Thursday, March 16, 2006

Yes, we were down...and we need your help

Sorry that LOTOFNOISE was down for a day or so. It should be good to go again now.

LOTSOFNOISE needs some help from you all. I have been paying for this site for over 6 years now, mostly out of pocket. For a little while I had advertisers from awesome local shops, labels etc...but I really wanted LON to be ad free...and still do. The problem is that this site is so big and has so much media on it, that I just can't keep up cash-wise. This is one of the reasons that LON was down last month and again this month.

Sasha and I have been thinking about it a bit and it seems like a good idea to have a benefit show for LOTSOFNOISE. There are tons of people that use this site each month (well, thousands actually) and I would like to think that many of them would like to throw just a few bucks into the pot to help me keep it alive. We are going to be planning a show for the next month or so where proceeds will go directly into the hosting costs of this site. As always, I make no money from LON and do it entirely for my love of the city, the scene and your bands.

Please keep an eye out for the advertisement of the show. I am hoping to sell posters and shirts at the show too...so if you feel like donating a little time to help screen or whatever, let me know. I will start a forum thread sometime in the near future about this very topic.

Thanks everyone, and I hope you did not miss anything awesome while we were down.

R O C K

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Bilkin's restaurant

I have been frequenting possibly the best restaurant I have seen in a long time recently...and I thought that you should all know about it :)

Bilkin's is this sort of hole in the wall restaurant in Cranston (really just right on the other side of Lonelyville) next to Lang's Bowl-o-rama. On the outside it looks like a converted Carvel or Post office. Inside, while the decor is not totally my style in that it is a little old fashioned...the place is super clean and well kept. Most importantly, the food is fucking amazing.

I have not been to Bilkin's for anything other than dinner so I can not attest to it's greatness for breakfast of lunch (yet) but their chef, Willie, makes some awesome food. The first time that I went there I ordered my sort of "test" meal which I order whenever I try a new joint...Chicken Parm. I know this is sort of pedestrian amongst the other things on the menu, but it is like Pad Thai for a Thai restaurant. You know that if it sucks, everything is going to suck. Anyway, this was without a doubt the BEST Chicken Parm that I have ever had (except for my Mother's). I shit you not. It is made fresh for you at that moment and it soooo good. Since then I have had lots of things on the menu from burgers to insane Tuna specials. They have vegan and veggie meals though they do cater mostly to carnivores I think.

One of the greatest things about the place is that Willie claims that if you want something prepared differently or something that is not on the menu...ask for it and he will make it (providing he has the ingredients). Last time I was there he just made an experimental dessert which was Brownie Creme Brulee. It was insanely good. Another great thing about Bilkin's is that you get top quality food for pretty cheap. You get a healthy portion of top quality food, with your choice of alterations..Forr between 7-15 dollars. I would say the price structure is around Julian's or maybe cheaper.

There is a bar and lots of tables. I highly recommend this place. The owner is super nice and the entire staff, sans Willie, are his daughters. This is the real deal...you should go now. Luckily for you they are open for dinner Wed - Sat.

Tell them Ryan sent you. :)

Here are directions

Wednesday, March 01, 2006