Fine dining right through the shortcake
01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, May 9, 2007
THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / Gretchen Ertl Gretchen Ertl
Maria Arsenault wrote:
“We ate at the buffet in the new casino, Twin River. The pound cake on the dessert table was outstanding. It was served separately along with bowls of strawberries and whipped cream to make your own strawberry shortcake. The cake was called pound cake, but it did not taste like the traditional, dense, buttery cake. It was quite light in texture and not overly sweet. Would the pastry chef be willing to share his secret? Thanks.”
This e-mail arrived about 10 minutes after the Twin Hearth Buffet opened at the remodeled Twin River in Lincoln.
I exaggerate, but not by much. It didn’t take long for Maria and other diners to discover this great deal with all the fine dining attributes of a full-service restaurant. Executive chef Scott Kaiser, who came from Foxwoods Casino, oversees the small batch cooking of everything from grilled pizza to pork and beef roasts cooked on a rotisserie.
“The idea is to serve wholesome real meals, not processed food,” he said adding even the sweet and sour sauce is house-made.
The buffet, all you can eat and drink (non-alcoholic beverages only), costs $12.95 for lunch and $15.95 for dinner. The menus are largely the same including several soups of the day and salads which might include snail salad and Caesar, for example.
Diners will find seafood entrees, chicken selections, pasta offerings and side dishes of homemade baked beans and mashed potatoes. The sweet potatoes are topped with marshmallows. There’s peel-and-eat shrimp at both meals, but crab legs are served only for dinner. Guests can watch the pizza maker toss the dough and cook the pies in the pizza oven. At the carving station, a chef stands ready to cook the steak of the day to order. In all, there are 14 stations to please every palate, including a dessert corner featuring cobblers, bread pudding and an assemble-your-own strawberry shortcake.
Lunch is served daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. every day but Friday and Saturday when the Hearth serves until midnight. The setting includes several fireplaces and table service for drinks. Cocktails, wine and beer are not included in the price of the buffet but are available at extra cost.
Executive pastry chef Jim Ungiran, a Johnson & Wales University graduate, came from Mohegan Sun in Connecticut to serve as dessert czar for all the Twin River restaurants including the Hearth, and even the Starbucks coffee shop. He was happy to cut down the pound cake, and strawberry topping, to a home recipe. Of course, he’s used to making it for thousands each day.
What is Chef’s Secret?
We invite readers who would like to know the recipe for a favorite restaurant dish to write or e-mail. Give us your name and daytime phone and tell us what makes the dish so special to you. We’ll ask the chef to share. E-mail gciampa@projo.com, fax (401) 277-8175 or write to Gail Ciampa, Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.
