Dinner at Andrea's House

After a gorgeous day here in Providence, part of which we spent on the East Bay Bike Path taking in the budding of early spring, we had a lovely dinner at the home of a colleague.

The tasty food was matched only by the lively conversation.

ESCA in NYC

During a day trip to The Big Apple a couple of Sundays back, we ate an early dinner at ESCA near the Port Authority. The front of the house treated us with kindness, were attentive and very helpful with the menu and the wines as well. But the lack of imagination of the food presentation was outmatched by the absence of anything creative in the back of the house.

 Oh, and it's expensive, too.

Burrata with sea anchovies:

Monkfish tail:

Clams with pancetta topped by ritz crackers:

Dinner in Douglas, MA

Can you imagine a Sunday meal any more perfect than potato-leek soup followed by roast beef, twice baked potatoes and green beans?! (And where did Dorothy find such exquisite beans this time of year is beyond me!)

Dorothy's potato-leek soup made with the last of the leeks from last year's garden!

Nick's on Broadway

Chef-owner Derek Wagner is one of the reasons Providence has become such a well-known food destination. His attention to detail, commitment to using to local resources, drive for culinary creativity, dedication to customer service and wonderful food packed with scrumptious flavors keeps us coming back again and again.

Nick's is only four blocks from our house and we often go there for Sunday brunch -- if you go, get there well before 8:30 am unless you want to wait a half or so because it's always jam packed. 

But the other evening my wife and I joined two friends there for dinner, something we had not had at Nick's for far too long. We started with a sparkling wine from the Loire and the evening just got better and better.

Roasted oysters and potato-parsnip gnocchi in a lamb ragout for starters followed by winter root vegetable soup and salad for one, more gnocchi for a second, salad and a side of roasted potatoes for a third and I had the pork shoulder on a bean cassoulet. Everyone agreed the food was truly delightful, loads of flavors, gorgeous colors and just the right portions.  All washed down with a bottle of Jermann chardonnay from Friuli.

Winter root vegetable soup

Potato-parsnip gnocchi with lamb ragout

Pork shoulder over bean cassoulet

salad

Although reasonably priced by Providence standards, Nick's is one of the pricier restaurants on the west side. Still,  we all agreed its a good value and we have now set our sights on returning more often.

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!