birch

This is a short piece that I wrote for the JWU Campus Herald. Enjoy!

It all started with “Hello!;” the first tweet from @birchPVD, the Twitter moniker of soon-to-be restaurant, birch. Ben Sukle, nationally acclaimed chef, chef at Providence’s The Dorrance and Johnson & Wales University graduate, with his wife, Heidi, are opening a brilliant new restaurant at 200 Washington street (The space formerly occupied by Tini) which already has the whole food scene buzzing with anticipation. birch is set to open in mid June. 

Sukle is known for his unique approach to food, in which, not a single ingredient goes unnoticed. Ben puts time and passion into selecting the finest produce, meat and seafood from small, local farms and distributors. The menu at birch will focus on exactly that, with a small, a la carte menu which will be constantly changing with the seasons, and with ingredient availability. So far, 2013 has brought amazing restaurants to Providence, such as The Grange, and everyone is expecting to welcome birch as a perfect new member of the cities incredible, vibrant food scene. For more information, check out www.birchrestaurant.com or follow @birchPVD on Twitter.

Thyme & Paprika Grilled Chicken w/ Spicy Cucumber Apple Chutney & Grilled Radishes

     Summer is finally here, and for seasonal food lovers everywhere, that means one thing: Grill weather. If you've ever lived through a summer in America, then you're most likely very well acquainted with grilled chicken. A dish which all too often ends with dry, flavorless, slightly tough meat, accompanied by under-thought side dishes, or even worse, nothing. But with a little bit of care and creativity, paired with a few fresh vegetables, we can recreate this classic dish, and take it from kind-of-boring to new and delicious.

     The first thing we have to contemplate is the chicken. If you want to get chicken at your grocery store, that's fine, and it certainly won't ruin your final product, but if you really want the flavor of the chicken to shine through and add another layer of flavor to your dish, then you want to find fresh, chemical free chicken. You can find truly fresh chicken at your local farmers market, and you can buy directly from some of the local farms in your are. For a full list of local poultry farms, click here. My chicken is - of course - from Baffoni's Poultry Farm in Johnston. If you're not a regular eater of local meat and produce, I highly suggest trying it at least once. The difference in flavor is a lot larger than you would imagine and you'll be pretty surprised when you actually taste the flavor of chicken for the first time in your life. After being genetically modified, stripped of any relatively natural living conditions, and shipped halfway across the world, chicken tends to lose almost all of it's natural, fresh flavor by the time it hits shelves at your local grocery store. I like to use leg quarters when grilling. The dark meat holds up to the heat without drying out, and cooking meat with the bone-in extracts a lot of flavor from the bone into the meat. However, if you prefer white meat, then use the breast. Cooking is all about using the ingredients and flavors that YOU like.

     Once we have our chicken, the next thing to contemplate is seasoning. One of the biggest mistakes people tend to make when seasoning meat for the grill is using seasoning as flavor. Remember, we just spent time sourcing fresh local chicken, and we want that flavor to shine through. Seasoning should be used to enhance the natural flavor of our chicken, not to cover it. I like to keep my seasoning simple. I start with salt and pepper, and like to use one herb and one spice. Two of my favorites for chicken ate thyme and paprika. Remember, we want to season the meat, not flavor it. Over-seasoning is just as bad as under-seasoning, and with a little practice, you'll find your perfect balance. Once your chicken is seasoned, it's ready to hit the grill, which should be heated to around 400-450 degrees. If you're using white meat, it will cook a lot faster than dark meat, so check constantly and be careful not to overcook it.

     Alright; our chicken is perfectly seasoned, and cooking away. Now we're getting somewhere. Now it's time to start thinking about sides. One of my absolute favorite grilled side dishes is simple, tasty, and completely under-utilized by so many home cooks: grilled radishes. Some people are scared away from using radishes because they don't like the spice of raw radishes, but when they're cooked, they lose their kick and gain a flavor that falls halfway between potatoes and roasted cauliflower. If you've ever picked a radish, you know that by the next day, they've already started to lose some of their flavor, so it makes a big difference to buy fresh, local radishes, especially when they're so easy to find at just about any farmers market in Rhode Island. I like to quarter my radishes, and toss them with olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. If your grill's grate is too big, and you think your radishes will fall through, you can cook them in a sauté pan, or leave them in larger pieces. Cook these until they're brown on all sides and tender all the way through.

     While your chicken and radishes are finishing up on the grill, we have one more component to this meal that needs to be made. No summer time grilled dish is complete without a cold component. For this dish, I'm making a cold chutney. More specifically, a spicy cucumber apple chutney. This is a simple side for the chicken which will add a spicy kick, as well as balance out the smoky paprika with sweet , fresh flavors. For this chutney, we'll start with one cucumber, peeled and diced, as well as one apple and one pear also diced. To this we'll add a tiny pinch of salt. We don't want our chutney to taste like salt, but we want just enough to help bring out the natural flavor of the fruit. Finally, we'll add minced cilantro, to give the chutney a refreshing flavor, and sriracha for a spicy kick. Add as much, or as little as you like, depending on how well you handle spicy food.

     When our chicken and radishes come off the grill we're finally ready for a delicious, fresh summertime feast.

     Hopefully you're inspired to add some creative twists to your summertime grilling this year. To keep up with this blog, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Happy noshing!

The Duck & Bunny Restaurant Review

Hello all! Sorry that I haven't posted anything on here in so long. I've been incredibly busy with final exams and a new job. Here is an adaption of a restaurant review which I wrote on The Duck & Bunny for the JWU Campus Herald this spring. Enjoy!

Snuggery: (snŭg'ə-rē) n. a cosy and comfortable place

     In America, we've adopted a pretty stressful lifestyle. Between the time we spend trying to balance work, school, family and a social life, we all need some time to relax and enjoy life, and that's why there are places like The Duck & Bunny. The Duck & Bunny is a cozy, quaint little restaurant built in a house on the east side which offers an elegant, yet laid back environment with friendly, approachable staff, and creative French comfort food.
     From the minute we stepped foot in The Duck & Bunny, we felt the hominess which emanates throughout every aspect of the restaurant. Everything about the décor- from the elegant, white cushion which lined the walls, to the fireplace which was left from the house in which The Duck & Bunny was built- gives it a very comfortable vibe, making it a perfect place for a casual brunch, a delicious meal, or afternoon tea and cupcakes. Since it was a Tuesday night, there were plenty of open tables, and we were seated as soon as we walked in. The wait staff were all very welcoming, and are thoroughly trained. Our waiter managed to take our order- for five people- without writing down a single thing, which shows a thorough knowledge of everything on the menu. When I commented on being impressed by remembering an order for five, he told me that his current record is a table of twelve, with no mistakes.
     The chef at The Duck & Bunny manages to match the creativity and comfort of the décor in the menu, which is based mostly on one of my all time favorite foods: the crepe. Among our order was The Miss Harriet, a crepe with brie, pear, and scallion; the crepeccini, a bowl of crepe-noodles tossed in pomodoro beurre blanc; the roast beef and gorgonzola crepeccini, a bowl of crepe-noodles with roast beef and a mushroom and gorgonzola cream sauce; The strawberry and grilled pear salad with goat cheese; and the PB&B, a massive toasted sandwich of peanut butter and banana on nearly-inch-thick sweet bread. the relaxed, comfortable nature of the seating and atmosphere makes waiting for food anything but an unenjoyable experience, and after about fifteen minutes, our food had arrived.
The Miss Harriet was the first item on my to-taste list. The crepe was thin and fluffy with a slight buttery crispiness on the outside. The pears were sweet and slightly acidic, making a perfect flavor base for the crepe, and the creaminess of the brie was the perfect way to counter the flavors and prevent the pears from adding too much sweetness to the crepe. Next, was the crepeccini, which was a blissfully inventive use of crepes. The beurre blanc was perfectly executed, making a tangy, acidic sauce with enough fat to coat the crepe-noodles well. The crepeccini with roast beef was another delicious take on the concept of crepe noodles, with rare beef, and a creamy, salty gorgonzola and mushroom sauce. One of the most unexpected delights amongst our order, however, was the PB&B. Expecting a small, simple sandwich of peanut butter and banana, we were all shocked by the monstrous, sugar-coated, toasty, gooey sandwich which arrived at our table.
     Over all, our experience at The Duck & Bunny was absolutely delightful. It's obvious that the staff here puts a lot of thought and passion into making every aspect of the customer experience enjoyable and comfortable. If you're searching for a sanctuary from all of the worries and stress of life, then I highly suggest clearing some time if your schedule and making a visit to The Duck & Bunny on Wickenden St. For a full menu, as well as hours, head to www.theduckandbunny.com

north

     Just off of Broadway, nestled comfortably in a residential street, there is a tiny restaurant with a small neon blue sign in the window which reads "north." It doesn't look like much from the outside, and you're likely to drive right past without even noticing that it's there, but take a step inside, and you can be sure that you won't ever forget about this unique little restaurant. There are only a few tables and a small bar, which can make getting a seat on a busy night difficult, but the limited seating means that the staff will never be completely swamped with a sudden influx of customers, ensuring that the quality of both service and food will remain consistent. A fair trade-off if you ask me.  At 7:30 on a Saturday, we walked into a completely full north, but luckily for us, there was a table that was paying and getting ready to leave. The décor here resembles the inside of an old wooden ship and was very quaint and comfortable.
     When we sat down, we were handed small slips of paper with that day's menu. At north, the menu is constantly changing based partially on what's in season, and partially on what the extremely inventive kitchen staff wants to create. No doubt, the most difficult part of our visit to north was refraining from ordering one of everything. After placing our first order, for Tiny Ham Biscuits, Hot Flavor Sesame Noodles, and Rabbit & Carrot, our waitress- who was very attentive and extremely nice throughout the entire meal- assured us that we could always order more if we were still hungry.





     First to arrive were the Tiny Ham Biscuits, which were sandwiches made with fresh, warm biscuits, country ham, and beer mustard. Surprisingly, they managed to pack an entire symphony of flavors into such a simple dish. the biscuits were crunchy on the top, and buttery and moist on the inside. The ham was sweet and salty, and the beer mustard was acidic and tangy. It took all of three minutes to devour our tasty little biscuits, and just as we were contemplating ordering a second helping, the sesame noodles arrived at our table.

     This dish was delightful. The rice noodles were thin and slightly chewy, which was complimented well by the crunch from the sour pickled kale and fried tofu. The chili oil added a lot of spice to the dish which was a surprisingly nice way of bringing the separate flavors from all of the ingredients together into one cohesive dish.

     Next to come was the rabbit and carrot. I loved the presentation of this dish, mostly because of the vibrant colors added by the paper-thin slices of watermelon radish and the elegant looking rack of rabbit-ribs. The rabbit was very tender, and seasoned well, and the carrots were thin and stringy with an excellent acidic-yet-sweet glaze. I never would have thought to pair rabbit with ranch, but the combination worked surprisingly well. The watermelon radishes- an ingredient that is completely under-utilized on most menus- added a refreshing crunch to the dish.
     After we finished the rabbit and carrot, we were starting to get pretty full, but after seeing how creative and unique the food at north is, we knew that we had to try more, and we decided to take up our waitresses previous offer to order more food. For our second order, we got the Burmese Style Chickpea And Pomelo Salad, and the thrice Fried Rice.

     First to come was the chickpea and pomelo salad. The chickpeas were fried, making them cruncy and salty. Another under-utilized ingredient which has found a home on the menu at north is pomelo. Pomelo is similar to a grapefruit, with a slight sweetness added to the bitter flavor. My favorite part of this salad was the dressing, which tasted almost like a citrusy peanut-sauce, making the salad slightly reminiscent of a deconstructed nim-chow.

     Just as we were starting to get full, the thrice fried rice arrived. These tasty little morsels were deep fried chunks of fried rice, with a spicy mayo sauce, cilantro and juliennes, pickled carrots. The rice had a hard, crunchy exterior, with a smooth, velvety interior. The house-made pickles added a delicious sour touch to the dish, and despite our already quenched appetites, we managed to finish every bite.
     After a huge meal, our check came to only $50 which brought our already impressive meal to a perfect end. If you're looking for a delightfully creative meal made with local, fresh ingredients, look no further. north (Yes, it's supposed to be lowercase) delivered one of the best restaurant experiences I've had in a while. I would highly recommend this restaurant to any foodies looking for a truly unique experience.

Broadway Bistro

     We're living in an amazing time period, food wise. Currently, local and sustainable sourcing are on the forefront of the local restaurant industry, and Chefs, as well as customers, are taking more time to learn about their food and where it comes from. Diners are paying a huge amount of attention to the sourcing of the ingredients in their food, and restaurants are doing everything they can to source locally grown, high quality food. These days, Chefs are working hard to get to know the farmers and artisans who raise, grow, and create their ingredients. In Rhode Island, the sustainability movement has rooted itself deep into local food culture, with dozens of farmers markets, Farm Fresh RI, and endless efforts by local Chefs to scratch make all of their food from local ingredients. One restaurant in Providence that is doing its part to promote sustainability is Broadway Bistro.
     If you've ever walked down Broadway from downtown Providence, then you've seen Broadway Bistro. You know, that quaint looking little restaurant with the giant black dog painted on the side? Yeah, that's it. From the outside, this European-style bistro looks like a pretty average Federal Hill restaurant, but inside is a team of culinary artists, using fresh, local ingredients to craft some unbelievably delicious, scratch-made, gourmet dishes.

     We visited Broadway Bistro on a Saturday night, and were lucky enough to be seated right away. We must have showed up at the perfect time, because once we were seated, the entire restaurant filled up in a matter of fifteen minutes. The interior is pretty small and seating is limited, so I would suggest coming early if you want to avoid a wait. Our waitress was very attentive, and seemed to appear almost instantaneously to refill our water glasses every time they neared empty. The menu was pretty small, which is good, because it was hard enough trying to decide between the small amount of available menu items. It was obvious that the Chef at Broadway Bistro had taken the necessary time to perfect every single dish on this menu.
     For an appetizer, we ordered The Crepe($8), which came out surprisingly fast, considering how full the restaurant was. The Crepe is a crepe with duck confit, and a side of mixed local greens. The crepe was thin, soft, fluffy, and slightly chewy. The crepe was cooked through perfectly with just a touch of browning on the outside. Our crepe was stuffed full of a surprisingly hearty amount of duck confit. If you've never had confit, it is duck leg meat that is salt-cured overnight, then poached in duck fat until it is crispy and so tender that it is falling apart. The confit at Broadway Bistro is delicious in every way a confit can be. It is salty and crispy, yet so tender that it melts in your mouth. The fatty confit was balanced well by the mixed greens were served on the side. The mixed greens were refreshing, with bitter notes and dressed lightly with a bright, acidic, white balsamic reduction.
     The House Gnocchi($18) which I had exceeded all of my expectations. The gnocchi are scratch made in-house and while it may be a time-consuming task to make fresh gnocchi, the flavors in this dish proved that it is more than worth the time and effort. The outside was seared to crispy brown perfection, while the inside was smooth, cheesy, and creamy. Some gnocchi can be doughy and dense, but that wasn't the case at Broadway Bistro. Their gnocchi were light with an almost fluffy texture. They were tossed in a butter sauce with crunchy broccoli rabe and tender, sliced chicken breast from Baffoni's Poultry Farm.
     Equally delicious was the roasted, halved Cornish hen($19), also from Baffoni's. The skin was seasoned with paprika and oven-seared until it was dark brown and crunchy. The meat was tender, juicy, and evenly cooked through, which is an impressive feat considering the amount of heat needed to get the skin so crispy. Served with a sweet onion jam, roasted cauliflower, and a creamy, rich root vegetable mash, this was an excellent gourmet take on classic roasted chicken. The kitchen staff at Broadway Bistro has true passion for food, and it shows through in every dish that they put out.


House Gnocchi



Crusted Hen



     After our meal, our waitress brought two delightful, complimentary dark chocolate truffles as a palate cleanser. When our check came, it was tucked into a blank page of a small journal with a pen, which I thought was a brilliant way to get customer feed back, and to make the guest feel personally appreciated. Everything about my visit to Broadway Bistro- from the attentive service, to the incredible food, and even the method used to deliver the check- impressed me. Broadway Bistro serves locally-grown, gourmet food in a casual environment at a reasonable price. What else could you ask for?

Ellie's Bakery

     Among the many things that the French are known to excel at, you'll find just about any food related art, including wine making, cooking, cheese making, and of course, baking. For decades, tourists and locals alike have flocked to Parisian bakeries to enjoy decadent, sweet French pastries. Tarts, Petits Fours, Eclairs, madeleines, and so many more pastries can be found at small, artisan bakeries throughout Paris. But for Rhode Islanders, enjoying the delicious flavors and bright atmosphere of a French bakery no longer requires a trip to Europe, thanks to Ellie's Bakery, a new Parisian-style bakery that has recently opened its doors downtown.

     Ellie's was opened by the same people that brought us the adored Providence restaurant, Gracie's, so before I ever even stepped foot inside, I had high expectations for the food here. Our first visit to Ellie's was on a Tuesday afternoon for lunch. When we arrived, it was relatively empty, and we got served quickly. The staff members that have been working when I've been to Ellie's have always seemed pretty nice and been more than happy to assist customers. The selection of scrumptious looking treats was almost overwhelming, with elegant, bright glass cases packed with sweet and savory French foods. Various breads, fresh sandwiches, and a huge selection of pastries. The menu at Ellie's also features excellent coffee from local coffee roaster New Harvest.

     The sandwich with fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, olive tapenade, greens, and balsamic vinaigrette was a perfect lunch. The mozzarella was soft and tender, with a lightly spongy texture, cut in thick slabs, and was balanced perfectly with acidity from the vinaigrette, and brininess from the olive tapenade. The bread was reminiscent of a focaccia, and tasted buttery and salty. The ham, swiss cheese, baby spinach, mescaline mix, and red pepper jelly sandwich was equally delicious, served on a baguette. The sweet red pepper jelly was an excellent contrast so the savory, salty ham, and the spinach and mescaline mix added a very fresh element to the flavor of this sandwich. I also tried a lemon madeleine which was fluffy, spongy, moist, and sweet, with an almost floral hint of lemon. At only $1 each, a couple of these madeleines and a cup of New Harvest coffee or espresso would make a delicious small breakfast or early snack.

Ham, swiss, baby spinach, mescaline mix, and red pepper jelly sandwich 

Fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, greens, olive tapenade, balsamic vinaigrette sandwich

     The food and décor at Ellie's Bakery do a fabulous job at capturing the laid back, elegant Parisian lifestyle. Everything about this bakery was delightful and welcoming. If you're downtown for lunch or a quick snack, I would definitely recommend trying this wonderful new addition to the Providence food scene.

Cream Of Asparagus Soup

     After a very long and unexpected winter in Rhode Island, it looks like spring in finally beginning to wake up from hibernation, and this is good news for anyone who's getting sick of out-of-season produce flown halfway across the world to American supermarkets. Spring is the prime harvesting season for all sorts of delicious fruits and veggies, including Kiwi, Leeks, Artichokes, and one of my absolute favorite vegetables: asparagus. Asparagus can add flavor to so many different dishes. Everything from an omelet to a stir-fry can be enhanced by the full, crisp flavor of fresh asparagus, but I like to let the flavor of asparagus really shine through by combining it with as few ingredients as possible. Cream of asparagus soup is easy and simple to make, using only a few ingredients, yet it's still healthy and extremely flavorful. If you can find locally grown asparagus at a farmers market or at a local farm, that would be preferred and give you the best tasting soup, but if not, supermarket asparagus will work. Just try to purchase it between February and June, because that is the time of year during which it will be freshest.

Ingredients

1lb asparagus (Feeds two hungry people)

2-4 cups chicken stock (If you have home made stock, use that. If you would like to make this recipe vegetarian, vegetable stock can be used instead.)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3-4 tbsp butter

1.5 Oz all-purpose flour

1 French baguette

 

 

     First, you want to put your stock on to boil. You should use just enough stock to fully submerge your asparagus. While your stock is heating up, cut your asparagus into pieces about one to two inches in length. Once your stock begins to boil, add your asparagus, and leave it to boil until the asparagus is very tender. I like to leave one or two stalks of asparagus out and slice it thin as a garnish for the soup, but that's optional.

 

 

      While my asparagus boils, I like to make some croutons to use as an auxiliary ingredient which will add a crunch element to the finished soup. To do this, simply slice a French baguette into 1/4-1/3 inch slices. Lay your slices out onto a baking sheet, and top with butter, salt, pepper, garlic, and a sprinkling or Parmesan cheese. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (I like to use my toaster oven, but if you're making a large batch of soup, you can use a full oven). These cook in a few minutes, so don't put them in the oven until you're soup is almost ready to be served.

 

 

     Once your asparagus is fully cooked and very tender, it's time to puree your soup. If you have an immersion blender, use that to puree your soup right in the pan, but if not, transfer your soup to a blender and puree until you have a smooth creamy mixture. Return your soup to the stove, add your Parmesan cheese, and stir until it melts in. Now, for to finish off this soup, we'll need to thicken it slightly with a rue. In a separate pan, melt your butter and add your flour. Whisk this mixture constantly as it cooks for about five or six minutes, just until it starts to turn light brown.

     Once your rue is cooked, whisk it in to your soup and boil for about two minutes until your soup reaches your desired thickness. Now, you can season with salt and pepper if needed. Finally, garnish with your croutons and sliced asparagus, and enjoy! Delicious, simple, and fresh. Let's nosh!