Food

Review: The Dancing Pig

A great place for pigging out
The laid-back tone of the place is established by its name and accompanying cartoon logo of a smiling pig in a top hat. Inside, tasseled valances against burgundy walls suggest a bustling gray-haired granny in the kitchen.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | May 04, 2011

Suds worth the splurge

Indulge!
While it will cost you, these four splurge beers are worth every penny.

By: JOSH SMITH | April 27, 2011

Review: Downcity

Gordon would approve
As much as restaurants want to provide a calming atmosphere, with bird twitters or whatever in the background, the mood behind the scenes can be lethal.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | April 27, 2011

Review: The Fifth Element

A splendid brunch in Newport
The energetic strains of the Fran Curley Jazz Ensemble welcomed us to the new incarnation of the Fifth Element (formerly on Lower Thames) for a recent Sunday brunch.

By: JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | April 19, 2011

Merry olde beer

A new look at some English styles
In the increasingly specialized craft beer marketplace, fresh and edgy tends to trump tradition.

By: JOSH SMITH | April 13, 2011

Review: Pal's Restaurant

Good ingredients, well-prepared, can't lose
The logo for Pal's is a cartoon of two smiling men in high-collar period suits.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | April 14, 2011

Review: The Fish Market

Already has its sea legs
The first encouraging sign was that the two men greeting us beaming broadly were the host and, we later learned, the executive chef. These guys were clearly happy. Business must be doing well.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | April 14, 2011

Review: Andreas

Greek (and American) classics
The Greek community in Providence isn't as large as, say Italian or Portuguese, so Greek restaurants are scarce, unless you count pizzerias. (Feta hasn't replaced mozzarella yet, but just you wait.)

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | March 30, 2011

Health 'n' hops

Is beer good for you?
Thomas Jefferson once asserted that beer, when drank in moderation, "promotes health." Trappist monks in Belgium and the Netherlands referred to it as "liquid bread."

By: JOSH SMITH | March 29, 2011

Review: Cactus Grille

Mexican with an American accent
Longevity for a non-ethnic Mexican restaurant around here sometimes has less to do with quality than with the Americanization of tastes.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | March 22, 2011

Review: Tina's Jamaican Caribbean Restaurant

Fine fare with a tropical accent
Fed up with winter? Couple of options. Hit the web and book an impulse flight to some palm-tree-bedecked island. Or drive to Tina's Jamaican Caribbean Restaurant, bask in the colorful ambience, and prepare yourself to be fed as well as any Rastaman who strolls in.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | March 15, 2011

Review: Ebisu

Ingenuity instead of sushi
If you like Japanese food but you’re sick of sushi, then you’ll probably love Ebisu. Named after one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, who brings luck to fishermen and merchants, the place doesn’t even serve sushi, as if the offering would be too boringly obvious.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | March 09, 2011

Bring on the Bock (and more)

Springing forward
For New Englanders, the four seasons are an inescapable reality. The good news is that each season brings its own beer with it. Light, sessionable brews for summer, Oktoberfest beers in the fall, winter warmers, and in the spring . . . . Wait, what exactly is the style for spring seasonals?

By: JOSH SMITH | March 02, 2011

Review: Yesterday's

Nostalgic setting, contemporary delights
Funny thing, nostalgia. When it's about an era you haven't personally experienced, the reminders can be all over the place. Yesterday's bills itself as an alehouse, so visual cues try to trigger images of clanking, frothing mugs.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | March 02, 2011

Review: Noodles 102

Simply delicious
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity — life is frittered away by too-fancy restaurants, to paraphrase Harry Thoreau if he were famished and looking for a good, quick meal.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | February 23, 2011

Beer by the sea

Sipping at Newport Storm
Ever since Narragansett closed its Cranston brewery 30 years ago, Rhode Island's brewing history has been sporadic at best. Contract brewers Hope Brewing and the Great Providence Brewing Company never successfully built a brewery, while Emerald Isle Brew Works' keg-only facility lasted just a few years.

By: JOSH SMITH | February 16, 2011

Review: Le Central

Cherchez la lunch
Their slogan is "Where the East Bay meets the Left Bank," and Le Central, in the middle of Bristol, usually does a fine job fulfilling the claim with more than good french fries. Gone are the days when the town had to settle for a Café La France on the spot.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | February 15, 2011

Beer and cheese unite!

A super pairing for the big game
As disappointed Patriots fans, we're definitely going to need some quality beer and snacks to get through the Super Bowl this year. While chicken wings, pizza, or chips and dip will be served at most houses come kickoff, I'm opting for what I consider to be the ultimate Super Bowl snack: beer and cheese.

By: JOSH SMITH | February 02, 2011

Review: Boneyard Barbecue

A rockin' delight in the wilds of Seekonk
Rhode Islanders are blessed with heavenly-good BBQ spots statewide, and while Boneyard Barbecue's business address reads Seekonk, we might as well claim this bustling, family-friendly joint as our own.

By: CHRIS CONTI | February 02, 2011

Review: Louis Family Restaurant

Just like Mama tried to make
There are no Greek columns outside or marble steps, but make no mistake: Louis Family Restaurant is an institution in Providence.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | January 25, 2011

Review: Local 121

Sincerely tethered
Local 121 isn't a locabore about their commitment to "locally harvested food and drink." The restaurant just places a list of some of their "local resources" at the bottom of their menu: Matunuck Oyster Farm, Prima Pasta, Sakonnet Vineyards, and so on.

By: BILL RODRIGUEZ | January 18, 2011