Rhode Island Dining: Part 2 Desserts

Since half of us has a crazy sweet tooth, it seems only logical that part 2 of our Rhode Island Dining reviews covers desserts. Here are all our favorite spots for pastries, doughnuts, cakes, ice cream, and desserts.

Butterbang

Wowza. After Weny’s first dentist appointment near Brown, we stumbled upon a small bicycle-driven food cart serving croissants and coffee. The croissants were big, puffy, and you could see the neat lamination work. While we were a little skeptical about croissants from a food cart powered by foot pedals, we were blown away. The Dainty Pig is filled with prosciutto, gouda, and rosemary and is still my favorite croissant in Providence today. Overall, it’s probably a top 5 croissant I’ve had anywhere in the US. What followed was tracking down the cart early on the weekends to get a fix. Sadly, we couldn’t attend one of the last baking classes before COVID hit, but now the owner, Brian, is operating out of a croissant window.

Photo: Gina Lauren Mastrostefano

Seven Stars Bakery

Every city seems to have a newish local chain bakery. When I was in Boston, I saw the rise of Flour Bakery & Café. In Providence, I see the same things from Seven Stars Bakery. While Flour’s biggest claims to fame were its sweets, Seven Stars Bakery shines in bread. Their locations provide the full café experience pre-COVID with a great overall sandwich, pastries, and drink game. They’re currently at 4 locations with another on the way.

Photo: Foccacia from SevenStarsBakery.com

Knead Doughnuts

When you think of trendy doughnut spots, Knead Doughnuts is the type of place that comes to mind in Providence. I was so sad when they closed the location that was walkable for us, but they still have other locations on the West Side, East Side, and East Greenwich. We are particular to the brioche yeast-raised doughnuts.

Photo: Dramatic Doughnuts from Knead Doughnut's Instagram

Pastiche

Early on during a visit to Providence before moving here, we explored Federal Hill, which is the Italian neighborhood in Providence. Away from the main street, was a small street facing the highway, and we were surprised at how much we liked the desserts there. Our favorite is still the fruit tart, but over the time we’ve been in Providence, we’re always hitting up Pastiche for celebratory cakes, tarts, and treats.

Photo: Fresh Fruit Tart from PasticheFineDesserts.com

The Ice Cream Barn

The Ice Cream Barn is technically in Massachusetts, but it’s less than a 20-minute drive from Providence. Our first trip here was a late summer trip out of the city in search of dessert during our first month in Providence. After getting off the highway and weaving through some local roads, we arrived at a long line just out the door (pre-COVID). When we got inside, our mouths started watering from the smells and sights of the crew making fresh waffle cones. These waffle cones were game-changing. Crisp and thicc-k. One of these cones alone could easily elevate store-bought pints into the nostalgia of ice cream outside on a summer night. Black raspberry, Oreo, and coffee flavors were standouts. I don't even like coffee.

Photo: The Ice Cream Barn Instagram

Wright’s Dairy Farm

On the other side of Providence 20 minutes north of the city, is Wright’s Dairy Farm. They are a local dairy provider for MA, RI, and CT. In addition to a farm market, they have various baked goods and an ice cream stand. The was one of the first places we tried away from home during COVID and eating in the car was a nice getaway from quarantine mode. Black raspberry and anything with Oreo was also strong here. Park a bit further away to avoid barnyard smells while eating your cone.

Photo: Cross Sections from WrightsDairyFarm.com

Let us know if you have any other suggestions for sweets in Providence!

Rhode Island Dining: Part 1 Asian Restaurants

Now that we’ve been in Rhode Island for over a year and a half, I thought it was time to look back at some of our favorite places. For the first part of our series, I thought we would highlight our favorite Asian spots since Chinese New Year celebrations are ending. I also wanted to support Asian establishments since they’ve faced a lot of challenges over the past year from COVID-19 discrimination early in the pandemic, general pandemic related hardships faced by all restaurants, and a rise in Asian-related hate crimes. If you’re tired of cooking at home and want to try something new for takeout, check out some of these spots. Remember to call or order direct if you can so that they don’t lose out on their profit margins!

Den Den Fried Chicken

This was one of the first places we tried in Providence and is located just off Thayer St. where Brown University is located. They specialize in Korean fried chicken, which has a light batter and comes out super crispy. It’s pricier than your normal fried chicken spot, but it’s worth it, especially if you’ve never tried Korean fried chicken before. Sauce options are the standard soy garlic or spicy sauce. They also have other Korean dishes like seafood pancakes, spicy rice cakes, and more. Check out their other location Den Den Café Asiana for more options.

Photo by voravitv

Mokban Korean Bistro

Mokban is in downtown Providence on a cozy cobblestone street. They have cute bento-esque lunch boxes and Weny is a fan of their rich milky smooth bone broths. Sadly, their place got vandalized during the protests over the summer, but have bounced back.

Heng Thai and Rotisserie

Also located off of Thayer St. near Brown, Heng Thai is a cozy basement level spot that has décor that will transport you out of a dreary New England winter. We’ve eaten here a handful of times and after trying out 5 or so other Thai spots in the area, this was our clear winner. You can’t go wrong with the stir-fried noodles like pad kee mao and pad see ew, but the Thai style roast chicken and khao soi can hold their own.

Photos from Hengthai.com

Haruki East

Ah yes, you always need a sushi spot. Even though sushi has become so ubiquitous, I can’t stop a craving once it hits. Although we haven’t tried many other spots, Haruki East has been pretty reliable and they have other locations in the area as well.

Pho Horn’s

For our Vietnamese fix, we stick with Pho Horn’s. This was one of our first staple spots and we almost always get the pho. We haven’t been back as much lately since I started making our own pho, but if you ever made pho, you know that it’s a day-long commitment to simmer that stock. When we don’t have it on hand, we still make a trek back to Pho Horn’s.

Chengdu Taste and Chong Qing House

I grouped these two together since they both serve Szechuan Chinese food. Chengdu Taste was previously located in Pawtucket in one of the most divey spots I’ve eaten at in while. Now they’re at a larger spot in Providence post COVID. Lunch specials are super affordable. Chong Qing on the other hand downsized moving from Fox Point to East Providence. While the spot is smaller, the food still satisfies. Chongqing chicken, eggplant in a spicy garlic sauce, and cumin lamb hand-pulled noodles were our favorite dishes so far.

India Restaurant

While I admit I never liked Indian food until after college nor am I anything close to fluent in ordering Indian food, I still usually end up going through phases when I’m craving it. This is the only Indian spot I’ve tried in Providence, and it was satisfying with huge portions.

Ceremony

The last spot we’ll pick is Ceremony. This is one of the more unique spots we’ve come across in that it’s a high-end tea shop where you can get a variety of tea beverages including a small tea ceremony at the bar. The design of the space is elegant and minimalist. It’s also female-owned (Michelle Cheng) who moved from the fashion industry to a food incubator focusing on single-origin loose leaf teas.

From their Zen Instagram

To Try List

North and Big King

This has been on my list since we decided we were going to be in Providence. I’ve been following James Mark’s work, and he’s been vocal on social media for causes I believe in. Hopefully, we get to try these spots soon!

Pandemic Weight Gain

Happy 10-month pandemic anniversary! It has been 10 months since I’ve last worked at a restaurant due to the pandemic. The new year seemed as good as time to reflect on the weight I’ve gained since then. In addition to no longer working at a restaurant, the gym in my building had been closed for an extended period of time and is now a limited option due to capacity. Also, the extra time led me to cook freely for practice and pictures that led to eating too many calories over time. I tried to moderate my weight gain with Youtube exercise channels, and I did some running over the summer, but when it’s all said and done, I gained back pretty much all the weight we had lost awhile back prior to the pandemic. With the new year, it’s time to get focused back on our health and I just wanted to share some of the things we’re doing to be healthier.

Although I don’t advocate for any type of trendy diets, I like to pick and choose elements of some popular diets to integrate into my life because there’s just no long-term success by depriving yourself. Here are some ways I'm trying to improve my diet.

Increasing Intake of Heart-Healthy Foods

Having high cholesterol in my family makes me aware of the things I’m supposed to be eating, and I’m glad that I’m much more accustomed to these foods compared to my younger days. I enjoy salmon, fresh berries, and nuts much more now than I did in the past. I’ve also grown to tolerate oatmeal, although I still need things like fancy peanut butter, dark chocolate, and good fruit to help me eat it. Steel-cut oats are also more favorable to me than rolled oats. Also, mixing in some flaxseed meal with oat bran meal is an easy way to get more fiber without it affecting the taste of smoothies. My vegetable intake still needs some work.

Finding the Healthier Substitutes That You Can Accept

Whole wheat bread, yes. Whole wheat pasta, no. Tofu, yes. Tempeh, no. Sometimes lines need to be drawn in the sand, and there are going to be things that you just need to accept. You can’t win all your battles so just embrace the things that you can deal with and reject the things that you can’t. Again, tempeh=no.

Whole Wheat Pizza, Better Than No Pizza?

Reducing Intake of Refined Grains, Red Meats, Fast Food

Switching up white rice and flour for brown rice and whole wheat flour was tough, but the occasional sacrifice is something I’ve learned to deal with. Although I don’t cook much red meat at home, I’ve cooked more in the past year to keep my skills up in the kitchen. Slow cooking red meat is therapeutic so it’s always tough to reduce consumption when you cook a larger meal that lasts days. Fast food, meanwhile, makes my body feel like crap a lot more as I’ve gotten older, but sometimes, I still crave it. I’m weak like that. Luckily, the pandemic kept me away from fast food and eating out in general.

Reducing Starch Intake Later in the Day

My eating and sleeping schedule can be all over the place. When I worked, sleeping at 2 or 3 am was pretty normal so it was a challenge to hold off on a quick meal or bite meal after work. Now, I’ve started to eat larger meals earlier in the day and reduce what we eat later at night. Usually, fresh fruit and smoothies are helpful to make me feel full due to all the water weight.

Anyone else got some good dieting tips to help ease the pain of losing weight?