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.

Go Right Now: Julian's

You always remember fondly your first date with the woman who eventually becomes your wife. Of course, it puts a bit of a cramp in it if she thinks the date was in a different restaurant than the one you remember. However, I've always had a better memory than her, so I'm pretty confident that our first date was, in fact, at Julian's, one of the more unconventional dining spots in Providence.

Located on Broadway at the border of Federal Hill and the funky West End, Julian's offers a great experience no matter when you feel like going. (Never has the title of this column been more appropriate.) Say, for example, you feel like breakfast. I guarantee you that Julian's brunch menu will offer something amazingly good that you never saw on a breakfast plate before. Last time, I had a blue cheese and broccoli hash that was a borderline sexual experience, and my wife looked somewhat hot and bothered as she chowed down on her vegan gingerbread pancakes. The mix of asian-inspired dishes, vegetarian delights (yes, I said it) and traditional favorites with a twist (or just flawless execution) is astounding.

Dinner is, arguably, even better (though the lines are usually longer for brunch, at least on Sunday). I'm a big fan of starting off with the grilled naan bread, but there are a ton of great starters to choose from. In fact, between the 'munch' items on the menu and the larger appetizers, it is a great time to go with a group of friends for some drinks and a bunch of dishes to share. But if you do follow in my footsteps and go on a date, you'll probably want a main course, and you can't go wrong with (just to name a few) the pumpkin gnocchi or the poached bass. To be honest, though, I usually check out their specials, and find something well worth trying.

If the food sounds offbeat and lively, the ambiance matches. The walls and ceiling are covered with odd artifacts, and you'll see something new that will serve as a conversation piece every time you go. The open kitchen offers its own form of entertainment. Yet it is still a very relaxing place, where you can truly feel at ease. I've watched several times some older and conservatively dressed folks sitting right next to a well-pierced group of hipsters, and neither looking the least bit uncomfortable. Maybe the polite, funny staff helps with that.

Julian's is hardly a Providence secret, but if you haven't been yet, you owe it to yourself to find out why they have so serial patrons, including me.

The Essentials:


Address: 318 Broadway, Providence
Cost for Two: Brunch will probably set you back $20 to $30 without any booze, and dinner is usually $50 to $60 with a couple of drinks, but it can go as high as $90 or so if you're getting the more expensive entrees.
Bar Savers: Check the board for beer specials. They often have unusual stuff for $2 or $3 per draft.
Eat Me: Everything they do with naan is worth trying
Next Stop: Mo Joe's Bar, at 166 Broadway, is a decent place to keep the party going, and get in a game of pool

Go Right Now: LJ's BBQ

In a state where dining out is somehow both a treat and a way of life, you wouldn't expect a restaurant who's slogan is, "Eat it and Beat it" to be successful. But LJ's BBQ, right over the Providence border in Pawtucket, is out to prove that if the food is good enough, you can say anything you want to your customers. And while a northern boy like myself may not be a fully-qualified judge of barbeque goodness, I've chowed down on enough of it over the years to say that the folks at LJ's are entitled to tell me to get my butt out of their booth when I'm done.

And, as you might guess, the LJ's crew is not as surly as their slogan might represent. (In fact, they're so friendly you might, just might, suspect that the slogan is just something that's meant to evoke a certain good-natured southern surliness.) Every time I've been, the service has been attentive but not over-the top, and the staff has a really good understanding of the menu and how to guide you to a choice you'll enjoy. And the menu, full of succulent, falling-off-the-bone barbeque favorites, gives plenty of options, at least assuming you like beef, pork or chicken.

Generally, I'm a fan of anything they offer that includes the word 'brisket'. But last time, I went out of my comfort zone and had a Pulled Pork Cuban, which was tangy, smokey and positively gut-busting. It probably didn't help that my wife insisted we get the onion rings to go with our meals (hers was much less stomach-stuffing than mine), which were big and tasty but ensured I would have no space for dessert. A nice beer list, usually with one on special, serves as the perfect accompaniment to wash down all that greasy goodness, but if you're so inclined, they manage to carry some nice wines. I love Malbec with anything, but think it goes really well with barbeque.

There are relatively few good southern food joints in the area, what with the dominance of bistro-style places serving Asian-inspired French dishes or formal Italian. (Not that I'm complaining, exactly...) So when a place like LJ's BBQ comes along, you have to embrace it, and accept that you'll probably need to run a few miles the next day as your mild penance.

The Essentials

ADDRESS: 727 East Avenue in Pawtucket, right past the end of Blackstone Boulevard
COST FOR TWO: Two cheap beers, an appetizer and two sandwiches will probably set you back $40 or so with the tip.
BAR SAVERS: Look for beer specials (the Sam Smith Nut Brown was a treat). Or, save on your whole meal by going Monday or Tuesday and getting the fixed price menu (drink, soup or salad, entree with side, and dessert) for $15.
EAT ME: Any brisket or pulled pork dish won't disappoint.
NEXT STOP: Go around the corner to Three Sisters at 1074 Hope Street for coffee or ice cream, if you have any room left.

Go Right Now: Restaurant Oak

It's easy to find a nice formal place to have dinner in most places, and you can usually find good places to eat when you just want some simple food or pub fare. But in my experience, the real challenge is locating the restaurants that serve great food with a somewhat less pretentious atmosphere and price tag. In Providence, we're blessed to have a number of such places, and one of the newest and best is Restaurant Oak. This bistro-style eatery has been open over a year now, but judging by the crowds, you'd think it was still brand new. But it's worth putting in the effort, because Oak offers one of the best dining experiences in the state.

The first thing you'll notice about Oak is how pleasant it is just to be in the space. From the tables outside on the nice days, to the comfortable bar area, to the warm, colorful dining room, everything about the place invites you to forget the stresses of your life and just enjoy your meal and your company. The acoustics, are also great, which is somewhat surprising for a smaller place. Rarely does a neighboring conversation seem to intrude on you. The staff add to this relaxed vibe by being attentive, playful, but never overly intrusive, striking just the right tone. Oak even complements its decor by occassionally exhibiting work by local artists, and amazingly always pick pieces that add to the ambiance. (They are currently exhibiting some nice landscapes by Amy Ryan.


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The food is always outstanding. I've had romantic dinners and business meetings at Oak, and from the simple sandwiches and burgers to nicer dishes like their bacon-wrapped scallops or chicken-apple sausage appetizers and seared duck breast or five-cheese ravioli entrees, they shine with a wide variety of dishes. An accessible wine list and good assortment of specialty coctails round out the experience, as do a selection of decadent desserts.

In fact, if you're in the mood for a nice, long meal that covers all the bases, you can't go wrong with their Wednesday fixed price menu. A couple can share a bottle of wine and each get an appetizer, entree and dessert for only $50 (I believe). That's less than you'd probably spend for two entrees and an appetizer to split on a Friday night. And you'll avoid some of the weekend crowd that will keep you waiting otherwise. Of course, after you try Restaurant Oak once, you'll probably be back pretty soon.

The Essentials

Cost for two: If you get two appetizers, two entrees, and a bottle of wine, you'll probably be set back $80 to $100 with the tip.
Bar savers: This is a wine place, and I recommend the Conquista Malbec off their list: a glass is $6, and it goes great with many of their best meat and pasta dishes.
Eat me: Both the appetizer and entree takes on sea scallops are excellent (to the point that they sometimes run out by late in the evening).
Next Stop: Down the street back towards Providence a bit is the Ivy Tavern, a good place for a late evening beer or to catch a game on TV.

Go Right Now: Caserta's Pizza

Perhaps this admission will make you trust this blog a little less, but I'm not what you'd call a gourmet. In other words, I don't necessarily appreciate the subtle differences between the porterhouse at two good steak places, or the sashimi at my two favorite sushi joints. Generally speaking, I'm looking for ambiance, quality, and value.

That said, there is no one in the great state of Rhode Island who could possibly confuse or compare Caserta's Pizza with that of any other pizzeria around. It's just in a league of its own. And I don't necessarily mean better, either, though it certainly has a special place in my heart. If you read the reviews on the page I linked to, you'll see a fair number of people who think it is way overrated, or possibly even GROSS.

So here's what you need to know...this is a pizza bomb, not an ordinary pie. Anyone on the Atkins diet would go into carb shock just walking to close to it. The pizza comes out in thick, heavy squares with sauce and cheese pouring over the top and sinking into the doughy crust at the same time. A large is so big that a group of six healthy eaters I was once with couldn't get through half of it; I took the leftovers and had four additional meals from it. (That experience also took three years off of my life, but it was worth it.)


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So get yourself up to Federal Hill and go. One block off the main drag (Atwells), Caserta's is basically a beer hall for pizza: one big room with a bunch of spare tables that give you no illusion it's about anything other than the food. So get a pizza with extra cheese, get a few good friends and a cardiologist to come along, and enjoy the ultimate comfort food.

The Details:
Drinks: Basic beer and wine options won't put you back much more than $5. Get a Peroni for the full on Italian experience
Food: Pizza's never expensive, and for under $20 you can easily order enough for 4 people, and you'll probably have leftovers.
Crowd: If you can't feel comfortable here, the stick up your ass is probably tickling your throat right now.
Pointer: After you're done, head around the corner to Dolce Vita for a coffee or cocktail to wrap up your night.

Go Right Now: The Red Fez

Everyone has a place they like to go when they feel a little down and they want to redeem the day. For me and my wife, that place is the Red Fez. It's a perfect combination of funky restaurant and chill bar, and it's within walking distance of the best of downtown Providence. If you find yourself at Waterfire and feel the sudden urge to be a bit hipper, get yourself to the Fez, pronto.

When you walk in, the first thing you'll notice is the dim lighting and the odd artwork on the wall. (Say hi to Strong-Ass Sal for me.) Grab a seat downstairs for a more traditional restaurant experience, or ask to go up for the more raucus pub atmosphere. Either way, you'll have a lot of great menu options. The Red Fez has a wide range of appetizers, from a simple hummus plate to the more sophisticated. They also have a late night snacking menu with some great smaller dishes. But your best bet is to go straight to entrees, especially if you like the cheesy goodness of arguably the best mac and cheese you'll ever have. My wife and I fight over who gets to order it. The loser gets the sausage plate, a sandwich, or another of the eclectic America-meets-Turkey-and-goes-to-France type of offerings, and never leaves unhappy.

Aside from the dining, the experience is great. You can spend the whole night checking out the interesting people and the wild decorations. You'll enjoy a music selection that keeps your energy up yet doesn't intrude. Hell, you might feel so good you buy beers for the kitchen. And they encourage that.

The essentials:

The Red Fez
49 Peck St
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 272-1212

Entrees: $10 to $20
Bar Savers: Cheap Gansetts and Schlitz are dirt cheap. They always have a bottle of cheap champagne avaiable
Eat Me: Get the mac and cheese and die happy.

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