Moonshine Alley, Providence, RI USA

Enjoyed in downtown Providence at Moonshine Alley after teaching a class at Johnson and Wales.

Providence is a very easy drive from Boston, as long as you’re not leaving between 4 and 6pm. I had the pleasure of teaching a class on new technologies for tourism and hospitality marketing, which meant an easy drive down in the morning, coffee in hand.

On such a gorgeous early spring day, it was lovely to break free from the home office to spend the day just an hour drive away. Being at Johnson and Wales gave me flashbacks from my own university days, and made me question what I was like as a student. The class I was teaching ended up being completely full, and I enjoyed gauging the attention of each student as I meandered through my session and paused occasionally for questions.

I did love being back in the school environment like this… although, on the way to my classroom, seeing the student tasting wines at 10am did make me chuckle… someone has to do it if we want sommeliers greeting us at high end establishments!

For lunch, we went walking distance to Moonshine Alley. A locally famous establishment that provided live music several nights a week, Moonshine Alley cared about catering to college students and their families, as well as those working and living in the area. You couldn’t help but love the vibe sitting at their table-tops surrounded by what one might describe as an upscale sports entertainment and music setting.

Of course I ordered the Honky Tonk club sandwich… having recently been to Fort Worth, Texas, I didn’t really brand this restaurant or the ingredients in the club very “honky tonk,” but hey, if it helped them sell more, so be it.

We caught up on life, reviewing food items, coffee, university, and March Madness, as we awaited our meals to arrive.

Definitely not much Honky Tonk about this club sandwich, I suppose the unique, standout ingredient here was the cranberry mayo, a seemingly perfect accompaniment to turkey, especially in New England, but this had nothing to do with being honky tonk and in fact, the cranberry wasn’t overly noticeable. What was noticeable was the hefty ratio of bread to ingredients, which made me feel like I was consuming way too much carb in this moment.

I would, however, come back to Moonshine Alley just for the sweet potato waffle fries. Hot dam, these were so perfectly crafted and cooked, crispy and chewy, dynamite flavor… a standout side like I have not had before in waffle form. If you ever find yourself at Moonshine Alley, please order these waffle fries, and don’t get lost in the 20+ side dishes they also offer.

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