Mama Kim's Korean BBQ

This little food truck has been getting raves from all sorts of web sites and has been tough for me to track down. But today I was successful in getting out of the office for lunch and finding myself eating an awesome lunch at a great price.

The photo above is of Beef Bulgogi, served with rice and Kimchi. Lots of beef simmered and juicy packed with a fragrant rice and a side of the spicy cabbage I've become addicted to. The price is right too. Six dollars for the Bulgogi. I had to get a selection of their dumplings as well which are hand made and crispy light and delicious.

I will have to control my lunchtime spending if they stay parked in their downtown location - a few blocks from where I work. Twitter and Facebook tells you where they are and what specials of the day they're serving.

Website

Minh Hai | Cranston

Pho and more. Drove by this the other day - Googled it - and went the following week. Oh Yeh! Charming no frills atmosphere for my lunch trip there - the place was overwhelmed with hungry customers - slow (but polite) service - but authentic awesome-ness on the menu and coming out of the kitchen - food, coffee, soups, drinks. Lots more to eat here. I had Ginseng tea and the BUN CHA GIO (Beef with Imperial rolls over Vermicelli - see photo above ) and my friend had the pork chop lunch special with a Vietnamese coffee that accelerated my heartbeat by just looking at it.

Tables of happy Pho soup eaters were slurping and noodling nearby making me dream of a trip back real soon.


Yelp | Directions | Website | Lunch Menu

Phoenix Dragon | Providence

Dim Sum Dim Sum. Fun to say. Fun to eat. In RI it's hard to find it but Phoenix Dragon on Broadway is a great destination locally for this Chinese treat. For those of you who haven't had Dim Sum - think Tapas but Chinese style. Nearly everything is served in a small dish - in a bun or a dumpling or rice noodle wrapping. You dip in soy sauce and later compete with your fellow dinners for the last pieces. When in Boston, I will detour to Chow Chau City - but in RI the Phoenix Dragon fills the gap nicely. Order some baby bok choy (off menu item) stir fried in garlic to round out your feast.

Website | Map

Sura Korean BBQ | Johnston

Saturday night I picked up my cousin who was visiting for the weekend and we wanted to get supper and so I was looking for something close to Smithfield RI when I remembered passing Sura Korean restaurant - which was close by.

Worried that it would be stranded in the middle of RI with no patrons I was pleased to see a full dining room and people happily eating very yummy looking foods.

We opted for dolsot bibimbap which is a mixture of vegetables and meat (wiki), a Korean barbecue chicken (there's a hot plate in the center of each table!) and a potato noodle dish. Everything was fantastic and the service was cheerful and helpful. It's on my short list to return here as soon as possible. Kim chee for all!

Website

Pho Horn | Pawtucket

This week my wife caught a cold and one of our comfort food tactics is to eat a bowl of Vietnamese soup (Pho). Usually our chosen variety is a chicken broth based soup with seafood (fish balls, shrimp and squid) and rice noodles. Served with a side of bean sprouts, sliced limes, hot peppers, and a stem of Thai Basil for mixing in at your own discretion

Pho Horn is located in a dismal post-apocalyptic shopping plaza and decor is tacky Asian + christmas lights with big screen TVs tuned to the food channel but the food is fresh, delicious and the service is attentive and friendly.

Asian customers are always here which speaks to its authenticity. We will be back - even without being sick with colds. :-)

Website | Map

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thai Star | Providence

When I rented an apartment back in 1992 off Chalkstone Ave - Thai Star was a part of my life. And it's been a pretty good experience ever since. Even though there's been several different owners, it's still a solidly fantastic Thai restaurant.

I usually eat: Nim Chow, Tod Mun Pla, Massaman Curry with shrimp and sticky rice, Papaya salad (hot), and Beef lap (hot). The spicy items are hot so be warned. If you wash it down with Thai Ice coffee you can feel your heart rate increase - it's strong and made with sweet condensed milk. Eating sticky rice is fun; you make little balls with your hands and dunk them into the curry. :-)

Lunch is great too. Overall I've yet to have anything that was not fresh, tasty and thoughtful in preparation or presentation. No liquor but bringing your own is always a good idea. I recommend u try it.


Yelp | Map

Ebisu | Providence

Shabu Shabu - fun to say and even better to eat. Hot broth with vegetables you soak yourself - swish around super thin sliced beef to cook in that broth and you've got the idea. It's great. Simple and warm and tasty. We had appetizers too that were mighty fine; grilled octopus (yakitori) and spicy (crunchy) tuna tostadas. Accompanied by a coconut juice saki cocktail that was truly great.

If you saw "Lost in Translation" you may remember a scene where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson were mad at each other -- this is what they were eating in the restaurant of that scene. Convinced? Authentic Japanese cooking sans sushi. Worth a visit.

http://www.ebisuri.com/ | Map

Apsara | Providence

As far as I know this was the first Thai restaurant in RI and back in 1990 it was novelty for me and my broke friends to get a great inexpensive meal. Not long ago, I went back to this old standard for lunch with my brother and his two kids - who love it as much as we did.

This visit we chomped on fresh spring rolls and had some Satay noodles with shrimp - crunchy asian veggies with a special sauce that none of us can figure out - awesome. I also recommend the Hai Kaing if you're up for it. Get a giant Thai ice coffee too and become wide awake for the next few hours. Yum.

note: there are now two locations of Apsara's
Review | Public Street | Hope Street (new location)

Ba Xuyen | Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY

When Alyssa and I lived in Brooklyn on 10th Ave. in 98-99 the asian food scene was, well, either much smaller or somehow unknown to us (the latter is most likely). Fast-forward to 2009 and some of NYC's best asian dining has come south and east from Chinatown and Queens. Case in point- Bahn Mi sandwiches have been enjoying huge attention in the last year. Yesterday I got onboard the band wagon at Ba Xuyen in Sunset Park and I can't wait for my next Bahn Mi- crusty bread, spicy vietnamese "mayonnaise", paté, ham and bbq pork with carrots, dikon, cilantro and thai chilies.

(image credit: The Pufflist)

Map

Lucky Station BBQ

Lucky Station BBQ
Originally uploaded by Wicked Stella

Wicked Stella commented on this a few months ago, and I'd have to say that so far I agree with her- the bbq ribs and the duck have been pretty good.

Map