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Providence Dining Experiences and Reviews

Garris

By Garris
in Providence

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Garris Town

Garris

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(From a post I made on Chowhound.com)...

Ok, I stopped by Siam Square in Riverside this weekend to try it out.

First, for those not familiar with Riverside (and I'm not) let me give you some help, as I needed to stop once or twice to orient myself. The address is 1050 Willett. Willett is the same as 103, so just keep going on 103 East if you're coming from Providence. Keep watching the numbers until they get to around 1000, and then there's a big confusing interection. Keep going until you hit the Shaw's strip plaza, which houses the restaurant. That's 1050 Willett. I'd estimate it's a 15 minute drive from the East Side.

Ok, so I ordered Chicken Pad Thai, vegetarian spring rolls, and Lab chicken, my standard "staples" for evaluating Thai restaurants.

The spring rolls were fine. Lightly fried, not at all oily, and very tasty. There were 4 for an appetizer order that was about 5 dollars total...

The Pad Thai was indeed very good and, as others here had mentioned, probably the best I've had in the Providence area. The noodles were perfectly cooked, a hit of crunchiness provided by the peanuts. It was sweet, sweeter than Thai Star's or Sawaddee's take on it, but I like it that way. It could be a touch hotter to be perfect, something you could probably request. The chicken pieces were large, fresh, and tasty.

The Lab Chicken was very good as well. A nice mix of hot, oniony, and herbal, it was very well done. The chicken was nicely minced. It's just as hot as Thai Star's version, but has far more punch in the onion and herbal categories for better balance. I still prefer the slightly less hot, but perfectly balanced, Lab chicken from Sawaddee, but this is awfully close!

Now for the negatives. Like stingy Sawaddee and unlike the generous Thai Star (which packs their containers with food), takeout portions are on the smallish side. The Pad Thai had at least a quarter of the flat metal container filled with a lot (and I mean a LOT) of bean sprouts, and the side of the container with the Pad Thai was hardly bursting at the seams. The Lab chicken, which often comes with shreaded lettuce, had a shocking 1/3rd of the flat container at LEAST filled with coarsely chopped iceberg lettuce. With an overall price tag for the meal plus tax, NO RICE (more on that below) and no drinks, being $28, it didn't feel like a value.

Is it good enough to bring me there in the future?

Probably. Sawadee is on the way home for me, so it'll still probably be my fixture. But if I want the best Pad Thai, I'd probably make the drive. Value is not high on the equation, though.

I'll try Mekong next!

- Garris

Providence, RI

PS: What's up with the Asian restaurants in this area having rice be extra? Everywhere else I've lived, rice came with all entrees. It's like ordering a hamburger entree at a restaurant and having french fries be extra, or a corned beef sandwich and they charge you for pickles.

Rice is literally cents on the cup. Note to the local Asian restaurants: I absolutely refuse to pay $1.50 or so for what literally is like an ice cream scooper full of a grain product of which there's a likely world surpluss. I always now make it at home in my rice cooker before or after ordering out.

Also, is it just me, or are restaurants seriously cutting down on their take-out quantities. My biggest concern in the past with takeout is that the sauces might overflow the containers in the car ride home. No concerns about that in the last couple of years, though. My imagination or not?

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citybuilder Unincorporated Area

citybuilder

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Has anyone tried La Camelia for Armenian/Middle Eastern in East Providence? I got a recommendation from an Armenian guy the other day to try it. It is on Waterman, on the west side of Broadway, near Massasoit. Here is a review from AOL CityGuide.

The search may be at an end for those looking for true Armenian and Middle Eastern food in Providence, with service and atmosphere to match. While it may not look like much, this small mom-and-pop-owned restaurant makes patrons feel as though they've come home -- no matter where home is. There is no doubt that the service is as good a reason to come here as the authenticity. George and Guylaine Moukhtarian greet you at the door, seat you at a table in the cramped ''kitchen,'' make all the food themselves and bring it to your table. It is almost like being in your mom's house. The lightly fried falafel with a perfect tahini sauce or the baklava that melts in your mouth will have you wishing that these recipes belonged to your family.
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Garris Town

Garris

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Has anyone tried La Camelia for Armenian/Middle Eastern in East Providence? I got a recommendation from an Armenian guy the other day to try it. It is on Waterman, on the west side of Broadway, near Massasoit.

I may check it out this weekend !

I think it depends upon how much you know about those cuisines and your pallette... I don't know where their food falls on the Armenian/Middle Eastern spectrum...

Two or three catered lunches at my workplace have been from La Camelia, and I, knowing very little about Armenian cuisine, enjoyed them, finding the food quite fine...

Three of my coworkers, however, were from Lebanon, and they all greatly disliked the restaurant's take on dishes familiar to them, to the point of calling them "poor" and "crap." When one person on a different day asked them if La Camelia was worth trying, they said, "Stay away, stay far away..." I have heard Armenians, though, have a far, far more favorable view of the restaurant, so maybe their preparation is more to that group's liking than the Lebanese population.

I've always wanted to actually go to the restaurant itself.

If you go, let us know how it is!

- Garris

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c.a.haynes Unincorporated Area

c.a.haynes

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I think it depends upon how much you know about those cuisines and your pallette... I don't know where their food falls on the Armenian/Middle Eastern spectrum...

Two or three catered lunches at my workplace have been from La Camelia, and I, knowing very little about Armenian cuisine, enjoyed them, finding the food quite fine...

Three of my coworkers, however, were from Lebanon, and they all greatly disliked the restaurant's take on dishes familiar to them, to the point of calling them "poor" and "crap." When one person on a different day asked them if La Camelia was worth trying, they said, "Stay away, stay far away..." I have heard Armenians, though, have a far, far more favorable view of the restaurant, so maybe their preparation is more to that group's liking than the Lebanese population.

I've always wanted to actually go to the restaurant itself.

If you go, let us know how it is!

- Garris

For the "closest to the real thing," try Bay Leaves, a Turkish restaurant just outside of downtown Wickford...

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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I found this on chowhound.com so I don't know if it's true or not, but I'm hoping.

In what struck us as questionable move, Stanley's ,we were told, will be opening a branch in downtown Providence that will be open till the wee hours -- competing directly with Haven Brothers, in other words. In terms of quality Stanley's can certainly hold up but will enough people desert the Brothers to make the move pay off?

I found this on chowhound.com so I don't know if it's true or not, but I'm hoping.

In what struck us as questionable move, Stanley's ,we were told, will be opening a branch in downtown Providence that will be open till the wee hours -- competing directly with Haven Brothers, in other words. In terms of quality Stanley's can certainly hold up but will enough people desert the Brothers to make the move pay off?

http://www.stanleyshamburgers.com/index.htm

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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I would be thrilled to see a good, reletively cheap, sit down burger joint Downcity. Especially if it takes on the chrome and neon diner look. Double especially if it's a local joint looking to expand.

PS: I'd love it if there were an ice cream store nearby as well. ;)

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runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

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I found this on chowhound.com so I don't know if it's true or not, but I'm hoping.

In what struck us as questionable move, Stanley's ,we were told, will be opening a branch in downtown Providence that will be open till the wee hours -- competing directly with Haven Brothers, in other words. In terms of quality Stanley's can certainly hold up but will enough people desert the Brothers to make the move pay off?

http://www.stanleyshamburgers.com/index.htm

this would be AWESOME downtown.

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bucketeer Unincorporated Area

bucketeer

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I found this on chowhound.com so I don't know if it's true or not, but I'm hoping.

In what struck us as questionable move, Stanley's ,we were told, will be opening a branch in downtown Providence that will be open till the wee hours -- competing directly with Haven Brothers, in other words. In terms of quality Stanley's can certainly hold up but will enough people desert the Brothers to make the move pay off?

http://www.stanleyshamburgers.com/index.htm

I heard they were moving in next to Jake's. Not sure if it's true or not. They wouldn't happen to have veggie burgers, would they??

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Garris Town

Garris

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Emergency question for folks here (I'm under the gun time-wise)...

Has anyone here been to Lot 401 for dinner. My division needs to take an out of town guest for a meal. I know the food is great, but is the atmosphere too club for that, or is there a more sedate dining section?

Thanks!

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brick Burg

brick

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Has anyone here been to Lot 401 for dinner.

Why not go to Neath's if you are worried about the club thing?

Outside of that I can't relaly help you. I've only been to Lot 401 after 10 PM or so, and obviously it is very club like then. The dining area downstairs seems like it should be ok earlier in the evening?

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Garris Town

Garris

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Why not go to Neath's if you are worried about the club thing?

Outside of that I can't relaly help you. I've only been to Lot 401 after 10 PM or so, and obviously it is very club like then. The dining area downstairs seems like it should be ok earlier in the evening?

The person putting in the request wants Asian, but just went to Neath's... Trust me, it would normally be my first choice...

- Garris

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oak Unincorporated Area

oak

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I ate at upstairs at Lot 401 when it first opended and I felt like I was there to have my gallbladder removed rather than for dinner. The upstairs resembles an operating room before the club lights and music start.

Maybe this is a fine atmosphere for a dinner with MDs, but I think I'd go to Haruki in Wayland Square.

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magoldbe Unincorporated Area

magoldbe

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It's filthy. There is zero upkeep done inside and out. I wouldn't eat in a place that looked like they hadn't cleaned the windows or vaccuumed the floors in 3 years. Who cares how good the food is?

true, little chopsticks wasn't the cleanest or tastiest chinese joint in town, but its proprietor, Mr. Lin, is a great man. He studied comp lit in taiwan, and he can keep up a lively, insightful conversation on just about anything from kennedy family rumors, to post-feminist philosophy, modernist fiction, medieval folk medicine... you name it. he's one of the most well-read men I know. also, he's been like a father to a couple friends of mine, when they really needed a supportive adult in their life.

Mr. Lin has headed back to Taiwan, and I think he is selling the restaurant. The culinary loss may be marginal, but the cultural loss is great.

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magoldbe Unincorporated Area

magoldbe

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i agree that kosher style, or even just a good kosher dairy restaruant would do great in Providence. I have often wondered why we didn't have one, but it does take a lot more work than a regular bagel joint.

my pipe dream has been to open an old-skool kosher (style(?)) restaurant in smith hill. I just worry that in a city that favors pink vodka sauce and "tuna carpaccio" do you think people would be open to the culinary wonders of kishka, kasha, schav and ptcha?

seriously, I have fantasized about pitching this to jaime d'olivera...

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Liamlunchtray Burg

Liamlunchtray

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my pipe dream has been to open an old-skool kosher (style(?)) restaurant in smith hill. I just worry that in a city that favors pink vodka sauce and "tuna carpaccio" do you think people would be open to the culinary wonders of kishka, kasha, schav and ptcha?

seriously, I have fantasized about pitching this to jaime d'olivera...

Why Smith Hill and not Hope Village? Seems like in Hope you have a built in jewish population.,

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bucketeer Unincorporated Area

bucketeer

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I ate at upstairs at Lot 401 when it first opended and I felt like I was there to have my gallbladder removed rather than for dinner. The upstairs resembles an operating room before the club lights and music start.

Maybe this is a fine atmosphere for a dinner with MDs, but I think I'd go to Haruki in Wayland Square.

I was going to mention Haruki as well. You're right about the pre-club atmosphere at Lot 401--very sterile. I'm also not down with the attitude.

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