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Frugal Gourmet

Thirty bucks, three meals and one enthusiastic eater. Our restaurant critic, Karen Deutsch, bests even Rachael Ray’s meager daily food budget.

Breakfast:
Large mocha with skim milk, Coffee Exchange: $3.66
Call me a cheater but, given the amount I’m professionally obliged to consume, I don’t eat breakfast. On the flip side, there’s nothing I look forward to more than a large sweet coffee—and not a seventy-five-cent cup of sludge, either. 207 Wickenden St., Providence, 273-1198, coffeexchange.com.

Lunch:
Heirloom BLT with verjus vinaigrette at Farmstead Lunch: $8
Texture is very big in my book, so I love grilled sandwiches: crispy bread, smoky meat, condiments that trickle out onto your fingers and the occasional veggie that passes it all off as health food. And no utensils required. 225A Westminster St., Providence, 274-7177, farmsteadinc.com.

Dinner:
Dol sot bibim bop with a Hite beer at Sun & Moon: $13.99
Korean is one of my favorite non-European cuisines, and this dish (made with beef, vegetables and rice) is a one-pot dream. Sun & Moon serves all of the traditional accoutrements (including a homemade kimchee with great but not overbearing bite) at no extra charge. 95 Warren Ave., East Providence, 435-0214.

Dessert:
Small scoop at Cold Fusion: $4.27
Not an optional meal for me, ever. Depending on my mood, I’d opt for a bowl of Torrance Kopfer’s blackberry zinfandel sorbet or Italian black forest cake, a creamy fiore de latte gelato with sour Italian cherries and dark chocolate chunks. 389 Thames St., Newport, 849-6777, coldfusiongelato.com.

Total: $29.92