Food

The Village Haven

Traditional (and bountiful) fare in Forestdale
We were headed to a concert in Cumberland and we thought we'd make a slight detour to North Smithfield — the village of Forestdale, to be precise.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | January 26, 2010

Café Noir

Upping the hipness quotient
Ambience, style, flair — these have become as necessary as kitchen seasonings to spice up a dining experience in upscale restaurants.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | January 20, 2010

Midtown Café

A cut above the rest in Wakefield
In this economy and in downtown Wakefield, it's a tough task to keep a restaurant going.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | January 13, 2010

Savoring slow-cooked goodness
It was a snowy New Year's Eve lunchtime when we stopped in at Becky's BBQ, located in an unassuming brown clapboard house across from the Shaw's/Christmas Tree Shop mall.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | January 06, 2010

Kabuki

Cuisine off the beaten path
Japanese restaurants can be too predictable.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | December 30, 2009

Spice

A hot and cheap Thai bistro
You might find it difficult to believe, but at one time there were no Thai restaurants in Providence. I know, I know, it’s sad — no pad Thai, no pik pow sauce, such deprivation, such shamed downward glances in the streets.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | December 21, 2009

Ama’s

Don’t read this, please
I'm in a quandary. I want to tell you about Ama's, but it's a tiny place with very few seats, and I really don't want to see a line outside the next time I show up.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | December 16, 2009

Kelley’s Deli

Breakfast and lunch with an Irish accent
Kelley's Deli has a new home: after 14 years in downtown Westerly, the space was getting tight (lines out the door in the summer), the customers' hike to the restrooms in the historic multi-use building was circuitous (to the say the least), and regulars had been begging for years for Sunday hours.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | December 02, 2009

Café Fresco

A terrific Monday night special, and more
Restaurants come and restaurants go.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | November 23, 2009

Mesa Café and Grill

Imaginative choices, low prices
Usually there's something special about a neighborhood restaurant, which by definition is as much about community as about commerce.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | November 18, 2009

The Beehive Café

Keep an eye on the pie
When Three Rivers Café closed last year, fans of chef Eli Dunn eagerly awaited his reappearance.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | November 11, 2009

Brick Oven Meatballs

Secretly, but deliciously, Italian
You can imagine them arguing about whether to ’fess up before they named the restaurant.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | November 04, 2009

FRA’s Italian Gourmet

Beyond wonderful
Ever have that kind of day when you need to start your lunch with a chocolate chip cookie?

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | October 29, 2009

Antonio’s Trattoria

Comforting elegance
The Knightsville section of Cranston is an undeniable haven for Italian home-cooking, where legendary portions (Marchetti's), chic hotspots (Caffe Itri and L'Osteria), and marquee chef/owners (Tony Papa's) have successfully rubbed elbows along a suburban Cranston intersection. But don't forget the little guy on the corner -- Antonio's Trattoria.

By CHRIS CONTI | October 21, 2009

Zooma

Traditional cuisine updated
Being a ristorante on Federal Hill is a lot like being just another olive tree in the grove.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | November 02, 2009

Kabob and Curry

So many choices! So many flavors!!
You know you've come to the right neighborhood when you can smell Indian spices in the air instead of over-used French fry oil!

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | October 07, 2009

Spain

Iberia via Narragansett
It's not even 6 pm and the parking lot is packed.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | September 30, 2009

The Village Restaurant

Savoring the taste of Nigeria
I remember my click of recognition when I first saw a West African recipe for black-eyed-pea fritters with hot sauce, since my family in the South had always doused black-eyed peas with hot pepper sauce.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | September 23, 2009

Andrew's Bistro

Posh presentations, reasonable prices
It's not hard for a restaurant to aspire to an upscale experience at downscale prices. What's hard is actually accomplishing it.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | September 16, 2009

Junction Trattoria and Bistro

Peerless pizza and much more
On a recent rainy Friday evening, we were calling around for a place to eat dinner. One restaurant had no reservations till 9 pm (it's still tourist season); another was farther away than we'd realized, and we might end up eating at that same hour.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | September 09, 2009