Dedication

The Providence dining scene is moving along nicely. There are several new restaurants opening, the details of which I keep myself posted on through websites such as Chowhound and the forums on Urban Planet. Within the past week, there has been serious buzz about a new restaurant on the West Side, and my attention was peaked immediately by two things I saw on Urban Planet about it: 1. They have La Chouffe on tap. 2. The simple comment "Oh. My. God." A "foodie" was stunned into almost silence by this restaurant! That never happens! I must try it! I had to be in with the up-and-coming and got myself to this new restaurant as soon as I could.

The restaurant is called Loie Fuller's and is owned by the same man, Mike, who owns Lili Marlene's bar on Atwells Avenue (a place I have not yet checked out, but must, by its description on the RI Monthly website as a "Film Noir Fantasy Bar"). Andy and I trekked out to Westminster Street, and tracked down Loie Fuller's by looking for the simple "LF" on the door.

Before we could even look at the menu, we had to marvel at the decor. The attention to detail is remarkable. In fact, it took Mike 2.5 years to complete Loie Fuller's. Hand painted walls, intricate hand carved wood work, colorful mosaics covering the floors, antiquated wall-mounted lamps (all this detail is applied to the bathrooms as well). It is really quite enchanting. We were seated at around 6:45, so it was still light out. But as it turned dark the space (which seats about 40- not including the bar) became that much more romantic and intimate. Even the paper menu has the theme dancing off its pages: a dancing Loie Fuller, antique french-style font, the "LF" emblem on the back.

After our discussion of the decor, it was time to get what I came here for: La Chouffe on tap:

And while I sipped this most incredible of beers (light, refreshing, with a hint of sweetness- and a very high alcohol content of 8%), I perused the mouth-watering menu. The offerings match the detail of the decor. They are unusual, sensuous, and inspired by the best France has to offer: escargots, foie gras, champagne, tarragon, and truffles.

I started with the arugala salad with shaved truffle cheese and foie gras toast:

The greens were dressed with a fruit vinaigrette- I think a mixture of apples and cranberries. It was tart and sweet all at the same time and it complemented the peppery greens and salty, warm foie gras so perfectly that I chewed each bite very slowly so I could savor the different elements of this salad. I wish there had been more foie gras on my toast- but I lend that more to my greediness than a fault of this dish.

Andy had the pan seared sea scallops salad with bruleed grapefruit and mixed greens, drizzled with a honey and citrus vinaigrette:

This was quite a treat. Scallops were apparently made to go with grapefruit. The tartness of the fruit softened by the sea flavor of the shellfish and the textures that comprise both of these made for an incredible bite. The presentation was also surprising- we figured the grapefruit would be in wedges tossed with the greens. This was, again, a tribute to the detail of Loie Fuller's.

For my main, I had the green onion and pistachio ravioli in a brown butter and balsamic reduction:

This is the best pasta dish I have had in ages. The ravioli was cooked to my liking, the filling was limited- but rightfully so. The mixture of cheese and pistachios was so rich that any more filling would  make this dish overwhelming. The sauce was the perfect compliment to the rich stuffing and I wanted to sop up the rest of it with the crusty French bread provided.

Andy had the bone in pork porter house in a carraway bourbon glaze with sauteed kale:

A huge piece of pork cooked to the best level of tenderness. The kale was actually a key element to this dish. Once again, it added textural background to the pork and its bitterness helped balance the sweet glaze.

For dessert, we shared the milk chocolate pot au creme:

At first, Andy was disappointed it was so small (a little bigger than an espresso cup). But after you taste it, you know why. It carries the richness of a chocolate milk shake, with the smoothness of a mousse. You don't need any more than this to satisfy even the greatest of sweet tooths.

We shook the owners hand on our way out and told him what a fantastic experience dinner had been. And as we walked out Andy said "If all restaurants aspired to this, you would never have to eat a dull meal again." Amen.

*note: After reading this review over, I noticed I said nothing about prices. I wanted to note that for all the richness in the food and the decor, the prices are very reasonable. Entrees are $8-15, Salads $5-8, the Pot au Creme $3.50. The only thing that gets pricey is alcohol- but isn't that the case everywhere?

Loie Fuller's

1455 Westminster Street

Providence, RI 02909

Comments

[Food Guy]

Wow, your blog is spot on as far as recommendations! Definitely gonna have to try this one asap!

[Tyler]

Wow.

[Rebecca]

I can't wait to try it! You should definitely try Lili's at some point. It's my favorite sport for drinks and 'probably-the-best-french -fries-in-Providence.'

[Stefanie]

Yay for Chouffe! Haven't been to Le Jemmappes for Chouffe in a long time. With the summer fast approaching, the bobos will be out on the Canal soon so we'll have to go when you come in 3 weeks.

[Andrea]

This sounds beyond amazing! Thanks for your detailed review —I can't wait to try it!

[Eva]

This is one of the most beautiful restaurants I have ever been in! Please be prepared for your meal to take a little while, but it is worth the wait!

[Dee]

Unfortunately, I did not have the same experience at Loie Fuller. Though the food was delicious, the man that greeted us at the door was unkept with stragly hair and beard. He was rude to my friend and bothered us during the whole meal. We were trying to celebrate the one year anniversary that I have been with her company and she was treating me to dinner. The issue was the fact that her shoe was off and her foot tucked under her leg. It was hard to enjoy the meal while constantly being nagged. I seriously think there are more health issues with his appearance. Maybe hairnets should be worn. Anyway, my friend owns a business and I am sure will be spreading the bad word about this establishment since she does alot of networking and has business meetings all of the time. My celebration was ruined. I won't be returning to this restaurant and I am sure she won't be either.

[mike]

dee's comment seems a bit odd, was the host bothering you because the other member of your party had her shoe off, or what? be more explicit.

and simply because you did not like the way the host appeared, is no reason to bad-mouth a restaurant. it actually seems a bit childish, and your health concerns are probably way overblown...

i am a fine dining host and an ugly man, but it would upset me to think that guests were turned off by my appearance. the food speaks for itself.

[mike]

that host was the owner.

[Eva]

Yup, the owner is a shortish man with unruly hair and a beard. He was probably "bothering" you because he wanted to make sure you enjoyed the place. Mike is a very nice, quiet, friendly guy and I think most reasonable people would be able to see that pretty quickly unless they only concerned about appearances. Then again, I was thinning out business of people who care about that sort of thing makes for a better dining experience for the rest of us!

[Frank]

Yes, the decor and concept are SPECTACULAR- probably one of the most handsome restaurant interiors I have ever experienced anywhere. I stopped in on 9/19/07 mostly to become familiar with the location and take a look at the menu for future reference. Since I was there I decided to have a drink, and since I was having a drink I figured I might as well try the fries for a snack. They were listed on the menu sides as POMMES FRITES and the bartender assured me that they were the real thing. So I was disappointed when they arrived that I could tell from their appearance that they were a frozen product. A sample taste confirmed my judgement. They were also completely overseasoned with pepper and Kosher salt, to the point of being inedible. The hostess was standing nearby and came over and said "How do you like those fries!" and I replied that they were overseasoned and frozen. She at first insisted they were fresh and hand-cut, then backed off a little saying "I don't think they are frozen . . ." but then went back to the kitchen and finally returned and admitted they were frozen. A small thing? Sure, but I think that is a real slap in the face to serve customers something that fell of the back of a Sysco truck and have the pretension to use the term POMMES FRITES. The owner spent several years of work and many hundreds of thousands of dollars to create a stunning Parisian bistro atmosphere, and then seems content to provide a dining experience that I could get at a McDonalds. Yeah, I know I didn't try anything else, but I knew I was being conned!

[steve mcdede]

Nice place. Great decor, interesting beers and wines. Well above average food. Only problem was our bimbo waitress. She was a cute little girl with an attitude that she was doing us a favor by waiting on us. I will probably return to hang out in the bar and come back and eat when I can figure out when she wont be there.

[Francisco Franco]

This place is fantastic. I write for a beer newspaper and was given some info about the beer list so I stopped by with my wife and we had dinner. I know my beer so we went right for the Chouffe's (both Mc and La- Brown and Gold) and an appetizer of boudin blanc and then we went for the entrees. Everything was reasonably priced and the service from the hostess to the waiter to the manager (who I spent a good amount of time talking to - Dez was her name) was top notch. I will be going back as much as time allows.