Bacaro - nice but expensive

One of the finest "Italian" restaurants in Providence, Bacaro's on South Water Street is almost a stone's throw from that other fine Italian restaurant, Al Forno -- in fact the chef-owner of the former cut his culinary teeth at the latter (and his recipes occasionally show it).

Oddly, though, Bacaro's is often missed by those folks still hung up on Atwell's Avenue, those who love queuing up on a Saturday night waiting 30 minutes to crawl along "historic' Federal Hill looking for parking. Not at Bacaro's -- parking is free and plentiful, the view of the Providence River clean and open, and that's just the beginning.

Bacaro boasts an on-site cheese shop and their own saluminaria, and with seating on two floors we've never had to wait, although they are almost always busy -- indeed, only once in the several times we've gone there have we been turned away without a reservation.

The food is very good, tasty and well-prepared, leaning toward Italian of course but without any specific regional orientation. The portions are generous, and the service spot on: attentive, friendly and helpful. (Monica was our server and she gets a big thumbs up.) 

An extensive wine list with several options for quaffing a tasty wine. Bacaro is expensive, however (troppo caro) so bear that in mind, and it lacks that cozy atmosphere we appreciate so much of Chez Pascal or Broadway Bistro.

 

orrechiette with roasted brussell srpouts and pancetta

grilled sausages with roasted spaetzel and red wine braised red cabbage

Duck and Bunny for St. Valentine's Day

With a name like "Duck and Bunny" a restaurant has to be good or at least hire people with a wild sense of humor. This place has both plus a delicious menu and one of the most comfortable, cozy, eclectic places to spend an evening eating in Providence. We had heard good things about D & B and, as things turned out, they were all true.

It all began innocently enough when I began searching the local cyberspace for someplace offering a special Valentine's Day menu -- and when I saw Duck and Bunny's 7-courses for $75 per couple I thought "This is the place, no need to look further." We opted for the 6:30 pm seating and the optional bottle of prosecco for an additional 25 bucks.

The light rain that had been drifting in and out of Rubetown much of the day abated for the evening and made finding a parking space right on typically packed Wickenden Street just a bit easier. We walked the two blocks to D & B, past Atomic Appliances, Gary's Floral Shop and Mister sister erotica -- all so typical of this corner of Fox Point in Providence, home to George M. Cohan.

We found the D & B, walked inside what appeared to be someone's home and were ushered to our seats straightaway. Situated right next to the fireplace on a corner bench with our backs to the upholstered walls made an ideal location for people watching -- and again we were not disappointed. We spent the next 90 or so minutes savoring an incredible array of dishes prepared just for this event:

First course: Susie opted for the Mandarin Almond Salad - with toasted almonds and citrus vinaigrette and I had the Fresh Tomato Salad – with goat cheese and balsamic glaze. This was followed by a Caviar Blini of Creme fresh, whole grain Icelandic caviar, green onion.

Next up were the apps: I had the Bacon Wrapped Dates in honey balsamic glaze and Susie went for the Brie with Fig Spread and Pecans – on organic multigrain bread. For the entree We both had the Crepeccini – roast beef and gorgonzola cream sauce, forgoing the Sweet Potato Crepioli – brown butter and sage sauce.

The "Intermezzo" was an scrumptious Chilled Strawberry Soup with strawberries (duh), red wine, fresh whipped cream, followed by the a selection of 3 of our Artisanal Cheeses.

Finally, for dessert I had the Sour Cream Chocolate Cheesecake – chocolate cookie crust, raspberry coulis and Susie went for the Bunny Beignets – 1/2 dozen crispy fried crepes with powdered sugar and cinnamon & trio of dipping sauces. Tasty all the way around.

The food was wonderful and we would certainly go back for the crepes, sweet and savory, their specialty. Just a five-minute walk from Davol Square with a nice wine list and warm bar makes me think this might be just the place after work. We are most definitely going back.

Visit them online: http://www.theduckandbunny.com/

Valentines' Day Dinner in Providence

Tomorrow is the big day for many restaurants here in Rubetown. Little does Susie know that I scoured cyberspace looking for just the right place to go for that special evening -- and I found it!

Not a word to Susie, though.

Stay tuned!

Breakfast at Nick's on Broadway - A+ again!

It's been some months since we walked the four short blocks over to Nick's on Broadway for brunch -- this time we were early and had breakfast.

We waited all of 60 seconds for two stools at the counter overseeing the cook line. As always, the service was friendly and the food delicious. we started off with a cocktail special (OK it was 9am but we were celebrating Dad's 102 birthday) of limoncello, prosecco and vermouth. Delicious!

Susie had the black beans with scrambled eggs, salsa and tortillas,

and I had an omelet with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions, with a side of chicken sausage.

If you have never been to Nick's go; if you haven't been in a while, go soon. It's always worth a wait. And this time, one of those rare times to be sure, we didn't have to wait at all.