4 Seasons Restaurant on Reservoir Ave on the Cranston/Providence line - it's my favorite place for pan-Asian cuisine. I knew something was up when I tried to call in an order a couple of weeks ago when the Dinnerman was away. On 2 successive days I got a recording stating the number and saying that their mailbox was full. Uh-oh. Not a good sign. I had my heart set on that fried lort. Ever the optimist, however, I theorized that they were on summer vacation, and vowed to try again the following week.
Cut to today. I felt the need to get my Job Lot on. Aha, thought I, I can get a fix on the situation of my favorite Asian restaurant - up close and personal, simultaneous! Upon arrival to the plaza they share on Reservoir Ave, my hopes were dashed. There was the yellow tape on the trash cans in front, the cardboard signs in the window. "Temporarily closed for repair", they said. My hopes dashed, I felt my shoulders hunch. I could not even muster a smile when I found brand name Windex Wipes at Job Lot. The more immediate issue, however, was what to eat for lunch?
Not to fear - I can do this. Instinct kicked in - I grew up in Cranston; this is my territory! Filled with initiative I embarked on a sojourn to some of my old haunts. Garden City was my first stop, for the bank and Border's (Stephen White is the author of choice lately - you must read "Kill Me"). Things certainly look different there. It's been a while. Then I headed over to Oaklawn Ave - my old backyard. Sure there is a brand new CVS that I had never seen before, but the old fixtures are still there too. There's the world headquarters of Del's Lemonade. There's the original Haruki, the Athenian Deli Restaurant. And there is the ever-present solution to the many questions over the years of what to eat for lunch: Superior Bakery. Superior Bakery has been in the same spot on Oaklawn Ave for as long as my memory can stretch back. When I was a kid, they sold spinach pies, pizza strips, dough, and bread 24/7. After hours? Ring the bell in back. In my elementary school days, many a bagged lunch featured one of their victuals. Today, they have expanded the selections to include a panorama of different pizza slices and calzones. They even offer to heat them up. I was so happy with my fat and tasty spinach pie with olives - it filled me up and brought back many fond memories.
Cut to today. I felt the need to get my Job Lot on. Aha, thought I, I can get a fix on the situation of my favorite Asian restaurant - up close and personal, simultaneous! Upon arrival to the plaza they share on Reservoir Ave, my hopes were dashed. There was the yellow tape on the trash cans in front, the cardboard signs in the window. "Temporarily closed for repair", they said. My hopes dashed, I felt my shoulders hunch. I could not even muster a smile when I found brand name Windex Wipes at Job Lot. The more immediate issue, however, was what to eat for lunch?
Not to fear - I can do this. Instinct kicked in - I grew up in Cranston; this is my territory! Filled with initiative I embarked on a sojourn to some of my old haunts. Garden City was my first stop, for the bank and Border's (Stephen White is the author of choice lately - you must read "Kill Me"). Things certainly look different there. It's been a while. Then I headed over to Oaklawn Ave - my old backyard. Sure there is a brand new CVS that I had never seen before, but the old fixtures are still there too. There's the world headquarters of Del's Lemonade. There's the original Haruki, the Athenian Deli Restaurant. And there is the ever-present solution to the many questions over the years of what to eat for lunch: Superior Bakery. Superior Bakery has been in the same spot on Oaklawn Ave for as long as my memory can stretch back. When I was a kid, they sold spinach pies, pizza strips, dough, and bread 24/7. After hours? Ring the bell in back. In my elementary school days, many a bagged lunch featured one of their victuals. Today, they have expanded the selections to include a panorama of different pizza slices and calzones. They even offer to heat them up. I was so happy with my fat and tasty spinach pie with olives - it filled me up and brought back many fond memories.
I will be back there soon, and I will buy a bunch of pizza strips for the spinach-averse Dinnerman, whose envy of my fancy-free galavanting of the day was intensified by the fact that the a/c was broken in his office building.
It is he whom I have to thank for my carefree spirit today too - his simple act of changing the station on the radio this morning freed me from the captivity of 80's tunes, thereby reminding me that anything was possible, anytime, anywhere.
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