Café de Vie
3 Richmond Square
Providence
by Bob Mariani
The Café de Vie is one of those remarkably unpretentious little places that’s so off the beaten path and where the food is so good, you like to brag about "discovering" it. Located in the basement of a small Richmond Sq. office building, there are about 10 tables, a coke machine, a counter and some nice old French restaurant prints on the walls. The tabletops are a sturdy mosaic design and there’s a TV set up on the ceiling. Also, new this summer, there are a few outdoor tables underneath umbrellas out in the parking lot.
The Café may look like your typical luncheonette, and its breakfast and lunch menus don’t belie that. The dinner menu, however, features items like roasted garlic artichoke dip ($6.50). I ordered it as an appetizer and was quite taken with this interesting puree of soft cheese and artichoke hearts laced with lots of garlic. (Those of you who worship at the altar of the gods of garlic will find much to adore here at the Café de Vie.)
We also sampled the Miso Sesame chicken wantons appetizer ($7.50), and were delighted with these light, freshly fried Asian "pillows" stuffed with tasty chicken and served with a very creatively mixed mango and ginger dipping sauce.
My entrée was a quartet of shrimp and scallops grilled on a skewer and served on a bed of hard-baked capellini pasta ($21). Mixed into the pasta nest was some delicious spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil. The whole creation was drizzled with a woodsy-tasting balsamic reduction sauce and very satisfying indeed.
Our other entrée was an ample plateful of sun-dried tomato and chicken chunks in a rich, garlic-redolent pesto and gorgonzola cream sauce. Served on a bed of al dente fusili pasta ($14), this was one of those beautifully rounded dishes that satisfies on just about every level of taste, and texture.
Other entrées I’d happily return for were their swordfish a la Nicoise served with a herbed couscous ($23); the parmesan-crusted chicken breasts with arugula salad tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette ($16); grilled lamb chops in a Provencal dressing with risotto ($26).
The Café has a modest but serviceable wine list, and a list of house-made desserts that will keep you coming back for more. My wife ordered the chocolate espresso torte which is as rich and pure as any version I’ve had of this choc-a-holic’s delight. I chose the lemon berry pudding cake ($6.75) and was I glad I did! I don’t approve of using exclamation points frivolously, but in this case!!!!!!, the small bowl of warm, soft, melt-in-your-mouth white cake was sandwiched between a topping of sweet whipped cream and a bottom base of creamy lemon pudding laced with berries. For such a rich dessert, it was remarkably light and sweet without being too cloying.
The Café de Vie is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday through Wednesday 8:30am to 10pm; Thursday and Friday 8:30am to 11pm; Saturday for private parties only; and Sunday brunch from 8am to 3pm. They also deliver and do catering. For more information call 454-1373.
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.
