Travel with your team
October 6, 2007
Back in August, Betsy O'Connell, deputy features and travel editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer called me to talk football. Okay, not so much football as about those fanatics who follow their team throughout the season.
Her newspaper was putting out a special football section and she was calling food and travel editors across the country to ask where Clevelanders should stay and eat in Providence.
Well, a lot of time has passed since we talked but maybe a few fans have journeyed east to come to Sunday's game. I did make some suggestions about places to eat and stay. If you see a fan in Cleveland brown and orange, say hi.
Here's what I wrote to Betsy:
One brand new place to stay and eat is the Renaissance Providence Hotel and its Temple Downtown Restaurant + Lounge. This hotel and restaurant took more than 80 years to complete. It's located across from the Rhode Island Statehouse (which is a lovely setting) in what was to be a Masonic Temple that was abandoned in mid-construction in the 1920s and only finished this year.
The drink menu exploits fun spirits such as Vermont Spirits White Vodka, made from milk sugar and spring water, and Vermont Spirits Gold Vodka, made from maple sap.
The food is both seasonal and local with Rhode Island jonnycakes on the menu for breakfasts, pretzel crab cakes for lunch.
Restaurant details: Temple Downtown Restaurant + Lounge, 120 Francis St., Providence, (401) 919-5050.
Hotel details: Renaissance Providence Hotel, 5 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, (401) 276-0010.
The Providence Biltmore is the grand old hotel of the city with the all the history and elegance. 11 Dorrance St. Providence, (401) 421-0700.
There's a great little boutique hotel on Federal Hill, Providence's cozy Italian neighborhood is Hotel Dolce Villa, 63 De Pasquale Ave. Providence,
(401) 383-7031.
They have a restaurant Caffé Dolce Vita, 59 DePasquale Square, Providence, (401) 331-8240, which serves al fresco in season.
Just next door on Federal Hill is a great spot for lunch at Venda Ravioli,
265 Atwells Ave. Providence, (401) 421-9105. This is a grand Italian market, you want everything you see from the cheeses to the fresh pastas they make across the street. But at lunch there are tables set up around the perimeter where you can enjoy fabulous Italian pastas, salads and meats and lovely wines while you watch shoppers order their mortadella and olives.
Want a great beer and burger in the evening, travel just a few blocks up to Lili Marlene's, 422 Atwells Ave Providence, (401) 751-4996.
Federal Hill also has dozens of Italian restaurants and my favs are Siena Restaurant, 238 Atwells Ave. Providence, (401) 521-3311, and Pane e Vino, 365 Atwells Ave. Providence, (401) 223-2230. Dinner only at both.
Bravo Brasserie, 123 Empire St. (401) 490-5112, is a very reasonably priced bistro downtown with a lot of character and great mac and cheese and steak frites and moules frites. Lunch, dinner and brunch and serves late.
Trinity Brew House makes their own great beer and serves food too. 186 Fountain St., Providence, (401) 453-2337. opens at 11:30 daily and stays open late.
Finally, Citron Wine Bar and Bistro, 5 Memorial Blvd. Providence,
(401) 621-9463 is really a splashy fun restaurant with excellent food, also moderately priced, which does wine flights, three chardonnays, cabs etc. all from different countries.
For hotels, also well situated and rather new is:
Hilton Providence, 21 Atwells Avenue. Providence, (401) 831-3900 which has a new steakhouse for football fans-Shula's 347 Grille, 21 Atwells Ave., Providence. (401) 709-0347.
Posted by Gail Ciampa 
at 9:00 AM | Permalink
