Five Things: New Rivers, Providence
Sean DeBobes, GoLocalProv Contributor
Five Things: New Rivers, Providence
New Rivers has been one of Providence's most simultaneously innovative and steadfast restaurants for 20 years, with chef/owner Bruce Tillinghast at the helm. This year, he reinvented the place, adding a large new dining room with a larger, beamier bar. What's new about New Rivers? Sean DeBobes paid a visit on a summer evening this week. Here are the five things he wants you to know.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
During dinner, my dining buddy and I saw six friends and met a new one (don’t you just love Lil’ Rhody). And with its new room with great street-view windows, the new New Rivers is the place to see and be seen. Owner Bruce Tillinghast nonchalantly orchestrates the room with subtle nods and easy conversations, while equally subtle mirrors along the wall give great views of the whole room and reflect the gorgeous First Baptist Church steeple right outside.
Two. Confident Cooking.
A truly amazing chef knows exactly where to draw the line. Chef Beau Vestal runs with this group. Everything I ate was so flavorful, and nothing crossed that what were you thinking line. The Crostini really showed this off. Beau anoints the peasant bread with a healthy dose of delicious goat cheese, and tops that off with local asparagus and morels. Fresh and earthy, this small plate
Three. Sapid Starters.
I could have walked out very happily after indulging in the Fiddlehead with Garlic & Lemon and the Fingerling potatoes small plates. More sides than starters, they nonetheless led off perfectly. I didn’t even mind the fingerlings being substituted with lesser red potatoes; who would when they're cooked in duck fat? There were certainly no diminishing returns with the fiddleheads either - every single bite was as good as the first. I could eat them this way every day.
Four. Chicken.
No fancy title, just dubbed chicken by Chef Vestal (okay, it was labeled organic as well), but a rose by any other name... This chick was manifestly marvelous. Juicy with a crispy skin and sitting in an intensely flavored jus – escorted by tender baby beets, this was an absolutely great find. Order it!
Dessert was rustic and elegant all at once. The crispy-crunch exterior of my lemon bread pudding gave way to a fantastic, smooth, custardy inside. Accompanied by a Rhubarb-Strawberry compote (I can’t get enough of those six glorious weeks when they are both in season), this dessert had amazing layers of flavor and texture. I couldn’t have been happier.
Would I go back? Yes! And next time I'm sitting right at the newly designed, oh-so-convivial bar for a full dinner... and chat... with Bruce Tillinghast.
Hit "Save": New Rivers, 7 Steeple St, Providence, 751-0350, www.newriversrestaurant.com, open Mon-Sat (closed Sun), bar from 5pm, dining room 5:30pm, to closing at 10pm.