Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
I'm going to be there (Mon-Thu) for a few weeks. Anyone know one?
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Good wine shop in Providence, RI ?
- Thread starter Jeff Grossman
- Start date
My turf.
Mark's right that there's nothing deep. But there are nuggets in a couple of places.
In Providence there is Gasparo's on Federal Hill: a 4th generation, largely Italian, wine store (survived the Depression) with some older stuff and a selection a bit outside the usual Tuscany/Piedmont. Near Brown is Campus Wines: the French stuff is mainly Lynch and Rosenthal, with a little L/D. Selections are predictably balanced for all countries though. Also, downtown there's apparently an interesting store called Eno, but I haven't been there yet. Probably none of these are what you'd think of as deep.
Just outside of Providence, in East Providence, is Towne Wine, and that's the best, I think. Very good and knowledgeable folk, even if the stock can be found elsewhere.
Jeff: I'd be delighted to explore one or more of these with you.
By the way, I've never been there, but maybe the deepest store in New England is in the Berkshires: the Spirit Shoppe, which seems to have a very broad and old Italian stock. Wine Bottega in Boston, of course, where Joe D was last night, but I couldn't get there.
Ken
Mark's right that there's nothing deep. But there are nuggets in a couple of places.
In Providence there is Gasparo's on Federal Hill: a 4th generation, largely Italian, wine store (survived the Depression) with some older stuff and a selection a bit outside the usual Tuscany/Piedmont. Near Brown is Campus Wines: the French stuff is mainly Lynch and Rosenthal, with a little L/D. Selections are predictably balanced for all countries though. Also, downtown there's apparently an interesting store called Eno, but I haven't been there yet. Probably none of these are what you'd think of as deep.
Just outside of Providence, in East Providence, is Towne Wine, and that's the best, I think. Very good and knowledgeable folk, even if the stock can be found elsewhere.
Jeff: I'd be delighted to explore one or more of these with you.
By the way, I've never been there, but maybe the deepest store in New England is in the Berkshires: the Spirit Shoppe, which seems to have a very broad and old Italian stock. Wine Bottega in Boston, of course, where Joe D was last night, but I couldn't get there.
Ken
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Thank you, Ken!
Google sez:
# Gasbarro's / 361 Atwells Ave (at McAvoy St)
# Eno Fine Wines and Spirits / 225 Westminster St (between Union and Eddy)
# Campus Fine Wines / 127 Brook St (at Sheldon St)
# Towne Wine and Spirits / 179 Newport Ave (just before Narragansett Park Plaza Shopping Center)
This one is really near my upcoming work-site... is it any good?:
# Wines & More of RI / 125 Sockanosset Cross Road
Google sez:
# Gasbarro's / 361 Atwells Ave (at McAvoy St)
# Eno Fine Wines and Spirits / 225 Westminster St (between Union and Eddy)
# Campus Fine Wines / 127 Brook St (at Sheldon St)
# Towne Wine and Spirits / 179 Newport Ave (just before Narragansett Park Plaza Shopping Center)
This one is really near my upcoming work-site... is it any good?:
# Wines & More of RI / 125 Sockanosset Cross Road
You've got them right, Jeff.
The nice thing about Gasbarro's is that it's in Federal Hill, as in the movie. Lots of good restaurants and an excellent Italian deli, and you'll probably end up eating there (more than once). Mark Gasbarro is a really nice guy.
I don't know Wines&More. Let me know.
Thanks for the e-mail. I'll be in touch about meeting up, and enjoy Cranston (lots of Rhode Island jokes about the accent).
Ken
The nice thing about Gasbarro's is that it's in Federal Hill, as in the movie. Lots of good restaurants and an excellent Italian deli, and you'll probably end up eating there (more than once). Mark Gasbarro is a really nice guy.
I don't know Wines&More. Let me know.
Thanks for the e-mail. I'll be in touch about meeting up, and enjoy Cranston (lots of Rhode Island jokes about the accent).
Ken
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Wines & More is a warehouse-style store: wine, beer, liquor, liqueurs, cocktail mix, and so on.
The wine selection was vast and dull, except for the wines imported by my dear friend, Joe Dressner, of which there were some but certainly not enough.
What caught my eye was a "Special Sale" tag on the Prod. Barbaresco 2006 which gave $9 off the usual $38 price. The sale price did not ring up at the register because, it turns out, that sale actually ended last week. But the manager made good on the tag's offer, which is both nice and correct of him. Bravo.
The wine is splendid. Much more substantial than their Langhe, much fuller and finer. Very satisfactory.
The wine selection was vast and dull, except for the wines imported by my dear friend, Joe Dressner, of which there were some but certainly not enough.
What caught my eye was a "Special Sale" tag on the Prod. Barbaresco 2006 which gave $9 off the usual $38 price. The sale price did not ring up at the register because, it turns out, that sale actually ended last week. But the manager made good on the tag's offer, which is both nice and correct of him. Bravo.
The wine is splendid. Much more substantial than their Langhe, much fuller and finer. Very satisfactory.
Thanks for the update on the wine stores, Jeff. And glad I've got some of the 06 in the cellar.
About a year ago, I e-mailed Joe Dressner wondering whether he could ship to R.I. He replied it wasn't happening yet, though I have begun to see a few of his wines around (I think it's a Connecticut distributor). The best selection of L/D (but they are quickly snapped up and almost nothing there when I checked on Saturday) is at Town in East Providence, where they clearly want to stock it so it may be a question of supply, while the French wines at Campus are more consistently NR and KLWM, though the stock sometimes looks tired. They have a huge sale every January and maybe that makes what's left look less interesting (to me).
If you get a chance to go to Al Forno, take it. It's a very distinguished restaurant, and has a reasonably-priced and pretty interesting, if not extensive, wine selection (mostly recent vintages). Great thing to do is order pizza (which is cheap and delicious) and splurge on the wine. Though, you might have to get there very, very early and sit at the bar. Chez Pascal (seriously pork-oriented and delicious) has a nice bar and also thoughtful and reasonably priced wine selections (I suspect they use the same distributor as Al Forno, which seems to be the same distributor as for Town and Campus: New England is a small place!). New Rivers is another (deservedly) highly praised restaurant, with probably a more extensive (and older) list (different distributor, I bet!), also reasonably priced, though not as comfortable a place if you're eating alone. There are many fine restaurants in Providence, but those are among the most celebrated. Again, Federal Hill is also lots of fun, though the restaurant wines aren't especially interesting. But if you're working in Cranston, Caffe Itri is a must. Cheap, really, really delicious food; wines are entirely predictable but well priced.
Enjoy, and please report back!
About a year ago, I e-mailed Joe Dressner wondering whether he could ship to R.I. He replied it wasn't happening yet, though I have begun to see a few of his wines around (I think it's a Connecticut distributor). The best selection of L/D (but they are quickly snapped up and almost nothing there when I checked on Saturday) is at Town in East Providence, where they clearly want to stock it so it may be a question of supply, while the French wines at Campus are more consistently NR and KLWM, though the stock sometimes looks tired. They have a huge sale every January and maybe that makes what's left look less interesting (to me).
If you get a chance to go to Al Forno, take it. It's a very distinguished restaurant, and has a reasonably-priced and pretty interesting, if not extensive, wine selection (mostly recent vintages). Great thing to do is order pizza (which is cheap and delicious) and splurge on the wine. Though, you might have to get there very, very early and sit at the bar. Chez Pascal (seriously pork-oriented and delicious) has a nice bar and also thoughtful and reasonably priced wine selections (I suspect they use the same distributor as Al Forno, which seems to be the same distributor as for Town and Campus: New England is a small place!). New Rivers is another (deservedly) highly praised restaurant, with probably a more extensive (and older) list (different distributor, I bet!), also reasonably priced, though not as comfortable a place if you're eating alone. There are many fine restaurants in Providence, but those are among the most celebrated. Again, Federal Hill is also lots of fun, though the restaurant wines aren't especially interesting. But if you're working in Cranston, Caffe Itri is a must. Cheap, really, really delicious food; wines are entirely predictable but well priced.
Enjoy, and please report back!
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Thanks for the ideas.
The team has already been to Al Forno. Several people have mentioned it to me and one fellow claims to be on a mission to try everything on the menu.
The team has already been to Al Forno. Several people have mentioned it to me and one fellow claims to be on a mission to try everything on the menu.
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Visited Eno tonight. Don't bother.
I highly recommend a northern Indian restaurant called Not Just Snacks in Providence. It's on Hope Street, run by a wonderful man named Mohammed, and home to the best mutton biriyani I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Slow cooked, pink inside, accompanied by a few different kinds of nuts in perfectly cooked rice...it's awesome. So is his tarka dal. I ate there at least twice a week during 5 years of living in Providence, and would drive a long distance to get there again if I found myself in New England.
You can bring your own beer or wine, and last I checked he didn't even charge a corkage fee.
I also second Ken's recommendation of Chez Pascal, though I don't remember them having a great wine list, the food was good.
You can bring your own beer or wine, and last I checked he didn't even charge a corkage fee.
I also second Ken's recommendation of Chez Pascal, though I don't remember them having a great wine list, the food was good.
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Our entire team went there for dinner. 18 of us. I really enjoyed what I ordered: a good clam chowder (whole clams, bacon, etc.) and probably the best duck breast I've eaten in years (with puy lentils).originally posted by Ken Sacks:
Sure. Very nice place to sit. Less expensive and much less of a scene than the "big 3" I mentioned. Not fabulous, I don't think, but no regrets either. Scallops are best, I thought.
Salil Benegal
Salil Benegal
Damn. I may have to make a trip down to RI just to try out the biryani.originally posted by Michele H:
I highly recommend a northern Indian restaurant called Not Just Snacks in Providence. It's on Hope Street, run by a wonderful man named Mohammed, and home to the best mutton biriyani I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Slow cooked, pink inside, accompanied by a few different kinds of nuts in perfectly cooked rice...it's awesome.
originally posted by Salil Benegal:
Damn. I may have to make a trip down to RI just to try out the biryani.originally posted by Michele H:
I highly recommend a northern Indian restaurant called Not Just Snacks in Providence. It's on Hope Street, run by a wonderful man named Mohammed, and home to the best mutton biriyani I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Slow cooked, pink inside, accompanied by a few different kinds of nuts in perfectly cooked rice...it's awesome.
I definitely second Not Just Snacks: really nice place, nice people, really good food. If you're on an expensive account, it's not the likeliest destination, because it's more family-style. But yes, thumbs up for quality and general peace of mind. I also like Caffe Itri a whole lot. No one does 1960s-style Italian like Rhode Island.
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
OK, I've just completed my second and last week in Providence, for a while, anyway.
Went to Al Forno and enjoyed that immensely. And what a wonderful list of Italian wines! There were 15 of us and we drank Brovia, red and white, all night.
Went to Caffe Itri. Big yawn. An Italian restaurant from the 1960s. Good enough but too pricey for what it is.
Second visit to Hemenway's. Mucho clams. Yum.
I'm sorry that I had no time to be oeno social. This visit was really heads-down work (I put in 38 hours on Mon-Wed).
Once again, thank you so much, Michele and Ken, for all the guidance. I have directed one of my compatriots to this thread, and, if the pitch to the Steering Committee goes well in December, I will probably be back.
Went to Al Forno and enjoyed that immensely. And what a wonderful list of Italian wines! There were 15 of us and we drank Brovia, red and white, all night.
Went to Caffe Itri. Big yawn. An Italian restaurant from the 1960s. Good enough but too pricey for what it is.
Second visit to Hemenway's. Mucho clams. Yum.
I'm sorry that I had no time to be oeno social. This visit was really heads-down work (I put in 38 hours on Mon-Wed).
Once again, thank you so much, Michele and Ken, for all the guidance. I have directed one of my compatriots to this thread, and, if the pitch to the Steering Committee goes well in December, I will probably be back.