Providence Restaurant Week

[Chris Amirault]

Providence has finally joined many other urban areas to host its own restaurant week, running 16-22 July. For $12.95 (lunch) or $29.95 (dinner) you get a three-course "prix fix" meal -- or so say the pretty lousy website. Notables include 10 Prime Steak and Sushi, Gracie's, Neath's, New Rivers, Pane e Vino, and Siena.

Anyone planning to attend? Post here, if so; if other topics on the subject are any indication, these sorts of events are often very interesting indeed.

[NewEnglandSteve]

Thanks for the post about restaurant week in RI. My Fiancee and I are really looking forward to getting out at least a few times. We're already set for Gracie's on Sunday. We're thinking maybe 3 Steeple St. and Pinelli's Cucina Twist as well. There are a ton of great choices but we wanted to stick to places we haven't been to. I'd love to hear about what restaurants people other Egulleters are excited to try out.

[Chris Amirault]

I wouldn't bother with Steeple Street. It's fine, but it's not XO, 10 Prime, etc. etc.

[NewEnglandSteve]

Thanks for the heads-up on Steeple St. We'll look for a replacement on the list. We've done XO and 10 a few times (and they're always great.)

[NewEnglandSteve]

Restaurant week in Providence has begun. Our first stop for the week was Gracie's in their new home on Washington Street. This was our first time at Gracie's. Upon arrival I was very impressed with how beautiful the room was. Very classy but not at all stuffy. Julie ( My fiancée) was a bit put off by the smell of smoke that hung in the air. I'm not sure if smoking is still allowed in bar area or what but there was definitely a bit unpleasant.

We were seated at a nice table tucked away in a corner. Nice and cozy. I ordered a glass of Luis Felipe Edwards Gran Reserva cabernet to go with dinner. The special menu for restaurant week included a choice of starter:

an heirloom tomato tasting

or

a native sweet corn soup with rock shrimp and Spanish paprika

After much deliberation we both went with the soup. It was a great choice. I have never had a better soup in my life. Sweet and light with just a hint of spice from paprika. The shrimp was cooked to absolute perfection. It was a great start to the meal.

The entrees were a choice of:

Carolina Golden Trout with Peruvian potato, Chesapeake Blue crab & sweet corn hash & Meyer lemon

or

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Pomme puree, red onion marmalade & creamy spinach

I had the trout. It was light and flaky. Very tasty although not overwhelming. The sweet corn hash was a nice fit with the fish. I enjoyed the meal but I think I might have set the bar too high after the soup. After the first bite I was already jealous that Julie got the pork tenderloin. The pork incredibly tender and juicy. You could cut it with a fork. The server mentioned that they used a preparation for the pork that they usually use with the Filet on the regular menu. Whatever they did worked. The pomme puree and the creamy spinach were exceptionally good as well. We might have to make another trip back this week and switch entrees.

Lastly, desert was a choice of:

Flourless Velrohna Chocolate Cake

Cherry anaglaise & bing cherry compote

Or

Gracie’s Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee

Seasonal Berries

That was a no brainer to me. We both chose the flourless chocolate cake. It was wonderfully warm and soft. The center was almost like melted chocolate. For some reason instead of the bing cherry compote it was served with fresh cut strawberries. Which was fine. I was looking forward to the cherry compote but the strawberries were delicious.

Overall, we both thought the dinner was fantastic. The service was great and you certainly couldn't beat the price. If we had one thing that put a bit of a damper on the evening,it was the couple sitting next to us. I have been to punk rock shows that were quieter than these two. They were both teachers from the area. Math teachers, I believe. I think this because in the course of almost 2 hours sitting next to them, they shouted math rules at each other. That's exactly what I want to hear when I'm dining out in a nice restaurant. People fighting about math. Mmmmm math.

In any event, it was a great night and I highly recommend taking advantage of the special menu at Gracie's this week.

[Chris Amirault]

Great report, NewEnglandSteve. What's up next?

[NewEnglandSteve]

Thanks, Chris. We're off to Pinelli's tonight. I think we'll probably end up at Walter's on Thursday night. Lastly, Camille's for lunch on Friday. How about you? Have you made it out yet?

[Chris Amirault]

Not likely, I'm afraid, but I'm eager to hear from you and others!