Since you most definitely need to treat yo’self (see after the jump) after completing that final paper, I suggest stopping by Wickenden’s most recent addition, Dolce Gelateria. If you think the Lanni family’s (John, Deborah, Brittan, and Nicole) shop is scooping your average ice cream and gelato, I bet these mind-blowing flavas – apple crisp, coffee kahlua brownie, snickas with Snickers, ginger, and frozen pudding – proved you wrong. As if those weren’t enough, your options also include white chocolate with cranberry, basil sorbet, cinnamon, and peach bellini. And if I haven’t convinced you yet, the Lanni family’s homemade waffle cone recipe puts the Ratty/V-dub to shame.  Basically, this gelato and ice cream joint is sure to be a sweet success, so ch-ch-check it out at 270 Wickenden or on their Facebook page.

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As a senior, I’ve seen a lot of bars and restaurants come and go throughout my four years on the Hill. Liquid Lounge was replaced by the English Cellar Ale House. Toledo, the infamous pizza-in-a-cone restaurant, was replaced by Sahara Hookah. Chipotle replaced Roba Dolce  some random restaurant that had no customers. And Marley’s was replaced by Hercules Mulligan’s (until that too closed).

On Monday, Gourmet Heaven opened, replacing Via Via in terms of its location, and replacing surpassing Tedeschi in terms of its purpose. Within 48 hours of opening its doors, the specialty food store has gained widespread approval, and I’ll even go as far as to say endless amounts of love, from Brunonians.

If you haven’t been yet, remove yourself from the rock (Rock?) you’ve clearly been living under and go check it out for yourself. And, if you’ve already graduated, I’m sorry to say this so bluntly, but you missed out. Even the opening of Froyo World doesn’t even compare to this newest addition. Though there are hundreds of reasons to be a fan of Gourmet Heaven, here are the top 5: [Read more →]

So apparently it’s not new (#freshmanproblems), but Joedega is making a comeback on College Hill. This aesthetically pleasing truck “proudly serves fresh, locally roasted coffee from small farms around the globe.” I’m in! Just in time for reading week, Joedega’s extensive menu of brewed coffee, espresso, lattes, and teas will keep you pumped up for some quality time in the Rock.

The truck, which is posting up on Brown and George today, promises to be a savior for all those who were missing the iced coffee from Providence Coffee Roasters. And if caffeine isn’t your thing (congrats!), Joedega has a promising smoothie menu! Go check them out and keep supporting the ever-growing plethora of food trucks on campus.

BlogDH cares. We care about y’all, and so we urge you to eat before, during, whilst drinking (if you are of age and choose to do so, of course) during Spring Weekend. Regardless, according to everyone who’s anyone (Spring Weekend still confuses me, but, like, I’m over it) staying fueled is key. We’ve covered all the off-campus options, but let’s take a look at what BCA hooked us up with on the Main Green. I chatted with one of the “cultural norm loving hipsters” of the BCA—yes, someone actually used this phrase in one of the post-ticket fiasco e-mails—who gave me the 411.

Straight from Thayer:

• Ben & Jerry’s: Cones on cones on cones.

The works of Wickenden:

• Duck & Bunny: Holy crap—does this mean CUPCAKES? (Ed.-You bet it does.)
• Taste of India: The thought of Indian food is kind of making me nauseous, but to each his/her own.

Other:

• New England Lemonade: Nothing quenches thirst quite like a massive cup of sugar.
• Domino’s: If you’re too __(insert adjective here)__ to walk to Nice Slice and/or Antonios.  SW challenge: sample all three?
• Frenchy’s: Sorry, this isn’t bootleg Plouf Plouf. Frenchy’s is your go-to for popcorn, candy apples, cotton candy, and sno-cones. Unsure why Frenchy’s sounds so familiar? Yeah, that’s right! You most definitely saw them at WaterFire! Throwback Thursday!
• Mexico: Mexican. You know the deal. Unsure how I feel about this.

Thanks, BCA!  See you OUTSIDE!

Image via. 

The semester is not quite done, and neither is Aaron Fitzsenry’s culinary creativity. To send us into Spring Weekend and finals with full stomachs, he has some exciting specials planned that you won’t want to miss.

Tonight there will be a “Sweet Things Special” at Jo’s.  Games will be set up in the dining room, and you can expect chocolate-dipped strawberries and pretzels, ice cream floats with Gifford’s L.L. Bean ice creams, candy, some new varieties of fresh baked mini cookies, and grilled pound cake. At the “Three-Burners” station, Aaron will even be whipping up Bananas Foster Blondie sundaes.

Next week in the Blue Room, keep your eyes out for for Iced Coffee Floats on Wednesday, April 24. To kick off Reading Period on Friday, it will be offering Frozen Parfaits with either froyo or sherbert, fresh berries, fancy granola, and whipped cream.

Finally, on Friday, May 3, Dining Services will be throwing a BBQ Picnic on Pembroke field. According to Aaron, they will be “pulling out a grill and doing ribs, BBQ pulled chicken sliders, fresh lemonade punch, and a bunch of other things that I feel like bringing to a picnic.” 

Make sure to check out all of these events, and give Aaron a big “THANK YOU” if you happen to see him!

Have you ever gone to the Ratty incredibly hungry, only to find that there seems to be nothing to eat at all? Do you walk through those heavy doors ready to put your gastronomical skills to the test, but leave uninspired and unsatisfied? Enter Connie Wu ’12.5 and Annie Wu ’12.5, the twins who have elevated your Ratty experience from one of whining to one of fine dining.

Connie and Annie have incredible vision, creativity, and culinary skills; they’re the masterminds behind Ratty Gourmet, a comprehensive blog that catalogues their various Ratty creations with accompanying photographs and recipes. Needless to say, these two have most definitely changed the Ratty game for hundreds of Brown students.

Let these two master chefs walk you through the steps to whip up this Ratty delicacy and teach you the tricks of their trade. Cajun Chicken Broccoli Pasta is on today’s menu. Watch, learn, and become inspired to culinary action.

My first Geoff’s experience was four years ago when my family and I made the trek up I-95 for my older sister’s college visits. While I wish the instant I sunk my teeth into that superlative sandwich was the moment I knew Brunonia held a spot in my future, I remember being unimpressed by its flavor and only semi-appreciated the giant barrel of free pickles. Then again, I made the rookie mistake of creating my own boring sandwich. I now know that the extensive sandwich board serves to work in your favor — don’t mess with it. Four years later and over three months into my freshman year, I ventured down Meeting Street for a second taste — and, as my friend’s Instagram caption reveals, a meal that is truly “heaven between two slices of bread.”  Although the making of these sandwiches is debatably art, and the vibe of the establishment certainly plays into its deliciousness factor, here are some ways to recreate a Geoff’s original with the simple swipe of your ID: [Read more →]

The event of the year is finally upon us: the Academy Awards are airing tomorrow night, and after so many months of anticipation, we really couldn’t be more excited. Whether you’ve prepared by spending your winter break camped out in the movie theater, making predictions of your own, or fantasizing about your dream Oscar wardrobe, tomorrow evening’s show is sure not to disappoint.

In celebration of my favorite event of the awards season, I have decided to host a screening party of my own, complete with a few homemade movie-inspired dishes. Epicurious.com made the selection process quite easy, creatively compiling nine multi-course menus inspired by this year’s Best Picture nominees. Though Hush Puppies (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Philly Cheese Steaks (Silver Linings Playbook) were incredibly tempting, I also had to consider that a college student’s time and financial budget are pretty limited. It was for this reason I settled on two more simple, yet still delicious, dishes to satisfy my roommates’ insatiable appetites ring in this cinematic celebration. Sure, my meal is lacking a main course, but who isn’t willing to skip straight to dessert anyway?

Tabbouleh (inspired by Zero Dark Thirty)

You may be familiar with this Middle Eastern side dish, especially since it is a mainstay in the Blue Room sandwich line. This refreshing salad is surprisingly easy to make, with ingredients that are readily available at every super market. Don’t be intimidated by its foreign spelling, let alone pronunciation (ta-boo-lee?, ta-boo-lay? Who knows…) – this one is quick, easy, and can compliment any entrée. [Read more →]

Looks easy enough, right?

If you’re a procrastinator student, you probably already know all of the possibilities of intrigue that BuzzFeed has to offer. Among the multitude of cuteness-overloads and eye-opening trips down memory lane, I was delighted to find an article on the site that would, with all success, satisfy my taste-buds as well as my desire for shameless entertainment.

Similar to how everyone wants to learn how to open a beer bottle without touching it, we all want to be able to cook something delicious without having to spend excessive amounts of money or time to do so (in reality, there’s not really a more relevant audience for either of these things than college students). Taking this up a notch, BuzzFeed compiled an extensive list of “34 Insanely Simple Two-Ingredient Recipes,” yes, two-ingredient recipes that actually work. Skeptical? Me too.

Logically, I decided that the best way to verify the truth in this claim was to test out a couple of them myself. No off-campus food shopping was necessary, no recipes were expected to take longer than 30 minutes, and the final products looked promisingly delicious. Sure, the results weren’t exactly what I expected, but you never quite know what you’re going to get when diving into the unknown abyss that is the Internet. Check out the results after the jump.

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Thanksgiving is a welcome distraction from the dreaded arrival of finals — you know, those unspeakable evils that are looming over the semester’s end. In my current midterm “lull” that always precedes final exams, I decided to get a little bit creative and plan a makeshift Thanksgiving meal for my roommates on the eve of our respective departures home. Now that we’re college students, we have limited time and limited funds, so I chose to explore the idea of a $10 (and maybe only 10 minute) Thanksgiving meal. This amount is not quite arbitrary – it happens to be the credit card minimum at East Side Mini-Mart – but it inspired me to get a little bit crafty in my procrastination spare time. Since we’re a week out from Turkey Day, I decided to take that $10 cap and compare the “feast” options available at both East Side Mini Mart and CVS. Check out the results of the investigation after the jump.

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