Back to Gracie's, again

It's been a few months since I blogged here -- not that we haven't eaten out in Providence, it's just that I've been indolent about blogging our experiences.

But I wanted to share our recent experience back at Gracie's in the city. We joined our friends Richard and Pauline, who had just arrived from London. It was so good to see them again and of course we wanted to share one of the city's preeminent restaurants with them.

(OK, so Susie is the pastry chef there, that's true, I admit it. But it doesn't invalidate my point. Gracie's is great. Go see for yourself.)

The four of us arrived early on an overcast evening and were seated in a back booth. The hostess of Gracie's -- Schuyler -- greets everyone with a warm smile and a steady gaze. Lest you think she is a saccharine type one often finds working the front desk of supposedly upscale eateries, think again. There is nothing but sincerity in the grin you get when you walk in the door and shown to a table.

The evening passed in a flash. We all ordered the prixe fixe menu -- the boys got the crab and the girls the pasta for the main course (plat in Paris don't you know), paired nicely with a bottle of Saintsbury chardonnay. Service is one thing Gracie's prides itself on -- not fussy, not stiff, just there when you want them; not fawning over the table treating customers as if they were longlost relatives.

The food was delicious, competitively priced and with service unmatched in the city it's one of the solid bets in these trying times. (When aren't times trying though, eh?)

Thanks Richard and Pauline; may the gods send you on a safe journey through the deep south.

Ciao for now,

steve

New Year's Eve at Gracie's

This is the simple slideshow version:

New Rivers in Providence

This place has been around for nearly 20 years and is still offering the same incredibly delicious food and outstanding service.

Located along Steeple Street, literally a stone's throw from the hubs of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design, New Rivers, run by Bruce Tillinghast and his phenomenal chef Beau Vestal, this place feels like a slice of rural France brought to the Ocean State.

If you think Susie and I liked this place you would be absolutely right. And obviously lots of other diners last Wednesday evening.

We had often heard how warm, cozy and inviting New Rivers is and no sooner had we walked inside that we learned just how perceptive those observations are. The restaurant is divided into three components: as you enter through the curtains you step from the hubbub of Downcity Providence into the quiet and warmth of a French country inn. The dining room is right ahead and to your right, to the left is a portal that leads you into a smaller dining space where the ceiling is festooned with grapevines carrying strands of small lights and stars -- a very nice touch -- and a small yet inviting bar. Back into the main dining room you have the kitchen -- small but extremely well laid out and clearly very efficient -- at the back of the restaurant.

OK, so Susie and I both ordered the three-course "bistro" menu ($28/person) -- which I believe is offered from Tues-Thurs. Susie had the spicy peanut soup and I had the pork rillete with baguette and pickled veggies. For the main course we both had the sirloin medium, over a bed of mashed Westport turnips and topped with shiitake mushrooms. Our wine was a 2001 Barbaresco from Carlo Giacosa. For the dessert portion we both had the almond cake and a couple of glasses of the muscat beaume de venise.

Simply put the food was superb: everything was delicious, well-presented and incredibly tasty. Service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive.

New Rivers is one place you must go when dining in Providence. I can't believe we've waited this long.

New Rivers
7 Steeple Street
Providence
401.751.0350

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.

Midweek at Gracie's

It was the first Wednesday of December, the last month of 2008. I had arranged to meet with Andrea, a former wine sales person and now working as a rep for a small wine distributor in Rhode Island. Susie and I met her earlier this year at a Providence Palate event and she had recently approached Providence Palate with several ideas about how to make the organization more useful to its members. Presently PP is set up through the Ning.com social networking system -- lots of fun stuff to be sure but we're exploring ways to make it more informative and more effective in sharing information.

Anyway, we met at Gracie's ostensibly for wine flights -- but I had forgotten that wine flights was done for the year. Anyway, Susie soon joined us as did executive chef Joe Hafner and we all spent some serious quality time bouncing a variety of ideas around, ideas that would help both the customer as well as the food industry in these uncertain times.

After brainstorming for an hour or so over a glass of St. Veran we said arrivederci to Andrea. Susie and I opted to stay put and share a glass of red over a bowl of Rigatoni. Gracie's produces an incredible rigatoni and the sauce has to be tasted to be believed. It is hands down my (our) favorite dish there.

(photo: No Susie's Uncle Frank did not join us at Gracie's. This was taken at D & D's house last week, on Thanksgiving Day. I just think this not only typifies Frank but how we all felt that day. Thanks Dick and Dorothy!)

Chez Pascal

Located in the tony eastern side of Providence, just a stone's throw from Swan Point cemetery where H. P. Lovecraft rests, Chez Pascal is an inviting and a place to rest your weary soul while eating great food in the bargain. If this all sounds a bit too good to be true, well it's not.

We drove the 10 minutes from the west end to the east side and parked on a sidestreet just around the corner from the restaurant. We walked inside and were immediately greeted by a women who seemed genuinely glad to see us. It was like we had come home.

We were shown a table near the bar and asked if we would perhaps rather sit in the next room where it might be a bit quieter. We obviously look like the quiet types. We said yes and were soon lingering and chatting over two glasses of chilled Lillet with lime.

The food is billed as French bistro style and from what little we know of that "style" of food Chez Pascal has it down to a science -- or rather an art.


For starters Susie had the soup special, which was a "rustic" soup of beans, chicken and vegetable sin an incredible rich broth. I had the flamiche - a torte of potatoes, sauerkraut and raclette cheese with their house made pork and fennel sausage accompanied by a sweet and spicy mustard sauce.

Known for their house pates and charcuterie, they also butcher their own whole pig out of which comes their sausage and, as I would soon experience, their pork "specials."

For the main course Susie had the Arctic Char and I had the pork "of the day": braised pork meatballs with a stew of fennel and onion, pork belly and leg of pork with soft polenta with Hannabell cheese. Accompanied by local greens and a Dijon sauce.

The portions are very large so be forewarned. But the prices are reasonable: dinner with aperitifs and a half bottle of red Sancerre came to $140 with tip. Service was good and the ambiance is wonderful.

Speaking of wines their wine selection is primarily French and plenty of good values to be had. Ask your server for suggestions.

Two very big thumbs up for us. We will definitely go back if for no other reason than to try their bistro menu: three courses for $30 per person. Served Tuesday through Thursday, the menu changes every week.

Chez Pascal
960 Hope Street
Providence, 02906
401.421.4422
You can find them one at: http://www.chez-pascal.com/

Wine flights at Gracie's

Although there's a noticeable slowdown in restaurant activity during the middle of the work week, Gracie's still manages to draw a few interested parties in search of expanding their knowledge of wine.

Last Wednesday night Susie and I dropped by Gracie's -- well, OK she was just turning around and going back -- and spent a pleasant hour or so chatting with Anter, the resident wine guru, about a couple of wines he's suggesting for Thanksgiving: a chardonnay from the Cambria folks and a Viognier from France thank you very much.

The Viognier was crisp and very nice -- and the chef's tasting that came with the wines were absolutely scrumptious: the seared tuna perfect, the crab salad smooth and the fruit crips and pcked with flavor.

But it was when the conversation shifted to digestivi and aperitivi that things really got interesting.

Anter gave us samples of chilled Lillet rouge straight up with a twist of orange and this was followed by chilled Lillet blanc with a twist of lime. Either one would be a wonderful way to kick off a meal.

In fact, it struck me that when you're at a place like Gracie's, where you want to relax and savor your evening consider the following:

• First, order an aperitif and be sure to ask for something you've never had before. Then close your eyes and just try and focus on the drink and nothing else.
• Follow this with a starter course, matched with something white and crisp (probably).
• Then with your entree (or, oddly enough, a plat in France) have a glass of red or white, either by preference or maybe a suggestion from the server with your particular choice of food.
• With the final course, dessert of course, have a glass of Muscat Beaumes de Venise or ask for a recommendation.
• Finish off the evening with a glass of Averna.

Anyway, while we savored the last of our wines, a young couple, easily half our age, came and sat at the other end of the bar and said they want the wine flights. Anter smoothly shifted himself down their way and began by letting them sample some Lillet rouge and Lillet white and he was soon into his element again -- talking about the wonderful ways in which wine and their various derivatives can make a meal a truly wonderful experience.