gracies venture inc

pretty outstanding and well worth the wait between courses. i enjoy lively conversation at dinner and never object to a nice lengthymealdue to a lag between courses. of course in gracie's case that would be because eachmealis freshly prepared per the individual and not pre-prepped or prepared and being held in a steam oven. i had my server make recommendations and as his recommendations were choices were not what i would have ordinarily ordered, i had him "bring 'em on". delish, oh yea, truly a delightful evening. had a couple of appetizers that i enjoyed but don't remember; one was like a fried goat cheese (?) (i was drinking). anyway, they were good but, the first course, ramp tagliatelle, was simply indescribably delicious. next course was sausage and chicken with turnips and other items and it too was beyond adjectives. the whole evening was well, simply outstanding and a lasting memory.

pricey, special occasion place. dinner for two last night: $400 including tip. a sumptuous 7 course chef's tasting menu ranging from seared duck breast in duck jus on a bed of baby carrots, to halibut with roasted beet puree. plus various cheese courses, intermezzos, and amuse bouches, along with a cocktail course, and 7 matching wine courses for the food. professional michelin-starred level service. a quiet table, as i had requested. freshly baked specialty breads: spicy lavash, honey-drenched beer bread, baguette, and rosemary focaccia brought by at regular intervals by a dedicated bread steward. the most luscious foie gras torchon i've ever eaten, period. dessert was a generous hazelnut crusted chocolate cake with house made gelato, and when we reclaimed our car from the free valet, there were fresh baked cookies on the center console, a nice touch.

one quick note: this restaurant is aimed at a sophisticated audience, frequent travelers to europe with highly educated palates and a relaxed but not pretentious attitude towards dining out. if you are looking for an efficient refueling stop, consider applebee's or chili's. expect a typicalmealhere to take anywhere from 3 to 4 hours, with long pauses between courses to allow conversation.

terrific 5 course tasting!. the 5 course tasting experience is truly amazing. after deciding whether or not we wanted to spend the $75 on a 5 coursemealor just go a-la-carte, both my boyfriend and i were glad that we chose to go with the tasting. we had never done anything like it before, so it was a really fresh experience. it was exciting to see what we would get, and the portions were just right; small but plentiful. we had a terrific range of different dishes, from local squid and tautog to fatty pork belly and rabbit as well as an orange blossom ice cream. the bread is amazing too! the waitstaff were very friendly and informative, and the valet service was excellent as well. i can't wait to take my mom here!

wow...absolutely amazing! for the comments about the menu getting pricey. i disagree a three course delectablemealfor 3 with 5 glasses of wine - under 200 dollars! i don't know where your from but for this quality, decor, and fine dining experience...it is a complete steal!

do you remember the last dish that completely blew your mind? the type of dish so memorable that it left you thinking about it all night long and in days to come? a dish so profoundly delicious that it made you rave to everyone you know, maybe even to strangers on the street? well, what if it was more than one dish…what if it was an entiremealconsisting of a 7 course tasting menu? that’s the type ofmealthat i experienced at gracie’s in providence recently. from start to finish, it was like perfection on a plate…seven different plates that is!

i was extremely pleased with ourmealat gracie’s. the food was excellent, with very good attention paid to both taste and texture.

bestmealever.... i absolutely never write these things...but as a public service, i'll do so.

my wife & i were in town to see jersey boys for our anniversary & had the pleasure of having dinner at gracie's.

i have eaten at the best restaurants all over the world and after last night, i have to say that gracie's ranks at the top.

we had the 5 course tasting menu ($75) and it was a bargain! everything was chef recommended, so each course was a surprise to us. everything - and i mean everything - ranged from "excellent" to "took my breath away".

start with a cocktail - they mix them very well, so you can taste both the flavor and the liquor - and they are presented with just enough ice (to make it cold). they had several different varieties of bread (the crackle crust was out of this world, as opposed to the foccacia, which was only magnificent). the wait staff was accomodating - making sure your drinks were refilled and bringing out additional bread without swarming.

then the courses - simply unbelievable. the smoked salmon with the poached quail egg was beautifully presented & simply delicious. the handmade gnocchis with mushrooms had a refreshing hint of lemon zest. the hit of the evening was the seared sea scallops and razor clams - i mean, i would never make this at home - it had so many ingredients diced up fine (chorizon sausage, shallots, etc.) but when i was done, i flagged down one of the wait staff to ask for 2 slices of baguette and simply lapped up the sauce from the plate.

finally came the lamb tenderloins with fresh summer vegetables and a reduction that was out of this world. this was preceeded by a raspberry sorbet that not only cleaned the palate, but was quite flavorful. if there weren't other people around, i would probably have licked the plate, but instead satisfied myself with the excellent cava that i chose with the meal.

at this point, i turned to my wife and said that thismealdefinitely was in my "top 5", maybe a tad behind cafe benoit and french laundry. then came the coffee and dessert - home run! i'm sure folks know what i mean when they say they've had a great meal, but either the coffee and / or dessert do not measure up. well, these did - and then some. the desert was an olive oil cake, with a dollop of honey ice cream, granola, strawberries and an indescribable balsamic vinegar drizzle. and the coffee was so good i said "why yes, i'll have a second cup."

afterwards, while my wife used the powder room, i was sneaking a peak in the kitchen, watching the chef and his proteges in a bee hive of activity. the general manager came over - concerned - to ask me if anything was wrong. i assured him that all was well and shared with him my thoughts regarding this simply incredible establishment.

great attention is paid to every detail, although if you are looking for a great view, you won't find it here - it's in an emerging neighboorhood not far from downtown. still, the decor was interesting (faux marble, tin ceilings, exposed wood, etc.) without being either too casual (for such a nice restaurant) or too snobby / tired (like the chantecleer or some other such place).

i can't say enough about this place, so i'll just say this - it was simply the bestmeali ever had. go there and put yourselves in their hands - let them wow you! you'll never forget it.

can i have the recipe for the spicy sausage ragu?. gracie's was only a block or two from our hotel in downtown providence's theater district. we had a very nicemealthere. -- two real standouts: the potato-based leek soup as a starter was light and delicious, sweetened slightly carmelized onions; and a superb penne pasta served with a spicy sausage ragu, wilted spinach and shaved parmasean cheese. the plate was large enough for us both to enjoy it and take some home. i'd love to get the recipe for the ragu as the flavors were perfectly melded and tasted just as good as leftovers the next day.