New England Bites Presents: Food Finds of 2010

Food Finds of 2010

(... and some duds, too!)

By:  DIANE

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. It was a great eating year for New England Bites! We found some new favorites, we found new things in some old favorites, plus, we found some new places that will never be favorites. So here is a list of our most interesting food finds of 2010.

Favorite Sandwich Find – Cosi
I love this upscale sandwich spot! Relaxing interior, unique, delicious fillings on homemade flatbreads, and warm, tasty soups. Also, the flatbread pizza is amazing!

Favorite Asian Finds – China Lake and Dartmouth Wasabi
It’s a tie between these two yummy restaurants. Both carry all your favorite Chinese foods (with Dartmouth Wasabi carrying Japanese dishes and sushi as well). But it’s the quality of the food (great at both) and the unique presentations (especially at Dartmouth) that set them above the rest. If you try Dartmouth Wasabi, end with the mochi.

Favorite Mexican Finds – Tortilla Flats and Margaritas
Laura’s favorite cuisine quest led us to these two spicy finds. Tortilla Flats is small and intimate with some unusual dishes (like buffalo burgers) amongst the familiar. Margaritas is a larger chain that definitely doesn’t have that “fast food/chain food” taste. The dishes are unique, authentic, tasty, and wonderfully displayed.

Favorite Family Restaurant Finds – Fay’s Restaurant, Blue Point Restaurant, and The Gateway Tavern
These three restaurants really stood out from the many places we visited this year. Fay’s and Blue Point have an emphasis on comfort foods, but usually with a yummy twist. You can taste the homemade goodness, quality of food, and expert care put into each dish. Gateway has an emphasis on seafood and unique appetizers. These are going to be my “to go to” places when I just want a great meal.

Favorite Ice Cream Finds – Buttonwood Farm Ice Cream and Peaceful Meadows
Mmm … ice cream! How can it taste any better? Get it at any one of these two places! Their flavors taste what their names imply with a thick, rich creaminess that only comes with a high butter-fat count. The coffee flavor at Buttonwood is the best I’ve ever had.

Favorite Burger Find – Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Good burgers, great fries, but watch out for peanuts!

Favorite Breakfast Finds – Alex’s Family Restaurant and Breakfast House, Susan’s Restaurant, and Jukebox Diner
I love going out for breakfast. It always feels like something great is going to follow! I was thrilled to expand our early morning options with these three welcoming spots. Alex’s is old school, Susan’s is homey, and Jukebox is 50’s fun. All different, but all with your tasty breakfast favorites.

Favorite Bakery Finds – Cinderella’s Bakery, Cupcake Charlie’s, The Rise Café, Bleu Squid, and Nancy’s Bakery
If you read our site regularly, you know we’re crazy about bakeries. We were thrilled to have found these five very different bakeries with their own very tasty specialties. Cinderella’s is old school basic Portuguese with fantastic breads, rolls, Malasadas (Portuguese donuts), and other Portuguese delicacies. Nancy’s is your general, all-around bakery with muffins, squares, cookies, and more. The other three specialize in gourmet cupcakes, and splendid they are! They’re delicious and fancy enough to give as a gift!

Favorite Pizza Finds – Cousin Mike’s House of Pizza and Yia Yia’s Pizza Cafe
We love pizza. What luck to find one terrific spot in our own backyard, and the other worth traveling to! Cousin Mike’s is a great neighborhood pizza joint with the usual pizza/sub menu. They are good, basic, and about five minutes from my house! Yia Yia’s is about a half hour drive for us, but well worth it. Fresh ingredients and tasty toppings are why this tiny shop brings in people from near and far.

Favorite Fun Find – Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium
Diabetics beware! Sweet tooths (teeth?) rejoice! Ben & Bill’s is a sweet lover’s dream. Handmade chocolates, candy, truffles, and fudge (oh my God … the fudge) on one side of this narrow shop, and superb homemade ice creams on the other. I want my ashes sprinkled here!

Favorite Food Memory Find – Simco
On a trip to Boston, I was regaling Laura with a childhood memory of traveling almost 50 miles with my parents to get a hot dog. It was somewhere around where we were at the moment (Mattapan). No sooner had the words left my mouth that we came upon Simco – the very place of my childhood hot dog dreams! We stopped, we bought, we ate, and they were as good as I remembered. Aaaah, sweet memories!

New Things About Old Favorites

Leddy’s Bakery: We’ve been getting our holiday pies at Leddy’s for years, but just recently, we’ve discovered their fantastic light and fluffy donuts. With a slight crisp to the outside, and a pillow-soft inside, they are hands down better than the local chains. Try the maple frosted with nuts! Also try their thick and flaky lemon squares. Not too tart or too sweet, with twice as much filling as crust, these just might be the best lemon squares I’ve ever tasted.

New Boston Bakery: This place has it all, and in a beautiful setting. Fancy pastries, morning goodies, and gourmet sandwiches abound in this tiny shop. But this year, we discovered their fantastic macaroons. These little mounds of sweetened, toasted coconut are soft, chewy, and half-dipped in chocolate. Delightful!

Gennaro’s Eatery: This – one of my all-time favorite Italian restaurants – has the biggest calzone I’ve ever seen! It’s the size of a flattened football and is served on a pizza tray. We took half home and still had plenty for everyone. Most importantly, it’s delicious.

Graham’s Hot Dogs: Besides a great Coney Island wiener, Graham’s carries a sandwich that may be unique to this area alone – a hot cheese sandwich. Not a cheese slice between bread, but a crumbly, salty cheese “spread” in a steamed burger bun. Weird, but delicious … and addictive.

2010 Disappointments

Buca di Beppo: The food was average, and the red sauce was heavy and familiar. The service was great, but the ordering system is bizarre. I don’t want my order to be a portion for three people – or cost it.

Highland Spa Restaurant: Wonderful, friendly people couldn’t make up for lackluster food.

Captain’s Place: Popular and highly recommended, this place must have been having an off day when we visited. We were surprised to be so disappointed.

Stone Bridge Restaurant: Upscale, lovely, and highly regarded, this restaurant serves an eclectic menu of mainly Greek specialties. Wish we had known that as lamb isn’t a favorite of ours. I’d check out their menu before going.

Sonic Drive-In: We traveled quite a way to get to the first Sonic in our area. We should have just gone to McDonald’s. Good drinks, though.

Four Corners Grille: The food was really good, the location is adorable, but service was a bit rude to say the least. We left quickly.

Sweet Berry Farm: How can a place be exactly the same, yet completely different than described? I don’t know, but this place was. It had everything their site claimed, but somehow it was all so much less. I was bummed.

In Memorium

Caliente Mexicana at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs

Darling’s Restaurant and Lounge

Bugaboo Creek Steak House (Seekonk)

Tony’s Fish & Chips

Tim Hortons (local only)

So there it is – our highs, our lows, and even our in-betweens. New England Bites wishes everyone good health, some wealth, and much happiness in the coming year. Drive carefully, drink wisely, and don’t forget to support New England Bites and our close friends at Menu Joy!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you the merriest of Christmases!

From your friends at New England Bites

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

www.fiveguys.com

December 18, 2010

One, two, three ... nope, I saw only three guys hanging outside of Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Seekonk this day. Must be because the rest were running into this very popular burger and fry restaurant along with a ton of other hungry people.

Laura and I arrived at 1:30 p.m. on a chilly Saturday afternoon. We were trying to avoid the Christmas shopping craziness by having a quick lunch and taking in a cheap movie. We'd never tried Five Guys but had heard lots of good things from those who have.

The place was mobbed with holiday shoppers looking to raise their blood sugar after hectic mornings of gift-buying. It was also mobbed with people like us, just wanting to grab a good bite.

There was quite a line and all the available seats seemed to be taken. The place was a noisy, cheerful, somewhat chaotic scene. But then our luck changed and the very first table, in the front of the restaurant was vacated. I guess we were good for Santa. I jumped into the chair (well, walked) and Laura got in line to order.

Ordering area. 

View of the "pick up" area.

General seating area.

Although very busy and crowded, they have a pretty good system for getting you in and out (or seated). You get in line right as you walk in, the menu is overhead, you order and pay, then move down to the pick-up line. The pick up section gets a bit mobbed but you really don't have a long wait. Then try to find a seat or better yet have a friend scout the seats while you get the food. That's what we did.

The menu here is short and sweet. They have burgers, cheeseburgers, bacon burgers and bacon cheeseburgers  (their regular is a double patty, but you can get the little burger - a single patty). They have "Five Guys style" (i.e., plain) and Cajun fries. A regular size fry was enough for Laura and me with some to spare (can't imagine the large size). They have regular and large size sodas, which are refillable and also bottled water. Not in the mood for a burger?  How about a Kosher hot dog, cheese dog, bacon dog, or bacon cheese dog? Maybe you'd prefer a veggie sandwich, cheese veggie, or a plain grilled cheese. You can have any of the above with a variety of toppings (grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.) which are all free. And that's the whole menu.

Laura got a little cheeseburger and I got a little hamburger (one patty each) and a regular fry to share and two regular sodas. I got ketchup on my burger (that's pretty wild for me) and Laura (ever the show-off ) got grilled onions and barbecue sauce on hers. Again, no charge for the toppings. It seems like after they fill your cup with fries, they throw another big scoop of fries into your bag, because when we took our order out, the bottom of the bag was filled with fries. I ate those while Laura ate from the cup. We couldn't finish them.

Burger with ketchup.

Cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and grilled onions.

Small "Five Guys style" fry.

THE VERDICT: These were some tasty burgers and fries. No uniform patties here. All burgers are fresh, hand-formed, and perfectly done. The fries are terrific also. They were hot, hand-cut, with a crisp outside and a creamy potatoey inside. These were definitely better than a regular fast food burger and fry. I know where to go for a good burger now and I'll even put up with the crowd. They're that good.

Our total came to:

2 regular soft drinks - $3.78 (1.89 each)

1 little hamburger w/ketchup - 3.69

1 little cheeseburger w/grilled onions and BBQ sauce - 4.29

1 regular fry - 2.89

Subtotal - $14.65

Tax - 1.03

TOTAL = $15.68

P.S. - For those of you with peanut allergies ... beware. There are stacks of peanuts when you first walk through the door, right near the order line. You get a little cardboard container and then help yourself. Fun and generous of them but dangerous for those who can't tolerate the little legume.  Also, the fries are cooked in peanut oil.

The Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Seekonk is located at 1080 Fall River Avenue.  For more information, call (508) 336-5577 or visit the Web site at FiveGuys.com.  Five Guys Burgers and Fries is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Don't forget to visit our friends at MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

Susan's Restaurant

13 Crandall Road

Tiverton, RI  02878

(401) 624-1212

December 14, 2010

It was a Tuesday morning, the week before Christmas, that Laura decided to take me shopping to buy a jacket. This was to be a gift for me, but I had to go to try it on. You see, I'm very fussy. It has to be the right size, color, and length or Laura would get sick of hearing me complain.

Since we would be out early (before noon is early for us), we decided a good breakfast was in order. I thought of Susan's Restaurant, a lovely-from-the-outside looking place in nearby Tiverton, that we'd seen but never visited. It looks like a large log cabin decorated in a country motif, and is quite beautiful.

We entered around 11:50 a.m. and were immediately struck by how beautiful, rustic, and charming this restaurant looks. It's all wood - the floors, walls and beamed, high ceiling. The rafters hold stuffed roosters, the walls hold various country plaques and dolls, and the entire restaurant is filled with lovely wooden tables and chairs. I immediately told Laura that I'd love to turn this place into a house - for me. As we waited to be seated, I was planning how I'd have my open kitchen lead into a large living area, LOL!

After being seated by a friendly waitress, we were given menus and brought our requested coffees. The mugs were cute and large, and the coffee hot and good. The menu is not huge, but it contains everything you could ask for in a good breakfast. There were egg dishes like Benedicts with either Canadian bacon or crab cakes. There were several omelets like spinach and mushroom, veggie, or the ever-popular Western. There are pancakes and French toast. Plus, there are every manner of egg sandwiches, sides (corned beef hash, bacon, home fries, etc.) and some breakfast pastries (cinnamon rolls, bagels, muffins etc.).

Laura decided on Susan's crab cakes which consisted of two crab cakes topped with poached eggs and Old Bay Hollandaise sauce on an English muffin with home fries or shreds (shredded potatoes). She chose the home fries. It arrived beautifully displayed and Laura dug in. Delicious! She was very pleased with her choice. Laura said the crab cakes were nicely spiced and so tasty. The eggs were done perfectly and her home fries (red potatoes) were also nicely spicy. This was a terrific breakfast.

I chose the sweet bread French toast. This consisted of three thick slices of Portuguese sweet bread done up as French toast. I had a choice of fruits (if I so desired) and I chose apples. I also got a side of bacon (I needed some protein for that shopping later). Wow! This platter was huge. The slices of French toast were very large and were covered by my cooked apples and several blobs of whipped cream. It tasted as amazing as it looked. The toast were done perfectly, as were the apples, and the cream cancelled any need for additional butter or syrup. The three strips of bacon were meaty and done perfectly. What a special meal.

Susan's also has a lunch/dinner menu that, while not large, carries some unique choices. They have a few starters like buffalo tenders, mozzarella sticks, stuffies, onion rings, and quesadillas; as well as some soup like clam chowder, kale soup, Texas chili; and various salads. They have burgers and dogs and some sandwiches like the BLT, chicken, fish, and roast beef. They also have a nice collection of comfort foods like country fried steak, French meat pie, pork chops, liver and onions, chicken parmigiana, and Susan's meatloaf. On the seafood side, they have fish and chips, fried shrimp and scallops, and baked scrod.

I can't wait to stop by some time for lunch. If it's as good as the breakfast was, then we're in for a treat. I highly recommend Susan's Restaurant for a great meal at terrific prices, but don't be surprised that while you're sitting there, you start planning how to turn the place into your own log cabin paradise. I did!

Our bill came to:

Crab cakes - $7.99

French toast - 3.99

Apples - .99

Bacon - 1.99

Coffee - 3.18 (1.59 each)

Subtotal - $18.14

Tax - 1.89

TOTAL = $20.03

We left $24.10 on the table for our friendly waitress.  As is our habit we checked out their restroom before we left and found it as lovely and immaculate as the rest of the place.

... and good news!  We found a jacket at the first shop. Yeah!

Susan's Restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.  The restaurant is closed on Monday.

Don't forget to check out our friends at MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

Buca di Beppo

www.bucadibeppo.com

December 4, 2010

We've been curious about Becca da Boppa, Bocca di Bippa, Beppy di Bucca ... wait ... Buca di Beppo ever since we saw the sign going up at the former Vinny T's of Boston.  It's a large chain with several locations. We love Italian restaurants and couldn't wait for this new one to open. Then the rumors started. Rumor #1: This place only serves family style portions. Rumor #2: You can't order what you want. Rumor #3: Everyone has to order the same thing. Rumor #4:  It can get very expensive. Wow. We had to go see for ourselves. Would we be verifying these rumors or dispelling them? Laura and I were nervous but we had to find out for our dear readers.

We arrived on Saturday around noon not long after they had opened for lunch. Why so early? We were escaping the huge Christmas parade that was taking place in front of our house. If we didn't leave then, we wouldn't have been able to leave at all. So bright and early we entered the restaurant to a sea of hellos from the numerous waitstaff. Wow, how busy does this place get? I've never seen so much staff, especially at lunch time. There had to be no less than 30 working at this time. We'd surely get well taken care of and that's a good thing.

Crazy chandelier!

As we walked pass the horde of greeters and into the restaurant itself, we noticed how kitschy the decor was. They tried to include every Italian icon they could think of. There were popes, statues, grapes, wine bottles, the godfather and, of course, Sinatra. It was Italian overload, but fun. I thought the place was a bit cramped, with booths, tables and banquettes taking up every inch of space. If you sat at the banquette, you more or less cleaned the next table with your butt while you were squeezing by (not good since all that help needs something to keep them busy).

One very nice girl showed us to our seat and said our waiter would be right with us, and he was. Cameron first asked us what we were celebrating. Umm ... shopping?  LOL! Then he brought us the menus and the day's specials and explained how to order. Wow, a lot of rules. Here's where those rumors are addressed. Because we were there for lunch, we could order individual servings off the menu. We could also, if we wished, order the small portion (which serves two to three) or the large (which serves up to six). Of course, if we did this, we would have to order the same thing and pay the price for the larger meal. This could get expensive. If we went at night (when individual portions don't exist) and I wanted spaghetti but Laura wanted ravioli, we'd both have to order a portion for two to three people and pay about $18 each or we'd both have to order the same thing so we could pay the $18 for both of us (Laura better want spaghetti, not her fave). If we wanted some garlic bread, we'd have to order a portion for two to three which would add another $9 to our tab. This would really add up. The best way would be to go with a group of people, who all want the same thing. I don't know about this.

After his menu explanation, our very pleasant waiter brought us some bread with oil and our desired drinks, two Diet Cokes. We decided to forgo the individual meals and order the small (two to three) Quattro al Forno for both of us at $18.45. This consisted of cheese manicotti, chicken cannelloni, baked ravioli and stuffed shells. Sounds delicious.

Hmm. I thought for sure we'd have to use our trusty ice bag to bring home leftovers from our assumed huge portion. I can't see how three people would have split one manicotti, one small cannelloni, three ravioli and two shells. It was just enough for Laura and I. That third person would have to settle for the rest of our bread. Oh well, most importantly, how did it taste?

THE VERDICT: It was good but nothing to write home about. I can think of 5 restaurants, off the top of my head, with better Italian food. It was tasty in the old school, red sauce, heavy, make-it-at-home for supper way. The service was very good and the place very clean. Would I go again if someone asked me, sure. Would I choose it on my own, probably not. I don't care for the ordering system and I'd like the food to be a little lighter. I think this place is better for big parties (definitely not a date place), especially those who all want to share the same entrees. As for me....I like to have what I want.

2 Diet Cokes - $5.50

Small Quattro al Forno - 18.45

Subtotal - $23.95

Tax - 1.67

TOTAL = $25.62

We left $31 for Cameron, which included a 20% tip.

The Buca di Beppo in Seekonk is located at 353 Highland Avenue. For more information, call (508) 336-4204 or visit the Web site at BucadiBeppo.com.  Buca di Beppo is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p .m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Don't forget to check out our friends at MenuJoy.com for area restaurant menus.

Bite of the Week - IKEA's Swedish Meatballs

So I went to the furniture store to get some meatballs. What, you say? Surely she doesn't think she can find food everywhere she goes (and don't call me Shirley, R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen). But I did find meatballs at the furniture store; mashed potatoes and gravy too. How is this possible, you might ask? Easy, I went to IKEA.

IKEA, in case you've been housebound without media for the last several years, is the huge build-it-yourself store that hands you paper, pencil, and measuring tape as soon as you enter its vast premises. Your job is to go around and write down the stock numbers of everything you want to buy (and you will want to buy), then pick up your goodies in the huge warehouse you eventually end up in. Besides furniture they have every sort of household need or want, dishes, rugs, bathroom fixtures, bedding, etc. Oh, and meatballs.

When I've ever mentioned going to IKEA, people would invariably say, "Don't forget the meatballs!"  "Did you try the meatballs?"  "Are you going to have some meatballs?"  What?

But it seems they are as famous for their Swedish meatballs (and meatball dinners) as they are for their furniture. That's how it came to pass that, as we were checking out after some Christmas shopping, we came upon a freezer full of frozen meatballs, mashed potatoes, and gravy packets. Plus, they were on special. The balls, taters, and two packs of gravy were only $9.99. Now that's one inexpensive dinner, and one I couldn't resist. We took the feast home in our trusty freezer bag (I know - ready for anything).

THE VERDICT:  Delicious! These tiny bite-sized meatballs were very tasty and plentiful. The mashed potatoes were real and tasted it, and the gravy was thick, creamy and a real asset to the whole meal. We were all very impressed. Best of all, it was so easy to prepare. All it took was 15 minutes from frozen state to dinner plate (hahahaha). It was 15 minutes in the oven for the balls, 10 minutes in the microwave for the taters and five minutes on the stove for the gravy. You can do everything at once. After a day of walking around the cavernous IKEA, it was nice coming home to a quick, delicious, hot meal.

Will I go back to IKEA? Of course I will. Will I get the meatball dinner? Most definitely. You should, too.

Don't forget to check out MenuJoy.com for great restaurant menus.