The Providence Oyster Bar
283 Atwells Avenue
Providence
By Bob Mariani
The moment I knew I was going to dine at the Providence Oyster Bar that evening, I started yearning for that clear, clean, steely oyster taste washed down with an ice-cold Grey Goose vodka martini. I was not disappointed. By 6pm on a Wednesday night, the Oyster Bar on Atwells Ave. was nearly full. I asked our genial waiter for a sample of several oysters to see if I could delineate between the different regional strains.
Of the half-dozen I tried, I found the "fancy gourmet" Nova Scotia to be the most delicate; the Delaware Bay to be the meatiest; the New Brunswick Beau Soleil to be the mildest and least fishy; the Giga-moto from British Columbia to be the subtlest; and the Yaquina Bay to be the briniest. All were good and I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite
Our other starter was an absolutely heavenly Lobster Bisque, and at $11.95, one could well ask: just how heavenly could it be? Well, it’s a meal in itself and a definite must-try. Orange as a sunset, creamy with a flickering infusion of sherry, and just the right amount of lobster meat, this is a definitive lobster bisque.
Other appetizers include jumbo shrimp cocktail ($3.75 a piece); sea scallops and bacon in a Vermont maple cider glaze ($11.95); coconut shrimp with a pina colada sauce ($11.95); mussels fra diavolo ($8.95); and Point Judith calamari with hot pepper rings ($9.95)
From the "Daily Catch" entrées, we chose the Georges Banks scallops ($25.95) and were delighted with how plump and tender the medium size shellfish were. They’d been pan-seared with caramelized leeks, finished with a truffle essence for a deep smoky flavor, and served with a rich, perfectly balanced marscapone risotto. One could not ask for much more from a seafood dish.
We also ordered the Yellowfin tuna ($24.95), fresh that day from Florida. I’ve always found tuna to be a rather bland flavored fish and in this case, the addition of a toasted sesame seed crust made it a bit more interesting. It was served over Macadamian sticky rice that had been sprinkled with a delicate vegetable slaw and drizzled with "pomegranate molasses." All of which helped, but the tuna was still a bit of a one-note wonder.
Other entrées of the day were a grilled swordfish ($26.95) served over lobster mashed potatoes with sautéed Swiss chard and shrimp in a scampi sauce; Chilean sea bass ($26.95) baked in white wine butter and topped with fresh herbs; Salmon au poivre ($20.95), pepper crusted with a cream sauce; and lobster from the Gulf of Maine ($29.95) butter poached and out of the shell, tossed with crispy shallots, fresh tarragon and lobster-stuffed gnocchi.
For dessert we tried sharing a cinderblock-size wedge of three-layer, deep, dark chocolate cake but we came no where near finishing it, as irresistible as it was.
During the meal, it was great to watch the Oyster Bar’s young executive chef, Arron Thorpe’s ballet of efficiency in the small open kitchen next to the bar. Every dish was perfectly timed and beautifully presented.
No question, The Providence Oyster Bar is a marvelous addition to the ever-burgeoning Federal Hill culinary scene, one which takes a tricky specialty like fresh-daily seafood, and manages it extremely well.
They’re open for lunch and dinner and can be reached at 272-8866. For more information, visit their
website.Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Table for Two" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
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