ROGUE ISLAND - 65 Weybosset St, Providence, RI 02903

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Ah, Sunday morning. It’s the most beautiful day of the week. You awake naturally, to the sound of birds chirping, not the sound of the alarm clock. You stretch your arms and wipe the sand out of your eyes. And you're hungry, but lucky for you, Sundays are specially made for sipping on spicy bloody marys, noshing on donuts, digging into eggs. I mean, Sundays are made for brunch, and we are here to enjoy it. According to old folklore, brunch was established as a way to kick your hangovers ass, and to this day, we carry the tradition strongly.
While there are lots of places that serve it, I’ll confidently say that not all brunch is created equally. Take a look at Rogue Island, located in the Arcade, in the heart of downtown Providence. (Fun Fact, in case you didn't know, the Arcade was the very first mall in America. The oldest mall in the country! and you get to eat brunch there. How cool is that!?) Rogue Island’s mission is to feed the good people of Providence, both locals and visitors alike, with sustainably sourced foods from local farms. Now, hold on, stay with me. A lot of people hear “farm-to-table” and write it off as fancy-shmancy, hoity-toity. But Rogue Island is doing us all a favor and bringing high quality local foods to a kick ass comfortable environment. And it’s not just coming out of the kitchen, Rogue Island focuses on supporting local breweries. Ten of their eighteen beers on tap are always rotating as they introduce the public to new craft beers. Rhode Island is a small state, supporting one another is the best we can do!

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Bloody Mary, with a kick of Rogue Island's very own Apple Habanero Hot Sauce

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But back to business. It's Sunday morning, and you’re lookin’ for your fix. We sat down and sipped on bloody mary’s, which were the perfect balance of salty and spicy. I’ve got to say, I am a tad picky about bloody mary mix. This one right here? Perfectly seasoned, and spot on consistence. Now, I like mine to be real hot, you know, take a sip and get a solid kick. So I tossed in a splash of Rogue Island’s very own apple habanero hot sauce. Tempting, isn’t it?

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For food, we got started off with a sweet. Because all meals should be a healthy balance of sweet and savory. Our sweet was probably one of the best donuts I have ever.had.in.my.life. And I am not trying to be a kiss ass here. I am merely trying to share with you how good this donut was, so that you too may enjoy its glorious, flaky sugary goodness. Meet the sweet potato brioche donut. Now for me, the texture and consistency of a donut measures its worth. It could be topped with 14 karat gold sugar crystals, but if it doesn't have the right texture, it can't be a winner in my book. This one, had it going on. So beautifully fluffy and flaky, like sinking your teeth into a pillowy, sweet dough. And really, I think that the sweet potato really brought this donut to another level, both in texture and in flavor. Topped with a creamy brown butter glaze and toasted mini marshmallows. My God this donut pressed all the buttons and rang all the bells. Not to mention it was roughly the size of a fist. If that fist belonged to Andre The Giant. Meaning the thing was massive.

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As for the salty half, we went with the huevos rancheros; two eggs over easy, black beans, pico, guac, pulled barbacoa pork, topped with a lime cumin crema,  and fresh cilantro. Served with fried corn tortillas for dipping and scooping the tastiness just described. Man, this  was like every single one of my favorite parts of a Mexican dish, expertly prepared and presented in the form of a mesmerizing brunch item. The marriage of the pico, the guac, the crema, and the runny egg (fuck yeah to runny eggs) was as harmonious as an orchestra at a symphony. But the star of this masterpiece was truly the barbacoa. Tender, smokey pulled pork that just oozed with flavor. It complimented every single ingredient in this dish. Kudos to you, Mr. Ranchero.

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All in all, we walked out of Rogue Island rubbing our bellies in satisfaction. I grabbed a bottle of their homemade BBQ sauce, just so that I can enjoy the Rogue Island flavors in my own home. (You can find them in house, or in local markets. Check out Rogue Island Provisions on Instagram, and follow what shelves their saucy creations are being sold on). Brunch has been checked off of my Sunday to-do-list, and it far surpassed my brunching expectations. So seeing that nothing else I will do today will top that, I guess I’ll just hang on the couch all day. Judge me!  

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Big huge thank you to everyone at Rogue Island for making our brunch dreams come true. Thanks for inviting our buns! We salute your upstanding culinary excellence. Ya'll are rad! We love you!