Broadway Bistro -- 17 March 2008

We don't seem to get out much these days -- although that's probably not as true as I think. Anyway, we cook at lot at home. In the past, when we lived in Vermont there wasn't much opportunity to find really good food, at least not close by our home in Rutland. There was Little Harry's and Three Tomatoes downtown and then Cafe Provence opened in Brandon -- but six or eight or ten miles on Route 7 in Vermont can prove daunting, particularly in winter.

In Paris it was, needless to say, quite the opposite. We had what seemed an endless variety of dining opportunities available within walking distance, certainly within Metro distance. But with Susan experimenting at home with her newfound baking techniques and my own brand of experimenting, particularly with Asian food since I was almost cheek-by-jowl to some of the world's finest Asian markets, we didn't eat out that often even in Paris.

Then comes Providence. Or rather we come to Providence, New England's food capital. There is very little here in the way of the textile industries or major manufacturing, and in fact those days are pretty much gone everywhere in this part of the country. Mills are being turned into condos everywhere you look -- a pretty good thing in my estimation -- and the general trend here in Providence is toward the cerebral industries: technologies, education and, need I say it: food.

Walking from, say City Hall and Kennedy Plaza downtown in nearly any direction will bring you to any one of a half dozen damn good places to eat. There are places of distinction serving haute cuisine in enveloping atmospheres seeking to provide the ultimate dining experience to small cafes and bistros eager to just serve a plate of good soup or chili or a sandwich.

Well we recently discovered a place that probably falls somewhere in between these two extremes: Broadway Bistro (that's the entrance in the photo; go ahead and look up.)

As you might expect, this is located on Broadway, just a few blocks west of I-95 and along our walking route downtown. And it is just that: a bistro. After we sat down at a 2-top in the small but cozy dining room with a long bar at the far wall, we were both struck at just how much it felt like a small cafe in Paris.

The service was smooth and friendly, in fact one young woman handled everything out front: waiting on tables, tending the bar, you name it. And she did it easily and effortlessly. The kitchen is small but easily observed on the right side of the far wall and you can informally poke your head in and say hi.

The wine list is short but sweet -- Susie and I started off with a glass of prosecco and, since we both had fish for dinner we each had a glass of Santa Barbara chardonnay. And speaking of dinner Susan had the salmon, pan-seared to perfection on a bed of delicious shredded veggies and rice, and I had the fish 'n chips: a perfectly done, hefty piece of lightly battered cod that was moist and juicy; the chips were indeed what we Yanks call chips but the Brits call crisps. Whatever you call them they were homemade and exquisite bites of potato that complimented the cod very well indeed.

I couldn't help but notice this month in both Rhode Island Monthly and the latest issue of the Providence Phoenix, the restaurant reviewers focused on Loie Fuller (yes, yes I know it's pronounced Low Fuller), which, curiously enough is right across the street from our apartment but we haven't eaten there -- yet. The lines have simply been too long. So along comes something a little different for you without having to wait: the Broadway Bistro. The decor isn't art nouveau but it is very Parisian, the food is worth the trip, the service right on the money and the music is very eclectic and quite enjoyable.

Broadway Bistro, 205 Broadway. Go and go now.