August 12, 1999
DAILY BREAD AND SICILIA'S
Bread and pizza: Two places worth the dough


By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Reviewer

Practically the only thing the following two restaurants have in common is that they both use a lot of yeast. And they both serve good food at friendly prices.

If you're downtown, check out Daily Bread; it's worth a taste. And if you need a break from all the see-and-be-seen stuff on Federal Hill, try Sicilia's; it's a fun change from the more upscale restaurants in this area.

Luckily for everyone who works downtown, there is yet another Daily Bread, this one a bright and airy cafe which opened in December on Westminster Street. This is the third location in Providence; others are at 188 Broadway and 201 Wayland Ave. (in Wayland Square).

It's no wonder for the success; the bakery -- which boasts 200 varieties of baked goods -- is one of the best in the area. The Italian and French breads are very good, but the sourdoughs and chocolate babka are the reasons I go to Daily Bread.

Sourdoughs are available in yummy varieties, from the California bread -- a sourdough with the addition of figs, raisins, apricots and walnuts -- to something called the Oreganato, which is a sourdough with polenta, parsley, oregano, rosemary, dill, and freshly ground black pepper.

The delicious selection of rye breads includes onion rye, multigrain rye, and my favorite, pumpernickel raisin -- a dense, dark loaf laced with soft raisins.

You can have a sandwich made on almost any of these breads, either creating your own combination of fillings or choosing from one of the delectable selections.

"The East Side" is a combination of tabouleh, hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, spinach and red onion on oat bran bread. If you're not that adventurous, there is simpler sandwich fare, as well as soft and cheesy calzones, spinach pies and foccacia.

All sandwiches come with a pickle and a choice of chips or a side dish -- usually pasta, potato or beet salad -- for $4.95. Pizzas, calzones, pies and foccacia are between $1.95 and $3.75. Soups and green salads are $2.50 to $4.95.

Breakfast specials, too

This location also serves breakfast specials, including pepper, egg and cheese sandwiches. The French toast sticks made from the bakery's soft Portuguese sweet bread and egg white omelettes are so enticing you may want to leave for work early to try them.

The digs are large and bright, with wall-to-wall windows on the Westminster Street side and huge photographs of the bakery's workbenches with bakers working the bread. Another wall boasts local artists' work that is also for sale.

As for the chocolate babka, I could get addicted to their sweet, chocolate- filled clouds of light dough -- a little light, a little chewy -- covered in a perfectly browned soft crust.

Man may not be able to live by bread alone, but with Daily Bread, I could try.

When the moon hits my eye like a big pizza pie, I hope I'm at Sicilia's.

I don't remember how I discovered this little hole-in-the-wall in the heart of Federal Hill, but I've been going there to get their stuffed pizza for nearly eight years, and I've always had a great time.

It's the crust that really makes Sicilia's pizza stand out: it's flaky on the outside, kind of like a biscuit, and soft and chewy on the inside. The pizzas are stuffed with ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese and a variety of fillings.

There's the usual pepperoni, sausage, black olives, mushrooms and green peppers. But you can get a shrimp-stuffed pizza, too, or the Sicilia's Original stuffed with creamy spinach and cheese.

Sicilia's offers pasta, too. Good, basic meat sauce over tender, ricotta-stuffed ravioli served with the whitest of breads (which is always cold) and soup or salad. Other pasta selections are spaghetti with or without meatballs, lasagna and baked mostaccioli.

Sicilia's has an antipasto salad that I just love, and I can't explain why. But every now and then, I've just got to have my antipasto fix.

Admittedly, it's nothing spectacular: iceberg lettuce served over slices of provolone cheese, salami, and capiccola ham with huge tomato slices, cucumbers, red onions, olives and pepperoncini. It's drizzled with an oil and vinegar Italian dressing that's got a puckering sort of punch to it.

There's a full bar and when it's not too, too busy you can get an ice cold beer in a frosted mug (if you ask, you can get root beer that way, too). The friendly waitresses are always ready for congenial tableside conversation, but they never let it interfere with their work.

Other selections include a menu of thin pizzas and a variety of deli sandwiches, such as Italian sausage and meatballs, as well as a grilled steak and cheese.

Sometimes you can hear the light tapping of tiny (and not so tiny) feet overhead -- from the dance school on the second floor of the building. It's all part of the charm.

Most of the menu is priced under $10, although some of the larger stuffed pizzas (they come in baby, small, medium and large) are $12 to $15, depending on the fillings.

The best thing about Sicilia's is that it never tries to be anything more than what it is -- a friendly little pizza joint with good food and good prices.