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Review votes:
191 Useful, 81 Funny, and 96 Cool
Providence, RI
Yelping SinceJanuary 2007
Things I Love Find Me InFederal Hill
My HometownOlympia, WA
When I'm Not Yelping...I attempt to be a graduate student.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsOurs is not to question why.
The Last Great Book I ReadCity of Quartz by Mike Davis
My Favorite MovieZorro, The Gay Blade
Current CrushLockjaw
Narragansett, RI 02882
(401) 789-1784
Brickley's Ice Cream & Cakes
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 475-2655
Machines With Magnets
Categories: Art Galleries, Music Venues
Machines With Magnets is a recording studio, art gallery, and performance space that has fast become my favorite music venue and possibly one of my favorite places in Rhode Island. The inside is beautiful, with two large rooms decked out in cool white paint and beautiful hardwood flooring (one floor is stenciled with an absolutely stunning pattern). Art of varied quality adorns the walls.
I have now had the pleasure of attending two shows here--an electronic music performance and Quintron + Miss Pussycat--and I enjoyed them both. Watching bands perform with art as a backdrop is a pleasure. The sound is good and the venue is run fairly efficiently. At the latter show, they quickly cycled through four bands by alternating the rooms in which each band performed. Very smart. The crowds are fun and interesting. Drinks, Dunkin' Donuts coffee, and even pizza are sold for reasonable prices.
During my first visit, a friend turned to me and said, "I wish I lived here." "I wish I could DJ here," I replied. Until either of these things happens, I'll be stopping in periodically for more music and art. You should, too.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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1/18/2007
First to Review
I never ate at Asian Paradise, but I can say without hesitation that their remodel and subsequent reopening as Phonatic was more than worth it. This is a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant with a vast menu. I have yet to be disappointed with a meal here. The pho (available with a number of different cuts of beef or in chicken and vegetarian varieties) is wonderful, the perfect meal for clearing out your sinuses on a cold day. Also excellent are the spring rolls (fresh or crispy), the curry, the lemongrass chicken, and any noodle dish. The tea is free for the asking, the staff is friendly and the prices are great. Like many businesses near or on Thayer Street, it gets crowded during the school year, so try showing up a little early for lunch. It's worth your time; Phonatic is simply outstanding.
The Cambodian coffee is unusual and flavorful (I recommend trying it hot rather than ordering the standard iced coffee variation that you can get at most Thai and Vietnamese restaurants), the appetizers are delicious, the menu is quite varied (featuring Cambodian specialties as well as dishes from other countries in South Asia), the prices are reasonable, and the staff is super-nice. Eat in the tiny dining room or rent out the top floor for a banquet. (I know folks who have done both.) Just don't forget the nam yaa soup, whatever you do.
Cranston, RI 02921
(401) 944-0707
The Inside Scoop
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
The available frozen treats include sorbet, sherbet, smoothies, and frozen yogurt as well as the usual array of ice cream, sundaes, and shakes (or frappes or cabinets or whatever you call them in this crazy state). The restaurant also serves coffee, clam cakes, clam chowder, and doughboys (the presence of the later meaning that an offering called a "stuffed doughboy"--a doughboy filled with ice cream and hot fudge--also graced the menu). You can eat inside or outside a or walk up to the window and take your ice cream where you please. The possibilities are endless. Try that sampler if you get too overwhelmed.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 505-3700
Doughnut Plant
Category: Donuts
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
The return trips are just for fun.
Seriously, though, there is not much to say about Doughnut Plant that hasn't already been said a hundred times over. I will note that, as Ellen C. has pointed out, the yeast donuts here are merely okay (I was shocked to find large air pockets in mine), while the cake donuts are to die for. The organic coffee is also impressive, as is the friendly attitude of everyone at the shop. I expect to make many a return trip in the future.
Date


What redeemed this place, at least somewhat, was the chocolate cake donut with buttercrunch coating. It was, in addition to being a really hard variety to find, actually pretty darned delicious. So I will grudgingly concede that while there can only be one Donut Man, Hadley's Donut Man is . . . alright by me, too.