Text 29272, 70 rader
Skriven 2009-10-01 05:08:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Rhode Island 216
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An Atwells Ave adventure, Providence

My friend Rosemary wanted to check out the dining scene in
Little Italy: we wandered about a bit, as it was early, and
checked into Pane e Vino, at the nether end of the district;
had glasses of the Capestrano Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, which
clearly had been opened the day before: acceptable, but a
little on the oxidized side, tasting more of musty old barrel
than ripe fruit from the vine. The second glasses were darkly
fruity, aromatic, pleasant, with just a touch of that Italian
leatheriness. But for some reason, despite the hearty
recommendation from several of the regulars waiting at the
bar for dinner we decided not to stay but to check out a
place we'd walked past earlier. Maybe it was because I didn't
have more than a few pills handy; maybe it was because they
didn't comp the first inferior glasses of wine. Anyhow, there
are a lot of choices in the neighborhood, from Angelo's Civita
Farnese, one of the oldest of old school Italians (but cash
only, which let it out) to Don Jose Tequila (not quite the right
thing, we thought as we walked past it) to the imaginatively
named Japanese Sushi, which has been known to serve calamari
fritti and carpaccio alongside miso soup and yakitori. Well.
Rosemary was intrigued by this hole in the wall across the
way, and as we nearsightedly peered at the posted menu, a
happy-looking young lady came by and said that the food was
terrific. It later turned out that the young lady worked there.

Opa serves Lebanese food in the middle of Little Italy, the
nerve!; this might be a successful thing if only the food were
a little better. It wasn't bad, but the food that came out
seemed to have been made by amateurs. There is a reason why
it was dead empty on a good restaurant night in a good
restaurant neighborhood.

We started with the grilled squid, which though mostly juicy
and tender were thoroughly burned in spots, with flavor more
like char than cephalopod. This was dressed in okay olive
oil and a sprinkle of lemon and served with copious okay
pita bread.

The bird nests, described as "mini filets of beef sauteed in
a zesty blend of garlic and olive oil, lemon and pine nuts"
appealed to me and made me wonder what made them bird nesty.
Rosemary ordered chicken with pine nuts, at which the friendly
waitress nodded approvingly.

Shortly there came word from the kitchen - no pine nuts. This
about a hundred feet or two from various Italian food shops. I
inquired if there were any nuts at all. The word came back - no.
Well, we shrugged. Just make the food without.

Rosemary said she liked the chicken, which was just plain grilled
white meat chicken bits over a salty but tasty pilaf, the reduced
marinade the sauce, ordinary salad with herb vinaigrette on the
side. I snitched a bite and tasted little but grill.

My bird nests were hardly birdy or nestlike - plain grilled beef
bits (probably chuck tender, hardly filet) over that same pilaf,
the reduced marinade the sauce, with the same ordinary salad on
the side. At least the meat tasted like meat.

Louis Latour Pinot Noir Valmoissine 07 was a medium-bodied
Burgundy-style wine at half the price of a real Burgundy.

On the whole, a meal I could have provided at a tenth the cost
with infinitely better result. We decided not to risk dessert.

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