It’s that time of year.

Need a study break? Like free food?

In case you haven’t been benefiting from the Blog meal credit cooperative yet — or even if you have — come on down to the libraries tonight and tomorrow for the semesterly tradition of Pizza Nite! If you haven’t been before, you really ought to check it out. It’s quite the scene.

TONIGHT (Tuesday): SciLi basement
Tomorrow (Wednesday): Rock lobby
Both at 9pm.

Expect crowds. (Also, apples.)

All for you. Those boxes are all for you.

The ever joyous and festive Cinco de Mayo tends to fall during a not-so-festive reading period for Brown students. Sure, this timing may be less than ideal, but engaging in the Cinco de Mayo festivities is a welcome break from the tedium of studying. Need a study break? Here are six reasons why you should check out the 3rd Annual Cinco de Mayo Block Party, taking place today from 12-6 p.m. on Westminster between Eddy and Clemence.

1. Face painting. Everyone needs to regress a bit, especially during finals.
2. Mariachi de Brown. Bet you didn’t know we had a mariachi band.
3. Curious as to where all your favorite food trucks are? They may or may not be on dishing out on Westminster. Go say hello to Like No Udder, Sprout, Mijos, and PVD Pudding Pops, among others.
4. Writer’s block? You can write Happy Cinco de Mayo messages on a Mini Cooper courtesy of ZipCar.  Get those creative juices flowing.
5. Stressed? Smash a Pinata…or two.
6. If you’re of age, get your tequila fix at the Block Party’s outdoor bar. It’s a beautiful day, and margaritas are calling your name.

See you there!

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Still not happy with the small country’s worth of meal options provided by the College Hill food truck scene? Lotus Pepper, one of the newest meals-on-wheels options to hit the corner of Thayer and George and/or Brown and George, is here to help. Offering a six-item menu of Vietnamese cuisine at reasonable prices, Lotus Pepper appears to be shooting for the simple, pleasant vibe of a Mama Kim’s-type establishment. Kind-of-almost-pictures of the menu below. If it looks good, you know what to do–try that shit tonight. Obviously. [Read more →]

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 →]

The wait is over; Gourmet Heaven opened its doors this morning at 9 a.m., and it truly is heavenly.

While I would love to report that, like the diligent investigative journalist I aim to be, I was the first-ever customer at the brand-new College Hill branch of Gourmet Heaven, I only managed to snag (an admirable) third place. In my defense, the two students in front of me were coming off of an all-nighter, which I would call an unfair advantage.

A quick perusal of the aisles revealed an unapologetic collection of all the best bougie foods you could desire. I’m personally most excited about the coffee grounds selection, which includes highly covetable Sarabeth’s products. (For those of you unfamiliar with Sarabeth’s, it is a NYC restaurant that I once spotted Kelsey Grammer at. To be fair, I did admit it was all too bougie). The snack food options include tried-and-true favorites like Cape Cod Kettle Chips, and endearingly ‘alt’ brands with names like “Baked in Brooklyn” and “The Daily Crave” (with spoof newspaper packaging). Though I wish I could even attempt to fit a list of all of Gourmet Heaven’s offerings in a single post, some proper aisle-oogling will sure to be more efficient and more fun.

[Read more →]

The newest edition to Providence’s eclectic Wayland Square is The Olive Tap, an artisanal olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting emporium. I think we can all agree that a solid bread-olive oil-vinegar combination can elevate any meal. Looking to impress your next dinner companions? Searching for a way to enhance your favorite salad dressing recipe? The Olive Tap is your next stop for perfecting your future culinary creations.

The Olive Tap, located at 485 Angell St., offers you the opportunity to sample and purchase the finest Extra Virgin and flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars of Modena. Choose from the rows of oil and vinegar dispensed directly from their sealed “Fusti” (serving tanks). The basic premise is as follows: you walk in, greeted by rows of shining silver containers of oil and vinegar, terrines of French bread, and as many tasting cups as you can hold. You’re welcome to try one or all of their delicious offerings, mixed and matched, with bread or straight out of the serving cup, shot style. With flavors ranging from White Truffle Olive Oil to Espresso Vinegar, the  permutations are endless. If that isn’t enough, The Olive Tap has an enormous collection of culinary sauces, marinades, gourmet pastas and international specialty foods for purchase. [Read more →]

Perhaps you are enjoying a bag of delicious Deep River kettle cooked potato chips as you read this, or pigging out on multiple rounds of some sugary Ratty treat (or both… I don’t judge), but don’t feel too guilty about indefinitely prolonging the Freshman 15 your unhealthy eating choices. Overall, we’re considered a pretty healthy bunch!

According to the health and fitness website greatist.com, Brown ranks 6th on their list of “25 Healthiest Colleges in the US.” The website commends our locally grown food options, and vegetarian/vegan alternatives. Not surprisingly, they also mention our excellent Health Services, specifically those relating to sexual health and safety. So, next time you feel like complaining about Brown’s allegedly crappy dining hall food or subpar health services, just remember that there are those who think otherwise! Who cares if some Harvard-adoring academic ranking systems don’t realize our true merit – I’m looking at you, US News & World Report Rankings – rejoice because we’ve got great access to healthy food and condoms!

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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!

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When I was younger, I could eat anything I wanted. Now I can eat, like, only seven types of food. Food is complicated. It’s time to ruminate about different topics in the world of food.

Eating healthily. It’s so difficult to eat healthily. Or at least, it’s difficult eat healthily and not have the same diet as a gerbil. I am amazed that while I try to eat healthier, I don’t have a goddamn clue what to eat. Carbs? Bad. Protein? Bad. Fat…FAT?!?! Fat getting inside my body, yeah right. Forget everything that sounds bad, even good stuff like apples are not as healthy as people once thought. We live in a world where there are no healthy foods, just foods that are less poisonous than others.

I’ve attempted to eat healthier, but the nutrition facts on boxes aren’t helping. Does anyone know how to read nutrition facts? What exactly am I looking for? I note the serving per box and the calories, but what the hell comes next? There’s vitamin B, B6, B12….If I have two servings of B6, does that equal one serving of B12? The content amounts are all in grams, which might explain why drug dealers are so skinny. Although I start out wanting a breakfast, I end up trying to solve an algebra problem.

I know nothing about the ingredients. Riboflavin, Thiamin, Niacin – what kind of Pokémon characters am I eating? Just tell me a box of Frosted Flakes = 19 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed and a Spicy Without and I’ll understand. [Read more →]