24 July, 2009

Trattoria Romana Express

Settled across the street from the Lincoln mall sits the Trattoria Romana. This is not a review of the main restaurant, but the 'express' cafe next door. These have become popular with restaurants. They offer the same quality of food offered cheaper and quicker.

Me and my wife decided to eat here. We sat down at the small tables adjacent to the large deli case. This case was filled with pastries, Italian foods, and deli meats. The walls were covered with jars and bottles of various foods, giving the atmosphere of a true deli, even though this was more of a quick-eat cafe. They offer everything from a simple coffee to gourmet pastries and breakfast sandwiches.

The plate we ordered was nice meal. We ordered a simple cheese pizza for the meal. It was delicious, but lacking. The crust was perfect. The sauce, amazing. Our only problem was the cheese. It tasted more like microwave oven pizza cheese rather than real mozzarella. We looked at the menu again, and while the pepperoni offer 'authentic buffalo mozzarella', the cheese only listed 'shredded mozzarella cheese'. The cheeses tasted fine, but then they didn't taste good enough. I would have prefered the goey and stringy authentic mozzarella to a bagged cheese which left the pizza a little greasy. Next time we go, we're definately ordering a pepperoni pizza sans the little disks.

Trattoria Romana Express is located accross the street from the Lincoln RI. There is the main restaurant, but this reviewed the cafe. Both cater and offer a wide selection of food. http://www.trattoriaexpress.com/


Trattoria Romana Express on Urbanspoon

Rating: B

21 July, 2009

Ice Cream Machine

Ice cream during summertime epitomizes comfort. The design and production of perfect ice cream is a difficult thing. We live in a society that produces Vanillin faux-vanilla Ice Cream smothered in cheap chocolate syrup. When you want a decent ice cream at home, you usually have to shell out more than it's worth for a pint. It never really fits summertime, enjoying the weather and beautiful nature of sunny New England.

The Ice Cream Machine, across from Diamond Hill Park, feels like it sits out of time. It could easily be there now during the iPod age as it was back in the 1970s. It's an outdoor stand with nice wooden picnic tables scattered throughout the property. It looks like every other ice cream stand seen on the various routes and roads throughout New England. To assume that, you should really stop at this one to find out it's a wrong assumption.

First, be prepared for a line wait, this occurs even though there are 4 lines. People know of this stand's quality and desire it so much, they are willing to wait; a good sign. This is complimented by the hand-written signs. Plain and amateurish? Nah, they put their energies else where. The ice cream flavor board is covered in over thirty falvors and varieties. Unfortunately I haven't tasted every flavor and variety, something I plan to fix within a couple of years.

Order whatever, especially since you can get free samples. My personal favorites are the Cinnamon (it tastes like cinnamon roll filling, delicious), peanut butter (so accurate you'd swear it should stick to the roof of your mouth), and the dulce de leche. My wife swears by their brownie batter, she hasn't ordered another flavor (though she loves to snag some bites from mine). They also sell cookies and brownies to enjoy with the treats, which are fresh baked and delicious.

One thing we have to try is their 'Diamond Hill Sundae', which for over 11 dollars should be an epic eat. Prices are reasonable, expensive than other stands but you do pay for quality. Two small cones (small is their label, you won't be left wanting) comes out to 8 dollars with tax. They offer either cones or bowls for the basic level, and produce some of the largest sundaes I've ever seen topped with a mountain of whipped cream. Enjoy a personal dish or share some, this stand will leave you wanting more.

The Ice Cream Machine has a wonderful website http://icecreampie.com/. Please remember they only take cash, and tip your server!

Ice Cream Machine on Urbanspoon

Rating: A

About Me

Rhode Island, United States
I am a lover of Food. I review restaurants, markets, snacks, wine, beer, and spirits. Life is too short to eat bad food.

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