Exploring Rhode Island

Last night on our way to Picasso's Pizza, we took a minor detour to the TAPS office on West Shore Rd. It is even more unassuming than the pick-up shots in the show, though there are several ominous looking black vans and SUVs in the parking lot with the large yellow TAPS logo. The office-front is blacked out with the same lettering. Taped to the door was a note: "TAPS appreciates all their fans, however this is a working office..." So no tour, no gift shop, no meet-and-greet, but it was cool just to be there. Next excursion we'll take the camera and get a photo out in front...

Picasso's was excellent, despite the location. It is definitely a dive and I'm glad we ordered carry-out instead of eating in, since its more of a pool hall/bar than a pizza joint. But the food was excellent! Based on a prior review, we tried the Hot Honey Wings and they were amazing. I think we could've been satisfied with wings only if we had ordered more. There was a good mix of wings and legs in the order, and all were very juicy and tender. Just the right amount of sauce, which, the name describes: Hot and Honey, but not too overpowering with either flavor. Onto the pizza! They have both thick and thin crust on the menu, and we opted for thick with Sausage, Spinach, and Roma Tomatoes. You wouldn't think this place would offer fresh ingredients, but yeah, there you go, and they have gourmet pizzas on the menu as well. The cheese and toppings went all they way to the crust; no skimping there! Very good flavor, baked to perfection. Yum! I won't knock the location or lack of atmosphere, since the prices are so low. We got an order of wings and a med 3 topping pizza for just under $20. What a deal! The only downside was a limited delivery area; we're only 4.2 miles away and out of their area.

On Sunday we weren't worn out from our big day to Cape Cod, but the weather forecast called for thunderstorms, so we decided to stay local. Like I mentioned, it was a parking nightmare with Brown's graduation clogging the streets, but we made it to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. They had a wonderful architecture/furniture exhibit from the 30's, and the main collection had numerous contemporary and modern works by the likes of Picasso and Warhol. LA always likes the museum gift shops and this one did not disappoint. They even had Supply and Demand and E Pluribus Venom by Shepard Fairey!

For lunch, we got directions to The Cuba Revolution. It was a slow Sunday afternoon with only 4 other customers, but what a treat to find good Cuban food all the way in New England! We stuck with the basics, an order of croquettas, guacamole, split a Cuban, a couple of Cuba Libres, and some Cuban Coffee to end with. Very good Cuban sandwiches and guacamole. Very smooth and creamy and neither one of us could put a finger on the mystery herb/spice. However, the Cuban Coffee was unlike any other I've had. It was espresso with hazelnut syrup, not traditional whatsoever, which is either plain or with simple sugar. Too much flavor in it to really taste the coffee bean. The service was quick--as it should have been with only 2 other tables. The croquettas were good, but nothing special. Cuban restaurants are few and far between, so its hard to compare...there's Gordo's in Tallahassee, The Columbia, and a tiny local favorite in Key West....but I would have to say this one is my 4th favorite, but with 2nd place Cuban Sandwich and #1 restaurant guacamole.

After that we walked and did a little shopping at Design Within Reach, which was having a fantastic Memorial Weekend Sale. I bought some little stainless steel address numbers for a project I don't have in mind yet. They may just line up on my desk or look good on top of books. I did manage to get sequential numbers 5-8 for only $34, an absolute steal when they were originally $75/each! They're similar to these, but stainless steal and not aluminum. LA has been wanting a cowhide rug for quite some time, and found one on a great sale, plus free shipping! It'll look great in our extra bedroom or upstairs living room. The best thing, though, and least attainable, was the black Eames Lounge & Ottoman they had. Sitting in that chair was like sitting on air. You really don't know luxury until you've sat in one. From DWR:

"In continuous production since its introduction in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair is widely considered one of the most significant designs of the 20th century. It was the culmination of Charles and Ray Eames' efforts to create a club chair using the molded plywood technology that they pioneered in the '40s. In Charles Eames' words, the vision was a chair with the "warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt.""

Absolutely gorgeous lounge and ottoman. Now I have something to save my money for.

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