For innovative, reasonably priced cuisine in an
intimate, historic setting, check out the East Side of Providence. No, not East
Providence, but the east side of the city, which proudly boasts what just might
be one of its least heralded fine dining establishments. Waterman Grille
rightfully deserves your attention and recognition. Located in an old gatehouse
overlooking the Seekonk River, Executive Chef Tim McGrath serves up seasonal,
locally produced comfort food – much of which is wood-grilled – that delivers
robust flavors at moderate price points. While waterfront dining is not an
option this snowy winter evening, we feel right at home in the restaurant’s inviting,
bustling, wood-scented dining room.
They say that a good bread basket is a harbinger
of good things to come in a meal (or is it the way to one‘s stomach? I cannot
remember which), and Waterman’s warm, airy slices rate highly, prepared earlier
in the day at Providence’s Palmieri’s Bakery (as our server happily educates
us), and laced with EVOO and a touch of sea salt. Our table begrudgingly
refuses a second serving for fear of ruining our appetites. For starters, four
crispy shrimp tacos ($11, also available in pork belly) are beautifully plated,
soft flour tortillas in lieu of crispier tacos, while the shrimp themselves are
well seasoned and seared just enough to pack that promised crunchy texture.
Accompanying vegetable slaw and miso vinaigrette are refreshing, while sriracha
aioli – which arrived in far too small a dipping dish – provided a welcomed,
spicy counterpoint to the dish’s acidity. Point Judith calamari ($12) came in a
heaping portion of nicely tempuraed, not too breaded, meaty octopus and banana
peppers (the latter of which resembled fried pickle chips). My only complaint:
a rather unique peppadew (a sweet, tangy pepper) aioli was faintly smeared on
the plate, which like the sriracha before it, begged to be applied more
liberally. Other appealing shareable plates I look forward to trying include
tender harissa meatballs ($11), cornmeal-crusted oysters ($13), and an
Irish-themed beef ‘n‘ biscuits ($11, featuring beef pastrami and hand-made
caraway biscuits).
When a restaurant promotes its signature plates,
my skepticism radar almost immediately goes off. Here, however, a chili-brined
hanger steak ($25) is melt-in-your-mouth tender, perfectly cooked medium rear,
and topped with roasted fennel chimichurri. While I’d hoped the meat would pack
a bit more heat given the brine that encompassed it, it was flavorful
nonetheless, elevated by its pairing with heavenly whipped Narragansett
Creamery queso potatoes and sauteed spinach. Even better was the Duck Duo
($28), consisting of impeccably cooked pan-roasted duck and duck confit, some
of the finest execution of the bird I’ve ever consumed. The meat was also
wisely plated over addictive lemongrass rice. More impressively, in lieu of the
kitchen’s attempt to transform the dish into a Thai offering by utilizing a red
curry cream sauce, given my wife’s dairy restriction, they substituted it with
an Asian-style sweet sauce that seemed like it was born to be paired with the
duck – it was divine. Other promising entrees include the Maine Family Farms
grass-fed burger ($15) topped with poblano-onion jam, butternut squash pickles
and served on a buttery brioche bun, along with the Berkshire pork osso bucco
($25) served with an oddly captivating-sounding pretzel bread pudding.
Desserts (all $8) are also worth splurging for,
and like much of Chef McGrath’s menu, are adventurous in nature. While the
traditional fried apple pie was mildly disappointing (it reminded me too much
of McDonald’s version, only spiked with tastier enhancements such as salted
caramel and house-made vanilla ice cream), my Almond Joy was a perfectly
de-constructed take on the revered candy bar – a decadent, warm gooey chocolate
brownie laced with crushed almonds and topped not only with house-made coconut
ice cream, but a hardened chocolate magic shell.
The lone disappointment of the evening was the
middling quality of Waterman’s cocktail program. Concoctions that sounded promising
(blood orange jalapeno margarita, $11 and a pomegranate mojito, $9) yielded
unfavorable results (the former excessively sweet with no bite, the latter
having barely any discernable pomegranate flavor). Where its cocktails
faltered, however, the restaurant’s wine program excelled given both its
extensive selection and tolerable markups. A Hahn Pinot Noir, for instance,
comes in at $9.50/glass and a very manageable $33/bottle. For a more high-end,
adventurous sip, try the Oberon Cabernet from Napa ($14/glass, $56/bottle).
There are also roughly three dozen beers ($5-6/glass) available, including
interesting local selections such as Narragansett Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout
(out of Providence) and Foolproof Backyahd IPA (Pawtucket).
Our server was highly knowledgeable of the menu,
polished, yet friendly, and prompt throughout the entire course. The restaurant‘s
setting was casual, yet intimate. The cuisine was well executed, thoughtful,
and contained innovative, bold flavors that left me wanting to try more. Haven’t
heard of the Waterman Grille? My advice: take a stroll out to the East Side.
This restaurant puts the fine in fine dining.
