Loie Fuller and Radius

Earlier this last week a group from Gracie's took the train -- actually the commuter rail -- to Boston for a farewell dinner for Adrien, Gracie's sous chef. He returns to Ireland later this month to begin the next phase of his life and career.

Anyway, it was bitter cold when we got off at South Station in Beantown and walked the block and a half or so to Radius, the restaurant chosen for the occasion.

Very nice layout, quite posh in fact, and as we entered the room one could see the most of the clientèle pretty much matched their surroundings -- frankly not my cup of tea.

The service was quite pleasant, wines were terrific and the food very good. Overall I'd have to say it was a fine trip but for one thing: the cost was easily 30-40% higher than in Providence. And frankly when something comes with fennel puree I shouldn't have to ask the staff where it is only to have them point out several tiny white dots on the plate. Anyway, Providence abounds with great food at good prices.

Saturday night we stopped in at Loie Fuller for an aperitif -- remember it's just across the street from our condo -- and ran into Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, who apparently had similar ideas. We sat at the bar and chatted about one thing or another. Mostly about food and the good things life has to offer.

The restaurant business is a funny industry -- and I don't mean funny in the Seinfeld sense of the term. We've been going to Loie Fuller now with some regularity of late and yet no one says hello to us when we walk in the door, no "good to see you," no thanks for coming to our place (again!) or thanks for spending your money here rather than somewhere else. Not coming and not going.

Now lest you think we need constant affirmation of our existence or that we suffer from the Norman complex (Norma as in cheers I mean) or that we require some sort of special attention you would be patently and utterly wrong.

Look, one of the reasons to go out for dinner is to get that extra bit of special attention you normally wouldn't get at home. And to return to the same place again and again you just want an acknowledgment of thanks for choosing "us versus them." That's all.

Such things seem difficult for some places to do and Loie Fuller is one of them. Nice folks to be sure, very good food but generally the attitude seems to be fairly cold and aloof. At least it struck me that way recently.

Maybe it's a New England thing but I don't think so. And of course we can't rule out the possibility that they don't like us. But I doubt that's true. Chez Pascal treats you like you were a long-lost brother the moment you walk in the door, like they are genuinely glad to have you drop by for a bite to eat or a drink or two. And Gracie's, well they are known for their smooth service but also for their attention to detail designed to make you feel very special indeed.

Loïe Fuller in Providence

The wine flights at Gracie's on Wednesday evening has become, for us at any rate, a great way to break the week up, and occasionally we will grab a bite to eat somewhere afterwards.

So it was this last Wednesday. when we finally walked across the street from our condo and ate . After tasting three wines at Gracie's, along with a chef's pairing to match, we went home, parked the car and then just walked a few meters cross Westminster and . . . Voila! There we were at Loïe Fuller, a small but cozy restaurant with an incredible art nouveau style that would make any Paris bistro green (or brown) with envy. If you must know Loïe Fuller, pronouced Louie or Loh-ahy or whatever makes you feel comfortable, is named after an American dancer who lived, loved and died of breast cancer in 1928 in Paris. (Her ashes were placed in niche no. 5382 in the Columbarium at Pere Lachaise.)

Anyway, there's been plenty of press about this place recently, in the Providence Phoenix and Rhode Island Monthly to name just two, and all of it good. Plus, everybody we've spoken with also gave it high marks as well so what could go wrong?

More than we bargained for, I'm afraid.

The ambiance is incredible to be sure -- and frankly it's worth the trip just to ogle the art nouveau decor and fantastic paintings on the walls. The numerous mirrored murals also give the dining room a greater sense of space and don't forget to look up -- the ceiling and central light is not to be missed either.

The servers, all women dressed in casually elegant black, were friendly, courteous and attentive; and the service prompt.

But two things marred the evening for us.

The food first. I ordered the steak frites and while the meat was a bit overcooked, it was tender, flavorful and the dipping sauce quite tasty. The frites were equally delicious and the portion substantial. Susie ordered a cheese-pistachio ravioli in balsamic vinegar. The dish came out with a large number of ravioli swimming in several tablespoons of oily balsamic vinegar. As if that wasn't off-putting enough, the ravioli filling was overly cheesy with a greasy texture and not terribly enjoyable. (We both agreed on these points.)

I flagged the hostess down -- not our server -- and described our concern with the ravioli. She was pleasant enough but informed us "that's the way it always comes out." I'm not sure if we were supposed to say, "Oh, well in that case I'll go ahead and eat it even though I find it quite unpleasant." Anyway, the server came by and asked if there was something else Susan would like. She thought for a moment and then ordered a simple side of the sauteed green beans. What could go wrong?

Now for anyone who goes to the grocery store around Providence, you know that the green beans are, well let's just say, far from being optimal for eating. Anyway, that's pretty much what we thought about the second dish. The preparation was quite good we observed but the beans were lacking in flavor and seemed rather tough. When our server came by to ask about the beans we of course had to break the news to her.

By this time an interesting dynamic had taken hold of the staff. When we first entered the restaurant we were upbeat and, I thought, had some very friendly banter going with the wait staff. By this time, however, they were still pleasant to be sure, but seemed aloof, distant and perfunctory.

Nevertheless, as we neared the end of the meal we agreed that aside from this evening's food hiccups -- and hey, it can happen to the best of restaurants -- we would come back.

Until we got the bill that is.

The server came by and explained that the "owner only charged you half price for the ravioli and we're sorry it didn't work out." She then hurried off.

Half-price?! In our opinion, we shouldn't have been charged for the ravioli at all. Stranger still, they took the ravioli away and said "do you want something else?" and subsequently charged us for that as well! We should have been informed that we were going to be charged for the original dish.

We concluded that even though it's right across the street from our home, we'd rather walk to Nick's on Broadway or drive to Broadway Bistro or MuMu's on Atwell's Ave. There are simply too many other places "hungry" for our dining dollar.

I don't think we'll be going back to Loïe Fuller anytime soon.