Dine Around The World Without Ever Leaving East Providence

A vast diversity of ethnic foods is usually available in almost any city across the United States, but does that necessarily mean that it is culturally authentic? The ever-evolving culinary Crockpot of cuisine transforms with the generations and can often stray from the heart and soul of its roots. Real true-to-form ethnic foods are an art form that sometimes gets overlooked by the glamour and glitz of the high-profile trendy restaurants of today.

Ethnicity means deriving from a way of life and that way of life can be from any group of people from any corner of the Earth. Some of those lifestyles may not be the same as yours or mine, they may seem different or eccentric, but the universal language of flavor binds all races and cultures together no matter where you hail from.

Great food is easy to recognize and so is a carbon copy. When you tell yourself you want Chinese food, you want something that uses the indigenous ingredients of China and is prepared using the same techniques here as they may use there. Some things may not seem palatable, in Bangkok they have large markets that sell anything from scorpions to starfish, sea horse to snail, all deep fried and served on a stick. They serve them literally by the thousands every day.

Now those may not be the types of foods you crave or even consider when you eat Chinese food at your favorite place, but you can still tell who cooks with their heritage and cooks with their hearts. The same goes for many regions of the world, so this week I’m recommending some of my favorite places to dine to make you feel like you are half way across the world without ever leaving East Providence:

Mexican – – 335 Newport Ave.

There are three main things that I look for when I dine at an authentic Mexican restaurant: the salsa, the type of tortilla they use and the Mole sauce. El Azteca fires on all three of these engines. The salsa is not your average salsa, thin and watery with almost no chunks at all. Just a blend of spicy and sweet in perfect harmony. If you really want to have fun, ask them for there really hot salsa. It’s not on the menu and they don’t offer it, but ask and you shall receive. They also have great hot- pressed tortillas that are thin but elastic enough to hold up to the tightly-wrapped enchiladas they produce. Finally, they have one of the best Mole sauces I have ever tasted and they only use it on one dish. I order it every time I’m there no matter what I’m eating.

Portugal — Madeira Restaurant — 288 Warren Ave.

East Providence has a large Portuguese population so perhaps that’s why we have so many Portuguese restaurants. I will say of all that I have tried, Madeira is my favorite. The spicy fiery food, fresh seafood and giant steak skewers make this a really fun place to eat. Some of it may not be what you expect, unless eating in a giant boat on the back patio is what you would expect, in which case you’ll be right at home.

 Japanese – – 5 Catamore Blvd.

So of all the restaurants here, Ichigo Ichie has the most glitz, but it also has some of the best Japanese foods in all of our state. From the one of kind hibachi experience, to the delicious Shumai and the traditional and not so traditional sushi, they are a must-eat attraction in East Providence. I recommend the Godzilla Maki, large enough to fill you up without weighing you down all of their delicious sushi is well presented and packed with flavor.

With so many other great ethnic restaurants in our city, I would love to hear about some of your favorite places. So please feel free to post a comment and let me know where to go. Enjoy your world tour!