Providence is a food town and good, even great food is easy to stumble across. But there are few restaurants in the city or the state for that matter, with the look and feel of Loie Fuller.
Named after an American dancer who made her name and fortune in Paris, Loie Fuller (she was called "Louie" as a child but dropped the "u" when she moved abroad) is decorated, indeed styled inside and out, in the very traditional art nouveau style favored in Paris in the late 19th century. While some of the interior artwork smacks a bit of New Age, the woodwork is incredibly well-done, and feel of this place is at once homey and artsy at the same time.
Since we live right across the street, we often drop by for an aperitif but haven't eaten here for some months (the food has been inconsistent). The restaurant changed hands within the past year and is now operated by the former chef and his partner so now it's a very hands-on operation.
Anyway, we had heard good things about their new brunch (Sunday 10am-3pm) and wanted to give it a try.
We arrived around 11am and were the first ones seated. Service was friendly, attentive and pleasant.
The brunch menu is very limited but the items available spot on: poached eggs, omelet, beignets, French toast. While we sipped a pair of Mimosas we scanned down the small menu cards.
Susie ordered the omelet and I opted for the poached eggs with a side of hash browns. Both came with a delicious green salad with a mustard dressing reminiscent of meals we've eaten in Paris. The food was quite good although the hash browns were a bit odd: they consisted of two round thick patties of shredded potatoes that had apparently been deep fried and as a result were quite greasy with a heavy flavor of fried oil. I would not order them again.
By the time we left quite a few folks had come in. Four young men came in and were seated at a table next to us -- they sat there with their hats on while they discussed the food options at MacDonald's. Naturally.
To get a feel for the place visit them online; they have a nice 3D tour to give you a good view of the wonderful interior. But be warned you will have a hard time reading the wine list -- the font is a too cute and the size too small for the web.
Loie Fuller's
1455 Westminster Street
Providence, RI
401-273-4375
www.loiefullers.com
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