Peking Garden Buffet

33 Faunce Corner Road

North Dartmouth, MA 02747

(508) 990-1128 or 1129

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL MENU

June 18, 2011

Hey guys! Laura here.

Southern New England loves Chinese buffets. I don’t know if it’s the low price or the selection of food that keeps the people coming, but in my opinion, Peking Garden is one of the best. Actually, it may even be the best. Armed with our $10 gift certificate from MenuJoy.com, Mom and I pulled into the small parking lot at 3:15 p.m.

As always, Peking Garden was busy. It wasn’t super busy, but there were enough people scattered throughout the Asian-themed restaurant to make it difficult for me to get a picture of the steam tables. Sorry fans! You’ll have to deal with whatever shots I was able to sneak. Mom and I were greeted at the desk by a waitress who took us to a table. She took our drink order – two Diet Cokes – and disappeared to retrieve them. Mom and I started to head up to the buffet tables, leaving behind everything but our wallets in order to “claim” our table.

Peking Garden has – by far – the largest buffet in the area. There are just so many things to choose from! There are several different versions of chicken – General Tso’s, lemon, peanut butter, pepper (a favorite of my dad’s), and the standard chicken finger with sweet and sour sauce. They have a Mongolian Bar, where you can choose your meats, vegetables and sauce and have your meal cooked to order. They also have American-style sushi, soft serve ice cream, several different desserts like cream puffs and candied nuts, American foods like pizza and French fries, and everyday Chinese favorites like teriyaki steak, lo mein, sautéed mushrooms, chow mein, wonton soup, crab Rangoon, fried rice, crab legs and those soft, sugary buns often called “Chinese malasadas”.

We usually make two trips to the buffet, with our second plate much less filled than our first. I think that’s generally what happens with everyone. Once you fill up on whatever you chose on your first run, you’re pretty much only going to go back for seconds on whatever you really enjoyed. That’s why the first plate is the most important because it contains all of the things that you either love, aren’t sure of, or have wanted to try. Of course, in this case, we forgot to take pictures. I think we were just so overwhelmed by the freshness of the food that we dug in and forgot all about New England Bites. Oh well, here’s what we had: Mom had a small bowl of chow mein with gravy, a few chicken wings, and General Tso’s chicken. I had stuffed mushrooms, steamed dumplings, crab Rangoon, a sugary bun, sesame balls, and lemon, peanut butter and General Tso’s chicken. Everything was so delicious and fresh. The sesame balls were a surprise because they had a sweet paste inside which was a lot tastier than I expected. Mom’s plate disappeared almost as fast as mine did, and before long, we were on our feet for round two.

This time I actually remembered to take out my camera. I had the sushi, wonton soup and more stuffed mushrooms (they were especially delicious today and I couldn’t leave them alone). I also made sure to get some wasabi and pickled ginger for my sushi. Mom chose peanut butter chicken, mashed potatoes, a chicken finger and a bun. She said that everything was fantastic, but this is always the case with Peking Garden. We’ve been coming here for years and have never had anything bad to say. I also know that a lot of our fans visit Peking Garden frequently and always rave about it.

As for my sushi, it was great! Now I’m not a sushi connoisseur, and I really don’t know much about it, but these rolls consisted of rice, crab, vegetables and seaweed. They were really fresh and the intense wasabi definitely added a kick. The pickled ginger, on the other hand, was sweet and brought that kick down a notch to even out the taste.

Whomp, whomp.  There's no room at the inn for you, General Tso!

At this point Mom and I were pretty much done with our lunch and decided to get some ice cream before leaving, however, I made a sad attempt at a third plate. I grabbed two more stuffed mushrooms, some sautéed mushrooms (I definitely had mushrooms on the brain), a mozzarella stick and one lonely piece of General Tso’s chicken. When Mom and I met back up at our table, she was surprised to see that I had gotten another plate. I just couldn’t keep away; the food was just so good.

After eating our chocolate/vanilla soft serve ice cream, we were ready to go. The waiter brought over two fortune cookies and the bill, which came to:

2 (dinner) buffet - $25.20 (12.60 each)

Tax - $1.58

*TOTAL = $27

*It actually came to $26.78, but I guess they rounded up.

Now I wasn’t sure if the Cokes were factored into the total, because a sign on the table told us that non-alcoholic beverages (including fountain drinks) range between $1-1.50. By looking at the bill, I guess that drinks are included. Also, we paid the dinner price because we arrived after 3 p.m. Had we come in before 3, we would have only paid $8.95 plus tax for lunch.

We left $32.40 on the table for our waiter which included a 20% tip, even though we pretty much served ourselves. It was a good deal because we had that $10 gift card, so we really only paid $22.40. What’s better than a good meal? A good meal that you didn’t have to pay full price for.

Peking Garden also has a regular menu, but we’ve only ever gone to the buffet. Why settle on one thing when you can choose whatever you want all for one price? With that being said, I’m sure their other food is fantastic because everything has always been top notch. Click the link above to view their full menu courtesy of MenuJoy.

Will we be going back to Peking Garden? Absolutely! I have to go back and get my mushroom on. I couldn’t get enough of them, along with everything else. No wonder this restaurant draws such a big crowd!

Peking Garden Buffet is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The weekend lunch buffet is $8.95, while the weekend (plus Friday) dinner buffet is $12.60. The weekday lunch buffet (Monday though Friday) is $7.95, and the weekday dinner buffet (Monday through Thursday) is approximately $11.60.

PS - Be careful what you order if you are one of the people that like to show up early to get the dinner food for the lunch price. A table of women on the side of us ate crab legs, which is apparently a dinner item. Even though they arrived before 3 p.m., the one who ate the crab legs still had to pay the dinner price. The woman was not happy about this, and although I did not see any sign stating this rule, I may have missed it. Also, the staff seems to be a little concerned about the bill. They’ve been known to “hover” at the table to make sure that you pay. I’m sure they’ve gotten stiffed in the past, and that’s a shame. Stop ruining it for everyone else, thieves!

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

Hartley's Original Pork Pies

1729 South Main St.

Fall River, MA 02724

(508) 676-8605

June 10, 2011

Hartley's Original Pork Pies has been in business since 1900. That's amazing in this come-and-go business environment. Why have they been able to last so long while so many other businesses have failed? It’s simple – a concentrated menu, fresh ingredients and terrific customer service. Simple, but simply done well.

Every Saturday, my father used to come home with a box or bag full and was quickly attacked by the rest of the family. My sister had the nauseating habit of biting the bottom crust and drinking all the juice before she ate her pie. I wonder if she still does this? At this time, there were only pork pies available. Now Hartley's has several varieties.

Laura had never tried the pork pies and I was in the mood for a trip down memory lane, so on a Friday morning at 11:20 a.m., Laura entered the tiny shop. Mmm … it smelled good in there. She noticed a variety of both small and large pies. The small makes a nice meal for one and the family size can give you about six slices. At $2 for the small and $6.50 for the large ($7 for the two chicken varieties), these pies are quite the bargain. Plus, they heat up beautifully. You're not limited to their famous pork pies, however. They now carry meat pies, chicken and buffalo chicken pies, chourico (Portuguese sausage) pies and salmon pies (only on Fridays and Saturdays). They also have stuffed quahogs and scallops. You can even get a few desserts like carrot cake, cupcakes, brownies and bread pudding (from $1-2.50).

When Laura came home, I saw that she had purchased quite the feast. She bought one large salmon pie which we would have for dinner (plus a stuffed quahog for hubby). For our lunch, she bought three small pies for us to share: buffalo chicken, pork and chourico. For all this food our total came to $14.50. This was a lot of food! We cut the small pies in half and dug in.

The pies are as delicious as I remembered. The chourico was my favorite – nicely spicy and a great flaky crust. The buffalo chicken had a nice kick and the pork was as juicy as ever. Then, when we tasted the salmon for dinner, oh my! This was now my absolute favorite. They use the more flavorful red salmon (rather than the milder pink), so you have a very tasty, spicy, fishy flavor in an amazing crust. I loved this!

If you’re looking for a tasty, inexpensive treat, get yourself to Hartley's. Over 100 years of experience can't do you wrong. They did it right back then and they're doing it right today.

Hartley’s Original Pork Pies is open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. They are closed on Sunday.

Hartley's also has locations in Somerset and Lincoln, RI, but according to the woman at the Fall River location, the companies are not affiliated with each other.

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

Bite of the Week - Banana Babies

From Diana's Bananas we now have Banana Babies, the world's best chocolate dipped frozen treat. At least that's what it says on the box. It also claims to be healthy with zero trans fat and made with real banana. There are five treats to a box (which come in dark or milk chocolate) and they are all natural and contain only 130 calories each.

THE VERDICT:  Pretty good. They are exactly what they claim to be. It's a real banana covered in a thick coating of chocolate. They're so simple yet strong in their two dominant flavors, so you'd better like chocolate and banana if you're going to get these cause that's exactly what you'll taste. And that's a good thing (sorry Martha)!

Visit our friends at MenuJoy.com for area restaurant menus.

A Trio of Federal Hill Gems

Hospital Stays, Bad Toast, and Happy Returns

Hi everyone! Diane (Mom) here. I just want to thank you all for hanging in there during my recent hospital stay. It’s hard to believe that I'd reached the great age of 60 without ever having had a hospital stay or an operation, but now that's changed. To those of you who told me it would be like a mini-vacation, phbbbbt! Plus, how the Hell can you mess up toast? I hadn't been able to eat for three days, and on the fourth I was thrilled to be cleared for toast. This was toast? Stale and moldy tasting bread? Hell, I was looking for the blue spots. I really wished I had felt up to doing a review of the hospital food. Let's see: moldy toast, Jell-O with skin, sour-tasting milk, and dry scrambled eggs. It's no wonder I jumped at the chance to go to one of my favorite food spots, Federal Hill in Providence, on the way home from one of my checks ups. Now this was food – with taste - and I was happy to be able to indulge again.

April 22, 2011

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Caserta Pizzeria

121 Spruce St.

Providence, RI 02903

(401) 272-3618

www.casertapizzeria.com

While driving back from Providence from one of my many doctor visits, we passed very close by Federal Hill. In case you don't know, this is the Italian section where restaurants, grocery stores, delis, and bakeries abound, carrying every sort of Italian food imaginable. There are also several pizzerias and pizza was just what we were craving. I reminded Laura of this one pizzeria we always passed that was forever busy, Caserta Pizzeria. We had never been but decided to stop in this day.

Because I was still not comfortable walking around, we decided to get a small cheese pizza and eat in the car. Laura went in to fetch it and I watched the goings-on on busy Federal Hill streets. An especially memorable moment was the guy driving 80 miles an hour in a large truck on tight cobblestone streets. Jerk!

It wasn't long before Laura returned with our pizza and two sodas.

We dug right in. Wow, this was some good pizza. The crust was buttery and lightly crisp, the sauce (if you can call it that) was sweet and seemed to consist of splashes of crushed tomatoes instead of a solid layer, and the cheese was fresh, thick, and melty. It was as simple as it was delicious. I really enjoyed this pizza.

Laura brought out a menu and we were surprised to see how basic and simple they kept their toppings. A plain pizza has just sauce on it. Cheese is a topping as is pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, anchovies … and that’s it! You can get them in any combo of one to five items in only two sizes - small and large. There's no sausage, chourico, peppers, onions, or meatballs. This is a small menu. There are no subs, salads, or wraps, but they do have four specialty sandwiches: the Wimpy Skippy (spinach pie with cheese and pepperoni), Pig in the Blanket (Italian sausage with tomato sauce rolled in dough), spinach pies, and Pepper Pigs (Italian sausage and peppers with tomato sauce rolled in dough). That's the entire menu. You don't need a huge menu when the ingredients are this fresh and yummy. This is officially our new favorite pizza.

Caserta Pizzeria is open from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. They are closed on Monday.

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Venda Ravioli

265 Atwells Avenue

Providence, RI 02903

(401) 421-9105

www.vendaravioli.com

After we finished our lunch we decided to pick up some area pastries. After all, we weren't here that often. Finding a parking spot near our desired bakery was tough but we found a spot not “too far” down the street. I still wasn't walking too quickly (not that I ever did) but decided to take my time and walk with Laura to the bakery. On the way we passed a little square and Laura pointed out Venda Ravioli at the end of that square. I had always wanted to visit this Italian grocery and this just might be the day. We walked slowly and in a few minutes arrived at the door.

Holy Moly, this place was mobbed. We squished our way in but couldn't get much pass the door. Did a bus stop outside? We pushed and shoved our way to some shelves filled with Italian goodies. We were looking for some cookies from the Ozioli Company (ozioliscookies.com) and we quickly found them. We saw four different kinds in small plastic containers and snatched one of each. They were pizzette, anisette, lemon, and almond. They looked delicious and from what I'd heard, they were. We couldn't wait to take them home to taste. On our way out the store (and while waiting forever in a long line), we noticed their fresh food cases. Sliced meats and cheeses and prepared foods beckoned us and we vowed to come back when it wasn't so crowded and we could actually reach the cases. The cookies were $3.99 each, and our total came to $15.96.

We got home with our cookies and displayed them for hubby. We also tried each kind, of course. They were fantastic! Each one was better than the last. I really don't know which one was my favorite. They were fresh, very flavorful, and some tasted more like a little cake than a cookie. These are good enough to put out for company or just enjoy with a good cup of coffee. I'd definitely get these when I next run across them. You should, too.

 

Venda Ravioli is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

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Pastiche Fine Desserts and Cafe

92 Spruce St.

Providence, RI 02903

(401) 861-5190

www.pastichefinedesserts.com

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL MENU

We left Venda Ravioli and walked slowly up to Pastiche, a legendary bakery on Federal Hill. Everyone who's anyone gets their fine pastries from this tiny specialty shop. I've heard of them for years but never had the chance to go in – until now.

It's tiny, cramped, and crowded. To get take-out you have to hug the front counters as the rest of this charming shop is taken up with a few tables and chairs for the dine-ins. You won't mind being squished against the glass cases, though. You'll be able to get up close and personal with the luscious goodies displayed before you.

Although renown for their fresh fruit tart (buttery shell filled with vanilla custard topped with fresh seasonal fruits), they also have beautiful cakes, tarts, cookies, brownies, and breakfast pastries. Check out their full menu by clicking the link above. We really had a hard time deciding what to try. Everything looked amazing and to be honest, a little expensive. But I've heard it's worth the price. Let's see …

We chose two slices of Heaven – the Lemon Mousse Cake and the Italian Mascarpone Torte. To say they were delicious is an understatement. Were they worth the price? Yes. This isn't your ordinary pastry. This is fancy company, suck up to the boss, or impress your sweetie type pastry. You've got to stop by and try some at least once. Oh, and that fruit tart? It's a thing of beauty.

Pastiche is open from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Visit MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

Persy's Place

715 State Road

Route 6

Dartmouth, MA 02747

(508) 999-4223

www.persysplace.com

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL MENU

June 1, 2011

On a stormy, slippery winter morning about five years ago, Mom and I drove slowly down I-195E toward Dartmouth in my old Buick LeSabre. The roads were extremely treacherous. As we got to Exit 11, we noticed that two cars had plunged down into a large ditch and were awaiting assistance. Not to end up like them, I jerked the wheel so that the entire right side of my Buick scraped and bumped the guardrail. It got a bit hairy, and the two gentlemen that were stuck probably thought that I was going to join them in the ditch, but I had a mission. I wanted an omelet. Mom had suggested that we turn back, but I said no. We were going to have breakfast – car accident or not. I pressed on. Finally, after some near misses with sliding into various cars fishtailing on the snowy roads, we pulled into the restaurant parking lot. And that’s the last time we went to Persy’s.

Needless to say, we were overdue. Since we were going to be in the area on a shopping excursion for my sister’s birthday, we decided to pay them a visit. We arrived at 10:45 a.m.

Persy’s had done some remodeling to the exterior and interior, and the changes were good. They got rid of that whole ramp-and-extra-door-to-get-inside thing and replaced it with a small waiting area. However, the charm and country cottage setting that I liked about Persy’s was still there, and I was glad.

We were greeted right away by a waitress (I didn’t get her name) that seated us at a cute booth away from a pesky air conditioner. She said that people had been complaining of the breeze, and I could understand why. It was a bit cool in there, but we didn’t mind. She took our drink order, and I chose a chocolate raspberry iced coffee ($2.49)while Mom went with a Mochaccino ($2.99). Both arrived in adorable glasses with Mom’s hot drink topped with a dollop of whipped cream. They were excellent and very flavorful.

*There had been way more whipped cream on Mom's drink, but she couldn't wait.

For our meals, Mom ordered the maple walnut pancakes ($6.99) with a side of two scrambled eggs ($1.98). I chose Lisa’s Country Omelet ($7.99), which was made of bacon, cheese, potatoes, sour cream, and chives. My breakfast came with a side of baked beans and home fries, and I also had my choice of bread. I chose their famous grilled cornbread. We couldn’t wait to dig in!

Persy’s Place is quite charming, and I always feel relaxed when I’m inside. It’s like you’re sitting in your aunt’s living room waiting for her to bring you a plate of cookies and milk. There are Normal Rockwell posters on the walls, various chicken and geese statues and pictures throughout, and adorable wooden benches that serve as booths. There are also tables at each end of the restaurant. At the front desk, there is a small bakery case where you can buy muffins and cornbread. There are also chalkboard signs around the restaurant advertising the specials. Finally, there is a small gift area that was stocked with New England-style candy and treats. Persy’s Place has several locations throughout Massachusetts, but Mom and I have only visited the Dartmouth restaurant.

As for the menu, I just have one word – huge. They actually call it “New England’s largest breakfast menu”, and I agree. It took a while for Mom and me to decide what we wanted simply because there was just so much to choose from. This is the kind of place that you go to when you want an old school New England breakfast, something strange, or something that you haven’t had in a long time. If it exists, and people have eaten it for breakfast, then Persy’s will serve it. Catfish, corned beef on toast (S.O.S.), Johnny cakes, lobster crepes, and the Monte Christo which I highly recommend. Please check out their menu by clicking the link at the top of the page. They also serve lunch (also a large menu), but breakfasts are their specialty.

We hadn’t been waiting long before our breakfasts arrived. Mom’s came out first and smelled amazing. She said that her pancakes were absolutely loaded with walnuts – probably the most nuts that she’s ever had in this particular dish. The walnuts were whole and very flavorful, and the three pancakes were light yet filling. The eggs were buttery and very tasty.

My country omelet was excellent. Whoever Lisa is, she certainly knows how to put together a great breakfast! My baked beans came in a mini crock and had that a delicious smoky taste. The cornbread – although quite flavorful – was a bit on the dry side and got messy during the meal. The home fries were good, but I had so many seasoned potatoes stuffed into my omelet that I didn’t have time to concentrate on the extra ones. The sour cream and chives on top gave the omelet an extra kick, and the bacon inside was a little overcooked but still very tasty. It was extraordinarily filling, and I was sorry to have to leave behind a very small piece and some potatoes and beans. This was a very “homey” meal and a perfect New England breakfast.

Our waitress – who had been excellent throughout our meal – brought over the bill and a coupon for a free half loaf of cornbread to be used on our next visit. Our total came to:

Lisa’s Country Omelet - $7.99

Maple walnut pancakes – 6.99

2 scrambled eggs – 1.98

Mochaccino – 2.99

Iced coffee – 2.49

Subtotal - $22.44

Tax – 1.57

TOTAL = $24.01

We left $29 on the table for our terrific waitress and paid a quick visit to the restroom. Like the rest of Persy’s, the bathroom was clean and neat.

One of the reasons that Mom and I hadn’t been to Persy’s in a while was because the restaurant had started to look a little disheveled. It seemed that they were always hiring, and the people that they did choose to work there were not that qualified. It was basically a bunch of kids with little to no experience as to how to be a server. It seems, thankfully, that they have since corrected that problem. Also, the restaurant always seemed to be on the dirty side. There was silverware on the floor, mashed eggs stuck in the carpet, and sticky tables. This has also been corrected, and we appreciated the cleanliness of the restaurant on today’s visit.

If you’re looking for a great breakfast, or simply a restaurant with a lot of choices, visit Persy’s Place. You won’t be disappointed. Mom and I will definitely be back, car accident or not!

Persy’s Place – all locations – are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Other locations include Hyannis, Kingston, Plymouth, Middleboro, Mashpee, and East Wareham.

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