Dining out in North America

Linear in Grand Rapids

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 13:03:00 +0000

We joined two friends for dinner at Linear along the Grand River on August 6.

We've eaten here a number of times over the past few years. In fact, it has the distinction of being the last place we ate right before the pandemic hit.

The food is always good, the service spot on and ambience less noisy that most restaurants these days.

One thing to bear in mind is the parking situation. Being close to downtown it suffers from a absence of dedicated parking although there is some parking allocated to the restaurant a short walk away near the public works building along Monroe Street.

My wife had the grilled salmon and I had a very tasty pasta with Bolognese (pork and tomato). The wines were reasonably priced as was the food.

Bayberry Garden in Providence, Rhode Island

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

The Bayberry Garden offers pitchers of Mimosas for brunch (choice of juice) and they leave the bottle at the table along with carafes of juice. Very nice.

Dyer Street entrance

the Caesar consisted of grilled Romaine wedges with a healthy layer of cheese

shakshuka was incredible

Matunuck Oyster Bar in Matunuck, Rhode Island

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

The Matunuck Oyster Bar in Matunuck, RI, suffered as serious fire back in May of 2025. But they have bounced back and are serving up great food once again under a bog tent across the road as they work on rebuilding.

good food always makes for smiling faces

the blackened chicken sandwich was authentic low-country style and very good

Yama Ramen in Killington

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

The Yama Ramen is a funky place with outstanding Asian food -- the chicken veggie rolls are lovely and any of the Ramen bowls will please your palate.

view from the front porch

Lazy Hound in Bangor

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Located in the heart of downtown Bangor the Lazy Hound's menu is innovative and yet full of comfort food selections.

The wraps are HUGE and the smashburgers delicious. Service was harried but friendly and attentive.

Batavia, New York, Brantford, Ontario, Providence and Warren, Rhode Island

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 18:47:00 +0000

OK, so on a recent pair of trips out to New England from the Midwest and back I can safely say:

1. Batavia, New York: Skip the Applebees; it's way too loud with watered-down drinks, mediocre food and sketchy service.
2. Providence, RI: Nami's on Atwell's Avenue is still a great place for terrific Chinese food.
3. Warren, RI: Metacom Kitchen has a pretty mean burger and a great wine list. Oh, and their fish is superb.
4. Brantford, Ontario, Canada: Gus and Guido's is just OK. Touted as a "Greek Italian Food Experience," it was a bit on the noisy side and the wines were lame but the food was not bad. The service was very friendly, though.

The Gold Eagle Inn in Brookville, Pennsylvania

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 00:58:00 +0000

When it comes to food there's not much available in Brookville it seems. After trying a place in the heart of the village -- where no one was around and the smell was terrible -- we settled for the Gold Eagle Inn near our motel.

Service was nice but the restaurant itself was tired in appearance and even more so in its menu. When was the last time you can remember a relish tray being put out, and with ingredients straight out of a can (or jar presumably)?

The real failure of the evening though was the main course. My wife and I both ordered the cod -- pan-fried with a a crumb crust the menu claimed -- but when it came out it was inedible: wet, mushy, spongy, and no crust. Clearly their efforts at thawing the fish failed but the lack of awareness of that failure was appalling. We sent it back and ordered fish and chips. Basic, but OK.

If our experiences are any indication, there is little to recommend dining at the Gold Eagle.

Food in Grand Rapids, Michigan -- this is gonna surprise you!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 25 May 2015 21:53:00 +0000

The variety, quality and sheer volume of food available in Grand Rapids is nothing short of amazing -- pastries so far have yet to be explored and we'll get to that later this summer.

But otherwise, breakfast, lunch and dinner is available in so many places and of such high quality that it makes the move from Providence all that much easier.

Oh, and one place I didn't photograph this trip -- in early May -- but I posted it once before is Nonna Cafe in Ada. Outstanding.

Rose's for lunch

Marco's for dinner:

morels in puff pastry

risotto

Widow's Luncheon: pastries by the French Tarte:

Licari's for lunch with Virginia and Chuck:

Marie Catribe's for brunch, yes that's right with Chuck and Virginia:

Next up in June: that incredible chocolatier in Grand Haven and our search for French pastries.

Stay tuned!

Metacom Kitchen in Warren, Rhode Island

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 22:15:00 +0000

By last Saturday evening my body had conveniently moved to the recovery phase from some nasty respiratory virus that had plagued me for most of the week. Most importantly for a planned birthday dinner, my appetite was back -- as things turned out, I was going to need it.

We arrived at Metacom Kitchen right at 7pm and were seated at the food bar, in the back of the restaurant overlooking the kitchen. For the next 2-and-a-half hours this would be home. . .

1st: Duck Skin Salad

2nd: Chicken and Mushroom soup

3rd: Vitello Tonnato (my request)

4th: Salmon Belly a la Planche

5th: Seared Scarlet Snapper

6th: Torchon on Foie Gras

7th: Moroccan spiced tenderloin of Colorado Lamb

8th: Chocolate Ganache

The food was incredible: creative, delicious, and well-presented. The quality of the food was almost surpassed by the wonderful service. In a world where restaurants abound, many of them outstanding, Metacom is simply and absolutely one of the best.

Enoteca Umberto on Federal Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:16:00 +0000

There are lots of Italian-themed restaurants on Atwell's Avenue but Enoteca Umberto is the only one that can claim to be authentic and regional.

Husband-wife team Lia and Umberto make you feel as if you're sitting in their dining room, just off the kitchen, and you've just dropped over for dinner after the evening passagiata. The food they prepare and the wines they serve are all from southern Italy -- and in true southern Italian style eating is all about being together, sharing a lust for flavor and life, with gusto.

Go with no expectations and don't think traditional menu or seating arrangements; the place is small to be sure (you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the bathroom) but go and just enjoy what they offer you.

the kitchen is small but Lia seemed at ease and unruffled by all the commotion in the dining room

La Collina antipasti -- formaggi e salumi

Rosalina's in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:14:00 +0000

Having eaten recently at another local restaurant than can truly claim to offer authentic Italian-regional, I'm always curious as to what constitutes an "Italian" restaurant. When our server at Rosalina's brought the bread along with olive oil and noted the oil came from Greece, well right away I had to question the restaurant's right to be "Italian," whatever that means.

By-and-large our food was OK. The antipasto -- a baked eggplant dish -- and our pasta dishes (gnocchi and spaghetti con Bolognese) we all thought were simply too sweet. Otherwise we had not complaint about the food itself.

The wine list offered far too many American wines but the prices seemed reasonable.

Rosalina's is nicely decorated and well laid out but we were curious as to the value of a large TV set behind the bar.

Service was straightforward and a bit formal but I much prefer that to someone too friendly.

baked eggplant antipasto -- generous portion

spaghetti with Bolognese

gnocchi

Al Forno in Providence, Dante's Kitchen in East Greenwich, Boat House in Tiverton and Sofra in Cambridge

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:19:00 +0000

One of the longtime stalwarts in Providence, Al Forno is upscale with a wonderful menu and decent wine list.

zucchini blossoms

pan-seared sea bass

Caesar Salad

A much more casual place, Dante's Kitchen in East Greenwich has real potential: imaginative menu, a cool space, good service, but the food was a mixed bag and the very small space was way too loud.

Susie had the fried green tomato BLT with hand-cut fries, which was tasty.

I had pulled pork hash with poached eggs and a grilled buttermilk biscuit (homemade of course. The BLT with hand-cut fresh fries was spot on but the hash was basically shredded pork on top of a handful of small, diced fried potatoes. Hmmmm. And then the eggs were small with very little yolk (an odd thing I thought).

The Boat House in Tiverton serves up fairly standard fare in a gorgeous location overlooking Narragansett Bay. I had the tuna salad (flavorless) with their own handmade chips (tasteless and oily). Susie had the Jens & Marie veggie burger, which was also bland. Not an exciting meal to be sure but it was a gorgeous day to sip a glass of Rose by the water.

Then there is Sofra Bakery & Cafe in Cambridge. We'd been here once before and after a stroll through nearby Mount Auburn Cemetery Sofra is just the place to have a delicious lunch. It's chaotic to be sure and the seating can be interesting to say the least. But it's worth the wait and patience.

Even if you don't want lunch you have to try one of their incredible and incredibly delicious pastries, most of which are Middle Eastern in origin, like the twice baked brioche (left below) with custard actually baked into the filling (how'd they do that?). I had the chicken Shwarma stuffed flat bread and Susie had a concoction of three cheeses with grated fresh squash on top wrapped in a burrito-like hint of dough.

The Parkside downtown

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 18:25:00 +0000

Susie and I went here recently for dinner and had a wonderful meal.

The staff was friendly, the menu innovative and interesting, the food scrumptious and the wine list exceptional. In fact, I'd argue it's one of the best lists we've seen in Providence: a whole page of half bottles alone makes this place unique. The wines were well-chosen and reasonably priced.

We started off with chilled Lillet rouge, which we though pretty uncommon in a city that prides itself on the number of local mixologists.

For our meal Susie had the Chatham cod on shrimp grits and I ordered one of the specials: a jerk fish dish consisting of tuna and salmon chunks with shrimp in a cocoanut broth, finished off and served in a cast iron skillet. I also opted for their fresh, handcut frites. Everything was simply delicious.

We would like to go back and try one of the rotisserie dishes, something you can't find anywhere else in this city.

Oh, and the valet parking was free.

Loie Fuller's in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 03:22:00 +0000

My wife and I have been to Loie Fuller's restaurant a number of times over the years. Living close by on the west side it's been a source for drinks at the bar, an occasional dinner and one less-than-stellar brunch (some years ago, now).

Well, we returned recently for dinner and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

It was quiet with just a hint of Carla Bruni (how fitting) singing in the background, when we sat near the fire. The place is one of those truly rare gems in Providence: a French bistro that actually looks like one -- although it would be nice to see a picture of Loie Fuller hanging in a place of prominence.

The service was friendly and engaging without being cloyingly so -- a pleasant young woman whose answers to our questions and conversation hinted at a more interesting backstory.

The food was, in a word, delicious. Beginning with bread from Foremost bakery (they're out to topple Seven Stars, no doubt) we moved quickly to the Cajun Shrimp, which came in a sauce that called for more bread, much, much more. This was comfort food at it's finest.

My wife had the veggie pot pie and I had the short ribs -- both dishes were well-prepared with just the right portions to get you back home on a winter's night. For dessert we opted for the Gateau Basque -- one of the few (maybe only?) place in the city you'll find Gateau Basque and it was just a delectable as each main course. We washed it all down with a French chardonnay by the glass.

Prices are reasonable and in line with other neighborhood eateries.

Parking is off-street right next door.

Jacky's Galaxie in Johnston

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:39:00 +0000

One night we had to get out of the house for an hour or so right around dinnertime so we thought why not try the new Jacky's Galaxie in Johnston. (Jacky's is a small chain of Asian eateries in Rhode Island.) The service was very friendly, ambience neat and clean and the food, while tasty, was generally unremarkable.

Still, the spring rolls were served with a very tasty crunchy peanut sauce rather than the ubiquitous orange "duck sauce." And the broccoli was just about perfect.

Chez Pascal in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 16:55:00 +0000

Susie and I splurged recently on a Kermit Lynch wine dinner at Chez Pascal. It was a wonderful evening of delicious wines matched by equally delicious food, put on by the brilliant folks at Kermit Lynch. An importer of incredibly wonderful wines at a relatively decent price, Kermit Lynch has been one of those marques you find and never let go: you just know the product he selects and brings over here will be delicious and of good value; his organization has been a resource for us since we lived in Michigan.

During dinner we actually sat next to an Eisenhower, although she claimed that her branch of the family was very distant from the former President. There was really no resemblance, but still. . .

Unfortunately, the poor lighting and my mediocre photographic technique doesn't even begin to accurately depict the scrumptious food but I think you'll get the idea:

seared scallop with celery root, apple and saffron butter

beef short rib, white sweet potato gratin

pear custard gratin with bleu cheese

AS220 in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 16:32:00 +0000

AS220, part of the downtown Providence art gallery movement that has stalled somewhat in recent years, is probably one of the better known venues for appreciating local art. It's also got a nice little bar and counter cafe on one side of the fairly large ground floor space on Empire Street as well.

I went there for lunch and had the white bean soup -- loaded with green leaves, which I tossed out, and heavy on the garlic and semi-fried bacon, it tasted just OK. The toasted bread was good.

Oh, and since it's order at the counter and pick up your food when your "playing card" is called, I had very little observation of the level of quality of service.

But there's little else along Empire Street for a quick bite at midday. Just go without any great expectations.

Breakfast at Nick's on Broadway

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Between Sunday brunch and evening dinner I've eaten quite a few times at Nick's but even though I live just four blocks away, I've never gone there just for breakfast in the middle of the week. Until now.

This morning I met up with three colleagues from work to sit, chat and have a delicious breakfast.

It was worth the walk and the time.

Ed had the frittata

I had an omelet (bacon, sausage and provolone)

Jeff and Andrea had Eggs Benedict

Westside Diner in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:32:00 +0000

Located just a block from our house on Westminster the Westside Diner is only open for breakfast and lunch and that hasn't really fit in with our schedules. But when a pair of friends blew through Providence on their way from Vermont to Louisiana we took the opportunity to check the place out.

OK, the basics first: the diner itself is very 1950ish and, we thought, so was the food. But more of that in a moment.

Seating is a bit awkward for the newcomer: no sign to wait or seat yourselves and the staff didn't make things any clearer, at first. Anyway, after a few minutes a booth opened up and the four of us grabbed it.

The booths, tables and seats all moved, allowing flexibility I suppose. The seats we thought quite uncomfortable -- and I know I was sitting directly on springs. I noticed that while the diner was completely refurbished, from a total mess last year, there wee hints of scrimping: the top of the long counter appeared to have an old piece of linoleum (?) instead of new. The edges were curling and there were areas where the top was nearly gone, exposing the brown under layer.

The service was friendly and attentive.

The lunch menu was fairly limited: a few sandwiches, soup of the day and a few hot plate specials. It's the breakfast menu that take sup nearly two pages but they had stopped serving breakfast at 11:30 (they're only open until 2pm).

The four of us opted for sandwiches: I had the classic patty melt on toasted rye bread with 1000 Island dressing. Ed had the burger club (interesting), Chris had a wrap and Susie had a turkey sandwich. I was the only one who opted for the fries, the other 3 went for the homemade cole slaw.

house made cole slaw

turkey club

classic patty melt

house made apple pie -- not good

chocolate pudding -- also house made and also not good

Quality of the food was good; both burgers were prepared as requested and tasty. The slaw, I was informed was quite good and surpassed expectations. The portions were just right as well. Prices ran about $8 per sandwich with sides, which we thought not too bad, particularly in Providence.

Rasoi on the East Side of Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:31:00 +0000

After living more than six years in Providence, we finally got to Rasoi, arguably one of Rhode Island's better restaurants and perhaps THE best Indian restaurant in greater Providence. It was last Friday evening, we had no reservations and the place was packed when we walked in the door. The hostess said there was a short wait or we could sit at the bar -- we chose the bar and it couldn't have been more perfect.

Although swamped with drinks and food the bartender was not only attentive but helpful in the extreme: He suggested cocktail specials for the evening and we give both two very big thumbs up -- I loath martinis as a rule but the special had (among other things) caramel vodka and apple cider. . . delicious!

When we asked about the nan bread for an app -- they have a variety of flavors - the bartender asked us what we were going to have with dinner (chicken). He suggested pairing the bread just like wine and he was right, of course: we ended up going with rosemary nan for our chicken dishes. Perfect!

We also tasted a couple of whites -- again at the bartender's suggestion -- to see which we would prefer with the meal and opted for a crisp, slightly tart sauvignon blank.

Cauliflower 65

chicken kebabs with mashed potatoes and lentils

Waterman Grille in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Last Sunday evening, after a gorgeous day part of which was spent on the East Bay Bike Path, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to let go of it. So we opted to go to one of the better places to eat outdoors, Waterman Grille.

Now when I say better I don't mean the food is up to the same level as New Rivers, Broadway Bistro, Chez Pascal or Nick's on Broadway (four of our favorite haunts) but the location is quite nice and that's what we were after.

We started with a glass of prosecco and asked for a a hit of Aperol. They didn't have Aperol (hmmmm) but we substituted Camapari. They put in two or three drops (that's right, drops) just enough to turn the drink pink rather than red. Obviously making cocktails isn't one of their strong suits we thought. But the drink tasted OK so what the heck -- we were sitting outside on a lovely evening enjoying life.

Susie had the the fish tacos followed by a Caesar Salad; I opted for Harissa meatballs as an app followed by a burger and (frozen) fries -- meat night for me. Our server was pleasant and moderately attentive although he did remind us of his name at least three times. I guess we appeared to be a bit on the dumb side?

Anyway, as I said the food is OK but it's the ambience that's everything.

OK so the view from the restaurant is Seekonk and not Manhattan, that's true

harissa meatballs on orzo salad == somewhat bland actually

the salad was a bit boring but the anchovies lively

Hemenways in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 12:19:00 +0000

Our 30th anniversary meal was spent at Hemenway's. Part of the Newport Restaurant Group (which includes Waterman Grille and The Boat House in Tiverton), and specializing in seafood, Hemenway's overlooks the Providence River as it drifts down to the hurricane barrier and Narragansett Bay.

The evening couldn't have been better (unless we were in Paris): food was very good, service attentive and the ambience fine.

view of the river looking south

calamari, Rhode Island style with Banana peppers

house salad

Halibut

Seafood casserole with fingerling potatoes

Birch in Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 11:59:00 +0000

Located in downtown Providence, right next door to Gracie's along Washington Street was Tini's, one of our favorite eateries. Launched by George Germon and Johanne Killeen (of Al Forno fame), Tini's was small and unique in design (a food bar really) but under the culinary direction of Darius Salko you could always count on not just good food but great food.

When Tini's closed earlier this year it left a big question mark in the minds of local foodies: what is going in to that tiny niche across from Trinity Rep Theater. Well, now we know.

Ben Sukle, who helmed the opening of the Dorrance Restaurant in downtown Providence, and his wife Heidi have taken the space and, keeping the same design (not much choice there!), launched "Birch" last month.

Susie, Andrea, Matt and I met up there the other day to taste test the food and get a sense of the new space. While we miss Darius' incredibly creative and tasty comfort food (my God his gnocchi and rabbit!!), still we found the food at Birch quite nice: imaginative, flavorful and priced to sell. A very nicely rounded wine list as well.

The space only seats about 15 people so I suspect that there will be standing room only before long. Oh, and parking is a challenge of course, it being Providence, so be prepared to be creative on a busy weekend.

Matt always has a way to make people smile

Tini's layout is still pretty much the same: u-shaped bar; kitchen is to the right rear

no, that's not sausage but a roasted carrot with Point Judith Fluke!

shredded crab with potatoes, quinoa, green tomatoes and an egg yolk

Point Judith stripped sea bass with Hakurei turnips, mussels, Escarole and lovage

crispy Vermont quail

triple chocolate pudding with rhubarb sorbet, peanuts and oat snaps

unique take on cheesecake with glazed strawberries, sorrel and wild rose ice cream

raspberries with almonds

Nick's on Broadway

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 18:23:00 +0000

The other day after worked Susie and I walked the four blocks from our apartment over to Nick's on Broadway, ostensibly just to have a drink. But, one thing led to another and we ended up eating for dinner. One of those last-minute decisions we've been making a lot of in our lives and so be it.

The service, like the food was worth it.

a scrumptious veggie concoction: roasted potatoes in one bowl and a variety of veggies in another

I'll take the fish please with fresh shelled peas and sugar snaps!

Sophia's Tuscan Grill

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:13:00 +0000

We went there recently on a special wine tasting dinner so the menu we sampled wasn't typical of the usual fare.

Still. . . The food was uneven: the risotto a bit too overdone for my palate although the sauce was very tasty. The mock Bolognese was flavorful good but some at the table thought the pappardelle (handmade we were told) was a bit too al dente.

The fish course, salmon supposedly with a pistachio crust was in a delicious butter sauce although none of us could locate any pistachios.

Another course was a crispy Tuscan pork belly which we thought far too large a portion and fairly bland in flavor -- and what was the "Tuscan" thing? That word is abused and overused in today's American restaurant marketing and I'm afraid Sophia's is no exception.

The cheese course was "imported" gorgonzola (there's domestic I suppose) with figs on homemade fig jam. The figs were delicious as was the jam but we thought the gorgonzola was more like a neutral goat cheese than anything else -- it completely lacked any "blue" flavor at all. The dessert was a bland cannoli -- typical old-guard Italo-American cuisine and not in keeping with the chef's marketing of his place as "new twists on Italian favorites."

The service was friendly, to be sure. The noise level, however, was unpleasant, the lighting not terribly attractive and the seating, for me at any rate was quite uncomfortable and they did nothing to resolve that (we were a special group for the evening, with assigned seating).

Lastly, the wines were, by-and-large quite good -- although our table agreed that the Lambrusco was devoid of any character and the Amarone thin and lacking the raisiny body so typical of those incredible wines.

If you want food in an Italian style go to Bacaro's or Al Forno. I'd skip this place.

Oh, and sorry about the photography -- terrible lighting.

lemon risotto with scallop

salmon in a butter sauce

mock bolognese with homemade Papardelle