Gracie's — Restaurant in Providence

What I liked: the food and wines are very good. I ordered the 9-course tasting with wine pairings and I was impressed by the diversity of plates served to me, none of which were listed on Gracie's other menus. The highlight for me was the peppery "Venison" topped with poached beef bone marrow, served with a broccoli covered in a sticky parmesan butter foundue -- a revelatory sauce. I also enjoyed the multiple seasonal desserts, including the "Banana Cake with Brown Butter Ice Cream" and the "Ginger Cake." Pairings were on-point, and the "Domaine Pierre Gelin Fixin, Côte de Nuits, Bourgogne (2012)" was the highlight of many fantastic wines. Service was good, as you'd expect -- though perhaps not at the same obsequious level as you’d get in similarly-priced venues in Boston or New York. It seems this restaurant serves two masters: a serious dining crowd that is here for dégustations, and a more casual crowd here that will order chicken and potato dishes, brought in because they've "heard Gracie's is good."

What I disliked: the lighting here is too dark. I was here for the food and could barely discern what was on my plate. For the kitchen to come up with such elaborate platings and for diners to not be able to see them is a shame. I can understand the "intimate-lit" atmosphere the restaurant is trying to create, but it is not food-friendly. Also, while most dishes were good-to-great, there was nothing fantastically creative done here, and there were some clear misses. The "Duck-Fat Cornbread" bread selection was plain. The "Yellowtail Tuna Crudo" was a touch too fishy for a raw dish -- I questioned its freshness. Additionally, some bites of the yellowtail dish were too salty, and others not salted at all. Not a favorite. While the "Hudson Valley Foie Gras" dish was competent, I personally dislike foie gras served "en torchon," as it is here -- unless you're doing something very clever (like making foie gras gravy or sauces or foams) I believe it to be a waste to not pan-sear foie gras, but that's personal preference.

Overall: While far from the best tasting I've had this year, I enjoyed it. I doubt I'll be back though. For the same amount of money, COAST in Westerly delivers a superior and more innovative chef-driven...

My partner and I went to our first dinner at Gracie's on New Year's Eve for their five course meal and we were extremely underwhelmed. On first entering the restaurant we were not greeted at all, there was someone taking commemorative photos who ignored us and upon getting to the front desk we stood there for a full 2-3 minutes as three employees where talking and working amongst themselves. Finally they aknowledged us and we where taken to our seats right next to where the band was setting up. The live jazz was a big part of why we chose this restaurant. Come to find out that the music did not start until two hours after we where seated and we were already told we would have to leave for another seating before that point. This was a huge bummer but we where told we could have drinks at the bar after dinner and listen to the music there. Our server finally came over and took our drink order and only 2 of the five beer taps where available, luckily my partner drinks wine (which they have many great options for) but as someone who does not drink hard alcohol or wine I was a bit disappointed. The food was very good, It is obvious that the head chef and his team know what they are doing. If this was a normal night and I was not paying a premium on the experience I would not be nearly as upset about this evening. Overall the biggest thing that ruined this night for us was the lack of attention that was shown to us by the servers and front of house staff and the expectations that were not delivered on. The band started to play as we signed our check and were ushered out of the dinning area. We went to the bar where the bartender told us we had to leave because the bar seats were reserved for dinner, when we mentioned that our server said we could have a drink and listen to the music she only repeated with extra attitude that the bar seats were reserved for dinner and we could not be there. We are pretty used to receiving poor service but this was not something that I expected from this establishment or for an evening billed at over three...

We have loved Gracie's for special occasional meals for years, but recently worked with them for our wedding reception and cannot recommend them more highly, either for a special meal, a cocktail, or a private event/wedding.

Wedding review: Gracie's Providence was the dream venue for our reception. From the beginning, Maria Ritchey (Private Events and Hospitality Leader) made everything easy- she is extremely organized, kind, detail-oriented, thoughtful and a pleasure to work with. She quickly understood our vision for the evening and guided us on all of the necessary decisions, from deciding on the style (cocktail vs sit down dinner), providing recommendations on flowers/cake/photographers, making our signature cocktails, and ensuring the night went off without a hitch. The room was beautifully decorated on our arrival, the waitstaff was professional, attentive, and generous with their time and energy, and the whole night was SO MUCH fun.

Importantly, you should choose Gracie's for a more intimate wedding celebration if your priority is good food and drink. The food is PHENOMENAL. The team didn't miss a beat transforming from my favorite restaurant in Providence to an efficient dining staff that handled a custom, multi-course, "family style" dinner for our 90 guests. Each bite was better than the next and our guests raved about the quality of the food, the presentation, the amazing cocktails and wine, and the service. Some highlights: sitting down with Chef Matt to create a custom menu, the sea bass, the mini filet tenderloins, the amazing charcuterie/cheese platter, the chocolate pot-de-cremes, and the gnocchi (of course). Our signature cocktails were flavorful, unique crowd-pleasers, and the classic cocktails/wine/beer were all fantastic.

In short, Gracie's was amazing. There is no better place for a small(ish) wedding celebration in Providence- the food, service, ambience, and drinks were outstanding and it was the most special night for my husband and I along with our loved ones. We give Gracie's our strongest...