On the Hunt for: Donut Cake

August 23, 2011

I had to go pick up my new glasses so like everyone who picks up their new glasses, I needed a donut cake. Hey, you console yourself your way, I'll console myself mine. So after I got my new specs (which look great on me), we headed to North Kingston, RI, to go to Allie's Donuts.

We've been to Allie's several times (click here to check our review) and are never disappointed. Their donuts are large, terrifically fresh and come in a huge variety of flavors. Allie's has made many a Best of Donuts list. They also carry many more goodies like fruit squares, cupcakes, whoopie pies, etc. All are fresh and delicious.

But besides all these luscious pastries, Allie's is known for its donut cakes (starting at $12). That's right - huge donuts as large as a cake, but not cake. I wanted the one that looked just like a donut but they have them in several different shapes like a football, a watermelon slice, a peace symbol and other cute "themes". Here is my donut cake:

Doesn't it look delicious? It is, er, was. It was also huge, 14 inches in diameter. We cut large slices from it and really, it amounted to about a dozen large donuts. Allie's usually has a number of these donut cakes available every day but be warned, it's first come, first served. So get there early if you want to score a "cake". Actually get there early anyway because Allie's closes at 3 p.m.

So if you love donuts and, who doesn't, and you want something different than a "cake" cake, get an Allie's donut cake. It's pretty, fun and delicious and kids love it. It's great for a kids' party or after a game. But I just got one because I wanted to. Mmm.

P.S. - Boy, could I see that donut case with my new glasses!

Check out MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

On the Hunt for: Grilled Cheese

www.dessertmysticct.com

August 20, 2011

There's a new feature in town, or at least at New England Bites. Laura and I would like to showcase a restaurant or shop that's known for having a signature item.  Something they're known for.  Something everyone goes there for. It can be as elegant as a fancy meal or as simple as a great hot dog or an amazing cupcake. When you hear the name of this place someone will invariably say, "Oh you have to try their _____."  We're hunting for the "_____."

This week we were on the hunt for a great grilled cheese sandwich. I was the one (because of my superior brainpower and empty tummy) who thought of going to Bleu Squid, a terrific little bakery and cheese shop. They are known to have fabulous gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches baked on their own fresh bread and filled with a combination of cheeses from their large selection. We've been to Bleu Squid before (click here and here) but only to try their amazing cupcakes and bakery items. The only downside to our visit - Bleu Squid is in Mystic, CT, which is over an hour and ten minutes away. Would people think we were crazy to drive that far for grilled cheese?  Yes. Did we do it? Well, here I am writing the review!

On a very hot Saturday we arrived at Blue Squid around 3:30 p.m. Since the shop is one of many little stores that make up Mystic Village (a huge tourist attraction), we were afraid the place would be mobbed. I guess it was TOO hot outside because Bleu Squid was nice and peaceful. We were able to go right in and place our order.  Both Laura and I decided to go with The Original Grown-up Grilled Cheese ($4.50), which is a mix of Havarti, Fontina, extra sharp Cheddar and Muenster cheeses. I got mine on multi-grain bread while Laura chose sourdough. Laura, always the fancy one, also got tomato and cherry wood smoked bacon on her sandwich. Here's what Laura's looked like:

Jealous yet? These sandwiches were indeed delicious. That particular blend of cheeses was so melty and flavorful and the just baked bread was incredible. There are many more add-ins for you to include like roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, roasted artichokes, sauteed spinach and so much more. Click onto their website above for all their great menu options. Was it worth the trip? Definitely. It's even worth a trip back. If you're craving a great "grown-up" grilled cheese sandwich, don't break out the Kraft singles and white bread.  Take a lovely trip to Mystic. You'll be glad you did!

Check out MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

Uncle Tony's Pizza and Pasta

1455 Oaklawn Ave.

Cranston, RI  02920

(401) 463-7785

141 Newport Ave.

East Providence, RI  02916

(401) 438-4646

www.uncletonys.net

July 16, 2011

I know this is late getting on here, but I've had major brain freeze. No thoughts or ideas could penetrate the thick fog that filled my gray matter. But I'm trying to get out of my mindless funk and get back on track. I've even come up with a new idea for New England Bites that I hope to share with you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, let's get to this long overdue review.

We had just come out of the "cheap show", a theater in East Providence where you can still see a movie for $2.50. Starved, as usual, we headed right across the street for Uncle Tony's, a very popular and busy pizza and pasta place. In fact it was so busy all the parking in front of the restaurant was taken and we had to park in their spare lot across the street. It was 4:45 p.m.

Now we've been to Uncle Tony's before but had never done a review. Today was the day!

We entered and found ourselves in the take-out area. We stood around and waited to be seated ... and waited ... and waited. People were rushing by us but no one spoke to us or gave any indication that they would any time soon. It was uncomfortable to say the least. The worst part was that there were about five or six people working in the take-out area but they did not approach us either. They just kind of stared at us as we stood and looked around helplessly until Laura noticed a sign in the next doorway that read 'please wait to be seated'. Are you kidding me? No one could tell us we were standing in the wrong spot. I was mad. A frantic waitress finally noticed us and quickly took us to a back booth. Not the best seat in the house but it would do. Hmmm, the booth was a bit uncomfortable but hopefully the food was great and we'd forget all this nonsense. Now I didn't know if this was good or bad but Laura and I had been here before, as I mentioned, and we couldn't remember what the food was like. Did we like it, or not?

Church pews ... er ... booths.

It didn't take long before we were approached by our server, Gail. She brought us menus and took our drink order - two Diet Cokes. This was a huge menu. Besides their many varieties of pizza, with just about any topping you can think of, including salami, hot capicola and roasted red peppers, they also carry a large selection of specialty pasta dishes. You can get spaghetti, ziti, ravioli or fettuccine with a myriad of accompaniments like meat sauce, peppers, veal cutlets, sausage, eggplant and much more. If you want your pasta with seafood you can get red or white clamsauce, shrimp or scallops. They also have manicotti, lasagna, baked pastas, stuffed peppers and baked scrod among many main dishes. They carry hot oven subs with most of the toppings you get on their pizzas. And for appetizers you can get fried calamari, crosstinni, antipasto and wings, fingers, poppers and much more. They also have a light luncheon menu with pasta specials, salads and wraps. A full service catering menu is also available. To get the full scope of all they offer click onto their website (above).

When Gail came back with our Cokes and some good Italian bread, we gave her our order.

I decided to get spaghetti with meatsauce. This is my favorite pasta dish and I've gotten it in almost every Italian restaurant we've been to. But I must say, I was a little disappointed with this version. The sauce was very thin and watery and the meat hard to find. The worst thing, however, was the spices or lack thereof. I saw no sign of any spices in the sauce, no parsley flakes, no oregano, no pepper flakes and no garlic. It was so bland. I was very disappointed.

Laura went with her favorite thing in the whole world, pizza. Specifically an Al Pesto pizza. It consisted of fresh tomatoes, roasted peppers, mushrooms, black olives with olive oil and pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese. It was baked on a thick rustic dough. And that dough was predominant in this pizza. It was so thick and puffy that everything else kind of got lost. Laura had the same complaint that I had. There were no spices perking up her pie. Even with all those great ingredients on top, there was not a great deal of flavor. Strange. She took most of the pizza home and really didn't look forward to it the next day. That is VERY unusual for her.

VERDICT: I wouldn't rush back here. I know they have their legion of fans, but I guess we've just been spoiled by other Italian restaurants that had more authentic food. This food seemed to have toned down any spiciness to perhaps cater to a more American palate. If that sounds snobby I don't mean it to be. I'm just not used to having bland Italian food.

Spaghetti with meatsauce - $6.95

Al Pesto pizza - 9.95

2 Diet Cokes - 3.90

Subtotal - $20.80

RI tax - 1.46

City tax - .21

TOTAL = $22.47

With a 20% tip for Gail, we left $27 on the table.

Uncle Tony's Pizza and Pasta in East Providence is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, and 12-11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

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

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