Rasoi of Pawtucket

Rasoi in Pawtucket represents the pinnacle of Indian cuisine in Rhode Island. The interior sports primary colors and large photos of India. Beautiful red dividers give intimate spaces while an island bar offers an all-you-can-eat buffet on Sundays. Everything was clean and the pleasant smells of spices filled the entire restaurant.

First we receive papadum served with a tamarind sauce and marinated onions; an Indian version of chips and salsa. The chips are served in a nice wire basket with holders for the two toppings. By themselves, the papadum are tasty made of either lentils or potato (or both?) flavored with what appeared to be caraway seeds. Each bite was crispy and addicting. The tamarind sauce, like a sweet ketchup, complimented the papadum better than the marinated onions. A bitterness kept the onions from being enjoyable.

We had the chicken Varuval as an appetizer. A delicate dish of griddled chicken topped with red onions, cilantro, and a savory yogurt sauce. The chicken bits were wonderfully cooked and coated with a piquant spice blend. The cool sauce complimented the chicken's spice.

For dinner we had the Hyderabadi Chicken Korma and the Aloo Gobhi with jasmine Basmati rice and plain nan. The Korma, served a lovely silver bowl, is a dish of chicken braised in a yogurt-cashew-coconut sauce. Warming and inviting, the nan soaked up the sauce perfectly. Each piece of chicken itself was wonderfully moist and tender. As contrast, the vegetarian Aloo Gobhi represented sweet and tangy. Aloo Gobhi is a dish of potatoes and cauliflower cooked in tomatoes and onions. Both dishes came with small ramekins of lentils that, while tasty, were out of place flavor-wise.

Overall the food is 5-stars. Unfortunately the service hindered an otherwise wonderful experience. Instead of one server, we had a rotating cast who seemed unfamiliar with our requests. We ordered an extra nan bread mid-course and never received the quick-cooking bread. After finishing the meal we had some chicken Korma remaining that would have reheated well the next day. Unfortunately the waiter forgot we asked for it to be wrapped up as we inquired about the missing order of nan.

Rasoi features great Indian food served in great portions for a reasonable price. Service was the only downside in the dinning experience. The staff could use further training or proper management to ensure everything runs smoothly. Had a manager come over to check on the patrons we would have inquired about our missing food. Rasoi's menu and website are available here.

Rating: B+

Minado

Often it is pricey to enter a Japanese restaurant and feel the need to sample every piece of sushi and sashimi available. Many people are new to eating sushi and often have not experienced the different flavors and textures present in the different cuts and rolls presented. Minado offers all-you-can-eat sushi for a pre-set price with over thirty different options PLUS a full assortment of entrees and desserts. To me, Kyojin in Miami is the gold-standard for all other Japanese buffets due to the incredible quality. How does Minado in Natick compare?

The interior feels much more Boston than Japan, which is not a bad thing. Massive plastic models of different sea life adorn the ceilings and walls. Everything was clean, and the massive amount of tables forecasted the quality of the meal.

The Sushi/Sashimi bar looked impressive at first sight. The selections were rather generic (Salmon, Tuna, Snapper, etc.) but the rolls were highly creative. I enjoyed the dynamite roll, topped with Korean chili powder and rolled with tender tuna. The Mackeral nigri were also delicious and a sign of truly fresh fish. Me and my wife were a bit disapointed that they did not offer Sashimi for the Lunch serving, but it was easy to peel the fish from the nigri rolls.

Minado's hot food selection really places this buffet above all others. Many Chinese and Japanese buffets put out bland or over seasoned generic 'Chinese' food for the rubes to eat as an alternative to the sushi. Minado put out an impressive selection of steaks, tempura vegetables and seafood, Delicious noodles, and impressive Gyoza. I was genuinely surprised to see actual steak offered.

The Udon Bar also surprised me. A chef made each bowl of noddles and broth to order complete with a nice array of 'toppings'. The noodles, while a bit gummy, taste wonderful in the rich broth. Salads and cold pasta dishes also went well as an interesting side quest to the Sushi buffet, but they stood up well as individual offerings.

Dessert was decent for the buffet. The Jello was juicy if a tad firm and the pastries were a bit better than standard Chinese buffet mini cake. Fresh melon and pineapple (not canned) seperated Minado from lesser buffets. The soft-serve Vanilla and Green Tea machine produced decent ice cream but it made me miss the home made Green Tea and Red Bean flavors availible at Kyojin in Miami or at Enn in Lincoln, RI.

Minado delivered an impressive Japanese feast for less money than any Japanese restaurant could ever provide. Everything was tasty and cooked well (unless it was meant to be raw). Me and my wife enjoyed Minado and will return whenever we are in the Natick area. It was not the best Japanese Buffet I have been to, but it's definitely the second best.

Minado has a full website with all the information on both the Natick location and every other location, wherever they may be.

Rating: B+

Sichuan Gourmet

When one wants delicious Chinese food, often it can be hard to scratch the itch. Sometimes the food is too greasy, other times it is not very flavorful. The nice flavors often found in good Chinese food can often be difficult to locate.

Framingham hosts a quiet little Chinese restaurant off of route 9 named Sichuan Gourmet. It overlooks the crowded route, yet hosts delicious food from the Sichuan region. Translation; it's spicy!

This is a warning, because from the very beginning your taste buds will have to battle with the heat. They placed down at the beginning of the meal some nice ice water, oolong tea, and a small bowl of cured vegetables. The carrot pieces and broccoli stems looked tasty in their spicy oil. It was delicious, but dangerous. The Epicurean's throat was ripped apart from the intense heat. This sounds like a bad thing, but it wasn't.

The tradition continued with their Wonton soup, which held an influence of the spicy peppercorn. Wilted inside, leaves of spinach decorated the family-size bowl. My wife also ordered a bowl of their egg drop soup, something to which she proclaimed was one of the best servings she had ever experienced. The egg drop soup was not flavored with the spicy peppercorns, giving it a rich flavor.

The entree, chicken lo mein, was perfect. When we walked in we spotted several women manufacturing homemade egg noodles, so we decided we had to try them. It was well worth it. The lo mein (a Vietnamese dish, though this noddle entree tasty very Chinese) featured tender chicken and perfectly cooked julienned vegetables. Everything served tasted wonderful.

We only found out after we could have ordered the food not so spicy, but the heat did not detract from the flavor. Sichuan Gourmet has two locations, we visited the one in Framingham. They have a full website with all their information.



Rating: A-

Thai Garden

Good Thai cuisine is something rare outside of South East Asia. I first heard of Thai Garden from my brother. He told me that Thai Garden served fresh, delicious food that was both high quality and affordable. Me and my wife ventured to the small location hidden away across the street from the famous Chan's Chinese. At first glance, it looks like a hole in the wall that would serve mass-produced Chinese food.

First impressions are sometimes wrong. Mine was. We stepped into a very quaint dinning room, where the husband is the host/waiter and the wife is the chef. We ordered Chicken Satay, Chicken Rice, and an order of White Curry and a side of sticky rice. The meal was amazing. First, the Chicken Satay was as good as I've had it, served along with a wonderful peanut-cucumber sauce. My wife ordered the Chicken Fried Rice, which in itself sounds ordinary. The flavors were perfect and the mix of fresh vegetables, nice tender chicken, and fluffy white rice just accentuated the overall taste of the dish. My White Curry featured a rich coconut sauce served with chicken (we were in a Chicken mood), and contained a nice mix of fresh vegetables, pineapple, and peanuts. We ordered a side of sticky rice because we are suckers for it, and it was perfectly executed.

Thai Garden looks unimposing, but it's genuinely a delicious place to eat on the cheap. I hope these immigrants realize the American dream and secure a larger establishment to feature these wonderful recipes. Thai Garden is located on 280 Main Street in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.



Rating: A

Asia Grille

Amid a sea of cheap Chinese advertised with tri-fold mailers shines a silver coin. Lincoln's Asia Grille maintains its reputation as best Asian food in Blackstone Valley. Asian can be a bit of a misnomer, since Asia Grille serves mainly American Chinese food, but the food is so delicious no one seems to care. The only really negative to this resturaunt is their name claiming to serve Asian food, despite a lack of overall pan-Asian cuisine (which could include Turkish, Japanese, Indian, Thai, and even Russian food).

Easily excused with a bowl of their delicious Chicken Won-ton soup. So cheap yet so high quality you'll want to eat it daily. Wonderfully tender wontons float like koi in a delicious golden chicken broth. A slice of cured pork and chicken breast float with the dumplings, and it's finished with a leaf of lettuce, wilted by the heat. If you're feeling hungry, order the larger size with noodles for an extra treat.

The entrees are mainly American Chinese favorites, like Chop Suey, Egg Foo Young, assorted flavored chicken dishes, and Lo Mein (a vietnamese entry, the Asian extension?). I've yet to have a bad meal, so I can't really complain about anything. Maybe their Egg Rolls aren't the best, but I tend to not like fried foods. Their Steak and Chicken Teriyaki are just amazing and make a much better (and healthier) appetizer.

Service is always wonderful, with the staff being both knowledgable and helpful when managing through the massive menu. The bar was a tad small for a restaurant that size that also boasts kareoke, but then just give me a bowl of chicken wonton and I will forgive anything.

Asia Grille is located at the Lincoln Mall plaza next to the Mall itself.

http://www.asiagrille.com



Rating: A-