I {heart} Rhody: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Dining ~ Ellie's Bakery ~ Providence

Ellie's Bakery
61 Washington St.
Providence, Rhode Island

Everybody's talking about Ellie's! Since the boulangerie opened in January, all the food bloggers are writing and raving about it. We felt left out, but are rarely Downcity during daytime business hours.

At last, an appointment brought us into Providence in the middle of the workday. We planned our visit to Ellie's around it, and it was well worth the effort.

chicken statue at front door

The place is small, but very charming, modeled after the Parisian style.

Dining area

back wall

We arrived at breakfast time. The offering was an egg sandwich done with either house-smoked bacon or house-made sausage. We got one of each.

The bread, rather than a traditional English muffin, is a house-made mix between an English muffin and [insert French specialty bread that I can't remember]. It's a touch sweeter and denser than an English muffin, and delicious. The egg and bacon or sausage was served with a tomato jelly that came as a surprise. I found it a bit sweet, but Bear enjoyed it. I thought the bacon was excellent, though sliced a bit thinner than I usually like. Bear preferred the sausage, and we agreed they were both very good. The service of a neatly packaged sandwich in brown paper on pretty blue and white plates was charming.

Once we'd finished, we were both satisfyingly full, but the bakery cases were too good to pass up. We got a box of assorted pastries to take with us, and over the course of a couple of days, sampled a good number of Ellie's treats.

The pumpkin cheesecake cream puff (bottom right of the photo below) had a creamy and thick filling, that wasn't overwhelmingly pumpkin-y, with a light puff pastry.

Ellie's Bakery cooler by I {heart} Rhody

Spicy chocolate tart (top shelf on right of photo above) had a crisp shell whose flavor got a bit lost under the deep, rich dark chocolate of the filling that has a pleasant spicy bite of cayenne and cinnamon. They should make these bite-sized, since one or two bites was more than enough to satisfy. Our tart made three "just enough" servings. The pretty meringue decoration added a touch more sweetness.

The chocolate walnut cookie was soft, thick and chocolatey with chocolate chips and walnuts. Just perfect.

photo: Ellie's

We tried four kinds of macarons:
Salted caramel. Not really salty, but definitely caramel. This was my favorite. Chewy and crisp with a melt in your mouth meringue sandwich.

Pistachio. Chewy and delicious, and apparently a favorite among patrons. The pistachio flavor is more of an aftertaste.

Strawberry. These were smaller than the others. The meringue was less crisp, and the center more of a jelly and not as chewy as the other types. It was a bit sweeter than the others.

Blackberry. I thought it would have a jelly center like the strawberry, but this one was more creamy with a definite flavor of fruit, but not as sweet as the strawberry.

One of the prettier offerings was a spiced speculoos cookie. We loved the imprinting and thought they were tasty as well. Somehow they seemed very old-fashioned.

photo: Ellie's

I also tried a cherry chocolate scone. It was tender with lots of cherry and chocolate bits. Definitely one of my favorites.

I would have loved to try their oatmeal cranberry bread, but there had been a menu changeover, as will happen with seasonal shops. I'll have to wait til next autumn for that.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Food Artist ~ Meghan

Baker's name: Meghan
Business name: Miss Vegan
Location: Online based RI shop
Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/MissVeganTreats
Website: www.MissVegan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Missvegan

1. Tell us about your work:
About 5 years ago I decided to make a life a changing decision. I decided to take on a vegan lifestyle. It had been the best thing I have ever done. It didn't take long for me to realize how much I missed eating desserts. I baked my first vegan cupcake, and it was instant love. I put passion into every treat I create. One would never know my tasty treats are dairy, egg, honey, and animal product free. Nothing is more satisfying then seeing the pure indulgence and happiness my treats put on ones face.

2. How did you come to be open an etsy bakery?
I started off on a very small scale selling vegan baked goods at the Scituate farmers market in 2008. Seeing as though that only ran for the summer season, I needed other ways to fulfill my baking addiction. I had heard about etsy through a friend and checked out the website. The rest is history.

3. Where do you draw your inspiration?
I get lots of my inspiration from my taste buds. I know what I like to eat and the flavor combinations I crave. I have a huge sweet tooth. I find inspiration in non-vegan desserts. It's a thrill when you can replicate common food desserts and make them cruelty free.

4. What’s your favorite item to make?
My favorite thing to bake would probably be "cheesecake". I only say thins because it is my favorite thing to consume. I am addicted.

5. What’s your best seller?
My best holiday seller would have to be my Valentine chocolate boxes. They're awesome! There are an array mouth watering flavors. They are also less common to find in the vegan world. I also have them at a pretty nice price point. During non holidays my biggest seller are my S'mores bars. Who doesn't love the combination of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate? Yum!

6. How long have you been in Rhode Island?
I was born and raised in this cozy state.

7. What do you {heart} about Rhode Island?
I love RI for its four seasons, its size, its expanding vegan food scene, and its memories.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Events ~ Food Tourism Conference ~ Sept. 21, 2013

Mystery Meet is planning to host the nation's first culinary tourism conference in Providence on September 21, 2013.

They're still in the sponsor-finding and fundraising phase, but the initial plans are:

A cocktail reception
A keynote speaker
Breakout sessions on cuisines from different regions
A tasting pavilion
Group dinners
A food truck circle
A walking culinary tour

The Kickstarter campaign will start in March. They need to raise $12,000 to make it happen. Go here for more information.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Events ~ I Heart Providence ~ Feb. 5, 2013

I Heart Providence
Providence City Hall
25 Dorrance St.
Providence, RI
February 5, 2013

For the fifth year, I Heart Providence pulled off a great night of community, food and fun.

This year they added a competition theme for the participating restaurants: East side vs. West side.

The judges panel consisted of writer David Dadekian of eatdrinkri.com, Chef Branden Lewis of Johnson & Wales University, and Chef Matt Varga of Gracie's.

Some of the participating restaurants included:

Cook and Brown ("European Gastropub") - East Side

Cook and Brown Rabbit Cassoulet by I {heart} Rhody

Duck and Bunny ("Snuggery") - East Side - Winner, Best Chef

North - West Side

Vanity (1920's "Speakeasy") - East Side

Vanity reconstructed Waldorf salad by I {heart} Rhody

The Grange ("Plant-Based Restaurant") - West Side

The Grange Apple Cranberry crumble by I {heart} Rhody

Julian's - West Side

Local Ricotta and Celery Root puree by Julian's by I {heart} Rhody

There were also plenty of Providence-based artists, organizations, restaurants and crafters.

Live entertainment was provided by Miss Wensday and the Cotillions, who performed swing and torch music in the City Council chambers

Miss Wensday and the Cotillions in the Council Chamber by I {heart} Rhody

and by Bored with Four

There was a graffiti wall for visitors to leave some love notes to Providence. You might be able to see ours, middle right, in pink.

City Hall was packed with well-wishers. I was really glad that they'd opened up the Council Chamber and Alderman's Room, which had been closed off previously. It gave a chance to see more of the building, and its impressive architecture.

Ceiling of Aldermen's chamber by I {heart} Rhody

Alderman's chamber ceiling

Aldermen's room corner chair by I {heart} Rhody

Alderman's chamber with built-in seat

As usual, Bear and D and I had a great time. The food was excellent, we got to see old friends and meet new people, in a beautiful building.

They're already planning for next year's event:
Quoting EatDrinkRI,

"I HEART PROVIDENCE founder Mike Ritz has declared 2014′s event will be themed “Will you marry me?” Ritz posted to Facebook, “Get ready to formalize your love with the city and that special someone. Take the big leap . . . renew your vows . . .dedicate yourself to a principle/idea . . .take an oath to your great city . . .make a lasting commitment in 2014 at I HEART PROVIDENCE.”