No-Miss Choices for Providence Restaurant Weeks
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Restaurant Weeks are here! That means increased business for restaurants in the slow summer months, an opportunity for them to show off what they do best, and for us -- well, great food at a great price. There are more than 100 choices on the Providence/Warwick CVB's website; this week, we choose the five we hope to revisit for their special menus at pocket-friendly prices: 3 course lunches at $14.95 and dinners at $29.95.
Coco Pazzo, Providence
This newcomer to the East Side restaurant scene has quickly passed the "growing pains" portion of the program. This intimate Italian restaurant opened in March and is turning out tasty Italian specialties like Gnocchi Bolognese, creative pizzas like a fig, prosciutto and arugala version and the classic Italian fish Branzino steamed in foil like your Nonna made. For restaurant weeks, they have a killer-sounding menu with three appetizer choices, five entrees and two desserts. The Sakonnet River Chowder sounds wonderful, and we can't resist zucchini fritters or the pistacchio pesto. For the entree choices we can't pass up a tasty Milanese dish in the summer -- thinly pounded chicken, breaded and sauteed and topped with a summer salad of baby arugala, tomatoes, lemon and olive oil. It just tastes like summer. As far as dessert goes, the cannoli with orange flower sounds like a winner! 165 Angel St. 454-3434, www.cocopazzori.com
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Hourglass Brasserie, Bristol
Hourglass Bistro Chef/Owner Rizwan Ahmed chose the path less traveled and left a marine biology job to follow his passion for cooking French food. His French is clean and concise and as we say, "on point." Chef Ahmed takes fresh, local products and turns them into delicious dishes -- just as they do in Paris -- that combine subtle flavors with bolder ones to make complete dishes. His Restaurant Weeks menu tempts with an amuse bouche upon arrival, a palette cleanser after the first course and delicious sounding choices such as turnip veloute with a fresh crab croquette, seared duck with a foie gras ballontine and a chocolate jus. For dessert we'd go with berries and cream with fresh, local berries, vanilla meringue, almond paste and strawberry consomme. It is one of the most well-rounded menus you're going to find. 382 Thames St. 396-9811, www.hourglassbrasserie.com
La Masseria, East Greenwich
In certain regions of Italy the la masseria is the most important building on the farm, housing animals and vegetables and equipment. This restaurant version started in Manhattan and they chose East Greenwich for their second location. They quickly garnered a following of food lovers looking for fresh and authentic Italian. We love to sit at the bar and enjoy a glass of Chianti with the Salumeria. On the Restaurant Weeks menu they have several of our faves: the stuffed fresh mozzarella, done differently daily, is a real winner. Creamy and delicious would be good words to describe the experience. We're suckers for gnocchi and we particularly love the simple version made in Sorrento, with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce. These are described as "gnocchetti" which means they're smaller-and more tender-than some others and the house sauce is phenomenal. We suggest the hazelnut ice cream for a sweet ending to a wonderful meal. 223 Main St. 398-0693, www.lamasserianyc.com
Loie Fuller, Providence
We are in love with this tendy West Side haunt...in love with the corn fritters and the polenta fries...or maybe it's the incredible aioli-garlicy mayonnaise that we crave. Either way it's all good. Luckily for us the corn fritters made the Restaurant Weeks menu along with another favorite, the pistacchio ravioli with browned butter. These are classics and we love them. We also love the sound of the striped bass dish with red Himalayan rice, pickled ramps and green beans. Come to think of it, the smoked pork loin with sweet and spicy corn relish and cold fingerling potato salad sounds off the charts. Finish it off with a pot de creme with dark or milk chocolate or the housemade mint chip ice cream made with mint from their garden. 1455 Westminster St. 273-4375, www.loiefullers.com
Vintage, Woonsocket
We wrap up our tour de Rhode Island in the northern city of Woonsocket, where Vintage provides residents with a complete dining experience with something for everyone. The Restaurant Weeks menus are extensive and include some favorites of ours. On the lunch menu, the pork dumplings with Ponzu dipping sauce are a winner. The citrus notes of the Ponzu providing a nice balance to the pork and the crispy exterior. We also suggest the burger which is fresh and classic with mayo, lettuce and tomato. On both lunch and dinner menus we love the tiramisu for dessert, which is housemade and a very good version of the classic. For dinner the lady can't resist Brie and this grilled version with grape relish sounds terrific. We would also gravitate towards the filet mignon with melty butter, country mashed potatoes and a port wine glaze. And we would get one of each of the desserts and see if the creme brulee is as good as our favorite at Providence's Pot au Feu. 2 South Main St. 765-1234, www.vintageri.com
For a complete list of participating restaurants and menus check out the C.V.B. website at www.goprovidence.com