At Home Dining: Potato + Leek

An Evening at Gracie's

The expectation was set for Gracie's in Providence. This, however, does not necessarily mean that it was high. I was mindful that the previous chef had left earlier in the year, and his sous chef, who begun working garde manger at the restaurant years ago (cold appetizers, or the "beginner" station on the line) was now the chef. Gacie's menu is influenced by the season, generally, and uses local ingredients, when possible, to create what I describe as contemporary American cuisine. The menu reads similar to many restaurants including some I have worked at in San Francisco. In these types of restaurants, execution is key; quality ingredients speak for themselves, but how you prepare these ingredients is what elevates dishes from 'good' to 'superb'. At Gracie's what begun as a five course dinner chosen as a pre-fixe menu, turned into nine long courses, and ended as an admirable culinary effort.

Before sitting down we had cocktails from their $5 specials' list. I chose a drink (vodka, ginger beer and cucumber), which was extremely sweet, and more of a summer beverage, not necessarily what one craves on a chilly fall night. We waited a bit before sitting at our table, partly because the hostess was busy on the floor. The restaurant was not full, probably six tables, but throughout the night the service was terribly slow. We did not mind since we were there to dine and enjoy a night out, but the frustration was evident in fellow diners.

The first amuse bouche was peaches, with Shy Brothers Farm Cloumage (creamy cheese made from cow's milk), honey, and a plush of chervil. Peaches are not in season; they were bland which makes me believe the honey was used to overcompensate for the lack of flavor.Next an oyster with a sweet marmalade and radish sliver showed potential, but the oyster was not cold. Temperature, I realize, affects the brininess that is characteristic of oysters.

The first dish was a beet salad with mache, pea greens, endive, candied pecans and celery seed creme fraiche. The beets were beautifully cooked (sous vide we assume). The salad was fresh and light, but the candied pecans were unnececessary. The beets provided sweetness, which made the presence of another sweet element uneccessary. I would have preferred some other ingredient for texture.

Second course was their hand rolled gnocchi with braised short ribs, mushrooms, and mirepoix. The dish overall worked very well. The braised meat had good flavor. The gnocchi were cooked to the point that a second longer would have turned them into mush. The diced carrots and celery did have a bite, and while I understand that they added to the rustic concept of the dish, their only purpose was to add color to the monotone dish. The dish however was on the verge of being too salty.

Next we had seared Hudson Valley foie gras, with nougatine, and apples- a familiar combination. The foie gras was nicely cooked, but on its own was very salty. When eaten with the cake like nougatine, and the sweet gastrique, the saltiness was less evident, but each component should be able to stand on its own.

Veal sweetbreads ensued with cauliflower puree, lentils and a sunny side quail egg. I love sweetbreads and was hoping it was a dish the chef would select for us when choosing our tasting. The sweetbreads were deep fried. The end product is tender (to my relief) but the taste of fryer oil cheapened the normally delicate flavor. The lentils, which were nicely cooked, were over salted, and their richness made the quail egg irrelevant to the dish.

Scallops were served with Marcona almond puree, greens, blood orange and blood orange vinaigrette. The richness and creaminess of the scallops and the purees made me desire more acidity; the dish could have used more of the blood orange vinaigrette and less puree.

"Mid course" we were brought a raspberry sorbet, since sorbets are served to cleanse the palate. The rabbit with butternut squash puree, chestnuts, poached cranberries, and turnip was our last savory course. The rabbit was meant to be a roullade with forcemeat stuffed into the breast. The meat was cooked tender (sous vide), but there was little distinction between the layers (like I have seen in similar preparations using this technique). The chestnuts had a mealy texture. The dish had nice flavors, but could have used more of the poached cranberries since they brought brightness and acidity to the dish.

A tasting of cheese, which I can never resist, was a bit unmemorable. The set that stood out was Shy Brothers Farm Hannahbells (thimble shaped, hand made cheese) with a spicy pepper preserve made in house, which was a bit overpowering for the cheese, but unique nonetheless.

Dessert was a sneak peek to Thanksgiving dinner- pumpkin cheesecake with cherry "marmalade". The cheesecake was not overly sweet; the pumpkin flavor was subtle.

The chef went above and beyond with all the courses. The dinner was good, and a stand out in Rhode Island standards. But outside of this small state, Gracie's falls behind the excellent restaurants. The concept of the cuisine and construction of dishes does show knowledge of flavor combinations and some technique, but some weakness lies in execution. The tasting experience was well rounded and proved that the chef has potential.