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Saturday, January 8, 2011

Rice to Riches

I was a little skeptical when friends told me about “Rice to Riches” - A restaurant that only serves rice pudding?  It sounded brilliant, if not a little down-the-rabbit-hole. 

As I entered through the mushroom shaped door I wondered if I really was in wonderland.  At Rice to Riches, the tables do not come up from the ground, but hang from the ceiling.   A balanced diet is frowned upon…signs on the wall read such things as, “Eating three sensible, balanced meals a day will only spoil your appetite for rice pudding.”

The names of the flavors instantly charmed me; whoever named them clearly had a lot of fun doing so.  Among the more memorable flavors are Sex Drugs and Rocky Road, Hazelnut Chocolate Bear Hug, and Perfectly Legal Pecan Pie. Pure poetry!

I decided on a “solo” size of “Fluent in French Toast,” with a topping of “Spirit” – oatmeal coconut crumble. The rice pudding was thick, rich, and tasted like French toast; sweet and eggy, with a bit of cinnamon to top it off, like a light dusting of snow.  Surprisingly, it was not weird, but good.  The “spirit” added a crunchy contrast to the smooth, creamy pudding. 

I find the “Riches” part of “Rice to Riches” pretty ironic; while the pudding was rich, my wallet was almost empty after ordering a single portion. It cost $6.75 for the pudding and $1.00 for the topping.  Customers who order the $6.75 portion aren’t even allowed to get two flavors; to do so you need to order the next size up.  If you go, I’d recommend sharing that next size, “Epic,”  ($8.50) with a buddy, so that you can try two flavors, and not pay as much.



Rice to Riches is located at 37 Spring Street between Mott and Mulberry.