Munchie’s, Fall River

Breakfast with Mike is always a fun experience. We share many experiences and love of sports. Not much to talk about regarding the sporting scene other than the amazing Bruins and the fact that baseball season is getting close. This morning we went back to one of out favorite cities, Fall River, to Munchie’s, 4263 N Main St. We had been to the same location a few years ago when it was Dunkin’ Munch. It has changed hands since. Lots of really great breakfast in Fall River in fact two of our year-end “Pick of the Year” have been in Fall River, Locust St. Kitchen ( now closed ) and Javahouse, still serving a fantastic breakfast in downtown Fall River. So when I saw the new ownership at Munchie’s I figured we would have to try it. The place was quite dark, and there was only one other table being served. The waitress gave us our menu and continued her conversation with the other people. We got our coffee, DownEast, and ordered. The coffee was good, not bold, not weak, just mild. I ordered a Portuguese omelet with the home fries. Now these home fries were definitely worthy of the Fall River breakfast experience. Evenly cut, with very nice spice which gave a little “kick” at the end. The hit of the meal. The omelet was very dry. Eggs were cooked too hot and never got fluffy. The ingredients were ok, although I personally like my linguica not chopped in small pieces. In the end I will remember the quiet when we left, and the home fries. Coffee, 6.5; home fries, 9; meal, 5; overall 6.8

Back to Fall River, breakfast capital of Southeast Massachusetts, to visit a rebranded location now named “Munchies”. Ray and I have visited over 160 restaurants for this, our blog journey, over the years. From time-to-time we come across one that has changed hands and we feel obligated to return to keep our legion of fans up to date. Today was such a day. First impression: Munchies is dim. It was. Not well lit but that’s not why we’re there. The menu was typical of Fall River area residents with chourice and cacoila a part of more than a few selections. When on the menu I always go with a cacoila omelet. Guess what I got. Downeast coffee was good and hot and refilled often. It was mild and smooth…very drinkable. Again, like last week, I would guess this to be a breakfast blend. I prefer a strong, full-flavored coffee in the morning, but Munchies serves a brew that is above average and nothing to complain about. My omelet was tasty but on the dry side despite ordering cheese as an addition. I wish it wasn’t so dry because I really liked the how the cacoila was spiced and how it came shredded instead of in large chunks. The hit of the meal were the homefries. Very, very good. These were perfectly spiced red bliss potatoes that had been cut uniformly to cook evenly. Nice! Well done! All-in-all a mixed bag to blog about. I will give the coffee a 6.5 but the omelet will only get a 4.5. However, the homefries were really good and deserve an 8.5 for an overall rating of 6.5

Francesca’s, East Providence, RI

Today Ray and I traveled just two Seekonks away to Francesca’s at 525 North Broadway, East Providence. It’s getting difficult to find a new place this close to review but Francesca’s has replaced the Our Place restaurant recently, (last October) and I just noticed it while driving through the city a few weeks ago. There is still Our Place 2 in Riverside if you enjoyed these restaurants as much as we did. Ironically, as one of the two establishments closes, Francesca’s opens as the second with this name, the other being in Pawtucket. Yes, we’ve been there as well, but it had a different name at the time. Lots of things to like about Francesca’s. Nice parking area and the interior looks brand new. I also liked the layout. There’s plenty of seating and counter space. Francesca’s advertises itself as a Mexican/American restaurant which is reflected in the menu. I selected the Motuleno, tostadas covered with refried beans, eggs, pico de gallo and jalapenos (I asked the waitress to omit the jalapenos). The meal also came with homefries and fried plantains. First, though, we were served New England coffee. The coffee was good, about average, and I suspect it was a blend as opposed to a stronger type like a Columbian dark roast. This was mild and very drinkable, (frequent refills) but not too flavorful. The Motuleno was similar. I should have ordered the jalapenos! Without the kick of the missing peppers the rest was kinda blah. My fault. I liked the crisp tostadas. And I liked the sweet, carmelized plantains. For me, the plantains were the hit of the meal as the homefries were also blah. They needed lots of salt. Ray and I also sampled the home-made hash and were both pleasantly intrigued by the flavor. Unlike the saltiness we usually experience, Francesca’s hash had a mild hint of, what we agreed on, sage. We may be wrong but there it is. So, the coffee was a 6 but the homefries were only a 4.5 and the overall was a 5. I’ll leave the hash out of this as I really don’t know yet, if I would get it again. Final score is a 5.2

Not much sports to talk abut this week other than the historic run by the Bruins. Hope this does not jinx them. We had a short ride this morning to Francesca’s in East Providence. We had been to this building in 2017 when it was Our Place and enjoyed the breakfast. After Our Placed closed in 2020, Francesca’s opened as a Mexican restaurant in October of 2022. The decor is very clean and bright, and our waitress was pleasant with a great smile and attitude. She brought our New England Coffee quickly along with the menu. Our experiences with Mexican restaurants has been mixed, with Mesa Cafe in Cranston being our Breakfast Boys Pick of the Year in 2019 being the best. Francesca’s menu is extensive and definitely has many options for “south of the border” choices. I had the Huevos Rancheros with a side of their home made hash. Starting with the coffee, which was pretty good, not great, but I’d say a little above average. As we have said in the past, it makes a difference to grind your own beans, and Francesca’s does that. The meal was a little disappointing. The eggs were served over the re-fried beans rather than on the side. Not my favorite way to serve, but both were prepared well and tasty. The home fries were ok, some spice, but they still needed salt. After the meal was served the chef showed up with an extra plate of home fries saying that he didn’t serve a good quantity on my plate. Very nice touch! The hash was really home made and was quite good, maybe a tad too much sage but I liked it. I think this might be a very good place to try for lunch. You can check out their menu at the link above. Coffee, 6; home fries, 6, meal 6.5; overall, 6.2.

The Cozy Grill, Warwick, RI

A very weird morning… first we were not sure who’s turn was to choose so I said I would take it this week. Relatively short drive to Cranston, and found that my choice was closed even though their website said they were open. I had no backup plan ( bad start to the new year ), but luckily Mike had an option just a few minutes away, the Cozy Grill, 440 Warwick Ave, Warwick. What a great mistake by me not having a backup, as the Cozy Grill is going to be there in December, I’m betting. Not the biggest place we have been to however, it looks like it has been around awhile. Our waitress was super friendly as we asked her about the coffee, the decor, and some of the menu items. Our coffee was New England, a staple around here. They grind their own beans and it was noticeable. This was top notch coffee right from the first sip. Refill was equally good. This morning I chose the Fenway omelet, Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, nicely grilled along with onions that did not overpower the omelet. This was one of the very best omelets I have ever had. The chef sliced the fabulous Italian sausage lengthwise and grilled each piece. Perfectly spiced with a nice kick but not overpowering. I have to find out if they are locally made. The home fries included some chopped onions, love that with my potatoes. They were delicious and plentiful. This is going to be the standard for the remainder of the year. Coffee, 8; home fries, 9, meal 9.5; overall 8.6. Check out the link above, to their website, and see the really extensive breakfast and lunch menu,

A new year, a new restaurant, a new reason to mock Ray. What a great way to ring in 2023! A little history: if you look back on our years writing this blog you will notice the many, many times I have been dumped on by a certain gentleman for not selecting a backup destination when we found the first place I selected was closed, or, on several occasions, no longer in business. Embarrassing, perhaps, but several times this lapse in my planning has led to discoveries nearby which we enjoyed: Our Place 2 in Riverside and the Courtyard in Fairhaven come to mind. So, it is with a remarkable amount of glee that I report that Ray’s selection today was closed and he didn’t have a backup! Naturally, I had a plan, and a backup, each within a mile! (Good thing, too, because my first selection was closed. Remember, though, we’re dumping on Ray here) That’s how we ended up at the Cozy Grill. And what a find! Popular in Rhode Island (after a quick Google search when I got home) the Cozy Grill has an extensive and exciting menu of breakfast classics reimagined with, in each of our selections, very tasty “new” flavors combined with our usual favorites. Check it out…I ordered the fig, prosciutto and goat cheese benedict. Wow! It was an explosion of wonderful tastes in my mouth! The fig was incorporated into the hollandaise giving it a nice sweetness that went well with the goat cheese and prosciutto. Add in the golden goodness of the yolk from a nicely poached egg and WOW! Nice! What’s not to love! The (plentiful serving of) homefries was outstanding! They came off the griddle perfectly seasoned and cooked. Very nice! And the coffee was above average as well. New England brand, fresh ground and brewed to a strong but not overwhelming flavor. Ray remarked we began last year strongly with our visit to The Pushkart in Mansfield, one of our finalists for the Golden Pick Award in 2022, and that the Cozy Grill may be this year’s standard. I agree. I will give the coffee a 7.5 and the homefries an 8.5 with the bennie getting a 9. An 8.2 is a great way to begin the new year!