Cassarino's Ristorante - Providence, Rhode Island

One of the last places I dined on my trip to the East Coast was Cassarino's Ristorante. Cassarino's is an old school Italian-American restaurant located on Federal Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. For those who don't know, Federal Hill is Providence's little Italy. There you'll find lots of great dining, shopping and depending on the time of year a great Italian festival. 

I love a good red-sauce, Italian-American restaurant and Cassarino's delivered. We started out with a drink at the bar...

A vodka martini? Yes, please!

Once we were seated we ordered a few appetizers to share. All of them were good but the the Burrata Salad was outstanding. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. All I can say is if you see it on a menu somewhere, order it.

Burrata Salad - Creamy fresh mozzarella with Prosciutto di Parma & sliced tomato, finished with olive oil, sweet balsamic vinegar & black sea salt

We also had the stuffed mushrooms and the bruschetta.

Mushroom Caps - Mushrooms stuffed with a Ritz cracker & vegetable stuffing

Traditional Bruschetta - Toasted Italian bread layered with sliced fresh mozzarella & marinated diced plum tomato

For our main courses we decided on the filet mignon and, what I believe were two specials, the papardelle arrabiata and a fillet and stuffed shrimp dish.

Filet Mignon - Grilled filet, portabella mushroom demi glace, with a sprinkle of gorgonzola cheese. Served with asparagus & potato

Papardelle Arrabiata

Grilled filet with mixed veg, potatoes and stuffed jumbo shrimp

Dinner was great. Just what you'd expect from a joint that's been serving local diners since 1988. Great company and good food. No better combination for a fabulous evening.
After dinner we walked over to Pastiche Fine Desserts for a couple of cannolis and a few other treats. A wonderful end to a great evening.

A box of goodness - Cannolis!

If you plan to visit Providence you have to make Federal Hill one of your stops. So many great restaurants, places to get traditional Italian pastries and other yummy goodies.I can't recommend it highly enough. It's touristy but in the best possible way. It'll be a highlight of your trip.

Happy dining!

Harry's Bar & Burger - Providence, Rhode Island

Harry's Bar & Burger was another stop I made with my lovely sister and my awesome BIL during my visit to the Northeast. I'd read about Harry's and wanted to stop in when I was visiting. 

After reading in several places that Harry's served one of the best burgers in Providence how could I not give it a try?

Harry's is a small, hip place located near Brown and RISD that specializes in small burgers and beers. They also have an interesting cocktail menu, hard-shakes and a few Bloody Mary's.

My awesome BIL had a Smuttynose Brewing Company's Finestkind IPA.

I had a beer, it was a good beer, but I can't recall its name. I know I should take better notes, or any notes, but you know how it goes.

Which brings us to the food. We ordered the M.O.A.B. (mother of All Burgers) with a side of Sweet Potato fries. Harry's has a veggie burger option and also turkey burgers. Everyone should be able to find something they like.

M.O.A.B - harry's classic cheese, bacon, mushroom and fried onion stings

The burgers are small sliders cooked using the "smash them on the grill" method. While not my favorite style of burger, these were not at all dry and very tasty. A happy surprise.

Sweet Potato fries with Kryptonite Aoili

The fries were good but made better with the addition of the kryptonite aoili.
I have no idea, not a clue, what kryptonite aoili is. It tastes good and it's green. That's all I got.


Harry's is a fun place, serving creative, small burgers and a good selection of beer. No surprise that it's a favorite with the local college crowd. Due to it's small size the place fills up quickly and can have a wait. Would I stand a wait for this place? Probably not. But if you hit it at the right time Harry's is certainly worth a visit.

Happy dining!
 

Providence, Rhode Island

Earlier this summer we spent some time on the East Coast. We visited Newport and spent some time there but we stayed in Providence. Our visit was cut short by some annoying travel delays so we were in the city for less than 48 hours. No matter, we managed to fit a lot of fun into a small amount of time.

Sidewalk dining at Mediterraneo

We got together with family to have dinner at the Mediterraneo Cafe on Federal Hill. Federal Hill, long a gathering place and home to Italian immigrants, is still the place for fabulous Italian restaurants. The area now also boasts a very diversified and lively dining scene made up of many different cultures and cuisines.

The gateway arch over Atwells Ave.- The LaPigna (the pinecone) sculpture hanging from its center is a traditional Italian symbol of abundance and quality and has become the symbol of Federal Hill (not the pineapple, which is what I always call it)

Outdoor dining piazza style

Many of the area restaurants have outdoor dining options. Some are set up around a central courtyard made to mimic a piazza in Italy. A place to meet up with family and friends, grab a nightcap and take an after dinner stroll. 

There are many things to bring visitors to Providence, everything from the nearby beaches, art museums (the RISD museum to name one) to the spectacle that is WaterFire. We've never managed to make our schedule work so that we can get to the WaterFire display. Definitely on our list of things to do next time we're in town. It looks amazing.

Providence has history, interesting architecture, world class dining, shopping, sun and sand; just about anything you might be looking for in a vacation getaway.

Lastly, but not least by any stretch, I want to mention some of my favorite local foods. Be sure to look for these on your visit. Can't leave town without a stop at Del's for some frozen lemonade, no trip to the beach is complete without a stop for stuffies and clam cakes, of course chowder too, snail salad, pizza strips, Italian pastry, and New York System hot weinies. Which have always been from Rhode Island, go figure. All worth seeking out.

There you have it, the many reasons to put Rhode Island and Providence on your must visit list. A little something for everyone. 

Happy travels!