I wanted to like Paragon in Providence, I really, really did. Sadly, this place didn’t make the cut. Not for brunch anyway.

Before I go any futher, let me just say that they serve pizza in their brunch buffet, which was actually very good.

Anyhow, a friend of mine told my boyfriend and I that we had to check out Paragon for their Sunday brunch. He might has well have thrown his hands up in the air in excitement over the array of foods and the fresh omelets made right on the spot.

OK, so… for $15 you get the buffet, plus coffee and juice (or $19 for buffet + mimosa which is what I got). The buffet has eggs benedict, scrambled eggs, homefries, french toast, waffles, bacon, pastries, bagels, and a station where a guy will make your omelet to order.

In addition to breakfast stuff, they have some soup, pasta, ham, roast beef and pizza. Also a little rice concoction. While I was there for breakfast, I would have eaten some lunch items if any of them looked appetizing, which they didn’t (except the pizza, which was great).

With all this said.. it was a pretty generic buffet. I mean, the tiny glimmer of hope it had was the omelet station and my omelet (green peppers, bacon and cheese) wasn’t very good.

For $15, I could have gone to Fire & Ice and gotten a ridiculous array of breakfast items made to order, with fresh fruit, pancakes and whatever concoction I wanted… plus meats and chicken and whatever lunch items I wanted, if I wanted them.

So for comparisons sake, I was majorly unimpressed. Very glad I tried it out, but wouldn’t come back for brunch

I came to Bambara in Cambridge as part of a large group, but I looked online for the prices we would have paid for the meals that we got and I have to say… not worth it.

So let’s start with the opener…

TRADITIONAL CAESAR SALAD – $8
Romaine leaves, garlic croutons, white anchovies, shaved parmesan

I got this salad sans the anchovies, and it was good, probably the most satisfying thing I got on the menu. I tried a taste of someones butternut squash soup, and it was pretty bland so I think I made the right choice.

SIGNATURE STEAK FRITES – $27
Hanger steak, slow roasted roma tomatoes, arugula, herb butter, peppercorn sauce

Here you get your usual Hanger steak (the long one), then you get a pile of tomatoes and a gigantic pile of arugula and a basket of herbed fries. The steak was pretty OK, it came with a decent sauce. The fries were OK, I didn’t end up eating very many. The big pile of arugula was just for decoration and served no purpose because nobody can eat that much arugula.

I also got to try someone’s pasta dish that was mostly just a garlic sauce, and that was just OK as well. A very small portion too.

DESSERT TRAY
Hot Chocolate Cake, Classic Profiteroles , Warm Caramel Date Cake, Lemon Meringue

So I think this dessert tray  was special because we were a large group, but luckily since we got to sample all the desserts, I can tell you that the Hot Chocolate Cake and the Date Cake were pretty amazing, while the Profiteroles had espresso ice cream and were bland. The lemon meringue was more of a garnish but it was OK.

I also got a hot chocolate with my dessert and was nice that they had it.

My main complaint is that the service was slow as hell. Our group took up five tables, but yet we only had two servers. You would think that we would get our own servers for each table like any other party that would have come in. At least three.

My particular table had to wait at least 10 minutes longer than any of the other tables for every single course, so I guess it’s their bad luck that it was the table with the chronic Yelper.

So, considering that I would have paid $27 for that steak dish alone, if I was out on a date in Boston, I’d say thumbs down. The place isn’t all that nice and the food wasn’t amazing. I might give it four stars if the service was any good, but sadly it wasn’t.

I’m a sucker for roasted garlic, so Vinny T’s had me at hello.

Furthermore, I’m also a sucker for Chicken Cacciatore, which they don’t have on their menu. Think that’d stop me from asking if they could cook some up for me? Absolutely not.

I asked our waitress if they had anything with a spicy sauce, something like, oh, a cacciatore sauce. She said she didn’t think so, but would ask the cooks if they could do it up for me.

Well fancy that, they had no problem hooking me up with some fantastic and perfectly cooked chicken cacciatore.

I don’t recall seeing anything on the menu with red peppers in it, but they must have them in the kitchen cause this baby was nice and fired up, loaded with peppers.

It really was one of the better cacciatore dishes I’ve had – especially impressive since it’s not on their menu. Someone back in the kitchen must know their stuff!

I’ve got not complaints about this place except that they no longer offer their red wine vinaigrette dressing which I used to adore.

Our waitress (who I think was also the bartender) just plain super.

Love, love, love everything about this place. It’s my new favorite restaurant in Providence.

Ebisu is tucked away on a side street in Providence off of Route 10. The outside isn’t exactly inviting or descriptive of what you’re getting yourself into, either. A true hidden gem.

Enter the restaurant, and you’re welcomed by modern decor, light walls and dark furniture and upholstery. Very classy.

We started with green tea. You might be surprised to find out (like we were), that tea isn’t free. It also isn’t provided with sugar (incase you have a sweet tooth like me). It is, however just $1.50 and you get a nice big cup. One of my guests called it “dirty water” because it was very plan, but it certainly combated the intense air conditioning that probably shouldn’t have been running now that summer is over. I almost liked sipping the hot tea in a chilly room though. Cozy.

Let’s talk food though.

Yasai Wonton Soup – $4.25

I ordered this not expecting to like it and, not surprisingly, I didn’t like it. I don’t blame Ebisu though, I’m not usually a fan of Japanese soup.

Garlic & Chili Edamame – $3

Best Edamame I’ve ever had, hands down. A perfect blend of salty and spicy. A nice big bowl good enough to split with two people.

Sasami Robata Yaki ( grilled chicken on skewers) – $3

Pretty fantastic. Grilled and perfectly marinated. You get two at this price (if you get there before 7, otherwise I think it’s $4).

Asupara Maki (asparagus wrapped in bacon) – $4.25

A perfect addition to http://ThisIsWhyYoureF…, but so delicious. Hands down, my favorite treat of the evening.

Meat Combo Shabu Shabu – $11.95

This meal was just plain interesting. You get a big plate of very thinly sliced meat. In my case, I got chicken and steak. You get this gigantic hot pot filled with more broth than you could ever use. Ontop of that you get a gigantic bowl of fresh vegetables to throw into the pot. I chose to get udon noodles with it, but you can get steamed rice if you want.

This is definitely a fun place to eat and go out with friends. Ebisu is one of those places where you just keep ordering more items as the meal goes on and you see all the delicious things that other people are eating.

$80 for four (very full) people was not shabby at all. $20 a person for the amount of food we ate was awesome. I’ll definitely be coming back and bringing other people here. Next time I’ll probably get some Saki too.

EDIT: I’ve been back twice now, and haven’t been disappointed! The waitress now recognizes me and knows the asparagas w/ bacon is my fave.

I’ve also since tried the Tori Yakisoba (Pan fried Wheat Noodles with Chicken) which was yum yum yum!