CAV is a gem of a restaurant, hidden amongst Providence's colonial architecture. During our mini vacation up here my fiance and I dined at various restaurants around Newport and Providence but always came back to CAV for at least 1 of our meals each day. It was actually our first stop on arrival in Rhode Island when we googled places to eat so I thought maybe we were being bias when we went to other restaurants; however, we soon came to realize that we weren't. CAV has been around for a long time compared to most of the other restaurants in the area and has experience over them. I feel like the highlight of Rhode Island is its food to which unsurprisingly most of our money went, and while the other places were very good, they weren't "CAV good" as we've come to say. The appetizers were the highlight for us. We usually split a calamari appetizer for two, each got a our own soup, and tried a different entree everytime we came. And while no entree in particular blew my mind they were always delicious and well presented. We came during brunches, lunches and dinners which each had different entree menus, so for me to recommend something would be difficult. If I had to give anything an honorable mention though I'd say it was brunch, where the lobster with eggs and the blue crab cakes really stood out. We always ordered at least 2 of their signature drinks each and I usually ended with a creme brulee for desert while she opted for the chocolate mousse cake. Both our deserts were good and we actually ended up ordering all of their drinks at least once during our short time out there. I'm not a fan of alcohol but I did like the French Martini in particular, while she enjoyed the Black and White Martini. We loved the calamari and lobster bisque with lobster chunks though, which became our go to's. And here's the thing, you can't go into this place expecting familiar dishes to taste exactly like the last restaurant you got them at. For example, the lobster bisque seems to be what most divides people about this place because it's not what you'd expect and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I've personally never had bisque like it. It's a little creamy and sweet thanks to the hint of tahitian vanilla, and it works. The optional chunks of lobster in the bisque give it personality and are cooked to perfection. The service was great. Our servers were always well informed about the menu and the history of the establishment, each having their own distinct and charming personality. You have the option to eat indoors amidst a plethora of interesting pieces of art or outside in the shade of the trees. We preferred outdoors but we went during unusually nice weather at the height of the summer. She and I also preferred coming at night when they lit the tiki torches outside. So your atmospheric experience may vary but you can't go wrong. The menu's not cheap, but it's not really expensive either. So if you're like us and ordering your heart out, the bill will reflect it. We never felt like it wasnt worth it though like so many other places. When the time came to head back home we decided to make CAV our last stop before jumping on 95. With our car loaded up we came as soon as they opened. We ordered lunch and the manager gave us a nice sendoff after learning that we were leaving and noticing we were fans, having seen us on a daily basis. I've never written a review for anything before but for this place I kind of felt like I should. So far its our favorite restaurant after being together for 10 years. We're considering moving to Rhode Island in the future, one of the reasons for the initial trip. We liked the simplicity of the area compared to the bigger cities, crowded beaches and cookie cut suburbs we're used to and joked on the long ride home about moving up there just to be closer to CAV. It's not TOO farfetched of an idea.

PS. - The sweet potatoes also stood out.