cook & brown public house

sloppy. went for a meal here last night. the food sounds great on the menu, but unfortunately does not live up to the expectation in real life.
charred squid salad came as a few leaves in a bowl with a great handful of squid that seemed cooked a day or two ago and was definitely not charred whatsoever. presentation was awful.
went for the steak tips next, these were great unfortunately let down by a bed of cold sauce and luke warm potato fingerlings, while the asparagus was hot. it honestly felt like i was eating at a hospital canteen.
my fiancé and i decide on the lime tart with olive oil shortbread for desert! this was presented as if a five year old had made it. a huge lime moose with two stale shortbreads stuck in it.
for the quality of food coming out of rhode island restaurants at present, there is just no justification to be serving food like this. bill came to $87 for both of us. we probably could have gone to leagues above restaurants gracies or farmstead for the same price.

super fresh greek salad and fried hake and chips. amazing salad. when i finished i was contemplating ordering another. the batter on the hake was unbelievably light and without a single drip of oil. service was great. you'll leave saying, man, that was a good meal!

first off one of the best scratch bars i've been to in years. great selection of bitters. the food is always good especially seafood. brunch is more interesting then most places and a good deal.

after a long week, sometimes a mixed drink, preferably with some bourbon, is needed to unwind. and depending on the type of week, sometimes it involves more than one. i’m sure you can relate. perhaps i’ve mellowed out in my elder years (i turned 27 last weekend so i’m feeling old ), but the last thing i want to be around nowadays is a rowdy bar with earsplitting sounds and music too loud to recognize. that’s actually the complete opposite of what i need after a stressful week! i prefer a cool, low-key lounge where i can kick back and relax. for this reason, cook & brown public house has quickly become one of my favorite places to grab a hand-crafted cocktail. their complex drink menu is full of…well…stuff i’ve never heard of. some of their signature drinks include “the smoke show” with uprising whiskey, mezcal, campari, vanilla, and tobacco (yes, you read it right?!) or “champs elysees” with cognac, yellow chartreuse, lemon, and bitters…just to name a few. cook & brown’s knowledgeable

the fried quail special had a golden brown exterior that was supremely crispy and not a bit greasy. the richly flavored meat was complimented by the well-seasoned batter and still retained its flavorful juices. think of it as a more “advanced” fried chicken, with a more complex range of flavors, but all the same textures that make good fried chicken so satisfying.

sunday brunch was well worth it. a delicious root vegetable and chicken hash was just right to begin a beautiful albeit lazy sunday. the service, while very busy, was commendable; brunch was packed! i would advise reservations. my only regret is not bringing a larger appetite; sitting at the bar, i am able to see all the dishes on the way out. blessing or curse?


-----18 feb, 2011-----

i spent a belated valentines dinner here with my sweetheart. after reading the reviews, i was nervous, but we loved it! i had quite possibly the best duck breast i have encountered to date, and a delicious quail appetizer. i'll be back for sure.

3 strikes and you're out!. i tried cook & brown out for the third and final time. each and every time, i really want to like it but i just don't see what all the fuss it all about!?!?! i went last night with my girlfriend. she had never been and was excited to try it due to the fact so many rave about it. she ordered the c & b fried chicken and it was awful! over battered, burned, over fried so much there was barely any meat left inside and what was left inside was dry. this girl knows her fried chicken too! i ordered the fluke with couscous. first of all, please be gentle with my fluke! it was grey, dry, and under seasoned. the couscous was wet and mushy. it actually looked and tasted like ditatelli(sp) and i'd be willing to bet it was. over all, our meal was embarrassingly bad. the chef came out to great us, all excited about his fried chicken, and needless to say, if that chicken gets him excited, i'd hate to see what pisses him off!

great time. while waiting for our table, sat at the bar and were amazing by the skills, professionalism and customer service of the bartender. he offered knowledge and samples and made the whole dining experience - our first time there - worth talking about. we returned to the bar after dinner for a nightcap! a great time!

i liked the donuts best and the way they served the hake family style.

middling. i went with a friend to cook and brown this weekend for the first time, and came away pretty, well, underwhelmed. seated at 8, didn't see the waiter for a drink for 15 minutes, food came barely lukewarm, service was intermittent. had the a) food been hot or b) the service a wee more attentive, it could have been great. however, due to the price, i doubt we'll go back. there are plenty of restaurants with good food that are more reasonable and a better experience.

i've been reading many good things about cook and brown public house on providence's east side for a while now. it was selected by esquire magazine as one of the best new restaurants of 2010. celebrities have been spotted eating there. local chefs have tweeted about enjoying meals there. as a result, it's been on my list of places that i need to try. admittedly, brunch isn't what they are known for, but a highly rated restaurant should be able to churn out eggs and pancakes in its sleep. i stopped in this

i used to come here every sunday when the restaurant was oak. but cook & brown pales on comparison. service is poor, prices are ridiculous ($4.50 for a side of bacon), and the food is so-so. no need to go out of your way or this place.


-----23 apr, 2009-----

the best eggs benedict on the planet.

disappointing. we have been there three times just to make sure we didn't go on an off night. the service is average at best and the last time we went we walked out because it took them forever to get us one cocktail and the restaurant was basically empty. the food is good but not outstanding and when we live in a city with so many options, i don't see why we would ever go back.

good but not great. my wife and i had a decent meal at c&b, but it wasn't much to write home about given that it does use locally farmed, fresh organic ingredients. i wanted to like it. the decor is nice, but the service was just okay and everything we ate was a little too salty for our tastes. it's close by, so i guess i'll give it one more try to see if it was just an off night or early days.

great new edition to providence's great food scene. the menu is interesting, food was terrific, cocktails were amazing and the service was great...cool ceiling.