Mare Rooftop – Providence, RI

Yue and I recently took a trip down to Rhode Island to visit some family, and in the process we took a bit of a whirlwind tour around the state to try out some new restaurants that had opened since I moved away a few years ago. Mare  was one such place, located in Wayland Square on Providence’s East Side. Mare features an enclosed rooftop space atop a small high-rise building. The menu features a variety of elevated seafood options, most of them locally sourced from the Narragansett Bay region.

Mare does its best business in the summer, when they can open up their space to include the wrap-around rooftop deck, which seems like a great place to have an evening cocktail and watch the sun set over the Providence river before a night out on the town. Unfortunately for us, when we went to Mare it was about 25 degrees and completely dark, so we didn’t get to take full advantage of the view, but after having spent my early years in Providence, I’m familiar enough with the local environs to fill in the details.

But Mare has much more to offer than just ambiance, and the delicious food more than made up for our poor timing. Being a restaurant in Rhode Island, one would expect Mare to take its pasta dishes seriously, so it came as no surprise that the linguine with clams that Yue ordered was excellent, with just the right amount of briney flavor to give the pasta an interesting texture. Meanwhile, I went with seared scallops over a bed of sweet potatoes, covered in a port wine and blood orange glaze. The glaze made the scallops just a bit firm on the outside, while keeping the inner meat soft.

In my lifetime, Providence has successfully rebranded itself as a cultural capital and has carved out its niche among other small New England cities as a premier place for art and entertainment. This produces a competitive environment for restaurateurs as the burgeoning youth population of Providence looks for the newest and hippest places to go and to be seen going. Restaurants in Providence live and die by either their gimmicks and the quality of their food, and Mare has excelled in both regards. In the time since I left Providence for Boston, many of my favorite haunts have closed down or been taken over by new management, so it is gratifying to see that newcomers are stepping up to fill the space left by some of my old favorites.

We’ll be returning to Mare over the summer to get the full effect of the space, and if you find yourself in Providence, it’s certainly worth a try.

Lucca – North End

Yue had her birthday over the weekend, and in the interest of politeness, I won’t divulge just how old she turned. That said, I can elaborate on was the birthday dinner I arranged, and that will be the focus of this post. A birthday seemed like a good opportunity to break out of our usual Back Bay-Allston Village orbit, and Yue is always ready for Italian food, so I looked into a couple restaurants in the North End and settled on Lucca, one of the very first eateries on the North End’s main drag of Hanover Street.

The main dining room of Lucca is loud and bustling, so it’s a little difficult to carry on a conversation, and that’s of course where we wound up, but there was a smaller cellar area that had fewer tables and seemed much quieter. If we return, I may request to sit there, if only to be spared the press of constant noise.

Yue and I are both wont to opt for Italian food when we’re in the mood for more formal (or at least Western-style) dining, if only because you never leave hungry. In our experience, too many elevated dining experiences or gourmet options leave a body wanting something a little more filling. Fortunately, you don’t really run into that situation with pasta. Lucca’s portions are in keeping with that philosophy, and we found that they were just enough to fill us up without leaving us feeling uncomfortably bloated.

I ordered a hearty beef rigatoni, while Yue went for a slightly spicy shrimp linguine. The pictures sort of make the portions look smaller than they are, but the dish size was definitely enough for the two of us. The spicy notes of the linguine took us a bit by surprise, if only because we weren’t expecting it.

Because no birthday dinner is complete without a dessert course, I ordered a chocolate torte. Once we got the flour-less chocolate cake, we managed to forget that we were completely full, or at least we found enough room for the cake. It was served with a side garnish of pistachios and pistachio ice cream, which has never been my favorite, but the flavor and texture of the nuts complimented the rich chocolate well.

We had thought to plan the rest of the night as we went along, but all that meant was that when dinner was over, we were all dressed up with no idea where to go. After a little deliberation, we decided to take a quick Uber ride across town to Sonsie in Back Bay, which we’ve written up for brunch before on the blog, way back in January. We haven’t been back to Sonsie since the winter, despite it being right by where we work, but we thought that Sonsie’s cafe-style seating would be a nice way to kick back and enjoy a cocktail. We finished off the night with a warm spiked cider for Yue and a smoky maple-infused bourbon for me.

Pepe’s Wharf – Provincetown

When we were in Provincetown last weekend, it poured all afternoon Saturday. Apparently Boston only got hit with a glancing blow, but out on the Cape it was a full-on thunderstorm. We rode it out for a while in a bar, but when the rain showed no signs of stopping, Yue and I parted ways with our friends to go back to our respective guest houses to rest up, and agreed to meet up again later that evening for dinner. We had made reservations at our friends’ favorite place in Provincetown: Pepe’s Wharf. Though the rain hadn’t let up by the time our reservation rolled around, we braved the storm (for the three hundred or so feet from our front door to Pepe’s) for a relaxed evening of elevated seafood fare.

We had already been to Pepe’s on Friday night for drinks, and the view from the bar is incredible. Situated on their second level, it looks out over Provincetown harbor (like most restaurants do, admittedly), and has a small standing-room-only area behind the bar for those who want to take their drinks en plen air. The dining room itself is on the lower level, decorated in the soft blues and whites that so many of Provincetown’s resident artists use in their paintings.

The menu is, naturally, heavy on the seafood. We started off with an order of oysters Rockafeller, which I had never tried before. The oysters are baked with a mixture of spinach and Parmesan cheese, making a light and flaky crust on top. The texture and taste were a far cry from the salty, slippery oysters I’m used to, but it was certainly a welcome change.

Yue continued her weekend-long lobster binge with a lobster pizza. It was good, naturally, but pretty heavy, and being the thoughtful boyfriend that I am, I kindly offered to help her with it when it became clear it was too much for her to eat on her own. I opted for a seafood puttanesca, a sort of frutti di mare with local scallops,  mussells and shrimp all tossed into a spaghetti and served with a slightly spicy tomato and olive sauce. The portion size was just the right size to fill up without leaving me feeling overstuffed.

By the time we had finished our meals, the rain had cleared up, so we retired to the upstairs bar for a round of drinks, and to watch the lightning flash over the Cape as the storm moved on.

Ross’s Grill – Provincetown

For our first night in Provincetown (and after a brief siesta to get out of the midday heat), Yue and I met up with our friend’s at Ross’s Grill in the heart of Provincetown’s main drag. Ross’s is located on the second level of a multi-tiered open air shopping complex and looks out over the harbor. We were fortunate enough to get a table right by the windows, and we had a great view while we ate.

We started things off with a round of drinks (we did quite a lot of drinking this past weekend), and put in an order for the raw bar. We each had a few oysters and shrimp apiece, most likely pulled out of the bay just a few hours prior. Growing up in Rhode Island, I’ve always been a bit spoiled when it comes to seafood. I’m not big on fish, but I do love shellfish, and living where I did (and presently do) means that I have access to very fresh fish, and all of the shellfish I had while out on the Cape was amazing. I think it probably has something to do with the water quality, but the flavors were very robust, and the portions were huge.

For our main courses, Yue chose a seafood paella. The picture doesn’t really do it justice, and it’s a little hard to see the various mussels, lobster, and scallops in the risotto, which was itself very well prepared. I went with a roasted duck with a citrus glaze. I think I’ve mentioned here before that I like to get duck when I see it on the menu, because it’s not something I have terribly often, and it diversifies my usual repertoire of pork, beef, and chicken. It was savory and a bit gamey, and actually paired fairly well with the oysters I had earlier.

In all, Ross’s was a great first stop on a night out. We had a hearty, filling meal, and then proceeded up and down Commerical Street to a variety of different bars, the highlight of which we returned to for dinner on Saturday. But that’s another story for a different post, so stay tuned.

Patio – Provincetown

Over the weekend, Yue and I took the ferry across the harbor to visit two friends who were vacationing in Provincetown. I haven’t been to the Cape since I was a kid, and never to Provincetown, but our friends make an annual pilgrimage, and Yue and I are looking to make our weekend getaway an annual affair as well. We disembarked from the ferry around 11 on Friday morning after having woken up rather early to catch the first boat over. We were met at the pier, and after dropping our bags off at our AirBnB, we decided to grab an early lunch.

Patio is located on Provincetown’s main drag of Commercial Street, and a quick right turn off the ferry will take you there. Yue had eaten here when she visited last year, and was dying to try the lobster carbonara again. I personally wasn’t in the mood for something so heavy so early in the day, so I opted for a chicken panini instead, though I did indulge in a midday cocktail, which isn’t something I normally do. But in my defense, I was officially on vacation, not to mention that I haven’t had a single day off since our NOLA trip in the spring. I’ve probably mentioned here before that I’m big on whiskey (in cocktails and straight up), and this one was a blend of blackberry puree, lemonade and bourbon, which now that I think about it wouldn’t be out of place in the French Quarter. But it was just the thing for a warm afternoon in a beach-side town too.

We were sitting outside on, well, the patio, underneath a canopy of two-toned umbrellas and on comfortable padded benches. Patio is great for people-watching, especially for people just arriving in town. It’s a great way to take the pulse of Provincetown and get an early taste of the local flavor.

The panini I ordered was packed with chicken, avocado, and roasted red peppers, and unfortunately due to the nature of a panini the pictures we have taken don’t really show the colorful insides. It was a very summer-y meal, and the peppers added a bit of zest to an otherwise simple dish. The lobster carbonara was also quite good, made with freshly caught Cape lobster, but as I said, it was a little heavy for my tastes so early in the day.

This was not our only trip to Patio; it was good enough that we came back once a day for each of our three days in town, enough so that the hostess could recognize us as we walked by. It will be the only time we write it up, however, but this isn’t the end of our Cape vacation for you readers. We have a few more posts queued throughout the week, so stay tuned for that!

Green Street – Central Square, Cambridge

Lately, Yue and I have been going to the same handful of bars every weekend. That’s probably something that most Bostonians can relate to; once you’ve found a bar or two that you like, you just keep gravitating back to it. Sometimes it’s the atmosphere, sometimes it’s the cocktail list, sometimes it’s the prices, but there’s always something that makes it just better to you. We try to branch out every so often, but we usually wind up disappointed. Lately we’ve been playing it safe, but I was in the mood to try something new, and I recently heard about Green Street, so I thought we would check it out.

Set one street over from the Central Square Red Line stop, Green Street doesn’t have to deal with the hustle and bustle of Mass Ave, nor does it need the impressive storefront that most Mass Ave bars use to lure in customers. It’s in a small, unassuming brick building sandwiched between parking garages. But inside is a dusky little pub with a robust cocktail menu and tap list. Green Street carries plenty of gin cocktails (which aren’t really our cup of tea), but they also have plenty of vodka and whiskey drinks too, which are more our speed. They’re lacking in rum drinks, and that’s a little surprising considering most bars we frequent have at least a few rum options.

We also saw that Green Street had an interesting food menu, so we thought we’d check them out for dinner and drinks. I had wanted to try a whiskey and apple cider cocktail, but apparently they were out of the cider, so I settled for a whiskey and ginger beer concoction, while Yue went with a vodka and grapefruit number. The drinks came quick, and they were pretty good, especially considering that Green Street’s cocktail prices are a few bucks cheaper than everywhere else in the neighborhood (the beer prices, on the other hand, look to be a few dollars more expensive). We also ordered an assortment of appetizers to do a tapas style meal.

The food service was fairly slow, and judging from the Google and Yelp reviews, this is a pretty common problem. We were sitting around for probably about half and hour. There were only two servers, and it looked like they were also handling drink orders. The apps themselves were… average, I suppose. The short rib was good enough, but most of it was fat rather than meat, which was a bit disappointing. The fish tacos and calamari were also just okay; good enough to keep eating but nothing special. The only real highlight were the curry fries, and they were a treat.

I think we’ll probably go back to Green Street for drinks, but I don’t think we’ll return for the food. It was a bit lackluster, and ultimately there are better places to go in Central. But as far as a place to grab a few drinks, it’s worth a second look.

Russell House Tavern – Harvard Square

The best time to go to Harvard Square is in the summer, where the warm weather makes for great al fresco dining, and the school term isn’t in session, so the wait times for tables aren’t as inflated. Yue had mentioned Russell House Tavern a few times, but I’d never been before, so we thought this past weekend was a good time to try it out. We sat out on their patio, and managed to get in just before the dinner rush. The menu is pretty varied, has a few interesting entrees, a raw bar section, small plates, and flatbreads. The cocktail menu is likewise diverse, with a good selection of vodka, rum, whiskey and gin drinks, for whatever your fancy might be. They also have a robust beer and wine menu, but it skews towards the hipster-y crowd, meaning it’s heavy on IPAs and light on anything actually palatable. They do have some interesting local craft brews and at least one good stout, but if you’re a dark beer fan like me, you’re better off looking elsewhere (and probably not in Cambridge at all, if we’re being honest).

Yue and I decided we’d do some shareable plates, so we ordered calamari, because Yue can never resist it when she sees it on the menu, a flatbread pizza with steak, blue cheese, arugula and fresh cherry tomatoes, and tuna tartar. The tuna was served mixed with a chipotle spice, giving it a sharp twist on the tongue. Yue thought it was a bit much, but I found it pretty enjoyable. If spicy isn’t your thing, it’s probably not to your taste, but if you’re looking for something a little more exciting for your palate than the standard elevated American pub grub Russell House trucks in, it’s a solid option.

The pizza was good too, and very summery. I don’t know if Russell House changes their menu seasonally, and if this is a more seasonal addition, but it definitely fit this past weekend, and the ingredients were very fresh. The calamari was also quite good, even if it was buried under a large pile of arugula.

For dessert, we hearkened back to our NOLA trip about two months ago and ordered a pecan bred pudding. This was probably the highlight of the meal, and a great cap to a filling dinner.

Boat House Restaurant – Tiverton, RI

This weekend was Father’s Day, and like all holidays entailing filial devotion, that means a trip down to Rhode Island to see my family. For anyone wondering, we would spend a few of these with Yue’s family, except that they’re about 4000 miles away on the other side of the planet, which means a day trip to visit them is mostly out of the question.

My family had heard good things about the Boat House in Tiverton, and it’s location seemed ideal for an early summer lunch. But between the time my sister made the reservation a few weeks ago and last Sunday, my parents found occasion to go there ahead of time, not once, but twice. So while it was a new experience for my sister, Yue, and I, the view of Narragansett Bay was practically old hat to my mother and father.

But my parents never pass up an occasion to eat fresh seafood (because they’re stereotypical Rhode Islanders), or a chance to take a drive down the coast in their new convertible (because they’re recently empty nesters and can have all the nice toys my sister and I long denied them by dint of our existence), so to the Boat House we went.

The dining room looks out over the Narragansett Bay, and we were fortunate enough to have a beautifully warm and clear day, so the ocean views were unimpeded. We started off with an order of lobster fritters, tiny spheres of fried dough with lobster meat baked in, kind of like the clam cakes you can buy for a song anywhere on Rhode Island’s ocean coast, except that you only get them when someone else is footing the bill.

For our main course, my parents both ordered the catch du jour, fresh striped bass pulled that morning from the ocean between Galilee and Block Island. I’m not much of a fish person myself, but even I would admit that it looked appetizing. For ourselves, Yue ordered a lobster roll, because it’s summer, and what else is one to do in the Ocean State? The answer, dear reader, is do what I did, and order a sandwich made with thin slices of steak, caramelized onions, and a spicy house mayo, all served on a toasted roll.

My father doesn’t really have a sweet tooth, but one of the few desserts he will spring for is a strawberry shortcake, and since the Boat House has one on their dessert menu, that’s exactly what we ordered. The shortbread cake was served with a healthy dose of whipped cream and a scoop of strawberry sorbet, which was just the right thing to clear the palette after the main course.

The Boat House is pretty far from our usual orbit, requiring a trip down through Providence and then several other outlying coastal towns to even get in the same neighborhood, but for the sake of my dad (and good food), it’s an odyssey worth undertaking.

Parish Cafe – Boylston Street

Just a stone’s throw away from the public garden, not far from stairs to Arlington station is the Parish Cafe, serving up interesting and inventive sandwiches that show off some of the best of what the Boston culinary scene has to offer. That’s not hyperbole or an idle boast, Parish’s sandwich menu is made up of creations designed by local chefs of national renown. Some of the talent featured are the head chefs at some other places Yue and I frequent, like Hojoko, Sweet Cheeks, and Flour Bakery, and others that have been on our radar for a little while, like Deuxave, Bondir, and Blue Dragon. Their menu is actually pretty handy for planning your next epicurean excursion, now that I think about it.

I ordered the Kenneth, concocted by Parish’s own chef, a simple but summery sandwich made with grilled chicken and a bleu cheese pesto mayo, topped by an assortment of summer vegetables and plenty of onions. It was a bit messy, and the open face of the sandwich meant that it started to fall apart in my hands, but it was just the right kind of fare for the turn of the season. Yue had the Mexican Meatball, designed by the chef of the Tip Tap Room, a slightly spicier take on a meatball melt featuring cilantro infused meatballs, a chipotle and jalapeno mayo and pepperjack cheese. She definitely got the better dish this time, and I highly recommend the sandwich.

Parish is ideally located for a quick bite after a day of lounging and dog watching in the public garden, or a stopover on the way to a Sox game at Fenway. They also have a fairly robust beer list (though for some inexplicable reason, no Sam Adams) and some inventive cocktails and mocktails. Yue and I have found ourselves saying that we need to go back to several places lately, but after the trouble we went through narrowing down what we wanted off of Parish’s menu (so many good options to choose from!) it’s a safe bet that we’ll be back here sooner rather than later.

75 Chestnut – Beacon Hill

When I think of Beacon Hill, I’m more inclined to think of it as a place with fashionable boutiques and good Instagram pictures, and not exactly a dining hot spot. I know there are a few restaurants and pubs in the neighborhood, but I’ve never really been there at a time that would have been convenient to have something to eat. Still, 75 Chestnut has been on my radar for a little while now, and this weekend seemed like a good time to go and check it out.

Tucked one a side street just off Beacon Hill’s main thoroughfare and featuring well-manicured window boxes, 75 Chestnut’s dimly lit interior has comfortable booth-style seating along wood-paneled walls. It’s a tasteful fusion of all the aspects one could expect from a comfortable Boston Brahmin haunt. The food reflects this, being an upscale take on American comfort foods. 75 Chestnut has a solid array salads, sandwiches, and entrees that, while nicer than the standard pub grub fare you could expect at a local bar, are still quintessentially American favorites. They also have a sizable cocktail menu made up of just the sort of drinks you would expect a place like this to have, with a focus on gin and whiskeys, along with seasonal drinks (currently strawberry-based summery cocktails and sangria).

The whole menu looks really good, but eventually we each settled on a single dish. Yue had a New England-style seafood soup, with a full-bodied red broth full of shrimp, scallops, chopped potato and haddock, while I chose the honey Dijon pork chop, served atop a bed of fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and asparagus. Yue and I have been eating a lot of eastern food lately, so I was happy to have a change of pace to such solid, hearty, American fare. The portions are a good size, enough to fill you up without overfilling you. We’ll have to go back, if only to try a few other things on the menu that caught my eye, and next time we’ll hopefully get to sit near the large picture window that takes up much of the front of the restaurant.

75 Chestnut makes for a good lunch or dinner stop if you have been wandering Boston all day, or are looking for a quiet place to grab a bite after work, away from the hustle and bustle of the happy hour crowd. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the Charles River, which makes for a nice after-dinner stroll.