the duck & bunny, a snuggery

i am nestled back in my cozy room of a suburban town right outside of los angeles. the ringing fire truck sirens are now nothing but faint reminder of the past; what once was of my first year away in college. its 2:10 am and i am surprised that at my alertness despite the true internal clock within me that screams 5:10 am. the last remainders of my unpacking are sprawled out across the floor. i reminisce about my first full day home; (a whole day of eating.. seriously) scallion pancakes prepared by my father, a whole lee family reunion bbq, melrose, fairfax flea market, sprinkles cupcakes in beverly hills, your typical delicious chinese dinner at tasty choice (family style once again), taiwanese shaved ice, & lastly passion fruit slush with pink boba. i hope you guys can kind of understand why i love LA so much...

oh dear i have like 3 days worth of food to blog. so lets rewind to the morning of leaving risd...

i knew that the last morning called for a momentous event. something to really finish off the first year of risd foundations right. and there was no other person i wanted to spend it with than my best friend caroline; we went through so much as kids growing up a block away from each other and the fact we somehow ended up going to the same college is truly a blessing. i have no idea what i would do (my sanity included) if she were not there to really guide me through my entire risd experience.

we originally had plans to go out for breakfast on her birthday the preceding weeks but because it just happened to be on a studio day for me, there was no way of making it happen. she had told me about how she strolled down wickenden and passed by the cutest little almost hole-in-the-wall restaurant perfect for her special occasion. since it didn't really work out before, i took this chance to make it happen on the last day.

making our way out of the quad and down onto benefit heading towards wickenden, we both marveled at our accomplishments, summarized our year, and mused about the future. i just could not believe we survived a full first year at a school that is infamous for giving more work than MIT. the blue skies opened up the morning sun; the stroll down benefit could not have been more perfect for the occasion

we walked a good length of wickenden before finally discovering the restaurant that caroline had seen before; i recognized the pinkish exterior and the menu strategically placed in front; when i had strolled wickenden a few nights before with yung kee when we went for japanese, i recall seeing this little inconspicuous restaurant and having my curiosity peaked; i have never heard of it in my new england food guidebook or see it appear on any of the reviews on urbanspoon/yelp. but once i walked in, i knew instantly that i was going to love this place.

within the pink front, my eyes were immediately drawn by the overall feel of the restaurant. i am a firm believer that the taste of food can always be redeemed by the general atmosphere of the restaurant; it enhances the whole experience of dining the food and i would even go as far to say that it may even make the food taste better.. the mood of the interior was almost a cute english high tea room with a little bit of a new englandesque french influence. i was greeted by an ornate chandelier in one room and white regal cushiony benches in the other.. i was going to be in for a treat.

upon looking in the menu, i was hoping to see good ol fashioned breakfast goods like your standard eggs, potatoes, fluffy pancakes, and the like.. but instead, i saw a long list of well crafted crepes, assorted/typical tea pairings, and a special semi breakfasty list on the back (i think i just saw the french toast with berry compote that really drew me in..) oh and not to mention the HUGE wine list in the menu as well as in a separate booklet. i struggled between deciding whether i was in a salty or sweet mood; i just finally cast my indecisiveness away and made a compromise; i diplomatically choose to split the freshly baked dried fruit scones with caroline, and ordered "the mazzy star" crepe (consisting of portobello mushroom, truffle oil, and fontina cheese) while caroline ordered what i believe was "the tiny evans" (which had duck egg, mushrooms, tarragon, shallots, and gruyere cheese.

when the scones first arrived, i took note of the arrangement of the cream and jam neatly dabbed by the overlapping scones. i could feel the warmth emanating from the scone as i moved it towards my white plate. with a dab of cream and strawberry jam, i placed a bite of the scone into my mouth; what an experience, i had never in my life experienced a more delicious piece of baked good that just seemed to melt and dissolve on my tongue. even the scones i had with caroline in london, could not compare!!!!!! once our crepes came out, we both immediately dug in; i knew the food was more than just amazing; i noticed that caroline and i stopped talking just so we could enjoy the pure bliss of the crepes and scones.

the truffle infused mushrooms in my crepe were just spot on; what was undeniably good through was caroline's selection. her crepe was not too salty and somehow the creamy goodness of the melted gruyere and the duck egg created the perfect balance! we both could not have asked for anything more, completely finished our food, and left the snuggery as content as possibly imaginable.



...and thus we finished our year...


http://www.theduckandbunny.com/

red fez? oh, you mean thee fez!

last full day of risd foundations year. aside from running around with the whole storage and packing and cleaning and being just so anxious to return home to california, i was just more than elated to finally finish risd foundation year and begin my summer..

it's always those "it's been a long year, but it also felt so short! or vise versa.." words cannot describe how excited i am to just go home and hang out with old friends and to be with family. (and not to mention eat more delicious food, get in shape, cleanse, and be happy with myself) summer is always just that: revitalize, renewal, reinvention. all those "re-'s" motivate me to take the summer easy, allowing me to be content with my life so far; it is not only that but also to develop an appreciation for rest and respite (which is always necessary and sometimes hard to come by at risd). for me, summer is also a time of exploration and adventures; self and environment. let's just say, i have a lot of things i want to do once i touchdown in los angeles and my summer commences :) andi'mohtooexcitedforitall.

i am so thankful to have the friends that i have made at risd even within a relatively short time span of only nine months. so within nine months, these people have gone from mere strangers to the best&most amazing people i have ever come in contact with. i am always glad to know i have people that i can really connect with other than my friends from home whom i have long since known forevvveeeeer!

anyways, finally getting to the food part; i knew this last night called for a celebration with my future suite mates matt and yung-kee. i am thrilled to be living with them next year in colonial; we had previously dinned at "the red fez" (it's actually called "thee fez" but we've been calling it the red fez this whole time, so we're sticking with it) this little cute half bar half restaurant joint is definitely popular with the hip younger crowd; just the eclectic rock 'n roll esque ambiance would probably cater towards a more artistic bunch.

whenever i go to the fez, i am never disappointed; the food is always spectacular and not too expensive for its quality! we all decided to order food that was different from our last visit; with yung-kee, he went with the quahog clam fitters and a side of fries, while matt ordered a cheeseburger (no surprise there...), and me? i went with the coconut rice noodles with tofu and peanut satay sauce.. wow my stomach is growling as i type this..

we all talked about the past, present, & future, aka our risd foundations year in retrospective.. i could not have asked for a better ending to this crazy stressful year. i absolutely content with spending my last dinner with my two friends whom i have grown to really appreciate :) well, our food arrived, and of course, the red fez always astounds and amazes; my noodles tasted like actual authentic asian noodles with the quirky red fez twist i could not put my finger on.. it seemed that both matt (who completely devoured his burger) and yk also really enjoyed their meal... the side order of fries were MASSIVE and i would highly suggest also ordering the tabasco mayo sauce.. (it reminds me of the belgian fries store called pomme frites that always has these AMAZING dipping sauces!!)

afterwards, we wandered a little around downtown, finding ourselves in little underground jazz cafe...
but yeah, i think this dinner really concluded my first year at risd. i could not have been more happy with the people i have encountered, the places i have been to, and the experiences i have made.



all i look now is towards the future. (oh yeah, and did i mention this summer 2010.. WILL BE FUCKING HELLA SICK!!!) (with love, karen)

i think i'm seeing red stripes

i'm starting this at 4:43 am, so technically i am writing about yesterday's food journey...

i do not think i have endured a day as hot as i did (during my risd frosh year) yesterday. my, my, it was 85 degrees, but it honestly felt like 110. and to think i have survived worse temperatures back in los angeles.. i think my body just is not used to heat like it was before i endured my first cold winter! today, i had plans to finish up the last of my excruciatingly pricey shipping chores, and head up on angell street, past thayer, and take a visit to the little self-proclaimed "american brasserie" called red stripe. i'm pretty certain this restaurant was named after the ever-so-popular alcoholic beverage. heck, they had a red stripe bottled sculpture on the counter of the main serving table.

after walking some twenty/thirty minutes and even wandering past my final destination, lingering into wayland square to check out la laiterie, i was most definitely drenched in sweat. i took shelter in red stripe, prepared for a late lunch.. this late lunch menu was pretty limited in terms of the food they served around this time between three and five (i think i arrived late three 'o clockish).. even with this limitation, i knew exactly what i wanted;

there is nothing better than a classic grilled cheese sandwich. except, in redstripe version, it was created with a pesto sauce, slices of poached pear, and what seemed to be havarti cheese (i could be wrong..) when the waiter brought out my dish, i completely was in shock by the sheer size of the portion.. these two massive sandwich slices were covered almost completely by the pomme frites (thinly sliced french fries) that came with a creamy aioli dipping sauce. oh my my my. (i really regret eating two slices of vegan pizza from the met four hours before..) the fries, were delicious (are they never!?)...

one bite out of that grilled cheese, and i was good to go. it was not as salty as i imagined it to be, but that is always a good sign. the poached pears really added a different sense/taste to the overall sandwich.. this greasy meal was well worth the hot walk and thirteen bucks. i came, knowing i would be satisfied, and i left happy and more than just satisfied... i would come back to this place, but most likely for a regular lunch or dinner course.

oh yeah! and i also had a little appetizer at phonatic (just cause i went with a few friends for their dinner..) and just ordered veggie spring rolls because i was STUFFED from my late lunch.. which i happened to take a photo of.. but i know i will need to give this little vietnamese place a proper entry in the future.. (i think i have been there at least six times, no lies)


aww man. i do not think i can eat tomorrow.
but... i did promise a friend that a trip to our favorite gyro place on thayer called east side pocket; a verrrrry necessary food excursion before going back home!


www.redstripeprovidence.com

julian's & newport part deux

do you ever realize how much a single person is capable of doing in just one day? i guess i never gave thought to this idea; especially throughout the school year when the only thing i could really focus on was just work.. AND ESPECIALLY when you are concentrating on your own artwork, the very fabric of space time continuum gets kinda skewed... you just delve into your art, head first, lost in the swirl of detail orientations, color, or even your self-made frustrations. well, finally arriving at my point.. this was just another one of those long (but not excruciatingly long..) days where my own spontaneity increased the duration of the day. i managed to fit a whole exploration of west providence on top of the longest bus ride to newport..

i started off my day trying to ship a few paintings back to california.. fuck. shipping is not exactly the most frugal way of getting your shit from point a to point b. its bad enough i live on the other side of the country and that it's a terrible hassle to even get all my things to where they are... (oh and not to mention the fact i go to a $45k+ art school... art supplies not included) well, i do not want to get into specifics..

anyways, i set out towards the ups store on westminister street with the sole intention of making my way over to broadway street to explore my culinary options. i could have taken the bus, knowing the bus route from my volunteering at olneyville that required me to take a bus that drove through broadway...but of course, i wanted to fit in a bit of exercise before indulging in my soon-to-be calorific delights..

the sun beat down on me as i slowly ventured across a bridge that hovered over the local highway. somehow, looking down at the speeding cars that zoomed in opposing directions gave me a slight hint of vertigo... as i walked down broadway, i noticed how the buildings were reminiscent of old antique victorian homes you would expect to see out of new orleans.. i was fascinated by how they were arranged on broadway while incorporating the modern commercial structures.

i passed by the empty broadway bistro, noting the menu.. as well as phoenix dragon chinese restaurant. i originally had plans to try the chinese food.. but that thinking was only attributed to my late night desire for chinese food as i read the dim sum menu 10 times on my computer screen. i knew i would be heading back to los angeles in 4 days; i would prefer to eat GOOD chinese food that i KNOW will be delicious and authentic with every bite.
before arriving at julian's, i wandered into a little guatemalan craft store. i was instantly attracted to the multi-colored textile designs of the various bags, scarves, and children's toys. this was almost like those craft folk stores you would see on olvera street, but more high end and with carefully selected items. i fell in love with this one bag that had this beautiful blue ikat design.. not only could it be considered a hand bag, but it could transform into a backpack. i knew from that moment, the bag had to be mine.. it would make an amazing summer duffle!

so anyways, finally, i got to julian's, famished from my long 40 minute walk, i slowly made my way into the restaurant, astounded by the interior of the little place. there was this alternative, pseudo-hippie, biker ambiance as i observed the strange photography pieces and signs that seemed arbitrarily placed on the walls; even the mix of lighting like the odd chandelier juxtaposed with the other vintage lamps gave this restaurant an odd, offbeat warmth. AND all the servers were tattoo clad! (it seemed like it was some requirement for servers to look alternative!?)

aside from the atmosphere, the food was quite interesting. they definitely cater towards vegans and vegetarians; i was happy to see the different tofu scrambles and vegan breakfast options they had! everything on the menu just sounded both so healthy and appetizing! i knew that i would have to try at least two different plates of food; with this in mind, i went with a sweetly satisfying vegan cinnamon orange french toast and the vegan st jamez eggs benedict. although the wait was a little longer than anticipated, i thought the experience of the food was well worth it.

the vegan eggs benedict fascinated me; not so much emphasizing the taste, but the actual substitutes they made to create this eggs benedict. they fried pieces of silk tofu to create the illusion of the egg white, and drizzled this strange almost butter-like hollandaise sauce on top of a bed of spinach and french bread. they also provided their own housemade ketchup, but i preferred the good ol heinz ketchup. BUT OH! the vegan cinnamon orange french toast was spectacular! i only had one piece and regretted not getting the full portion. it was not too sweet and the orange added a nice subtle twist to the overall taste...

i would say i was satisfied by julian's, and left feeling more than content about my brunch.. i later walked about the rest of broadway, passed by an abandoned movie theater from the 20's and even made my way over to westminister street where i stumbled across white electric coffee... (a future place to try sometime after many good reviews of this place from friends)... later in the day, some friends invited me to go to newport again, and i of course having nothing better to do with my time, happily agreed.

(making this last part about newport a bit shorter and more quickly summarized...) we basically took a one and a half hour bus ride out to newport and making sure to stop by kilwin's to get another good helping of ice cream and fudge. walking along thames street, i took note of the MANY interesting eateries.. i will most likely return there sometime in the future with an empty stomach and a camera to be filled with food photos..

hungry for dinner, we made our way back towards the bus stop, stopping at the rhode island quahog restaurant. i know that seafood specialty restaurants do not always offer the best options for vegetarians.. its always some form of pasta that is meant to incorporate seafood.. as i suspected, the only thing i could eat was the veggie pasta. i was more than accepting of this fate, already more than satisfied by that good brunch at julian's..

i am not going to lie, but even what my friends had seemed sort of ordinary and bland.. just filler for an empty stomach (wow i sound pretty harsh). the pasta was not worth fifteen bucks! i could have made an even tastier plate for less than five bucks! oh well, and so goes life.. but it seemed like my friend sophia really enjoyed her clam linguine that she decided to take it home with her!

all in all, the second trip to newport was well worth all the amazing views i encountered from my bus ride there. we passed by barrington, warren, bristol... the little homes tucked in the woods are what i always imagined the all american life to be like... it was so surreal.
i would say that i had a pretty eventful/fun day; so much to do, with so much time!


http://www.juliansprovidence.com/
http://www.quahog.org/cuisine/index.php?id=191

the reward is (not cheese) but a hummus sandwich (a damn good one too!)

i am not going to lie when i say that there is absolutely nothing better than eating with a view. i guess that is why i have always enjoyed picnics outdoors and restaurants situated on hilltops or even in skyscrapers. its almost like the concept of having dinner and a show.. the spectacular view (hehe rilo kiley) is what the show is all about. nothing thrills me more than eating a good meal beneath a beautiful blue sky (patches of clouds included) while overlooking distant figures, objects, or buildings. maybe this is the sightseeing part of me that i really love.

so the beginning of my last week at risd... i am amazed at how much free time i have in comparison to the rest of the foundation students; i feel like this is a pure sign of goodness; that someone up above is maybe finally rewarding me after the yearlong torture of being trapped on risd's campus and not being able to fully explore the possibilities of food and adventures due to my constantly busied life of making art. at last, this window of opportunity has given me until friday to do just that.

i am trying to organize my days according to what restaurants and local eateries i want to try... today, knowing that i had to start and finish the dreaded six page essay for one of my liberal arts classes, i knew that if i strategically accomplished this task at the starbucks down by 15 west, i could easily make myself accessible to farmstead, the local sandwich shop that everyone has been recommending me to go. for a while now, i have passed by this little cute shop, with my curiosity peaked by the assortment of cheeses that decorate the store front. now let me just say, i am a HUGE sucker for cheese. i even revealed to my friend yung-kee, who is previously mentioned in my trip to wickenden street, that one of my life long achievements would be to become a certified cheese connoisseur.

i am not quite sure how the whole process of being a cheese master would work out, but i bet it would be a great conversation starter! so anyways, after picking up a nice grande soy green tea frappacino at starbucks and convincing myself of not leaving starbucks until i finished my paper, i took this opportunity to set eating at farmstead as a reward for completing the horrid task of writing that essay. eating a good sandwich at the end of the day would motivate me to finish the paper in one sitting, as quickly as i possibly could. of course, it that process was difficult and i had a few setbacks (thank you facebook and starbucks wi-fi...) but i managed to finish everything within a span 4/5 hours.

while at starbucks, i even ran into natalie, this upperclassman furniture major who was in my machine knitting class during winter session. after congratulating me on completing (or very close to finishing) my freshman year at risd, i mentioned my planned food adventures all across providence. she suggested red stripe, then briefly talked about her experience at farmstead. right then and there, i knew that choosing farmstead could not have been more perfect. this friendly ed encounter only increased my motivation to finish and finally get that sandwich!!

3 'o clock. finally. done. and i quickly packed everything up and made my way down westminster st. hungry stomach. jitteryness from the green tea. but i was ready for farmstead; i walked through the familiar boutiques, and saw the huge conspicuous banner with the iconic cow. i knew i was in for a treat.. upon walking in, i was greeted by a friendly sandwich maker as i turned to my left to see a very limited menu of sandwiches. apparently, according to their website, they have only a small selection that is specially made based on the season. with only one vegetarian friendly sandwich to choose from, i acceptingly chose the fava bean hummus sandwich; i could not have been happier with my selection.

within the store, i was surprised to see the selection of other goods they were selling; in addition to the wide variety of cheeses lined above the counter, i also saw breads, preserves, local made desserts, crackers, you name it! fine food goods and specialties are not in short supply at farmstead; with a quick few minutes, my sandwich was handed to me, wrapped in an ordinary brown paper.. the warmth of the sandwich that seemed to emanate through the paper and into my hands.. such a momentous occasion of food called for a perfect/epic viewing spot of providence.

i was patient enough to walk all the way towards the architecture studio, following the boardwalk that runs by the providence canal. i walked until i knew where to stop; right by an oddly shaped silver sculpture with steps that seemed to flow into the water. after setting all my things down and neatly situating my back against a huge step, i was ready to unwrap my delicious present.

i must admit, it did not look like the most appetizing of things, but hey, the very nature of hummus gives it that odd look... (the taste is what matters!!) with one bite, i was in looooove! this sandwich was extremely satisfying.. devoid of extreme saltiness and with the right bite and consistency. i could not have asked for a better reward; a delicious sandwich and a free view of the providence skyline underneath blue skies. i was extremely happy with my decision to wait until finishing the six pager and finding the right spot to eat.

at that moment in time, i knew this would set the tone for the rest of my week of food adventures across providence as i finally finish my last week/foundation year at risd. life does not get any better than this...

oh and i forgot to mention, farmstead is actually just an extension of their main restaurant up on wayland called la laiterie. my friend tamar plans on taking me to la laiterie later this week, and i am more than thrilled!!!


www.farmsteadinc.com

this maritime beauty; newport

everyone here would agree that being a risd student, it's really difficult to make time for anything other than your studio art assignments. now that the year is winding down, and having finished a large portion of my final critiques and liberal arts exams, i have been given this opportunity to really explore rhode island during my last week. let me just say, i am more than thrilled. i feel like i have been caged up in my little risd bubble with little knowledge of how amazing this great ocean state of rhode island can really be; (i mean i have ventured out a little bit, but more towards the lower end areas where i would volunteer)..

after being spontaneously invited to newport, i knew this would prove a far worthwhile experience than being stuck in my room writing my last six page paper..

..unfortunately before setting out for the beautiful seaside town of newport while lies on the edge of rhode island (a maybe forty minute drive away from college hill), we had to help connor out with his car after some asshole broke through the passenger side window, taking only forty dollar tomtom gps system and completely missing the four hundred dollar pair of sunglasses.. but after that was all sorted out with the police and cleaned up, we were well on our way.

while driving through the lush verdant greenery of rhode island, i came to realize how beautiful new england can really be when you step out of that concrete jungle that is providence. i had not experienced the pure blissful scenery that the blue skies and blossoming late spring trees had provided; this was a first, and truly a sight to see. it really felt like i was back in california; but definitely the green was real. ephemeral. transitory. and more appreciated because of that.

whenever somebody mentioned newport, i always imagined a small seaside town lined with small boutiques, cafes, and antique stores. to my surprise, what really makes newport famous is its enormous bellevue avenue filled with large chateaux that all once used to be owned by the vanderbilts. we visited the breakers, one of the more famous houses on bellevue, and let me just say, i was absolutely blown away by the sheer splendor and ornamentation of the house. just walking through the enormous intricate iron gates that seem like they would be found as an entrance to a big name hollywood studio, i was welcomed by an extremely european house. the interior was truly a treat; gold painted/leafed everything, large billowing staircases with red velvety carpeting, incredible mosaics, the spaciousness of it all. i was beyond amazed.

after all that sightseeing, as well as getting a look at the ocean that was the vanderbilt's backyard, tom and i agreed that we were starving! connor drove back up to the main street where many pubs and seafood restaurant resided. tom, with his amazing eye sight for food, picked out a nice little bbq joint called "the smoke house".

being a vegetarian, i was pretty skeptical about the quality of food that would be given to someone who would avoid almost 95% of the menu. luckily enough, they had a "veg out" sandwich that consisted of roasted eggplants, cucumbers, red bell peppers, onions, tomato, and goat cheese wrapped in tortilla. i also added a side of corn bread just because that was probably the closest i could get to barbeque cuisine without having to actually eat pulled pork. starving, tom, connor, and julia all opted for a good hamburger; oh and i forgot to mention, we also ordered nachos w/o chicken to start out with.

i think i may be a bit more critical this week having eaten so many delicious things the week preceding; local 121 with kyle, and al forno with tamar.. the nachos were decent, and the wrap was so so. what i really enjoyed, as i had predicted when ordering, was the fries and the cornbread. oh! the cornbread! so warm, with a little bit of butter smothered on top; it was the right balance of sweet and salty. you can never really go wrong with that..

afterwards, we dropped by the local chocolate/candy/ice cream shop called kilwins. it definitely looked like an upscale local sweet store.. sampling the fudge, i was torn between that, my original decision to get a bag of salt water taffy, and indulging in a cappucino ice cream with fudge chunks. with one sampling of the ice cream, i instantly knew; i could never say no to coffee ice cream; never in a million years! it is my one weakness! and with that, my day ended on a high note. newport, what an amazing place to be...

www.smokehousecafe.com