Update

More reviews to come in the Fairfield County area after this week end, stay tuned.

J's Deli (Smithfield, RI) Review

Value: ****
Taste: ****
Service: ***1/2

Someone at J's Deli took a real estate course and know the three L's very well. Location, location, location! Maybe they're Bryant graduates, har har har. J's Deli is less than a two minute drive from Bryant University, maybe less if your driving style is of the "I need to get there before my bros" variety. The area is markedly devoid of anything quick to eat except for the adjacent "Quickets" that I'll be reviewing soon.Anywhere else and this deli might be considered nothing special by some, but personally I find J's Deli just different enough to be great. Granted its no Katz's Deli nor is it some stunning revolution in the deli formula, but its got a few things going for it.

 As I said, its conveniently located next to my campus. The sandwiches are also pretty well priced. You will get a huge sandwich for roughly $6-$8, or you can get a half a sandwich (that you'll pick up with your limp wrist) for a few bucks less. J's avoids the arch sin of most deli's and doesn't skimp on the cold cuts. You WILL get your monies worth of meat on a sandwich, not like that bullshit Subway doles out. The cold cuts are also good quality to. I think the majority of them are Boar's Head. ALSO BROKE PEOPLE TAKE NOTE: The nearby Stop and Shop prints coupons for a full Italian combo from J's Deli with the purchase of two sandwiches. This comes out to $15 for three huge sandwiches. Eat your heart out Subway.

First time visitors to J's Deli are bound to be overwhelmed when they walk in. The walls are plastered with names of sandwiches and their descriptions, many of them tailored to the local business students. There's "The Portfolio", "The Stockbroker", "The Freshman", "The Graduate", and the "Wall Street" to name a few. I often find myself having ordered and while waiting, I glance over to a sign or wall and think "Goddamnit I wish I saw that before". Be forewarned, look around as much as possible, your bound to miss the sandwich you wanted.

I've been to J's Deli numerous time and I'm confused as to why I didn't review it first. I'll use the excuse that its because I didn't have pictures, yah that's it. Even though last night I began noshing on my sandwich as you can see below, thankfully my room mate reminded me that I needed to take pictures for the blog. Below is a picture of "The Portfolio".

Its an interesting combination of pastrami, swiss, and coleslaw. The first time I ordered it I wasn't sure about coleslaw, but let me assure you, its hundreds of times better than plain mayo. Also, if you can't tell from the image, the pastrami is stacked on there nice and high, all you garbage sandwich chains take note. Pastrami isn't the cheapest of cold cuts either. The other favorite of mine is the "The Pilgrim" which I didn't order due to the turkey overdose that is Thanksgiving. Its a sub with sliced turkey, stuffing, American cheese, mayo, and cranberry sauce (I think you can get it with gravy to). Any place that put Thanksgiving dinner on a dinner roll is alright with me. My buddy got this thing, don't ask me what it was called, I can't remember but it looks pretty good:

Here's some of the other subs I've tried and remember off the top of my head:

The Wall Street - Pastrami and swiss with a generous helping of hot deli mustard (good stuff)

The Freshman - Breaded chicken cutlet with bbq sauce, cheese, and bacon (not bad, had a few too many though and got sick of them)

The New Yorker - A standard reuben served on sliced Italian bread (nice!)

Sausage and Peppers - The name says it all, nothing too special, just good ole' home made style sausage and peppers

The Graduate - Same as the freshman but with buffalo sauce

Italian Combo - Very good, they use real cappicola and all that other Italian stuff, not bland ham and salami like most delis

I've had other one's to but can't remember all the ingredients to them. Service can  be slow at times, even when no one's there but they slice the deli meat as needed and everything is made fresh so I can't complain too much. J's occasionally has other items as well including stuffed quahogs, pizza, stromboli, egg rolls, and a bunch of other stuff I have yet to try. The chicken finger and fries are awesome, along with anything fried on the menu (mozzarella sticks, curly fries, wings, and even fried cheesecake!? which I saw yesterday). The potato salad and macaroni salad are not bad but nothing to write home about. Chances are if you attend Bryant and aren't comatose you've been to J's Deli, but this site needs content so I'm here's this review anyway.

Tony's Pizza Palace (Smithfield, RI) Review

Value: ****

Taste: ****

Service: ***1/2

Tony’s Pizza Palace has a few things going against it from the start. Number 1, it’s in Smithfield whose best pizza place I’ve tried is Papa Gino’s (a chain). The area is notorious for bad pizza, especially around Bryant University. Don’t get me wrong, some of the more upscale Italian Restaurants probably have some good stuff, but we’re talking delivery/takeout/quick stuff here. Number 2, it’s near a liquor store and a variety store. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything, after all some of the best places are holes in the wall, but based on the building you’d think it’s another House of Pizza (never been but everyone’s told me it is terrible and that it resembles Ellio’s frozen pizza for $12). Prior to ordering I did a quick lookup of the place on google and the two reviews I found said the place was pretty good, so I figured what the hell? Normally I’d have to drive toward Providence for the good stuff so maybe I’d find a place much, much closer.

So I gave’em a ring and the guy on the phone told me my pizza would be ready in about 20 minutes, pretty standard pizza time.  No super powered ovens here. I decided to pick it up so I can see what the place is like inside. Nothing too fancy but definitely somewhere you’d be comfortable taking the family or your gang of bros for some chow. So what did I get? Let me show you:

You can clearly tell that half is pepperoni and mushroom, pretty standard topping. “But what is the other half!?” you say. No, those aren’t more mushrooms. 

One valuable lesson I’ve learned over the years is if you don’t want anyone else eating your pizza, whether it be close friends, relatives, or anyone else you’re supposed to like, you learn to like anchovies. “Ewwwww!!” you say. Ah, I pity your unrefined taste buds. Anchovies are like a fine wine, filled with salt and fish and has been floating uncorked in the ocean for 3 years. They’re the perfect topping to raise your blood pressure with the pizza that is clogging your arteries. If you happen to like anchovies, I won’t order pizza when you’re around.

Tony’s Pizza Palace is Greek style pizza, which for those who haven’t tried it, is actually pretty different from your standard Brooklyn/New York style pie. The crust is more bready, usually thicker. The sauce is usually a bit sweeter and has more oregano. The cheese is usually a blend of mozzarella and provolone, sometimes cheddar, and is laid on pretty thick. Tony’s crust isn’t particularly thick but you can taste the breadiness. It’s got a nice crunch to it to. The sauce is just sweet enough and in just the right amount. I can’t stand pizza with too much sauce, probably because it usually means I’m going to get heartburn. The cheese is probably a provolone and mozzarella meaning it’s not particularly salty. The mushrooms were cut in bigger pieces which I like and the pepperoni was pretty standard fair.

The price was $12.43 which with three toppings is not bad at all. It’s a good size pizza and plenty for two people or two meals for one, which is what I’ll be doing since my town house deserted me this weekend. Other reviews online said the grinders and other food is good and well priced. I’ll update you on that next time. All and all I’d say Tony’s is a good value for pizza, especially when crap holes in the area charge the same if not more.

Service was average. I didn’t eat there so I can’t say how the service really is. The pizza was ready when I got there and the place was busy so that's definitely a plus. I guess I have to give it 3.5/5, that’s average right? At least until I eat in.

So overall Tony’s Pizza Palace gets a thumbs up from yours truly. It’s one of the few pizza places around campus that I can buy a pizza and then not feel like I’ve been violently beaten and mugged, plus they deliver. Good stuff.

Tony’s Pizza Palace

Unit 1, 200 Pleasant View Avenue
Smithfield, RI 02917-1796
(401) 231-1010

Duchess (Norwalk, CT) Review

 [Stock images, sorry I'm 150 miles away]

Value:    **** 1/2
Taste:     *****
Service:  *** 1/2

I’m not one to judge others on the spot, but I do have one simple rule by which I measure the character of others. If you do not like Duchess, I do not like you. There are no ifs, ands, or buts, no negotiation, we cannot be friends. If you like Duchess, well nice to meet yah pal! How to describe Duchess…Well it’s like a diner, but there’s no waiters/waitresses, so it’s a fast food joint, with diner quality food. This place has been around since my dad came to this country, and I’ve eaten here since I was a kid. Telling me you don’t like Duchess is like tell me my Mom’s cooking sucks (even though it does). 

However, Duchess’ food definitely does not suck. It’s the opposite of suck, it’s…it’s…wonderful. It’s the freshest fast food you can get because, hell, it’s grilled right there in front of you. Duchess also loves you, yah that’s right, IT LOVES YOU. How do I know this? When you’re drunk at 2 A.M. and that shitty Taco Bell down the road is closed, and you don’t feel like getting food poisoning at Burger King, Duchess lights the sky like a shining beacon. There is nothing better than a sausage, egg, and cheese freshly grilled at 2 in the morning to offset that oncoming hang over.

So down to business:

Duchess is pretty fairly priced. You’re going to pay about what you pay at other fast food restaurants, roughly $6-$10 for a meal. The difference is in the quality and amount you get. Like I said, you get a diner type meal, so you get you soup and salad, with your meal and choice of potato and vegetables. You also have your standard sandwich/fries/drink type meal.

[Everything you'd ever need, ever]

Comparing the food at Duchess to McDonalds is like comparing real pizzeria pizza to that shit you get at your grocer’s freezer. You can really taste that the stuff at Duchess hasn’t been sitting under a heat lamp. It just tastes fresh. I usually switch it up when I order at Duchess, but when I’m not sure what to order I go with the classic hot dog. To the best of my knowledge, Duchess is well known for their hot dogs and I can see why. First off they fry these bastards just right so the casing has that good crisp bite to it. Second, bacon. What better to compliment the artificial chemicals and heart clogging wonder of a hot dog than to throw bacon on it.  Also the chili is kick ass.

Service is alright. A lot of the workers are young kids so you can’t expect too much. There are some employees there that have been working their forever and they’re always pleasant to deal with. Beware the lunch hour and rush hour though, you will be in line for a loooooong time, but I’d argue its worth it.

Duchess Family Restaurant
157 Main Street
Norwalk, CT 06851-3709




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Chicken Power (Woonsocket, RI) Review

Cost: *****

Taste: ***1/2

Service: *****

Ah, Chicken Power, a place that would make Colonel Sanders green with jealousy and PETA’s head explode with rage. There’s a rather uninteresting story about how I found this place, but I’ll share it with you anyway. Freshman year on our way to a diner I spotted this establishment with its bold red letters jutting out of a shopping center. Its name intrigued me. Chicken Power you say? That place better serve some damn fine chicken. Unfortunately like everything else useful in my memory, it was buried under nonsense from courses, at that time probably under the 48 drum names I had to memorize for Intro to World Music.

Well on the way back from the mall last month with my chicken loving compadre in car we happened past Chicken Power and immediately pulled into the parking lot upon seeing the sign. It looked like we were about two years late as the place had been gutted and was empty. Luckily about one week later I discovered another one in Woonsocket while lost with my directionless roommate. Oh happy day. I of course convinced our two resident stoners and other football fan to go there before Sunday night’s Pats/Stealer’s game.

When you first walk into Chicken Power, you’re greeted by the smell of what can only be described as “good stuff”. The restaurant is more a fast food joint with a few tables. Everything you order is ready made under glass. There’s rotisserie chickens, fried chicken, chicken wings, you name it. The chicken pot pies looked especially good. For sides they’ve got fried potato wedges, mac and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes and a million other goddamn things I can’t remember. Let’s put it this way, it all looks good, especially the large turnovers they have for dessert, which I didn’t get but was told were good. The quality is certainly there for the most part, the start of course being anything with chicken in it. The sides weren’t amazing but I only tried stuffing and mashed potatoes, which let’s face it, aren’t always on the top of a restaurant’s priorities for taste. In any case, they were better than that wall paper paste from KFC. They also sell pre-packaged raw chicken breasts (which I assume they don't get from the grocery store) and fried chicken.

Price is where this place shines above all else for chicken. Four of use ate for roughly $28 and mind you that’s two kids blazed out of their minds, me not having eaten all day, and one other. We ordered the fried chicken meal which came with 15 pieces of fried chicken, 6 corn muffins and two large sides along with sodas. Alternately for the same price you can get two whole rotisserie chickens, corn bread and three sides if you’re concerned with living past 50. There was a bunch of food left over to, a great value all around.

My friends were the first to comment about the service as soon as we walked out. From the moment we entered the place we were greeted with smiles. We stumbled around the place for a good two minutes like idiot tourists, trying to figure out what to order. We were never rushed and the server even through in free potato wedges on our order. It was some of the best service I’ve ever had in a fast food joint.

I’m somewhat disappointed in myself for not trying this place sooner. It’s definitely one of the best values around here for chicken and one of the few KFC alternatives I know of. Go check it out.

Chicken Power

800 Providence Street
Woonsocket, RI 02895-6263
(401) 762-1211  

How I Review Places

Over my years of going out to eat with the family and friends , I've learned why some people can love a restaurant and why others will hate it. Quality of service is an obvious one and can fluctuate depending on the server you get stuck with. My mom probably taught me the main reason people will have such differing opinions on the food itself. She and others like her will go to a restaurant, look at an item, and figure out every possible change she can make to it when ordering. She'll order blackened fish and ask for no pepper or shrimp and garlic sauce without too much garlic and of course complain after that her food is bland.

Any place I go to eat I will usually order the stuff on the menu exactly as it appears because that's how the cook/chef/whatever intended it to be cooked. If you need no spices or low salt or anything else specially catered to you, stay home and cook. It'll save you money and the CO2 you'd expel from bitching.

So here's the breakdown:

Places will be rated on Cost, Taste, and Service, each scoring a possible 5 out of 5 stars. Price indicates the value you get for your food so essentially 5 stars means you get the most bang for your buck.

Example:
Price: ***
Taste: ****
Service:***

I'm not going to take some total average because that would score this place a 66% which lead you to think its crap, but 3/5 stars isn't necessarily a bad thing. After the score I'll give a rundown of the whole experience so you can get an idea of it and see if you'd like to try it. I may or may not have pics of the grub, since some of these reviews may have been from long before I started this blog.