Los Andes Feast!

Los Andes Feast!
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

Upper Left: Ceviche Mixto

Finally, real ceviche in Providence at this mecca or South American food!
This is not the sweet 'pseudo-ceviche' that the imposters try to pass off as the real thing - this is the real thing.

Containing mussels, tiny clams, squid rings and tentacles, and topped with onions, a solitary shrimp, and fried hominy kernels (think of a softer version of Corn Nuts!), this is always a winner. This version had chunks of what seemed like swordfish as well.


Upper Right: Anticuchos de Corazon

Skewered beef hearts over potatoes in a creamy green sauce. Yum!

I'd had chicken hearts before and remain a huge fan. These are similar in texture but with a bit more substance and bite. They possess a wonderful chewiness yet they are not tough or gamey by any means - very clean and tender. Delicious!


Lower Left: Sirloin Cap Special

Special last Sunday at Los Andes, with some kind of mustard marinade...it was quite acidic (which I love) and we could taste the mustard even though we couldn't see it!

This was so tender and richly delicious!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_sirloin_cap_steak


Lower Right: Picante Mixto

Chicken and beef tongue with pureed aji rojo, onions, and peppers.

Oh my god, was this good! The tongue, which I'd not before tasted, was oh so much more tender than I'd ever imagined it could be. The chicken was falling off the bone tender, and the sauce - perfectly balanced with peppery goodness. I will get this again. Best part? It's only around $10!

I'm almost hesitant to post this as it's one of those situations where you wonder what the impact of 'letting the word out' will be, and try to balance that with helping bring in more business and new customers who may have not had the pleasure of Peruvian/ South American food!

The place seems to have a steady stream of regulars. We have been twice, each time on an early afternoon weekend day. The place was full of families and very welcoming and relaxed. I think we were the only white people there - everyone else was speaking Spanish. I loved that about the place - adds to the authenticity.

Los Andes is BYOB; they will be getting a liquor license July 20th but you'll still be welcome to bring your own bottle, we were told.

Los Andes
903 Chalkstone Avenue
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 649-4911

http://losandesri.com/

Dear James Woods...

...I think you're great.

I have always been a fan of the intensity you bring to each character you play. I am proud that you are a native Rhode Islander, as I am also from Warwick, where you originated.

I recently re-watched Any Given Sunday, and was blown away by your performance.

I loved Shark - what happened to that show? It was becoming a staple in my television lineup. You were amazing in it!

It seems that I see you at Rhode Island Hospital just about every summer these past several years. This began in 2006, when I had broken my leg and was waiting with you in the x-ray department one day in July. You were very cordial to those who approached you with their admiration, shaking hands, saying thank you. I was struck by your down to earth nature.
I didn't approach you, as I kind of have a policy about that. I wouldn't want to be bothered, so why inflict myself on others?

Anyway, I just wanted to put this out there. I'm a big fan.

I'm very sorry about your brother. Though it's no longer breaking news, having lost my own mom 12 years ago I know it takes a long time to work through something like this.

I do hope you were able to locate your mom's nurse, and that your family and you are doing well. Hope to see you on tv or the silver screen sometime very soon.

It'd be a dream to be able to be there with you!

Livin' in a Tent Down by the River!!!

Providence
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

According to yesterday's Projo there are 34 tents with 60 residents living in 'Tent City', located underneath a closed section of 195 that is set to be knocked down.
This is state owned land, an active construction site. It's the jurisdiction of neither the City of Providence nor the police, but the DOT.

These people are performing all the routine daily rituals involved in being a living organism (as my grandfather would say, "eating, drinking, pissing, and shitting", not to mention bathing and washing clothing) right there along our river, likely in the river itself.

Can you imagine the long term public health risks posed by this situation? It's the stuff that plagues are made of.

So what is the State of Rhode Island (and Providence Plantations, for now) doing about it?

Um...nothing. Sounds about right.

Some Like it Hot!

Some Like it Hot!
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

If you like super spicy food and you live in the US, chances are that you've had to go to great lengths to have your wishes fulfilled.

In our own experience, it takes a good 2 or 3 visits to a place before they really start to get it and believe that you're serious when you say, "Don't be afraid, and don't hold back - make it really really spicy!"

Each successive time we say that last time wasn't spicy enough, don't worry - we're not like typical Americans, yada yada yada...

They it clicks, and we are happily sweating and salivating.

Sometimes we even get a little bit of container art as a bonus. This was from Angkor on Wickenden Street. The food is solidly good, not great, but they are so friendly and accomodating that we keep coming back.

I wish they would do more with seafood and stop overcooking the shrimp. I also wish the noodle and rice dishes weren't so dry, but I suspect that's partly due to the styrofoam take-out containers they use. The nime chow is very good, and the tom yum soup is too. I usually order the salmon that they usually have as a special (sans the mango sauce which is likely too sweet). For me they include lots of spicy sauce and some steamed broccoli on the side. It makes me happy.

All in all, Angkor makes for a very satisfying post-Wickenden Pub Friday night take-out meal. It's not ground-breaking or extraordinary, but it's consistently quite good and we are treated with kindness, not contempt. Sometimes, especially around here, that can mean more than cutting edge.

Grilled Shrimp with Heads!

Grilled Shrimp w/ Heads!
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

I found these big guys at Whole Foods on Waterman. I'd never seen shrimp with heads around in any local store, so I snatched them up!

They were a big hit with little effort. All it took was a simple marinade of olive oil and blackened seafood seasoning and a little time on the grill. Delicious.

I was reminded of how much better shrimp taste when cooked in the shell, heads or not!

Now if we could only bring on some grilling weather. It's been one soggy spring so far; this rain is getting old.

Newton Running Shoes

Newton Running Shoes
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

Oh, hi! I got sucked into the vortex of Twitter. It fits so well with my short attention span.

Steven ordered these but they were too small, so you'll have to wait for a review!

He runs a lot and Newtons are supposed to "mimic the advantages of barefoot running", according to their website.
I can't imagine what benefits those would be, but what do I know?

(They remind me of McDonald's; Grimace on the insole would be better than Isaac, don't you think?)

I can say this - the website says they run true to size but it's not so. These run small. S had to go try on last year's model at City Sports on Thayer Street for size and exchange these. Newton's customer service couldn't be better, though.

http://www.newtonrunning.com/

Grilled Bison

Grilled Bison
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

I'm not dead, just jet-lagged.

Last week's trip to the Sacramento area landed us at the home of a friend in El Dorado Hills (after being stuck in Folsom Traffic for hours, victim to some ingenious plan to merge 4 lanes into one, but I digress...).

Our friend has a beautiful A-frame house on top of a ridge. There were roosters, goats, and wild turkeys roaming around, and if you looked down the hill there was a field of bison, where a baby had just been born the week before. As cute and playful as this little baby bison was, I yearned to sample some meat as soon as I could get my hands on it.

Cut to last night: the Dinnerman and I grilled bison for the first time ever, and we loved it so much that it has earned a spot in the regular rotation!

I'd heard that bison meat was leaner than beef, so it was less tender and much easier to overcook. This made me a bit apprehensive, which is not always a bad thing.

The bison went into a very simple marinade of olive oil, garlic, parsley, a splash of cider vinegar, salt and pepper. After a few hours of soaking and a few minutes of grilling, we were groaning in delight as we bit into the tender and flavorful flesh.

The Dinnerman even indulged my latest television obsession in the form of an evening of 'In Treatment' episodes - something he rarely will do without a grumble. I give partial credit the bison! The other part goes to the previous night's linguini with clams: