I've been eating a lot of croissants.

In college, I worked in the bakery of the Statler Hotel. There, I learned that croissants usually come frozen, in boxes, and are then baked off and sold as "fresh." 

Most local coffee shops use the boxed kind.

Steven Stars makes its own ham and cheese croissants. These are pretty good, if a bit crunchy for my taste. The fillings aren't totally married to the pastry. But ham and cheese croissants are, no matter what, one of the greatest things in the world: light, buttery pastry filled with salty meat and cheese. Yum.

The best ham and cheese croissant in the world (or at least Providence) is to be found at Olga's Cup and Saucer. 

Finally, Tapas: Flan y Ajo

After two failed attempts at tapas eating (sorry 116 and Coco Pazzo), I finally had a proper eating experience. Flan y Ajo is a cozy (read: small) tapas restaurant on Westminster in the heart of downtown Providence, and it's a great addition to the area.

Flan y Ajo does a good job of actually being a tapas place. First of all, it's BYOB. This means that you can do what you're actually supposed to do when you eat tapas: stand around drinking and eating. Yes, I said stand around: if you attend this eatery, there's a good chance you'll be standing, but that's the way it's supposed to be. (I wasn't mad to get a little table though; there are a few.) It also follows the rules of tapas: everything is easily shareable and nothing requires flatware. Tapas! Real tapas!

Best: we just asked the waiter to bring us stuff. Not having to actually order is a rare and fantastic luxury.

Tortilla espanola served on a baguette for ease of mouth-delivery. Good.

Fried and salted peppers. I'd actually never had anything like this, but it was very yummy.

These were like the best possible version of "Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes." If you don't know what those are, don't look them up. It's embarrassing that I have ever eaten them. Anyway, there was a nice heat to this simple dish.

Nicely marinated pork, served cold, also on a baguette.

And, finally, flan infused with rose oil. This was a delicious flan, not the lame gelatin-filled kind. The rose oil was a nice touch--if you've never baked with rose water, rose syrup, or rose oil, get your hands on some.

All in all, I had a great dining experience here and I definitely recommend a trip. Flan y Ajo doesn't take reservations; that means it's probably a better weekday bet.

*Side note: bear with me while I figure out how to make instagram not suck. I am better at talking about food than taking pictures of it.

Coco Pazzo, or, College Hill Will Never Be Classy

College hill dining is sort of the pits. There are a few bright spots: East Side Pockets and La Creperie are both cheap and reliable. There has also been an influx of pretty yummy food trucks: Mama Kim's and Mijos Tacos are also fast, cheap, and good. If you want to sit down and have a proper meal, though, you're sort of screwed. Paragon is not good, Kartabar is operated by the same team, and that leaves little else.

Coco Pazzo recently appeared above the English Cellar Ale House, which is definitely not known for its food (they serve fried pita bread with their artichoke dip, what?!), but which has a great selection of beers. You can order from the Ale House menu at Coco Pazzo. The restaurant and its menu both look pretty classy at first glance.

I tried out this new eatery with Steven yesterday. The tapas menu was pretty disappointing, so we both went for pizza.

Steven opted for a traditional Margherita.

I went for the fancier mozzarella, prosciutto, fig and arugula. Sounds great, right?!

Unfortunately, these pizzas were not great. As you can clearly see, the thin crusted pizzas were burned around the edges. Despite that, the dough was inexplicably undercooked in the middle. The flavors would have been good if they hadn't been overwhelmed by the charred crust. But they were.

Despite the fact that it is spring break and college hill is dead, these pizzas also took forever to come out--so long that we got them for free. Coco Pazzo definitely still has some kinks to iron out as far as timing and execution go. Or maybe they're just doomed to be another subpar college hill eatery.

Road Trip: New Haven and 116 Crown

After a trip to New York City, I stopped for dinner in New Haven. My party had high hopes of eating some quality Ethiopian food (sorry, Providence, your option isn't meaty enough), but the restaurant was inexplicably closed, so we headed over to 116 Crown, a fairly swanky "tapas" eatery. The tapas, though, were nothing to write home about -- a decent charcuterie and cheese selection do not a tapas restaurant make. So everyone ordered a normal plate and that was that.

I treated myself to a rare steak with smoked greens and polenta. This polenta was creamy and delicious and the steak was great. The plate, though, was served cold, and we all know what happens when, well, that happens: the food gets cold. Cold food, cold plate. Hot food, hot plate. Easy to remember, line chefs of the world!

This was one of the most bizarre desserts I've ever had: smoked chocolate mousse with a side of frothed, vanilla bean infused milk. This seems like it might be a play on smores in some alternative universe where graham crackers aren't a thing and milk is an appropriate substitute for marshmallows. It was, however, mostly just a confusing if somewhat tasty dessert.

My friends said their fries were salty.

So, this has been my only dining experience in New Haven except for visiting a few diners and other greasy spoon type places during college, but I won't miss an opportunity to grossly generalize. New Haven: your restaurants have fancy decor but your food isn't better than Providence's. Sorry!

I didn't know Rhode Island diners could be like this! Or, Pawtucket's Modern Diner

I have been living in Rhode Island for more than a year and a half and had never heard of or been to Pawtucket's Modern Diner. I was missing out. This cash-only establishment is a hundred times more diner-y then anywhere else I've been in Providence. The Liberty Elm Diner (which deserves a post of its own) features locally sourced ingredients and an overall healthful flare. The Modern is not like that. It reminds me of driving to New Jersey late at night to get milkshakes and french fries. And it's apparently a great place to get a completely absurd breakfast.

I imagine that you are asking, with genuine confusion, what this is. It is a waffle covered in whipped cream and sabayon (or, as they write it on the menu, zabaglione). For those not familiar, sabayon is whipped marsala, egg yolks, and sugar--although apparently this version is made with rum. Now, a point of controversy: what sort of flower do you think is adorning this ridiculous birthday cake breakfast?

I had the much more conservative mascarpone stuffed French toast. Mascarpone might be a touch less classy than the traditional brie, but it was certainly delicious.

Go here and eat until you feel sick.

Minh Hai is my favorite cheap restaurant.

Minh Hai is in Cranston and it's way better than whatever pho place you're going to now. I can barely believe I've never talked about it; there's a good chance I'm the mayor on foursquare.

Start with the the bo tai chanh:

As they describe it, "Beef Marinated in Lemon Dressing. Thinly sliced rare beef marinated
with lemon dressing and spices. Topped with mint leaves, roasted peanuts, onions and sesame seeds." The lemon slices are rind-on, incredibly thin, and surprisingly delicious.

Pho, without the fixings (don't worry, they provide plenty of bean sprouts and anything else your heart desires). There aren't any vegetarian options, but, well, I'm a tendon-eating kind of girl. The broth is rich and delicious and that's the most important part, after all.

If you're not in the mood for pho, there are other options: friends frequently get #48.

This place is never packed, and is open every night except Tuesday. They also do takeout. It's also BYOB. In short, this family-run establishment is for sure the best vietnamese food I've had in Providence and is by far my favorite place to get a meal for under $15.

Mill's Tavern is expensive

Mill's Tavern is expensive. I have been here many times and had black truffle gnocchi, lobster and oxtail risotto, and any number of other things with exotic ingredients that promised to pack a punch. Here are some things I have eaten. 

A well executed smoked peach risotto -- not like anything I've ever had, and the right consistency (unlike the aforementioned lobster risotto, which is unpictured and which was undercooked).

Oysters, as always. Most of their selection is from PEI & surrounding area; I prefer the moral local options at New Rivers. (Plum points forever!)

Skin-on trout with tomatos and olives. Not terribly inventive, but well done.

Steak. Well done.

Adorable little strawberry cake.

Adorable chocolate volcano cake.

And, on my birthday, I had this super special chocolate torte with candied popcorn, salted caramel, and a candle. Birthday!!

My opinion of Mill's Tavern is more or less summed up in the title of this post. The menu is fancy and extensive; some of the ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced, while some of them come out of left field. There is a wide variety of options. The biggest downside to the menu is that most of the major proteins come--as did the above pictured steak--without sides; you must order these separately. Of course, this is how nice steak houses in New York do it, but we're not in New York. And the steaks are, truly, pricey for Providence.

The food here is well executed if not always mind-blowingly innovative; the desserts are especially well conceived. The atmosphere is very similar to Gracie's, but the waitstaff is much less attentive. Service is definitely spotty. All in all, Mill's Tavern is good--but not so good you won't be shocked by your bill.