Lourdes Fermea is both a co-owner and chef at Tenares Market where she shows off one of the day’s specials, a cool shrimp salad. Providence Journal Photos by Sandor Bodo

By GAIL CIAMPA
Journal Food Editor

Cranston Street is a place where businesses open early and close late.

Breakfast is served at several spots. In some places, so too is lunch. And all at the same time.

But whether those meals feature eggs or hamburgers, rice or pigs’ feet stew that depends on the eatery. What they all have in common are the warm, friendly people behind the counters, most of whom are owners working seven days a week to live the American dream of running their own business.

For today’s Providence neighborhood tour, the Cranston Street Armory is the gateway to a global food tour that includes specialties from Liberia, El Salvador, China, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. There’s also an ice cream shop and a pizza parlor.

Both restaurants and markets sport steam tables with great varieties of freshly made food sold according to the size of the take-out container. A hearty meal can be had for under $7 which should please cost conscious diners.

Starting at the beginning means visiting with Pareskavoula Degaitas who opened John’s New York System with her husband back in 1948. The restaurant at No. 326 sits across from the Armory on a Cranston Street that John, who died 28 years ago, could probably never have imagined. Just as they have made a living with their mom and pop business, today people from many lands are doing the same on this lively street. This is not the gentrified Armory district but a working class neighborhood with a robust international flavor.

Pareskavoula Degaitas opened John’s New York System with her husband in 1948, serving American and Greek specialties.

Degaitas glows when she talks about the good old days when she and her husband started their restaurant. Back then when they first opened, it was across Dexter Street. They had come from Greece and opened their diner-style restaurant serving American and Greek dishes. John opened up at 6 a.m. She’d close at 3 a.m.

“It was wonderful,” she said. “All the people came in after work. The police did walking patrols.”

The restaurant was busy and she loved it. They made a good living, she said, while today, you stay busy just to pay the bills.

At 82 she still works at the restaurant, which moved across the street to its current address in the early 1960s. In the cool weather, she makes homemade soups. Her son Henry works the grill, serving breakfast from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Wieners, burgers and pizza are on the grill menu for dinner.

Similar enthusiasm, and a sense of family, is shared today on Cranston Street by the two young couples who own and operate Tenares Market. Located at No. 484, Tenares is a most welcoming place. Two couples, Lourdes and Luis Fermea and Rosa and Carlos Fermea, have run it for 15 years.

As customers enter the supermarket, there are loaves of fresh bread and all the convenience items. But on the other side of the store, Lourdes and Rosa are cooking up a storm. Natives of the Dominican Republic, their offerings include fish (like a cool shrimp salad), meat (a pigs’ feet stew), a vegetarian selection (a squash pudding) and desserts (custards). The women answer questions for diners and are happy to offer a small sample to try to encourage engaging the palate in new flavors.

Juan and Rafael Hernandez also hail from the Dominican Republic but the brothers opted to open a pizza shop, Rita’s Pizza at No. 496, named after their mother.

They sell pizza by the slice or the whole pie. They also offer grinders, calzones, dough boys, seafood including fish and chips, and a variety of salads from grilled chicken Caesar to tortellini. They have family specials with loads of food at bargain prices and daily specials like $14 for a large AND small pizza. They opened their doors in 2003.

The Cranston Variety Store, at No. 306, is an African specialty market. Owner Jim Williams is from Liberia. African movies play on a television and clothes are hung to display. But it is the food products that draw customers from as far as Boston and Worcester said Cecilia Nelson who was working with the owner’s mother, Marta Harris.

They come in looking for African rice which is a different species from what is found in the average grocery store. They also favor frozen Green Molokhia, a green that comes from West Africa, said Nelson. It is used to make Palava Sauce which is “put on everything,” she said.

The shelves are stocked with fufu flour, a specialty made from plantain, and cans of Liberian Fresh Palm Cream which is used as a base for sauces, Nelson said.

At No. 499 is Pito’s Restaurante where owner “Pito” Delgado runs a lovely cafeteria-style eatery with lots of choices at bargain prices. Here, $7 buys a large plate or container to go.

He has been in business for some 20 years, moving to Cranston Street from Broad Street. Like many other restaurants serving food native to the Dominican Republic, he has chunky slices of fried pork that resembles bacon. He takes the time to show how they serve it and slices it into thin pieces. It’s like roasted pork only fried and is eaten anytime of day, he said.

Also offered are beans and rice which Delgado pairs with the pork. He garnishes the dish with lettuce, cucumber, a slice of beet and lime. What he calls Dominican sauce is drizzled on the pork. Plantains are another constant on the menu, he said. Rice and plantains are a common morning dish, he added. In the background, a Spanish-language soap opera plays on an overhead television set.

La Sonrisa 2 Restaurant is among the largest eateries along Cranston Street at No. 559 and it is one busy place. The food is largely understandable with oatmeal among the breakfast items and fried chicken and pork ribs served later in the day. But it still full of Dominican specialties, some a bit on the exotic side.

A breakfast buffet starts daily at 8 a.m. with a menu that includes mashed plantains, yucca, green bananas, fried cheese, ham and eggs and fried sausage. Rice and beans are also offered as is that oatmeal. Some luncheon dishes are included as patrons pack up to-go boxes for later consumption. There are also a wide variety of desserts.

The afternoon and evening meal includes chicken Dominican-style, beef stew, oven-roasted pork shoulder and cod fish stew. There are also tripe selections, including a stew, chicken and fish dishes.

La Sonrisa also has a cocktail bar plus juice drinks including passion fruit. There is restaurant seating, many flat-screen televisions around the space, free delivery and coffees.

There is also a La Sonrisa Restaurant on Broad Street. Both menus are mostly Dominican; they offer Mexican specialties as well.

El Centro Americano Bakery & Restaurant at No. 582 is the newest addition to Cranston Street and features food from El Salvador. The bakery, which has been there about a year, fills display shelves with sweet breads, pastries and cornbread. They also supply much of the bread to the markets on Cranston Street.

The restaurant, which sits above street level with large windows, is nicely decorated with mural paintings and offers photos of the dishes on the menu. This makes trying something new easy for some reluctant diners. Items include pupasas, corn tortillas filled with cheese or pork and cheese. Other dishes feature chicken, fish, grilled steak and a pasta with shrimp dish.

Wilfredo Farrier of the Dominican Republic opens his Tropical Grill Restaurant, No. 468, at 8 a.m. with family combos allowing dinners to pick and chose meat, rice, beans and sodas. Daily specials include dishes made with goat meat which are very popular. He serves goat (chivo guisado) on Sunday, Monday and Friday. A variety of stews, including tripe, were offered the day of our visit as well as many bean and rice dishes. Empanadas are also served.

His luncheon specials are $3.95. He also makes a Dominican soup, sancocho, serves Jell-O and makes his own flan. He just opened in January and, while there is plenty of seating, he also offers delivery and does catering. He also heads up the kitchen as evidenced by his chef’s coat.

Delicias Dominicanas Restaurante at No. 302, is open seven days a week with owner Nelson Estevez serving the cuisine of his native Dominican Republic. There is the signature beef in brown sauce dish, pigs’ feet, cod fish and a dish made with spaghetti. He delivers and opens early, at 8 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. Diners fill up to-go containers. Small ones cost $4, medium $5 and large $7.

At La Excelencia Restaurant, No. 452, not much English is spoken but there is lots of comfortable seating and an Internet jukebox and food from the Dominican Republic.

Those looking for international shopping will also find many choices.

If you are looking for any spice, go to Reyes Food Market and Restaurant at No. 701. There are two aisles of spices from around the world. There are also a wide variety of international sauces to flavor any food. A prepared food department is well-stocked and manned and there is a little counter with seating and a wide choice of all those fruity imported sodas. This Dominican market has been run for 15 years by Rafael Genao whose space includes a large kitchen for catering. He clearly spends lots of time sourcing the thousands of items that stock the aisles.

The Stop Market at No. 308 has narrow aisles full of groceries, bins of onions and cases of bacalao. Fred Rodriguez, a native of the Dominican Republic, opened in 2001.

Two Vinas Grocery at No. 560 has a large butcher shop at which they do large packages of meats designed for families.

At Gemma’s Market at No. 458 there are lots of baked goods, Latin cheeses, hot peppers and a butcher shop with lots of beef and chicken.

There are more familiar treats along the street as well.

At No. 420, Choi’s Restaurant is housed in what looks like an old gas station so there is free parking. Michael Chan is the second generation owner, with wife Xiao. While she’s cooking, he’s working in what will be the new dining room. The Chinese menu features popular dishes including General Tso’s chicken and the Happy Family, a dish with shrimp, beef and chicken mixed with bok choy in brown stir fry.

Customers have followed the business from Silver Lake Avenue where it was for 15 years before moving to the new neighborhood.

The Dairy King, No. 472, has been serving ice cream specialties for 30 years from owner Harry Papayasiliou. He is open seven days a week from April to October. He sees old customers from the neighborhood returning with their children for some soft-serve treats.

Maybe they will be the international diners of tomorrow.

Providence neighborhoods offer a trip around the world1

When we travel out of New England or out of the United States, don’t we usually walk around to find some great little restaurant or market? We take chances on places we’ve never heard of, and sometimes on food with which we are unfamiliar. Yet, we aren’t always as daring here at home.

Local destination dining can take us on a trip to another land. It can bring together old and new and expand our palate. It can also save on gasoline bills and includes no fuel surcharges.

To learn more at home, visit the city of Providence’s providenceri.com/nm and there you’ll find “The Neighborhood Markets Program,” an economic development project. On the Web site are descriptions of seven neighborhood areas. Atwells Avenue, Chalkstone Avenue, Cranston Street, Broad Street, Charles Street, Olneyville Square, and Wickenden and Ives are described online as well as in a pamphlet available at local markets.

Thursday night performances1

The West Broadway Neighborhood Association presents a series of performances every Thursday this month at the Dexter Training Grounds at the corner of Cranston and Dexter streets. All performances will begin at 6 p.m.

The Rhodeshow, a troupe of hip-hop artists and dancers, will perform tomorrow. Pendragon, a Celtic folk music band, performs on July 17. Mahi Mahi, a two-piece band with Trip-Hop and Rock influences, performs July 24. On July 31, New Urban Arts will present youth-produced animated films, poetry and other arts projects.

Cranston Street slideshow with more people and markets: Projo.com/food

gciampa@projo.com