The Ivy Tavern
758 Hope Street
Providence
by Bob Mariani
Next time a film crew comes to Providence looking for a typical little neighborhood pub as an exterior, they could not do better than the snug and cozy Ivy Pub on Hope Street right next door to the landmark Pizzico restaurant.
Inside The Ivy Tavern, the atmosphere is still very low-key, unpretentious and neighborhood-y. There’s a bar and maybe a dozen tables. A grill behind the bar, sports memorabilia on the walls, two TVs going, you expect beer and burgers. But instead, you get a very lively and varied menu. The Ivy’s New Year’s Specials menu includes items like gorgonzola tortellini with sautéed mushrooms and broccoli florets in a cream sauce sprinkled with walnuts ($13.95); Scallops Lorelei with crab meat, bacon and sautéed mushrooms in a velvety seafood Alfredo sauce ($18.95); or monkfish Campesino with a mild Cajun seasoning, topped with southwestern shrimp salsa and garnished with chipotle aioli served over basmati rice ($17.95). Not exactly your typical "Dave & Buster’s."
The Ivy Tavern’s owner/cook is David Silverberg, formerly of Eli’s on Block Island. The Ivy Tavern’s regular menu includes wittily named entrées like: "Meandering Jim" ($8.95)- grilled chicken breast, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes on marble rye; the "Polka Dog" ($7.95)- Polish Klielbasa with onions, sauerkraut, horse-radish beer mustard and melted Swiss on a garlic roll; or the "Ali Cajunal Jerk Duck" ($7.50)- fried duck tenders, jerk seasoned with pineapple-peach BBQ sauce.
Even with a parking problem caused by snow-clogged streets around the Hope Street area, by 6pm on a February evening, the place was three-quarters full with a clientele most of whom seemed to know each other. My wife and I shared a Marlito Mushroom salad ($9.50) with stuffed portobellos, smoked salmon, crabmeat, sun-dried tomatoes and five cheeses on a bed of crisp field greens. One of those hefty salads that many people could make a meal of.
The soup of the evening was a French onion, but not your typical version. The Ivy Tavern’s take on this classic added something – we weren’t quite sure what—to give the usually thin, consume-like broth some extra body and a more substantial flavor. It was still recognizably onion soup, but with a bit more depth and hearty-ness.
For my entrée, I chose the Mussels Zuppanesca ($8.50). It contained a large helping of fresh-tasting Pt. Judith mussels, poached in a rich, flavorful broth with olives, roasted red peppers, Spanish and black olive tapenade, Italian herbs, drizzled with olive oil. The mussels were beautifully meaty and the zuppa, a meal in itself, as it should be, was wonderful for dipping the small loaf of warm Italian bread that came with it.
Some other dishes I’ll be back for are their beer-battered codfish and chips; or perhaps their14oz. "Porterhouse & Potatoes"; or maybe their Shrimp Cioppino with chourico, Italian sausage, roasted bell peppers, cannelloni beans and olives over linguine.
We were pretty full and so for dessert, we shared a brownie which, though not particularly remarkable, was a nice simple, sweet ending to an extremely satisfying and surprisingly interesting meal in a friendly local atmosphere. At the moment, the Ivy Tavern is only open for dinner starting at 6pm. 421-3888.
Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Your Table is Ready" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
