Where will you eat next? Here are some great options!

Providence Restaurant Week is one of our favorite week’s of the year! With so many amazing restaurants to choose from with delicious menu items at discounted prices, it’s tough to decide where to grab a meal. Last weekend, we went with Sarto Restaurant, located downtown next to the Dorrance and GPub.

Sarto has an awesome atmosphere and we loved that we could watch the chefs cook in the open concept kitchen. The restaurant offered a three-course meal for $34.95 per person. We decided we would each try something different so we could double the fun!

For appetizers, we started with the Arancini and the Smoked Bluefish Crostini, and both were a great beginning to our meal! We particularly loved the arancini and thought the serving size was perfect. While it was plenty filling, it left us with enough room for our next two courses, and left our taste buds wanting more.

When it was time for entrees, we went with the Braised Short Rib and the Bucatini e Cacio Pepe. The short rib was cooked to perfection and nearly melted in our mouths. It was served over a creamy polenta with spinach, mushrooms, and red wine jus. The bucatini was also delicious – cooked al dente and with a nice creamy sauce.

Finally, dessert! Now, this was a tough choice. In the end, we went with the Tiramisu Trifle and the Vanilla Custard. Both were a perfect way to end our Sarto restaurant week experience.

Now that we’ve had a taste of this wonderful gem of a restaurant, we will surely be back with even bigger appetites!

Do you love good food and wine? Stupid question… who doesn’t?!

Earlier this month, Providence Eats joined The Rooftop at the Providence G and Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard for a fire side wine dinner and we can’t stop talking about it!

You might be thinking, “a rooftop dinner in October? Wasn’t that sort of… cold?”. But, hold up! The Rooftop at Providence G is a year-round, seasonal rooftop bar/restaurant, and, let us tell you, the current ambiance and decor is screaming Fall!

The enclosed area is decked out with harvest/autumn decor, and the outdoor lounge areas are kept warm and toasty with beautiful fire pits with glass fire gems.

Our five-course dinner which was paired with wine from Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard, began with a citrus mussel shooter, antipasto skewer, and roasted berries. We especially loved the mussel shooter which was not only fun to eat, but deliciously seasoned with bacon, basil, and oranges. (Paired with Eye of the Storm)

For our first main course we had a summer salad which included burnt orange, toasted almonds, and feta, with a honey lemon vinaigrette. (Paired with 2014 Siren). To follow, our second course consisted of a miso salmon dish which was tastefully seasoned with maple miso char and paired with pickled fennel salad and roasted eggplant purée. The purée was to die for! (Paired with 2014 White Lotus)

Our third main course was our absolute favorite – pork belly with potato, shiitake mushroom, apple hash, sage, and chili oil. (Paired with NV Rhode Island Red)

To finish our meal, we were served a delightful harvest cobbler made with stewed apples and pears, pie dough crumbles, and ice wine drizzle. (Paired with NV Amrita)

All of this for only $75! We were shocked at how much food and wine we got for the price. We left with full, happy bellies, and got to meet so many great people who also have a love for good wine and food – what better way to network and make new friends in Little Rhody?

This was just one of many events The Rooftop at Providence G will be holding throughout the fall and into the winter. We highly recommend you check out their Facebook events calendar. They have a great variety of upcoming events – there’s something for everyone!

And, really, who doesn’t love a good cocktail by the fire paired with a view of our beautiful capital city?!

You’re welcome 🙂

If you are from Northern Rhode Island, chances are you’ve eaten at Blackie’s Bull Dog Tavern.  If you’re not from Northern Rhode Island, you’ve probably heard about this laid-back pub with a from-scratch menu and lively crowd.  Well, your friends at Providence Eats had enough of hearing about how amazing Blackie’s is and decided to take the 20 minute drive to Smithfield to indulge ourselves.  It was VERY well worth it.

For a Wednesday evening, we were surprised when we pulled in to find the parking lot almost full.  We were instantly greeted by Nicole Palumbo, Brand Manager and Jeanine Iannucci, General Manager and Co-Owner.   These ladies were warm, friendly and passionate about their pub.

Jeanine describes her opening of Blackie’s as “fate”.  With an extensive background in furniture sales, she never pictured herself in the food industry.  She loved to cook – and people loved to eat her cooking.  And so, it was one of her pizzas that encouraged a colleague to ask her to manage an upscale, fine dining restaurant he was opening in Smithfield.  She had no experience in the restaurant business, and her close-knit, Italian family called her crazy, but she felt as though she needed to accept the offer.  Jeanine took a chance and became the General Manager of Rocco Italian Osteria.

However, the Osteria closed it’s doors in 2010 – it was not placed in the right location to achieve great success.  Jeanine was devastated until three months later, the owner came to her and said, “We’re opening a tavern.  You have three months to do it.”  Challenge accepted.

But the challenge was difficult.  It was hard to find a chef, which forced the kitchen to rely on frozen, simple foods.  The tavern wasn’t what the original owners had planned for, and they were considering closing the doors.  The arrival of Angie Armenise’s resume was, again, fate.

Angie began her career in the Chicago restaurant industry at age 15, starting from the bottom and working her way up tirelessly.   She moved to Rhode Island to receive her education at Johnson & Wales, where she soaked up every drop of education and experience she could.  During her freshman year, she was promoted to Executive Chef at a well-known Rhode Island dining establishment, was working toward her culinary degree, and was stressed beyond belief.  However, it would soon all be worth it as she graduated the top of her class and went on to open four more restaurants with the company, eventually becoming their Corporate Chef overseeing all 7 establishments.

After eleven years in her position, Angie switched paths and began working at a University.  However, she still felt a calling for something more.  It was around this time when she sent Jeanine her resume on a whim.  They met, an offer was made, she accepted.  Now the true challenge awaited: saving Blackie’s Bull Dog tavern.

After a month of working together, Jeanine asked Angie to buy Blackie’s with her.  This December will mark their 6 year anniversary of ownership.  Their success comes from a simple fact: they care.  Every plate, every encounter, every drink presentation – all the details are thought out with care and creativity.  These women had a vision six years ago and its safe to say they have achieved it, but continue their great success because they don’t get lazy.  There are no short cuts for them.

So there’s the story of Blackie’s.  It will help you appreciate the experience even more when you visit.  But now its time to talk food!

The bar area and dining room were completely filled.  We had a table waiting for us with one of the most helpful, cheerful waitresses we’ve had in a while – thanks, Steph!  We were taken back by how easy Blackie’s made eating healthy, with a regular menu, a gluten-free menu, and a paleo menu.  Each menu had an assortment of classic pub appetizers along with unique items we’ve never heard of, burgers on burgers and sandwiches on sandwiches, entrees and gourmet plates, and more.  It took us quite a while to make our choices, but we did so with some recommendations from Steph.

Since their new Fall/Winter menu had just debuted, I decided to get some seasonal cocktails.  I ordered a “Cranberry Margarita” (pictured below, left), which was suggested by our waitress: Cazadores Tequilla, cranberry juice, house made sour mix, and cranberry jam.  It was sweet and delicious! I then ordered the “Original Cinn” (pictured below, right): Diplomatica Reserve rum, Harvest simple, Jaswell’s Farm apple cider, fresh lemon and a cinnamon stick.  It was the perfect fall drink.  Their cocktail and beer list was impressive!

For appetizers, we were very torn – their sharable plates ALL sounded amazing.  We ordered the Buffalo Chicken Dip – Holy HOT! It was amazing and the portion was huge, so I even got to take some home.  We also ordered the Cheeseburger Rangoons…yes, you heard me right.  I cannot rave about the flavor of these enough.  I haven’t stopped thinking about them! Consider these to be one perfect bite of a cheeseburger, fries, ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomato, lettuce, crispy wonton and special sauce.  Amazing.