I {heart} Rhody

Friday, January 27, 2012

From the I {heart{ Rhody Flickr group

Conimicut Lighthouse by nelights

Slash! Off the top of a cold NE wave. by robert.rinkel

Sailboat at Sunset by BarbaraS2009

Creative Billboards Providence R.I. by BlueisCoool

Turk's Head building by boliyou (I {heart} Rhody)

After the Storm 2 by Amy Martira Photography

ceiling at l'artisan bakery in wayland square by kobrienjewelry

Incoming V.2 by kylenolin

melon by M4D1

Winter Sunrise by mediaguy4

From a Guy's Yard in E. Providence, Rhode Island #11 by MyDay247

Fancy upshot by nat_19901

I-Way project by provbenson2009

Dr. Eugene M. & Jane S. Nelson House by robtm2010

Thanksgiving Sunrise by Royston_Kane

Newport, Rhode Island by Šarūnas Burdulis

Crescent Park Carousel by siriusthinking

View from Castle Hill Inn by sobodda

Rhode Island by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region

Calligraphy by wildiris

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Dining ~ The Square Peg ~ Warren

The Square Peg
51 Miller St.
Warren, Rhode Island

We read on Yelp that The Square Peg had just opened, and were excited to give it a try. It got good recommendations.

Bear, C and I stopped in after our trip to Blue Suede, since they're not far apart. The first thing we noticed about it was the smartly dressed fire hydrant outside. It was so cute! The restaurant looked similarly charming.

Once we went in, we quickly chose one of the window seats, enjoying the novelty. There's not a lot to see in this part of Warren - chiefly residential - but it was fun to sit by the window with the fairy lights.

The menu is fairly limited. It's soup and sandwiches for lunch and dinner, plus brunches.

Bear ordered her favorite: a Reuben, and C and I each got a cheeseburger.

Bear was happy with her sandwich, but didn't note that it was anything special.

Likewise, C and I found our cheeseburgers to be fine, but not out of the ordinary.

We did really like the atmosphere, though. The place is clean and the service is prompt. We'd likely go back to try brunch if we're in the area. Parking is a bit of an issue, though, so be prepared to walk up an appetite, and walk off your meal.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Artists ~ David Dadekian

Artist’s name: David Dadekian
Shop name: David Dadekian Photography & Eat Drink RI
Website: http://www.dadekianphoto.com/
Blog: http://www.eatdrinkri.com/

Twitter: @dadekian
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dadekian

1. Tell us about your work
My work is two-fold, one part is “traditional” photography: weddings, portraits, commercial imaging interiors, products, etc.) and some art sales. The other part is culinary which includes photography along
with writing (and now some personal chef work and cooking education).

"Turk's Head and Glass"

2. How did you come to be a professional artist?
I always tended toward the arts. I made short films in high school and did some writing, then I went to NYU film school where I really focused on writing and the visual end of things (and film music too). Around 1990 I was doing a lot of still photography and some of my mother’s clients (she was an art consultant for RI businesses and homes) would ask her for local photography. She would show some of my photos and they sold well to lots of law offices, accountants, banks, etc. It was never enough to live on, but it was a nice supplemental income for many years. Then in 2003 I went at it full time when I invested in a very good (at the time!) digital camera and weddings became a joy instead of a chore with film. As for the writing end of
things, I’ve always written and been published. Some years were very good. Some were very lean. I’m back to very good at the moment!

3. Where do you draw your inspiration?
I’d like to say it’s easy if I’m excited by the subject, but let’s be honest, not every subject is inspiring. I am fortunate enough to say the vast majority of them are. Even when I’m photographing a bathroom my clients tend to be contractors who make these amazing bathrooms that are bigger than my house so it’s kind of fun and inspiring.

Weddings are always fun because they are a big, beautiful party (thankfully I’ve never had any terrible brides). The food work is easy to be inspired by. My wife Brenda gives me a lot of inspiration as well. Mostly the inverse inspiration of realism when I’m trying to do some crazy work, which is VERY helpful.

4. What’s your favorite item to photograph?
That’s a super tough question. I think the best answer is people at work cooking. I like the food and all, but there’s rarely anything radically new whereas the actual cooking always turns up new things. I also still love doing landscape art work. I have tons of photos from around the world that rarely get seen. I need to change that.

"Monument Valley Tree"

5. What’s your best seller?
I always laugh at this question because truthfully, to me, it’s the most boring stuff. Usually lighthouses or standard Providence or Newport views sell really well. I had a client once, a buyer at a big law firm in one of the high rises in downtown Providence, who asked me if I had anything outside of RI. I was very excited because no RI business ever asks for that. I brought in a ton of photos from the American southwest (Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, etc.), the partners came in and all of them wanted my Providence cityscape photos. It’s good to sell, but it’s a little disappointing people don’t stretch a bit.

"Ireland"

6. How long have you been in Rhode Island?
I was born here in 1971, moved to NYC in 1989 and then moved back here in 2003. I spent a bit more time here as I bounced around jobs in L.A., Massachusetts and NY in ’94 so it’s kind of hard to put a number on it. But I think I’m a lifer now (though I would live in Ireland if I could!).

7. What do you {heart} about Rhode Island?
Clearly the food and the whole culinary community. It’s a spectacularly helpful and innovative culinary environment here. Some of that has to with the size of the state and that we can get anything anywhere in around an hour or less, but the people are just wonderful. I also have always appreciated RI’s diversity. I remember when I moved to NY as a freshman at NYU and I met people at school from around the country, I was always surprised when they had never met anyone Armenian or Jewish or in some cases any race from Asia. Having grown up in RI I just always assumed the melting pot was all around everyone in this country and it wasn't.

8. Please include anything else you’d like to add:
I think it’s so great that you, Erika, a non-native, has embraced RI as much as you have. It’s a quirky place! Thank you!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Dining ~ Ichiban ~ Cranston

Ichiban
146 Gansett Ave.
Cranston, Rhode Island
(401) 432-7220

Our first experience at Ichiban was when a server nearly bowled us over as she came barrelling out of the restaurant to chase down a couple of women who had forgotten their leftovers. It gave us a hint about the service that was right on target.

Very shortly after we were seated, we were presented with an array of appetizers.

Our server was happy to name and explain each one for us. Since I'm not very knowledgeable about Japanese or Korean food, it was very helpful. From left to right, you see fish cake, black beans, kimchi and pickled cucumber.

Not being a fan of fish, I didn't expect to care for the fish cakes, but we all really liked them. They were served cold, and were firm, not falling apart as they sometimes do. The black beans were a bit sweet, and al dente. It was our first experience with kimchi. Bear found it too spicy, and C doesn't care for cabbage. I thought it was okay, kind of earthy and not as spicy as I'd expected, which was a win for me. The pickled cucumber was spicy but sweet, and very fresh - like a fresh-made pickle with a bite to it. It may have been my favorite of the offerings.

For our appetizer we ordered shumai, agedashi tofu and edamame.
The shumai was sweet, with a salty dipping sauce. Bear and I both thought it was good.
The agedashi tofu came with a creamy sauce that was surprisingly delicate. C, who is an afficionado, declared it good. She liked that the sauce was served on the side and allowed her to soak the tofu. She rated it 8 out of 10.

We ordered hot tea, which looked pale and tasted weak and earthy to us. It smelled vaguely of rice. When we asked the server about it, she explained that it was barley tea, which immediately made more sense. We did enjoy it, once we stopped expecting it to take like black tea.

Our entrees arrived after much dithering on my part, and a lot of help from our waitress, who recommended a couple of dishes for the Korean food newbie.

Bear likes sushi, and was delighted with her choice of California Sunshine: crab and avocado sushi with strawberries, kiwi and sweet orange sauce over it. She said the ingredients were very fresh, and the presentation was nice. She was so enthusiastic she said it was a dish she'd order all the time.

Even so, she showed a lot of interest in C's dinner, spider roll and spicy tuna. C particularly liked the spider roll. The spicy tuna's sauce was different from what she was used to, and it took her a bit to adapt, but she ended up enjoying that as well.

I tried the bulgogi, which is a kind of Korean barbecued beef. It has a sweetish sauce that's more of an au jus than the traditional thick sauce I normally think of. It came mixed with carrots, broccoli and scallions. All of us tried it and we all thought it was very good.

Did I mention the service was fantastic? That extends to when I left my camera there for a week and a half, and they had it there waiting for me when I finally realized where I'd left it.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Shop local ~ Blue Suede ~ Warren

Blue Suede
91C Main St.
Warren, Rhode Island

Blink and you'll miss it, especially at night. What you're most likely to notice as you're driving down Main Street in Warren is the Samsonite sign. Blue Suede is right there.

But there's no missing what's inside: a whirl of women's accessories - glittering jewelry, fun and funky boots, bags, shirts, scarves. Everything is selected with a careful and talented eye by the shop owner, Dixie.

Bear, C and I went there during Blue Suede's "Renew Yourself" event, so they also had other vendors, including spas, massage and yoga, catering, sweets and a color expert. We looked and sampled, but we kept getting pulled back to Blue Suede's own selection.

As you can see, the event drew quite a crowd. Everyone raved about the shop, as well as the event. Bear, C and I, who all have very different tastes in fashion, were all able to find several things that we loved there.

The item that really caught my eye was this peacock necklace. It also has matching earrings. I don't know where I'd wear it, but I want it like mad! Attention future boyfriends: you have been warned.