Come for the Causa, Stay for the Churrasco

  

Los Andes Restaurant

903 Chalkstone Ave.
Providence, RI

401-649-4911

            Although it’s exterior appearance may not show it, Los Andes has one of the most unique and enticing atmospheres of any restaurant I’ve been too. Immediately when you walk in you are greeted with the aromas of South American spices and a multitude of varying cultural decor. Though the restaurant itself isn’t large, the owners have done a tremendous job incorporating a bar and dinning room with the space available.  The liveliness of the staff and diners helps set the overall hospitable ambiance and familial tone of Los Andes. The restaurant and staff’s overall cleanliness and uniformity was spot on, and made the experience all the more enjoyable. Throughout the duration of my meal, the waitress was extremely polite and delightful. I was seated immediately, the food came out quickly, and my glass was never empty. What more could you ask for? Los Andes has perfected the art of atmosphere and service.

            More diverse then the décor is the selection of food. A plethora of indigenous South American classics composed the very dynamic menu, and I found myself being indecisive in what to get. After skimming the menu for many minutes I found that the Causa Limena was the appetizer of choice. Causa, a staple in Peruvian cuisine, is chilled whipped potatoes filled with an avocado puree and shredded chicken. It is then topped with garlic butter, a slice of hard-boiled egg and a creamy huancaina sauce. The presentation of the Causa was fantastic. It allowed this usually heavily portioned dish to be transformed into one perfect taste. The balance between the creaminess of the potatoes and the chew of the shredded chicken, in my mind, is what made this dish. The huancaina, on the other hand, tied every flavor together to create a delicious Peruvian classic. After devouring the appetizer, I quickly moved to the main course. The Churrasco del Gaucho, a personal favorite of mine, caught my eye and I felt obligated to order it. Churrasco, a traditional Southern Bolivian and Argentinian dish, is simply a term used for grilled meat. Although it may sound very straightforward, the Churrasco at Los Andes is so much more. Cilantro rice, a chef salad, fried yucca and a traditional chimichurri sauce accompany this enormous 16-ounce rib eye. Although I found the normally flavorful chimichurri sauce to be a bit underwhelming, the steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had a good amount of char. The tenderness of the steak and the crunch of the yucca provided great texture contrast while the vegetables in the salad gave the necessary acidity to the dish. All together, the Churrasco was delicious but as far as presentation, it was lacking. Lastly, I ordered the Majadito de Charque. How cured shredded beef mixed with rice and caramelized onions, topped with sweet plantains and two fried eggs. I think the description says it all. This was amazing! The salty notes in the beef, mixed with the sweetness of the plantains and the richness of the perfectly cooked egg yolk made for a perfect South American classic. The plating of this was good, but there isn’t much you can do with a heaping mound of food on a plate. Over all, this dish was by far the best thing I ordered. Even though there was fantastic color contrast, the plate seemed to be very scattered and there was no height to the dish. Despite the minor errors in plating and seasoning, the food was outstanding and Los Andes has secured a spot on my “Favorites” list.

For a college student, Los Andes may not be the most affordable option. An entrée can run you anywhere from 10 to 27 dollars. This may seem a little steep but the quality of food and portion size cannot be beat. Any of the entrée selections could easily be spilt into two portions. I even found myself struggling to finish even half of my Churrasco. In my opinion, the price is fair but maybe not on a typical college budget.

From the food to the service to the ambiance, Los Andes has met and exceeded my expectations. Los Andes has created a very welcoming and vibrant environment, true to the culture of South America. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and highly recommend this restaurant to anyone craving “El sabor de Los Andes”.

Cost: $$$

Star rating: 4/5 

Bubble Tea and Kimchi?

Teriyaki and Korean House

217 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903 (401) 331-1651

            As thefirst few weeks of school passed I found myself craving the bubble tea of myfavorite teashop back home. I scoured the Internet in hopes of finding a shopnearby to satisfy my craving. Luckily, there was one just one block away.  The name, “Teriyaki and Korean House”,implied that there was a lot more to this restaurant then their bubble tea. Assoon as I walked in, I was greeted by the wonderful smell of Korean barbequeand kimchi. The décor was inviting, modern and drew you into the restauranteven though the space available was not used very efficiently (I found myselfbumping elbows with people just walking to my table). The hostesses, as well asthe entire wait staff, were very kind. They made the entire evening a great successeven though the food took longer than expected and have earned an A in costumersatisfaction.

            Even if youhad never eaten Korean food before, their menu was laid out in a very userfriendly way. It helped guide you through the complex culinary world of Koreanculture. I surveyed the menu for many minutes and finally came to a decision ona couple of Korean classics, Pork Bulgogi and a side of Kimchi. I also didn’tforget about my original craving, the bubble tea. My royal tea latte withtapioca pearls came out first and I couldn’t have been happier with it. Thestrong taste of the tea, the sweetness of the milk and the chewy pearls oftapioca satisfied my craving and more. As my glass went from full to empty, thefood came out along with its delicious aromas. The pork came out, stillsizzling, on a cast iron skillet. This, in my opinion, was the best way toplate it because not only did the sizzling bring your sense of hearing alongfor the ride; it produced a wonderful smelling vapor throughout the entireduration of the meal. It was cooked to perfection and had the perfect balanceof sweet and spicy in addition to the mouth watering salty notes that it hit atthe beginning of every bite. This dish was by far the best part of my meal andleft me stuffed beyond belief. Kimchi, the nation dish of Korean, is madethrough the process of fermenting vegetables in and combination of vinegar andspices. Though kimchi is known for having a very assertive flavor, I found itto be very bland. Also, the cabbage was cut into such thick pieces that thebrine had not reached the very center of the vegetable, leaving it bland andoverly crunchy. This was a bit of a disappointment because knowing that it wasa Korean restaurant, I naturally expected their national dish to be delicious.Though the kimchi turned out to be a bit underwhelming, the pork and bubble teahit the spot perfectly making this experience a great one.

            Althoughthe food is great, the price could be a little better. The lunch menu seemed tobe decently affordable but I found myself spending about $15 just on theBulgogi alone at dinnertime. Even though the entrees are very generouslyportioned, the food did not meet my expectations sufficiently for me to want tocome back and drop $25 every visit. Even though it was pricey, there is onething that will be bringing me back, the bubble tea. Besides the tea, maybeit’s just one of those places that’s only good for lunch.

            Overall, myexperience at Teriyaki and Korean House was good. There was nice ambiance, goodfood and amazing service. I did enjoy the food and the experience butunfortunately because of the pricing and underwhelming kimchi, Teriyaki andKoren House has not secured a spot on my favorites list. Though I don’t believethe food was fairly priced, this is definitely a restaurant I would recommendto someone who is looking to broaden his or her culinary horizons (But maybejust go during lunch hours). 

Stars: 3/5

Price: $$$ (dinner), $$ (lunch)

Welcome!

Hello there!

My name is Dan Davila and for the last year I have been living the fast paced, exciting, and fun life of a culinary student. I have met many people, seen many things, and most importantly, I have absorbed a great deal of knowledge about the culinary world. That is exactly why I have decided to make this blog!

On this blog, I will be posting about all of my adventures (culinary and non- culinary). I will post about what I learn in class, what I am doing outside of class, all the amazing things in the city of Providence, RI, and what is going on in my life.

Sharing this information is very important to me because if it weren’t for people sharing their experiences with me, I would have probably never ended up in the exciting industry that is the restaurant business. I hope that you find this blog helpful in finding what it is you want to do!

Hope you enjoy the blog! And remember, food is love.

Dan