Outside the Kitchen : Nick's on Broadway

So can I just say how excited I am to blog about where I went to dinner last night? My friend Kaitlin and I had a date at Nick’s on Broadway in Providence, RI. I have wanted to eat here for so long and just never made it to the dining room. Might I add I did some reading on Nick’s website today and I found out that recently, Nick’s has been named “One of the Worlds Best Restaurants” by Fodor’s International Travel Guide for the third year in a row. One of the WORLD’S best restaurants in the smallest state in the United States! I don’t know about you, but I am proud. Let’s not forget that the head chef Derek has been nominated (twice) for a James Beard Rising Star Award.

Atmosphere

The inside is warm and inviting and the dimmed lighting made it a perfect date night spot for couples (even if you are with a friend.) So, we sat down at the bar and got comfortable (highly recommended). This isn’t a typical restaurant bar where there is a bartender (they have that where you walk in.) This is a foodie’s dream of a bar where you can watch the chef cook your entire meal. You get to see the love and care they put into each dish. It was so amazing watching the talent at work.

Anyway enough about the bar. So we sat down and of course Kaitlin knows every worker in this place. She knew the head chef, the sous chef. I mean really- who knows this many people in the restaurant business? But hey it worked for me.

The Bar-We were so close to the food. Loved every minute

Service

Our waitress was so nice and gave great recommendations. The staff was very knowledgeable about the cheese plate and every component that was on it. I was beyond impressed.

Food

There were so many amazing seasonal items on the menu that we had a hard time choosing what to get. Nick’s also offers a three or six course tasting menu, which I will be having next time because it seems amazing.

So we started the meal with a bottle of Mulderbosch Faithfull Hound 2005/2006, (Stellenbosch, South Africa), which was an amazing Bordeaux blend (good choice Kait.)

To our surprise we received amuse bouche of their house made brioche toast, cauliflower pure and Narragansett creamery feta Cheese. This was delicious and so warming. Kaitlin said it right when she commented that you can easily taste every component in what the chefs were putting into your meal. What a breath of fresh air. 

Amuse Bouche

We then moved on to a salad of field greens with beets, radish, pear, goat cheese, and pistachios. This salad was so vibrant and fresh. Nick’s uses locally grown produce, which besides being super fresh helps out the local economy. Just look at the picture- this salad was gorgeous.

My Amazing Fall Salad- Look at those colors!

The next course may be my new obsession. We shared a cheese plate for one (which was more than enough) and it shined. There were four distinct cheeses on our plate ranging from mild to pungent. They were multiple accompaniments like house made mustard and pickles, honeycomb and various candied nuts. The house made brioche showed up again and this time with pumpkin spice bread also. Yum. Everything went so well together and I would have been happy just eating this all night. 

Our Cheese Plate- Yum!

Kaitlin and I then shared the most delicious fish dish. The scup (which was cooked perfectly) was served with butternut squash risotto. They even split it onto two plates for us! This dish was delicious and fully embodied Fall. I was very impressed. I am so mad that my phone did not save this picture so I can’t share it. (Oh well.. just go and get it yourself)

As if we needed more food- Kait and I also shared a bowl of pumpkin polenta with parmesan sprinkled on top as well as parmesan crisps. WOW.  I kept saying how full I was, but I kept eating. It made me feel so warm and was so delicious. I might try this one at home (stay tuned!) 

The Pumpkin Polenta- The Parmesan crisps made it!

The entire meal we tried to save room for dessert and we failed. I wanted the pumpkin spice panna cotta so badly. Even though we said we were full our waitress suggested one truffle each. We could handle that. We each got a decadent pumpkin spice truffle with jam. What a great way to end an amazing meal. We met with the chef after the meal and complimented him on such a great feast. As I write this Kait just texted me and said,” I cannot believe how good that meal was last night.” Well people- believe it. It was amazing.

Pumpkin Spice Truffle...MMMmm

Here is the link to Nick’s on Broadway’s website and if I were you I would visit  ASAP and do yourself a favor and make a reservation. Make a night of it and linger. Amazing food experiences do not need to be rushed.

http://nicksonbroadway.com