3 Must-try Eats: East Coast Food That Deserves a Megaphone

I try a lot of good food (kind of built my life around it). Sometimes it’s just me, in the moment, phone in one hand and fork in the other. When it hits that drop everything and text your people level of good, you bet I’m capturing it (gear or no gear). I’m making it a regular thing to highlight the standout experiences I’m lucky to have, in hopes someone else gets to have them too.

Mozz in Newport — Porchetta, Ciabatta & Mozzarella Dreams

Mozz in Newport, Rhode Island is serving this slow-roasted, herb-packed masterpiece on housemade ciabatta so fresh I could cry. It's incredibly crispy, juicy and flavorful. They make their mozzarella daily and won’t let you buy it without tasting it first (same with the porchetta). Bless them.

Do yourself a favor and grab the arancini while you’re there (crispy on the outside, cheese lava on the inside). The staff here is outstanding and goes out of their way to make you feel a part of the experience - they're doing a truly kick-ass job. Mozz is an obvious pick for my Must-try East Coast Eats Series.

Roasted porchetta sample as we come in the door.

Ooozy arancini filled with peas and onion.

Fresh Roasted Porchetta

Super Crispy and served on ciabatta

Fresh mozzarella to take home. We enjoyed it with garden tomatoes.

Rong Chic— Sichuan Fire In The Heart Of Providence

My dad introduced me to Sichuan food when I was a little girl, and I’ve been hooked on bold, spicy flavors ever since - finding this spot in Providence is truly special in a multitude of ways.

Rong Chic is a woman-owned  Sichuan Restaurant by Yao Liu. They've only recently opened, and for me, it’s already a star. It’s good. Like, went twice in one week, good. The super umami salad is a flavor punch. The yopo noodles are hand-pulled perfection, the perfect bite (give a good toss so the garlic, chili oil, and sauce coat every strand for the ultimate experience). The three pepper chicken (a long-time fave Sichuan dish of mine) is crispy and spicy (loud in all the right ways). And their juicy dumplings arrive at the table piping hot and full of flavor. Rong Chic fits right at home in my Must-try Dishes Series.

Mixed Up Nut Butters — Vermont Magic in a Jar

When I was back in Vermont for a shoot with the craft school, I caught up with my dear friend Cindy, who handed me a jar of Mixed Up Foods strawberry creemee nut butter—and it stopped me in my tracks. Creamy and dreamy, no cloying sweetness, just a hint of real Vermont maple syrup 

Fast forward to getting home and finding out I’d be working with the same company on a honey + peanut butter collab for my client, Crystal's Raw Honey. Talk about worlds colliding in the best way.

This week I cracked open their almond cashew pecan butter, and let’s just say… I’ll be diving spoon-first into all their tempting flavors. Toast has become completely optional. Did I mentioned the only sweetener they use is real Vermont maple syrup!?

And that’s this week’s Big 3 Must-try Dishes. If you try any of these, I want to hear about it and of course, see a photo.