affordability, onto the next poll! The economic down-turn is affecting us all, and I'm wondering, how much have you had to cut back your dining out, if at all? Thinking back three months, and thinking forward equally, how often do you go out to eat?

Poll Closed

Well the poll for Rhode Island's favorite Providence-area cafe has ended.

Coffee Exchange pulled into the lead near the end of the poll and netted 24% of the votes. Pastiche, long in the running for #1, came in second with 21%. A surprise third was White Electric with 18%, and Caffe Bon Ami got 15%.

The others only landed a few votes apiece, Seven Stars got 6%, which tied with Meeting Street and Starbucks(?). 729 Hope brought up the rear with one vote. Poor Roba Dolce!, Three Sisters, Cafe Choklad, and Javaspeed got no love, with zero votes each.

For the new poll, I'm wondering which of Rhode Island's famous restaurants do you like the most.
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