New Rivers, Providence RI

Yikes, I've been "gone" for a while. I could blame it on being pregnant, or having a new baby in March, but the bottom line is that I haven't had a chance to check out new spots over the last six (okay, 10) months like I would have hoped. But I'm back now, and committed to blogging again. What better way to jump start things than by talking about a place I went to just a couple weeks ago to celebrate my fourth wedding anniversary?

The spot: New Rivers in Providence. I'd heard about it via the Phantom Gourmet, and it came recommended by a friend who knows the Providence restaurant scene well. Plus, it was right next door to 3 Steeple Street (no longer in business) - a place I had been to a few times - so I knew how to get there!

Going in, I had pretty high expectations. After all, it was a special occassion, we don't get out much these days, and I had checked out the menu they had posted online (and it looked good). Hopefully my friend who recommended the place isn't reading this because, ouch, after all was said and done, I wasn't that impressed.

For starters, the place was harder to find than I thought, with no visible sign outside confirming that, yes, this was New Rivers (contrary to the picture above, which was front and center on their website). Once inside, the intimate setting was nice and welcoming, but the people who worked there seriously lacked personality, offsetting the cozy digs.

The food - eh, it was good, but not something I'd write home about. While I appreciate that they use all locally grown/farmed ingredients, and I get the whole "seasonal" menu concept, I was disappointed in the limited options. There were only about six entrees to choose from, and for my poor husband who doesn't do seafood, his options were knocked down to about four. Alas, it wasn't like we weren't going to stay, so we made the best of it and ordered with anticipation.

I had leg of lamb with fingerling potatoes, whipped mint butter and roasted veggies. Scott went for roasted chicken with potatoes and beets (which he opted to skip). In a nutshell, the food tasted good... not great, but good... but portions were a lot smaller than the prices, so I left at the end of the meal wondering if it was inappropriate to stop at Dairy Queen on the way home! Let's hope next year, when we're celebrating our five-year anniversary, we have a five-star experience. New Rivers was a three-star date night, at best.

The tab:
Atmosphere – 7
Service – 6
Food Quality – 7
Presentation - 6.5
Average Entree Price - $22
Kid factor – 4 (The place is very small and quiet. Not conducive at all to a toddler meltdown)
Website: http://www.newriversrestaurant.com/