Apologies for being so scarce. Guess that's better than being scary, though I shudder to think how many are afraid.
The Dinnerman worked and worked with a sinus infection and nary a day off right through Christmas, so we've been enjoying his well-deserved time off around New Year's by doing a whole lot of nothing.
Nothing but eating and drinking, that is.
Today's foray was an impromptu one to one of our closest and well-loved yet under-frequented places - Hemenway's.
I have long been a big fan of Hemenway's. I am a huge seafood fan, so that's a natural draw right there.
Also, it's very close to home, but I guess I loved it even before that was true.
So what pulls me through that door? What makes Hemenway's roll off my tongue whenever I'm asked where I want to go - any place, any distance, any style of food, any price? What has made me choose Hemenway's for my birthday dinner - every year for a decade?
First of all, the place is comfortable. It boasts huge vaulted ceilings and lots of wood. The bar is elevated in the center of the space, and there is that huge lobster tank and oyster station right in front.
Then of course there is the matter of the food that makes its way to my table! I've not had a bad meal there, ever, and that says something. Nor has the service ever been lacking, and that really says something in Rhode Island! If you've eaten out anywhere around my hometown lately (or even long ago) you know what I mean. "Service with a smile" is not a ubiquitous concept in these parts. Many places treat you with contempt, even. And let's face it, the way you are treated is a huge part of the dining out experience.
At Hemenway's you are never rushed, talked down to, or neglected. Whoever is in charge of this place is doing things the right way.
They are also open early on Sundays, which in my experience is not common for restaurants of this caliber around here! For us old farts, that's a bonus.
Today we began with a selection of oysters in pairs: Duxbury, MA (concentrated and salty, small); Moonstone, RI; Raspberry Point, PEI (huge!); and Bluepoint. All amazing, served with a sharp mignonette and the more New England-ey cocktail sauce with horseradish. They really hit the spot! We hadn't had oysters in a while. While I've meant to get my ass to the farmers' market to try those from Matunuck, it hasn't happened yet. This Saturday, for sure, though. I've got a date with my foodie neighbor and his boyfriend in from Russia!
But I digress...
Entrees come with a house or caesar salad plus your choice of a side, which includes veggie of the day; baked, fried, or mashed potatoes; rice pilaf; or cole slaw.
We stick with the caesar salads whenever possible, and Hemenway's doesn't disappoint. They even do the extra anchovy thing. (Some restaurants that have caesars on the menu don't even stock anchovies...what's up with that?)
I ordered the tuna entree, prepared in the style of the tuna appetizer. The Dinnerman did this once; I have learned well from one of the masters of consumption.
The man (who, by the way, wants to be known as "Pudgy Funster" from now on) had the baked scallops. It just came to him as his first thought, and then we saw an order go by us to another diner, so that was that. So succulent, so sweet. Mmm.
That's all I have to say. Oh, and they do an amazing Stoli Doli. Watch out though, they pack a punch on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Showing posts with label Rhody. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rhody. Show all posts
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sesame Seared Tuna at Hemenway's
Friday, December 12, 2008
Bienvenidos a Motherfucking Rhode Island...
It is unbelievable how this can go on - a cigar bar in a residential building? Where I smell this acrid fucking stench 24/7 in my residence? Where I breathe in toxic fumes as I sleep at night?
Welcome to fucking Rhode Island. Breathe at your own risk. Oh, and go fuck yourself too. That is, unless you know somebody...
I hate it here.
To you City Officials, and the embarrassingly impotent, defiant, and self-righteous RI State Department of Health - all you assholes have blood on your hands. May you never get a good night's sleep - ever again.
I will never, ever let this go.
Welcome to fucking Rhode Island. Breathe at your own risk. Oh, and go fuck yourself too. That is, unless you know somebody...
I hate it here.
To you City Officials, and the embarrassingly impotent, defiant, and self-righteous RI State Department of Health - all you assholes have blood on your hands. May you never get a good night's sleep - ever again.
I will never, ever let this go.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Hong Meas Combination Rice Noodle Soup
I really love this dish here! It's not quite pho as the owner, Sophia (an Anglicized version of her real name, but I'll get that straight one of these days) is from Cambodia (via New Zealand!) and thinks that the typical Vietnamese noodle soup has too many strong flavors going on.
This is a simpler broth, though simmered with chicken and pork bones for 8 hours. Despite the inclusion of imitation crabmeat - among the rice noodles, chicken, shrimp, beef, and sometimes pork, scallops and squid - this combination rice noodle soup has become a front-line favorite.
In fact, the whole experience of driving over the bridge to East Providence [Washington, or sometimes Henderson ('Red') - gotta mix it up!] and sitting down to this big steaming bowl has become a comfort ritual.
Plus, Sophia is a hoot! She's so gracious, accomodating, funny, and sweet to all her customers. So down to earth, she frequently tells me to relax and go home to have sex with my boyfriend! She is a beautiful woman with a lively and free spirit. Though the restaurant is very casual - comfortably divey, kind of red, and sparsely kitschy - it serves some of my favorite Asian food in the Providence area.
So many factors converge to make a dining establishment a regular destination for me. It's not just what I stab with a fork or pinch with a set of chopsticks. It's not the threadcount of the tablecloths or how comfy my ass is in the booth. Rather, it's the depth and richness of the whole dining experience - the humanity, the thread that runs through our common need to feed ourselves, to sit around a table and fill up with so much more than what goes into our mouths.
That is harder to come by, and worth seeking out. When I find it, I hold it close.
An example of that sitting-'round-the-table-family-is-the-glue-that-keeps-you-from-disintigrating-in-life thing, which I felt privileged to witness, occurred on Labor Day, in the late afternoon. I wandered in for my bowl of soup and saw a long table set in the middle of the restaurant. It was set with stand-alone burners and plates of uncooked meat, seafood, and vegetables - even beautiful watercress! Clearly this was to be a hotpot extravaganza. Family and friends straggled in - some bearing gifts, all speaking in language unfamiliar to my ugly-American ears - and I at once felt like an honored guest and an intruder.
When Sophia's beautiful daughter (who I thought was her sister at first!) brought me my check, I asked if it was a holiday party. She said that yes, it was a good chance for the family to get together, Labor Day being notoriously slow. On my way out I said to Sophia, "Watercress?". She said yes, call a day ahead and she'd get it for me...and my boyfriend!
I've been eating at Hong Meas steadily for at least 7 years. So much has changed in my life during that time, but this place, like other things that continue to provide me comfort, has remained a constant.
Hong Meas Restaurant
332 Warren Avenue
East Providence, RI 02914
(401) 438-5227
This is a simpler broth, though simmered with chicken and pork bones for 8 hours. Despite the inclusion of imitation crabmeat - among the rice noodles, chicken, shrimp, beef, and sometimes pork, scallops and squid - this combination rice noodle soup has become a front-line favorite.
In fact, the whole experience of driving over the bridge to East Providence [Washington, or sometimes Henderson ('Red') - gotta mix it up!] and sitting down to this big steaming bowl has become a comfort ritual.
Plus, Sophia is a hoot! She's so gracious, accomodating, funny, and sweet to all her customers. So down to earth, she frequently tells me to relax and go home to have sex with my boyfriend! She is a beautiful woman with a lively and free spirit. Though the restaurant is very casual - comfortably divey, kind of red, and sparsely kitschy - it serves some of my favorite Asian food in the Providence area.
So many factors converge to make a dining establishment a regular destination for me. It's not just what I stab with a fork or pinch with a set of chopsticks. It's not the threadcount of the tablecloths or how comfy my ass is in the booth. Rather, it's the depth and richness of the whole dining experience - the humanity, the thread that runs through our common need to feed ourselves, to sit around a table and fill up with so much more than what goes into our mouths.
That is harder to come by, and worth seeking out. When I find it, I hold it close.
An example of that sitting-'round-the-table-family-is-the-glue-that-keeps-you-from-disintigrating-in-life thing, which I felt privileged to witness, occurred on Labor Day, in the late afternoon. I wandered in for my bowl of soup and saw a long table set in the middle of the restaurant. It was set with stand-alone burners and plates of uncooked meat, seafood, and vegetables - even beautiful watercress! Clearly this was to be a hotpot extravaganza. Family and friends straggled in - some bearing gifts, all speaking in language unfamiliar to my ugly-American ears - and I at once felt like an honored guest and an intruder.
When Sophia's beautiful daughter (who I thought was her sister at first!) brought me my check, I asked if it was a holiday party. She said that yes, it was a good chance for the family to get together, Labor Day being notoriously slow. On my way out I said to Sophia, "Watercress?". She said yes, call a day ahead and she'd get it for me...and my boyfriend!
I've been eating at Hong Meas steadily for at least 7 years. So much has changed in my life during that time, but this place, like other things that continue to provide me comfort, has remained a constant.
Hong Meas Restaurant
332 Warren Avenue
East Providence, RI 02914
(401) 438-5227
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