Maureen H.'s Profile

Beautiful Inn.  I'd read some reviews that kind of trash talked the keeper, but I found him to be very friendly and had no complaints.  His assistant was also very pleasant.  The place is full of beautiful antiques that he has collected from all over.

The Queen Elizabeth room has a bed from New Orleans.   Very quiet (I kept the radio tuned in to 90.1  extremely low all night just for some sound.  It was new agey, Loreena McKinnet stuff, very ethereal and peaceful.)

Breakfast was a fruit cup, eggs, bacon toast and coffee.  

Nice touch was the Edgar Allen Poe book on one of the tables.   Lots of layers of nice coverlets and blankets on the bed.

Picked up some really delicious treats here.  A flourless chocolate cork that consisted of 3 different chocolates, moist and rich.  Gingerbread (not your mama's gingerbread!), apricot-filled shortbread and caramel, pecan and chocolate tarts.

Really 3 and a half stars.  The decor is pleasingly industrial minimalist and small.  The walls are the same color as my bedroom that reminds me of dried african mud.  We waited at the small bar and sampled a Montegioco Demon Hunter brew from Italy.  Nice sediment.  A bit citrussy, but tolerable.

While sipping, someone from the loft above spilled their wine on the bar that splashed on several of us.  Bartender didn't feel the need to apologize.  It brought back a memory of when my father took us to Pier 4 in Boston about 30 years ago.  The wine steward accidentally bumped into the wine stand and a tiny amount spilled on my father's clothes.  Nothing even noticeable.  The maitre'd insisted on giving us the entire meal for free and having my father's clothes dry-cleaned.  Now THAT's old-world style.  Out with the old, and in with the new...

We were seated at a small table upstairs and were offered a tiny array of arugula, romano, beet and some creamy cheese.  It was quite good, literally one bite.  Then we shared the rabbit terrine with duck mousse and sunnyside quail egg.  Delicious and adorable.

I had the seared scallops and risotto.  Generous portion of risotto ($12?), but only 3 scallops (for $22).  Still, it was plenty, just a bit over-priced for the amount I thought.  The better half had Tuna steak medium rare.   He also had the tasty rigatoni in a wine sauce.  About half a cup worth.

All in all, courteous service but a tad overpriced for whatcha get.  Will try Street & Co. next time.

In about 1960-61 my father used to go out with the guys on a Friday night and stop into Stanley's (that stayed open til 2am) and buy a sack of hamburgers with just onions on them.  He'd stuff them in the fridge and we girls would have them for breakfast in the a.m.

I stopped in over the weekend and it's in the same spot on Dexter Street but has been remodeled with a retro feel.  They're still making hamburgers with onions for less than $2.00.  I planned on bringing a sack of them home, but we only made it half way before we just couldn't take the aroma anymore.

http://mhriweb.org/e10...

This is where I was born, so I called to ask if I could visit and peak at my birthday brothers and sisters, and see the actual building where I entered the world.

The Hospital was built at the turn of the last century due to a $200,000 charitable donation by William Sayles and his son Frank's decision to invest that in a hospital where all could be treated regardless of financial ability.  When the hospital opened the average cost of an operation was $10.  In 1912 there were 120 emergency admissions.  In 2000 there were 31,545.

There were two babies in residence when I visited, but privacy laws prevented my taking pictures.  I watched a young man in a rocker stare at  a tiny pink baby cradled in his arms for about 5 minutes.  Tiny new life really is awesome in the true sense of the word.  Another little guy was wheeled by.  Baby Aquarians.

I was glad to hear the maternity ward now encourages mothers to keep their babies with them at all times.  There is no longer that corral like room where all the babies are in their little boxes together away from their mothers.

To my surprise, two of the women I had spoken with bought me a birthday cake, assembled a tote bag full of goodies including a beautiful pen, t-shirt, coffee mug and other MH items and a package of historical information.

So I got to eat cake (from Crugnales, delicious and custard-filled with tender citron) with all the maternity nurses in the hospital where I was born 50 years ago.   :)

Even though I gave this 3 stars, I had a 5 star time there having 2 pints of Guinness, some good fries with vinegar, half a corned beef sandwich and 2 buffalo wings (25cents apiece and lots of different flavors).

This place used to be the Harp and Shamrock from the 40's up until a few months ago.  Apparently, you couldn't get in there on a St. Paddy's day.  But it is definitely a divey place, so go prepared not to sit on the toilet seats. :)

We popped in the middle of the afternoon when the place was decorated for the bartender's mother who was turning 70.  I was chatted up by the grand and great granddaughters in the bathroom while they held onto their balloons.  There birthdays are coming up soon.  Jukebox was playing some mighty good Sinatra.

Band for later in the night was to be The Senders, a local Providence band, and I saw The Ignitors on the schedule, too.  Might be a bit too head bangy for me at this age, but it's a local crowd-pleaser.   Good times for when you don't want to "put on the dog", but just grab a pint and be able to hear your company without a lot of pretentiousnes.  You do want that now and then, don't you?

Excellent Guinness BBG burger and superb onion rings.  Decor was okay.  I was disappointed that there was a cover band on a Sat. night.  Some good Irish would have been better for my nickel.  Kind of tucked away place.  This Ri Ra is mostly imported from County Mayo.  There's a pretty old, gold harp in a display case.  How about some O'Carolan to go with it???  Planxty Burke.  Will have to try it on a Sunday night in the future.

Great location.  Beautiful room with spectacular night-time view of State House.  Fifty feet from 95, but not overly noisy.   Rooms have gas fireplaces for heat source making a charming atmosphere.  Clean and spacious with comfortable bed.

Breakfast was a ham and cheese strada, and assorted other goodies including coffee cakes, fruit cup, yogurt, bagels, etc.  The women who work there were very helpful and friendly.  They talk funny, though.  Oarff  instead of off, etc. ;)

There was nothing I did not like about this restaurant.  There was a birthday triangle here the night we went.  Me and the immediate two tables to ours were all celebrating.

I love the decor and jazz music.  Steps Ahead was playing just loudly enough.  Colorful glass with beige and white backdrop.  Our waitress was incredible.  She told us the restaurant was under new management, said there'd be live jazz soon, half price wine on some evening (I can't recall) and to check their hottomatoes website that will be updated soon) and brought over samples of bruschetta (olives, feta and tomatoes).

I had a champagne cocktail and we tucked into some PEI mussels for starters.  Next I had the venison tenderloin with a blackberry sauce and a sweet potato flan, washed down with a glass of Shiraz.  It was great.  My husband had Scallops, equally wonderful and beautifully arranged.  I asked where the deer was procured from and we discovered there's a purveyor of deer in CT.  FDA does not allow any wild animal meat to be sold.  It was my first venison.  Rare and delectable.  A 6 inch wide coconut creme brulee (smart idea to make it wider and shorter so there's more crackly top!) with a slender sparkling candle was the dessert we split.  The friendly owner and the chef popped by to say happy birthday and he sent over complimentary snifters of grand marnier for us both.

I loved it.

There are still stars in my eyes from this place.

The only unfortunate thing was leaving.  Don is so gentle, peaceful, smart, refined, elegant, down-to-earth, direct, sassy and just wonderful.  In his musuem home that dates from 1720, he has collected pieces of our American history since '59, mostly colonial with a great assortment of stuffed birds, goat knick knacks, pewter, red harpsichord, oh, just everything, and animal pelts for good measure.  So much dark wood, stories and intrigue.   Classical music marking the passage of time all the while.  Just right.

Though we arrived almost 3 hours later than I'd said we would, he poured us a great big glass of wine and we headed to the barn for a tour.   Antonio was tending the prize-winning pigeons (they were a soft beige with turquoise necks), goats, pheasants, ducks and chickens in the barn where we had a 20 minute conversation that still has me feeling good.  I love that kind of connection.

We stayed in the Barn apartment.  It has a kitchenette and bathroom, too, so we could have hunkered down and probably should have for several days.  Maybe next time.  Except the rooms upstairs are incredible, too.  I could easily spend my days there and never leave the property.  Lemon verbena soaps with the Butternut Farm goat logo are a great memento.

Breakfast was an herb (there's a gorgeous herb garden right outside the kitchen) and cheese omelet, yogurt, an exquisite sourdough corn bread that Don baked and peach preserves.  Coffee with a touch of almond flavor.  We encouraged one of his Abyssinian  cats to leap on my husband's shoulder where he rubbed aginst his head for about 15 minutes suffering my photo shooting.

Love, love, love Butternut Farm.  Truly enchanting to wake up to the distant sound of goats, ducks and rooster.  There's a little private area with metal chairs and table outside the sliding doors of the barn apt.  by the pine trees that would be wonderful in better weather.  A little pond with fish.  Sigh.