A Week's Worth of Bars

I'm back, baby! After 46 days of almost total sobriety (there were a couple of necessary exceptions) I'm ready to get back in the swing of the nightlife. So what to do to get back in the swing of things? Well, it just so happens that I'm planning a week's worth of drinks, to get re-acquainted with the bars of Rhode Island. Here's the plan:

Monday: This one's already done, and it was a great start. I dragged my better half out to the Ivy Tavern for a couple of Sierra Nevadas and a huge plate of garlic fries. Best $20 I've spent in a long time.

Tuesday: With a little luck, The Blackstone will still have live jazz on Tuesday evenings. If not, I'll still be there for some pool.

Wednesday: I feel like I should break up the week with a place I've never been before. For reasons that elude even me, I'm intrigued by the Peddler's Inn off 95 in Pawtucket. So, why not?

Thursday: I'm already feeling I don't have enough days to get to all the places I want to reacquaint myself with, but Lili Marlene's has to be on the list. A gimlet and some funk is an absolute must.

Friday: To be honest, Friday may see me at more than one watering hole, but I'm planning to start the evening with some class by having a glass of Albarino at La Laiterie in Wayland Square. Heck, a shared bottle and their mac and cheese would probably do me for the night.

Saturday: If I can get myself out of town, Saturday is the perfect day for a trip out of Provtucket to go to Jamestown and The Narragansett Cafe. Aside from all its other charms, it even has 'the Gansett Gurney' to get its more inebriated patrons home safely.

Sunday: If it's the end of the week, and I need to convince myself the winter's ending, it will be the Hot Club, end of story.

An Out-of-the-Way Good Time

People who somewhat regularly read this blog will know two things: first, that when I say "Rhody Rocks" I really mean "Prov-tucket Rocks", for all intents and purposes. Second, that if I review anything, the review is likely to come out too late for anyone interested to actually see the performance in question. Hey, if you can't alienate and underserve the readership of your blog, why have one?

It is in that spirit that I commend the URI Theatre, or at least its performance of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer which concluded this past weekend. My wife and I (PC grads, and thus programmed to dismiss anything URI related) were invited by a few URI alums to see the Saturday show. Since, as I might have mentioned, I'm off the sauce for Lent, it seemed like as good a way as any to kill the time. So off we went, through the driving rain we had Saturday evening, to catch a show I had no particular interest in seeing, and absently assumed would be more like the overacted, set-poor productions I saw at PC, and that I usually enjoy.

In short, I was wrong. Sure, the generic-looking building didn't inspire confidence, but we walked inside to find a sprawling arts complex, which includes an art gallery currently hosting the intriguing but depressing exhibit on Nazis and Homosexuals that I briefly glanced at. The theater itself was simply but nicely designed with a deep stage and steep stadium seating.

Since the play is over, I won't get into a blow-by-blow account of the show, but I will say that a few things stood out. First, Joseph Kidawski was outstanding as Salieri, including pulling off a voice change from old to young versions of the character that could have been painfully cheesy if not done well. Several other actors did nice work, though the performances of smaller parts were uneven, as you might expect in a college production. A special note of praise has to go to the costume department, though, for doing a truly professional job on complex period dress. Not one character looked shoddily turned out.

While I don't know how their next play, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, will turn out, I'm willing to guess the audience will be pleased. It may just be worth another trek out of Prov-tucket.

Have a 'Gansett, or Maybe Something Pricier

I'm tragically late in getting to this excellent article by Ian Donnis in the Phoenix, especially since my wife left the paper for me a month ago. But Donnis does an expert job of profiling the growth of the craft beer scene in Rhode Island, from the best liquor stores to go to for exotic brews, to some bars like Track 84 in Warwick that feature great beers on tap. (But he doesn't say whether the Portuguese-American Social Club in Fox Point is open to the public, which is a major oversight.)

What really got me excited, though, was the sidebar where hehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif notes that president Mark Hellendrung is hoping to start brewing on Providence's West Side this year, and as part of the move would open a beer garden on the site. I can't even describe how unbelievably cool this is. The story none-too-subtly hints that the decision will be based on first quarter sales of Narragansett, so make sure you go stock up before the end of march and bring our great, cheap, local beer home. I'll see you at the beer garden.

Go Right Now: Hemenway's

We are now in the heart of Lent here in the most Catholic state in the country. Between the last gasps of winter cold and the restrictions and rules impressed upon us Catholics, it can seem a dreary, slow time. But those traditions can also be embraced to great benefit, in particular if one takes the Friday prohibition against eating meat to heart and decides to spend the evening dining at Hemenway's Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar.

Located in the heart of downtown Providence on South Main Street, Hemenway's is an energetic, sophisticated place to enjoy your favorite seafood dishes. The big main dining room wraps around an elevated bar (which is a great place to grab a cocktail and an appetizer if you're not in the mood for a full meal) and faces out onto the riverfront park that, in warmer months, packs in the crowds for WaterFire. But in the winter, it's a quiet, peaceful scene that you can take in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows in the space. High over the tables and booths a series of neon signs of cartoonish fish add a lighthearted tough.

While Hemenway's offers the steak and chicken dishes seen on every seafood restaurant's menu, an informal survey of surrounding tables at several visits have indicated most everyone is there for the fish. There are a number of appetizers that put you in the right frame of mind, from delicious crab and lobster cakes to lobster ravioli, and of course the truly outstanding clam chowder. There is, of course, also the oyster bar, which I have never tried but heard widely praised. They generally offer an assortment of top varieties from up and down the coast for about $2.50 each.

But the entrees are the real attraction, and the best part is the great range of classic seafood dishes. On the one hand, you can order a large number of fresh catch items prepared simply, with traditional sides like a baked potato or fresh vegetables. You can also get New England fried favorites. Then there are some truly outstanding seafood pasta dishes, and my wife swears by the seafood caesar salad with fresh lobster, crab and shrimp.

Hemenway's is not the place to go for the latest fusion cuisine or bizarre fish you've never heard of. You won't find any sushi on the menu, either. But if you love seafood prepared the traditional way about as well as it can be done, then you can't do much better anywhere.

The Essentials:
Address: 121 South Main Street, Providence (call 401-351-8570 for reservations)
Cost for Two: With a bottle of wine and a shared appetizer, expect the bill to be around with tip. Entrees are typically around $20-$25, but dishes like lobster can be significantly more.
Bar Savers: Unfortunately, I don't know of any.
Eat Me: The stuffed shrimp is out of this world
Next Stop: It's a short walk down along the river to the Wild Colonial, one of the city's better bars. You're also about a block away from the Cable Car Cinema if you're looking for the complete date night experience.