Hidden gems can be found anywhere. There's a place that's a bit hard to find in Providence, RI, but it's definitely worth seeking out. I first discovered it over 10 years ago while shopping at an art store. There's a group of buildings that use to be old mills. They form a semi-circle & to reach their entrances you must walk through a beautiful red brick courtyard that has trees, flowers & benches scattered about. Nestled in there is CAV.
Ten years ago CAV was unlike anything I'd ever seen in R.I. It was an elegantly lit small restaurant that had a shabby chic feel to it. The tables were made of different woods that were skillfully crafted together. The plates & glassware were handmade & painted. No two were alike. A small stage sat in one corner where a jazz trio was performing. The bar was just for service. It was too tiny to sit at & enjoy a drink. Towards the back of the restaurant was an antique/artifact shop. I can't tell you what an amazing experience it was to walk through and view objects from all over the world with a glass of wine in hand, while sexy jazz music floated around you. And we can not overlook the food! The menu was one page & it changed from one week to the next. On my first visit, I had handmade ravioli in a squid ink sauce. I remember it to this day!
Fast forward to Friday, July 22, 2005. I stepped into CAV for the first time in 5 years. My how it has changed! It got even better! Crystal chandeliers light the dining room. The tables are now covered with hand woven blankets from Indonesia. Built in bookcases throughout the space display the antiques. The bar has been expanded. Now you can sit & sip a nice glass of vino while enjoying musicians from all over the world. The back room is no longer an antique shop. More tables have been added as well as a comfy lounge area. The menu is larger & changes seasonally. The food is still outstanding. My brother was the only one eating since Tom & I had just come from the food tasting. He ordered the salmon served over herb polenta & said it was the best he'd ever had. That's major coming from Stephen, because he's a tough food critic indeed.
We thought our night couldn't get any better, but the owner Sylvia came out to chat with us. She saw me admiring a Buddha that was about 500 yrs old. She was a hoot! She told us stories about the opening of her place. They didn't have enough money for fancy tables so her friends scavenged through the state picking up scraps of wood & made the tables themselves. All of that hand-crafted dish & glassware was also made by Sylvia & friends. She soon realize that customers loved the place settings so much that they were taking them home! By the end of 2 years most of the dishes, glasses & even the salt & pepper shakers were gone! Just one of the lessons she had to learn. She was an antique dealer by day, hence the store in the back.
It took Sylvia ten years to make CAV the way she envisioned it in her mind. She did it a little at a time when time & money allotted. And she said she wouldn't have done it any other way. She's grown so much over the years & her place is a reflection of that. This women has taken all of her loves and passions & made them into a business. Her love of travel & antiquing is fulfilled when she ventures out several times a year, all over the globe, hunting for goods to sell in the restaurant. The bands that play on the weekends fills her life with music. The food & wine part are obvious. She also loves to garden & found a way to incorporate that into her daily life. Right outside of the entrance is a hand carved stone bench & just beyond it is her herb & tomato garden. The parsley that garnishes the dishes is picked daily. Sylvia is a great example of how you can make you passions work for you & have them in your life daily. Her energy was truly magical. It must come from her deep love of the life she created for herself. So, if you are ever in RI or are driving through it, please stop by CAV & say hi to Sylvia. You will not be disappointed.
CAV 14 Imperial Pl. Providence, RI 02903 (401)751-9164 - Sylvia said to call the restaurant directly for directions. You'll find it much faster & easier that way.
We're back from a RI weekend. First we attended the food tasting for the wedding. It was quite elaborate & helped us make all of our final decisions. Tom met with the lighting designer. I was there too, but, really couldn't understand much of their lingo. The hotel is so excited about what Tom is planning that they asked if they can have a photographer come the day of the wedding to take pictures of the finished product. They'd like to use it in their brochure. Cool! We ate so much, which always is the case when we go visit my family. Yes, I did eat things that I wasn't suppose to. I figured, what the hell? I can't eat most of this stuff for the next 6 months, so I'll slurge now. Actually, I was pretty good except with desserts at the tasting. I had to make sure they were adequate enough to serve to our guests. The seafood is so amazing in New England this time of the year. We had snail salad, steamers, quahogs, clam cakes & chowder. We finished it off with RI's famous Del's Lemonade. It's truly the best frozen variety out there. And it's only available from April thru September, which makes it more special. We also visited my favorite restaurant/bar/jazz lounge/antique shop. It was a magical experience. So much so, that it deserves it's own post. I'll tell you all about it on Thursday.
A special thanks goes out to my cousin Lea & her husband David, for having us as house guests. We had lots of fun with you guys!
Friday evening we are going to a food tasting for the wedding. A night spent eating hors d'oeuvres, pasta & every dessert under the sun would usually fill me with glee, but, not this time. I found out less than 2 weeks ago that I'm allergic to wheat & gluten. I didn't share earlier because I was in a state of denial. How can an Italian girl who is writing a cookbook with Italian recipes not eat bread or pasta? Yes, I did cry a bit when I found out, although I really wasn't surprised. I've suspected it for some time. I'm dealing with it as best I can. When life gives you lemons make lemonade - or at the very least, gluten-free pasta.
I met with a nutritionist yesterday & on Monday I begin a 3 week cleanse. Here's what I can not eat; wheat, gluten, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, strawberries, citrus, bananas, peanuts, cashews, all soy foods, all dairy foods including butter, vinegar, alcohol & I can only have 2 eggs twice a week. AHHHGHH!!!F****ing sum-in-a-**tch!!@!!!
Once the 3 weeks of hell are over, I get to slowly test all of foods that are on the not list to see if I get sick from them. Then, I take all of those foods that make me feel poopy & I test my tolerance threshold for each of them. So basically, everyday I increase the amount of these foods until my body just can't take it anymore or I burst into flames, whatever comes first. JOY!!! The entire process can take up to 5 months. DOUBLE JOY!!
Yes, I do know that by the end of all of the testing I'll be glad that I did this. No more sinus infections, congestion, wheezing, coughing, mountains of mucus. No more stomach aches, constipation, bloating, runs, & rashes. Heck, I might even begin to sleep through the entire night without waking up at least five times.
So, how am I going to finish the cookbook? Well, 13 recipes are done & will soon be tested by some beloved friends. That leaves 13 more to test. Half of them I can eat & half I can not. I'm going to have to rely on the tastebuds of Tom & friends & co-workers on those. I know that everything will be just fine. Now, I really want to get this book done, so I can begin testing gluten-free versions of all of my fav Italian recipes.
We are knee deep in the planning of our shindig. Save the date cards must be designed & sent out by the end of August. This weekend we're off to RI for a food tasting & meeting with the photographer & lighting designer. We have not even begun to look for a DJ or musicians for the ceremony. We still have to decide who our honor attendants will be. No floral designer as of yet. Still thinking that I may make the centerpieces & bouquets myself. So many details & so little time. And here's the best part - Tom & I have been fighting like crazy about all of this stuff. We suddenly can't agree on even the smallest detail! There have been quite a few yelling matches already & it's so stressful. When does the wedding stuff actually become fun? Why didn't anyone warn me? Did anyone else go through this or was the entire planning process sheer bliss? Yes, I'm freaking out a bit & wondering if we should have just run off & eloped in the Caribbean. Will it all be worth it in the end?!?
NYC in the summer months can be very trying on a person. Hot & smelly subways, walking in the brutal heat, people a bit more irritable (& sweaty) than usual. There are bright spots as well. One of them took place Wednesday night. The New York Philharmonic's free concert in Central Park. Flash thunder storms filled the day, but it all ceased by 5:00, which was just enough time for the grass on The Great Lawn to dry. The air was cool & the city residents were ready to picnic! Thousands gathered with coolers, blankets, wine & candles. New Yorkers have really become pretty elaborate with their picnic gear. Fancy chairs, tiny tables, pillows, even candelabras were scattered about. We were no exception. The Raffs brought their convertible table, food, wine & baby Riley. I also contributed in the food department by bringing along shrimp cocktail, a variety of cheeses & the makings of a fab antipasto. Jen made a gluten-free cake (I'll tell you why at another time) & I made my fuzzy navel fruit salad. The great food & friends made lugging all of that gear through the subways & streets of NY worth it!
Our Spread Paul, Jen & Riley Wine Anyone? The Finale
Hi all. Damn, is it hot here! The air is so thick that it's hard to breathe. Hope it's more bearable where you live. I've been spending lots of time working on the cookbook. I've made some discoveries along the way. The first - I had way to many recipes. The book was turning into an encyclopedia. So, I decided to split it in half by seasons. My family (especially when I was young), based their meals on what was fresh & available. Eggplant Parmesan was a summer dish. Stuffed artichokes signaled the start of spring. Stuffed squid is a Xmas Eve favorite. So, the book will feature the recipes of the colder months, including soups, feast of 7 fish, & lasagna. I'm a bit bummed that I spent time testing recipes that will not be included, but, nothing is a waste. If the first book is successful, the follow-up can be recipes of spring & summer. Here's the break down of my progress; -14 recipes are 100% complete. WHOO HOO! -6 recipes are almost there. They all need to be made once more. NOT BAD. -10 recipes either have not yet been tested at all or have been, but are not working. ARGHHHH! So, I guess I'm half way there. With the recipes anyway. I definitely need to head to RI for a few cooking sessions.
Today I was craving silence so, no TV, radio or the computer was turned on. I was blissfully working around my apartment & decided to head out to do some errands. A neighbor in the elevator said, "It's so terrible what happened to London, isn't it?" I was so out of the loop that I thought he was referring to their 2012 Olympic win. Once it was all revealed, shivers went up & down my spine. Bombs on subways & buses is something that I do think about here in NYC. I'm always aware of big bags or boxes on the trains. But, after a while, it seems so unlikely that something like that could happen. But it can. I must remember that. My mom called & told my to take a cab into work. I told her I would even though I knew full well that I would not. It's difficult, but one thing that Sept. 11th taught me is that one can not live in fear. So I'll be riding the train everyday as usual. And I'll be thinking of all of those people in London who will eventually do the same. My thoughts are with them.
I hope everyone is enjoying beaching, grilling or just chilling on this holiday weekend. Independence Day holds some special childhood memories for me. My family always held a big party to celebrate not only our nation's B-day, but, my Uncle Donald's(also my godfather) as well. The best 4th of July parties were held at our beach house in Narragansett, RI. It may sound glamorous, having a summer house, but it really wasn't. My entire family shared two tiny cabin like spaces that were side by side. There had to be at least 15 of us back then, but I don't remember feeling crowded. The house was in a cul-de-sac & ours was directly in the center. We shared a huge yard with three other houses. Family friends Donna & Kenny & their kids were in one house & Donna's parents & brother occupied the other two. Poppa's 1st cousin, Al & his family lived across the street. It was crazy! We all knew each other. Doors were kept wide open & we came & went as we pleased from one house to the next. Everyone who lived in that cul-de-sac felt like family. Being able to roam & play free of any fears? That's priceless.
On the 4th, all the neighbors converged onto our big center yard. Everyone brought food. Poppa manned the grill. One of my favorite pictures is of him wearing shorts, a red, white & blue apron(no shirt) & an Uncle Sam hat standing in front of the BBQ. I won't even go into the massive amounts of food that were consumed. Let me just say that the majority of our neighbors were Italian & they cooked for that party like it was the Last Supper.
The best part of the entire day happened just after dusk. The fireworks!!! Uncle Donald would put on the most intense, thrilling show. I don't know how or where he got the fireworks from - they probably "fell off a truck", but, they were amazing. We are not just talking sparklers or bottle rockets. They were so huge & colorful, or so it seemed to me at age 6 & 7. And we had a front row seat, so part of the excitement was watching him light them & run!
To be honest, I couldn't image my entire family sharing those small cabins in this day & age. We all need our space & the family has almost doubled in size. That's ok, because in my mind those summers were absolutely perfect. I don't remember any family bickering or hard times. I just have memories of freedom, laughter & love. Those were the days. HAPPY 4TH of JULY!!!
A few months ago, I received an email from a reader asking if I had a Portuguese sweet bread recipe. I did grow up in RI, which does have a large Portuguese population, but I'm sorry to say that I've never tried their breads. I've never even baked any of my own, except the banana variety, but that's not quite the same. Bread baking is truly an art. I do admire those who possess this skill and I love it when fellow bloggers share pictures of their finished loaves. I contacted my dear old RI friend Dawne & asked her to find this recipe. Dawne knows so many people that I knew she could find the "real" way to make sweet bread. This is what she sent me. I, myself, will not be making this, because like I said, bread making is truly an art form & I do not possess this skill. For those of you who do have this talent, please let me know how it turns out & send along a picture of your finished product. We will all look on with awe at your masterpieces.
INGREDIENTS 15 eggs 5lbs flour 1 stick butter(melted) 2TBLS Crisco 3 pkgs active dry yeast 3 cups milk 1 lemon peel 5 cups sugar 1 tsp salt 1 cup warm water
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Make yeast. Mix together 4TBLS of sugar with the yeast. Add warm water. Wait about 1/2 hour to ferment. Mix together remaining sugar & eggs. Set aside. In separate bowl, mix melted butter, milk & Crisco. Make sure the butter is not too hot. Slowly had flour, salt & lemon to butter mixture. Then add sugar & egg mixture as well as yeast & mix all together well. Cover & set aside. When mix is creating bubbles, it's ready. Split dough in half & place in 2 baking dishes/bowls. Again, cover well & let dough rise. Lower oven to 375 to cook the bread.
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