If you want to get the best food Rhode Island has to offer, you better head over to a Providence Restaurant. There is no shortage of good eating but the trick in Providence is wading through all your options to find the right place. The first step in this process is establishing what occasion and what meal is bringing you to a
Providence Restaurant in the first place. If youre looking for a romantic meal with a significant other, youre in luck. Due to the abundant Italian-American population in Providence there are a plethora of classy and delicious old-school Italian restaurants that can meet and exceed your needs. On the downside however, dont expect to walk out of a place like Capriccio or Al Forno without breaking the bank. But, those who are trying to conserve cash neednt despair.
If you are willing to give up the fine dining atmosphere, there are some truly delicious and inexpensive eateries in the Providence area. For those who are inclined toward Mexican fare, El Rancho Grande is very delicious and delightfully inexpensive. Everything from the house-made chips and salsa to the classic Carne Asada is phenomenal.
The thing about Providence is that there are so many different cultures existing side by side that the range of different dishes available is truly staggering. Korean, Mexican, French and of course Italian, all co-exist here in different variations of price and class. Not everything is gourmet and unique in Providence, though. If you are planning to do some shopping in the Providence Place mall, you will have the opportunity to eat at some old favorites such as P.F. Changs, The Cheesecake Factory, Joes American Bar and Grill, and Dave and Busters. There are a few interesting restaurants in the mall like The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant where you cook your own food at the table) and Fire and Ice (an upscale Mongolian barbecue where you pick your own raw food and watch it get cooked on a big grill). Both are pretty cool concepts and are the complete opposite of typical mall chains.
If theres one thing I like more than a good Providence Restaurant, its a good bar and lounge. Lucky for me, Providence has one of the best lounges around. Its called The Avery and let me tell you, it is perfect. The dcor is warm, dark and inviting. Although its definitely a classy place, it manages to avoid being pretentious which is very important to me. Who wants to pay through the nose for a drink only to be treated like a peasant by the server? On the topic of drinks, The Avery has a great selection of craft beers as well as the standard cocktail offerings. The drinks are not the strongest Ive ever had but they are certainly worth the price.
If you are looking for something even sexier than The Avery, you can try the relatively new Dusk. This lounge is unexpectedly located amidst warehouses and seedy strip clubs but this only adds to its appeal. Dusk caters primarily to a professional late 20s and 30s crowd. The U-shaped bar combined with the dark atmosphere of this place makes it one of the sexiest bars in town.
