One of my favorite things to serve after a meal is a block of blue cheese, some crackers, and a bottle of delicious dessert wine. Serve your loved ones a sweet wine and blue cheese dessert; if they aren’t blown away, then you should probably check their pulse.

This is such a simple course to execute and it’s sure to be the talk of the dinner table.  If you love to hear your guests talk about how awesome you are, please try this immediately if not sooner.  

A Hannabells, Tarentaise, and Middlebury blue cheese dessert

The Why, the What, and the How of a Blue Cheese Dessert

My circle of friends is mostly comprised of judgemental food snobs, Food Network wannabes, “Chopped” enthusiasts, frequent fine diners, and ride or die hospitality professionals. That being said, if I bring a B-lister dish to an A-lister supper, I will be ridiculed and scoffed at for months. There are rules that should be considered in order to avoid boring and or gross wine and food pairings.

One of those rules states that matching the intensity of flavor of the wine with the intensity of the flavor of the food will result in fabulousness and delight. Not doing so will cause one to overwhelm the other. Blue cheese and dessert wine are equally intensely flavored.  

Contrasting different flavors creates surprise and complexity in your mouth.  The salty, pungent, and sometimes barnyard-esque flavor of blue cheese creates a contrast to the richly fruity characteristics of dessert wines. The stars are aligning.   

Have you considered acid and richness? Acidity in a wine will help cleanse the palate of rich, fatty, mouth-coating food. The refreshing wine washes away the cloying fattiness of the food and, once again, a dimension of contrast is created. Elation ensues!   

With so many different options for a wine and blue cheese dessert, how do you know which will go together?

Different varieties of blue cheese have different levels of flavor intensity. To me, Valdeon from the Spanish Pyrenees and Roquefort from France are two of the most pungent blue cheeses available. On the other end of the spectrum, Gorgonzola Dolce from Piedmont and Lombardia in Italy represents a much milder style of blue cheese. 

The same can be said for dessert wines. They range from slightly off dry and subtle to syrupy sweet and intense. Match the intensity of flavors in the wine with that of the cheese. Also, pairing a blue cheese with a dessert wine from the same region will almost always be a magical choice.  

An experienced, good wine shop should also be able to help you with pairing ideas. Likewise, you could join us and try our paired tasting menu. 

Wine and Blue Cheese Dessert Pairing Suggestions

Gorgonzola Dolce with Moscato d’Asti

Roquefort with Sauternes, Lupiac and/or Barsac

Valdeon or Cabrales with Pedro Ximenez Sherry

Bayley Hazen Blue with late harvest Riesling or Gewurtztraminer

Dessert doesn’t have to involve baking. Make life easy on yourself and blow the minds of your dinner guests. Feed your family and friends blue cheese and dessert wine after dinner.

You’re welcome.  

The post Blue Cheese Dessert! first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

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Ten years ago, downtown Providence was a different place. Many of the great restaurants and shops did not yet exist, and some of our favorites have since left. Gracie’s originally opened on Federal Hill, but opportunity knocked, and we moved into a great location across the street from the spectacular Trinity Repertory Company. Working in downtown Providence came with challenges and opportunities. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the last decade. But as we celebrate our downtown location’s ten-year restaurant anniversary, it is a delight to see many of our neighborhood restaurants bustling night after night. It is encouraging to see so many independently owned shops opening their doors, and at the same time, The Dunkin Donuts center plays host to hockey tournaments and world tour concerts. 

The restaurant business is a tricky one, and so often is subject to the economy, weather, fluctuating food prices, and even the whims of culinary fashions. It’s no secret that many new restaurants close within five years or less for any combination of reasons. Sometimes, though, you get lucky. Hard work, dedication, and a love for what you do come together with people who appreciate what you do. In that respect, we’ve been pretty lucky. 

In the last ten years, we have learned a lot – way more than we could possibly fit into a single blog post. We have also met some wonderful people – again, way more than we could possibly fit into a single blog post. As we celebrate our ten-year downtown restaurant anniversary, we know that we are fortunate to have met and worked with so many wonderful people. 

Sharing a Meal – photo by JWessel Photography

We have restaurant guests who have eaten with us regularly since we opened. We have some guests that we see every year on their anniversary. We have had movie stars and sports stars at our tables, and we have had young couples celebrating a first date. We’ve been honored to host weddings, graduation dinners, and birthday parties. 

Our kitchen has been graced with so many chefs, from Johnson & Wales interns, to our own regular staff, to guest Star Chefs from Maria Helm Sinskey to Ciril Hitz to Celina Tio and so many others. We really can’t begin to express how honored we are to host so many amazing, talented people. 

Current Executive Chef Matthew Varga was featured in Art Culinaire: The International Magazine in Good Taste. We’ve won the AAA four-diamond award four years in a row, and Executive Pastry Chef Melissa Denmark was named a Rising Star by the online culinary magazine Star Chefs. We’ve been able to partner with No Kid Hungry: Share Our Strength to work toward ending childhood hunger in America, and we’ve donated and walked many miles for the March of Dimes. 

In the front of the house, we’ve learned about Wine and Food pairings, how to share the joy of a tasting menu with new guests, and gone through more than a fair share of wine glasses. We’ve watched some of our staff graduate high school AND college, and some we’ve seen move across this great country to follow their dreams. We’ve managed to have some fun, too. Perhaps maybe too much?

This is supposed to be our Front of the House Manager.

 We’ve worked with so many dedicated and caring vendors, local farms, fishers, dairies, artisans, breweries, wineries, and distilleries, many of whom have been part of our team for years. We’ve shared our favorite Providence restaurants with you, and we’re even going on a Mediterranean cruise in October. 

And we owe it all to you. We love what we do, but we wouldn’t be here without each and every person who supports us. From the farmers that spend countless hours raising the best corn, or staying up all night caring for a newborn calf, to the men and women on the Rhode Island coast pulling in fresh seafood, to the guys who makes sure we have all the linens and dish detergent we need, this is a team effort.

Most of all, though, we wouldn’t be here without you. Whether you enjoy a meal with us on a special occasion, or just because, we couldn’t do what we do without your willingness to try new things with us, to taste new ingredients or an unusual wine. For you, we are incredibly thankful. Thank you for helping us make this ten-year anniversary the start of the next decade. 

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I know what you are thinking: “What does a restaurant know about building an effective corporate team? Business strategy is not the same in the _______ industry as it is for restaurants.” Is that really the case, though? Let’s look at the similarities.

Do you work with clients? Are you selling a service? Are you selling a product? Do you have colleagues that you need to work with in an effective and amenable manner? Does your team need to support one another to complete projects, achieve goals, or make your company stand out? I am guessing you said “yes” to at least some of this. And I am guessing that part of your business strategy is having a team that excels in these areas.

These skills are essential in the hospitality industry. Some team building ideas from service industry professionals might not be a bad idea after all?

At Gracie’s, this is our way of life. A successful restaurant is selling a service AND a product, and needs a team that communicates, that supports each other, that wants to set and achieve goals, and that can work together to create an experience for each guest. Some of these skills come naturally, and others seem to be a secret that no one wants to give away. Sometimes, you get lucky, and it all falls into place, but even then, it takes work to keep the momentum going. In truth, though, these skills are not secrets; they can be learned just like any business strategy. 

Re-energize Your Team and Outshine the Competition

I know, team building ideas and events are a dime a dozen. Why would you go to a restaurant? What can we offer you that you can’t get somewhere else? This isn’t a fill-in-the-blanks approach; we’ve been working on this for years.

Each day, before we open, our entire team sits down and talks about what we are doing well, what we are not doing well, and how to improve in both of those areas. Not surprisingly, this demands an ongoing critical awareness of a dynamic environment, and attention to details; what works tonight may not work next week. But a team that trusts and respects one another is equipped to handle the unknown while giving guests the “Wow” factor -making each guest feel special with an unforgettable experience.

That’s the secret. Our award-winning approach to hospitality is based in building a good team. Get in touch to find out how we can share this with you and your team over a great meal. 

The post Beyond the Dinner Table – Team Building Ideas to Help You Outshine the Competition first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

The post Beyond the Dinner Table – Team Building Ideas to Help You Outshine the Competition appeared first on Gracie's Providence.

Come support Rhode Island in the 2015 Culinary Showdown at Jonathan Edwards Winery. Let’s show Connecticut who has the best food in New England! 

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We work with food. A lot. We are pulling weeds from the rooftop garden in June, harvesting mushrooms in September, curing bacon weekly, and scaling fresh fish nightly. Putting energy into this is what we love, and we hope to share that love with every dish and every treat that leaves our kitchen. We also love to visit other restaurants, and enjoy the creativity and passion that our colleagues share with their guests.

Sharing the joy of food, and guiding people to great restaurants is one of the benefits of our work. There is such a great feeling when someone has thoroughly enjoyed a restaurant you suggested to them. The Providence restaurant community is filled with wonderful and delicious destinations, but which Providence restaurant is our favorite?

Is there a Providence restaurant that I MUST try?

We put this question to our staff at Ellie’s Bakery, and at Gracie’s. Everyone named at least two restaurants, and a few of us had trouble slowing down even after naming five or six. To quote Ellie’s manager Ashley, “Can I go on forever?” 

This is hardly an exhaustive list of many of the great places to eat, and the food trucks are absent from this list – we’ll have that in a later post. This sample “favorite Providence restaurant” list is in no particular order, but almost every place listed was mentioned by several people. 

The Favorite Providence Restaurant List:

El Rancho Grande, located at 311 Plainfield St. is renowned for their mole sauce, and for Chef Maria’s “amazing, authentic, from the soul meals…and tequila. Their margarita is the best ever, made with fresh lime juice.” El Rancho Grande is small, intimate, and delicious. 

Los Andes, at 903 Chalkstone Ave, is the place to go for Peruvian food. “I love the ceviche appetizer and the paella! And the beef heart! And the Pisco Sours! The service is amazing, the portions are huge, and the prices are good.” They also have a few outdoor tables, which make for a lovely summer evening of a slow meal, and watching the neighborhood go by. 

Apsara is easy to miss. It is at 716 Public St., just off Elmwood Ave. in South Providence. It is tiny, and tucked into a triangular, corner lot, but well worth the search. “I love that the menu covers northern thai/lao homestyle cooking.” “The menu is filled with gems, and it’s BYOB.” This is the kind of place where you can talk to your neighbors at the next table, and enjoy a social dinner. 

Andino’s Italian Restaurant in the heart of Federal Hill, at 171 Atwells Ave. has “awesome Italian food. Their sauce is almost as good as mine. I love their veal parmesan and seasonal squash flowers. They have a great, friendly staff – especially the bartender, Stephanie.” (ed. note – we love Andino’s, but we’ve never met an Italian cook who will admit that any restaurant is better than their home cooking. I think “almost as good as mine” is the highest compliment possible under these circumstances.) 

North, at 3 Luongo Memorial Square, is a favorite for the “inventive, personable, and fun” food, plus you can eat with chopsticks. The dining area is tiny, and the wait on a weekend night can be pretty long. This isn’t as bad as you might think, though. Once you put your name on the waiting list, they give you a beeper, and you can head across the street to The Avery for a drink. The staff at North, will page you when your table is ready. 

Broadway Bistro is at 205 Broadway. Gracie’s bartender Kristi loves their “Ribs & Grits!! Small, local/seasonal menu, they have Crabbies ginger beer, dim lighting, Ribs & Grits, friendly, west side, and outside seating. The garlic oil they give you with bread (this is one of the places I will actually eat bread before dinner) and did I mention the Ribs & Grits?!?! One of my go to spots on my off time.” 

Thee Red Fez, in downtown Providence, is part bar, part restaurant, and completely delicious. Their menu changes regularly, but the Old Bay seasoned fries with spiced aioli, are a mainstay, and with good reason. The beer list is reasonably sized and reasonably priced, they don’t skimp on the mixed drinks, and their menu is vegetarian friendly. There is nothing fancy about the Fez, but that pub comfort food and a good pint is good for the soul. They also play some great music. The Fez is located at 

AS220(food) is also downtown, on Empire St. Like the Fez, this is a multi-faceted space. It is part eatery, part bar, part art space, and part performance space. “I love AS220(food) because of the atmosphere, and the healthy options on their menu.” You won’t here any commercial music in this bar/art/food space, but there is no shortage of local and small touring bands on the playlist. Come for dinner, stay for a drink, then enjoy a show in the performance space. 

What is your favorite Providence Restaurant?

These are some of our favorites, and we will have more in the next blog post. Have you eaten at any of these restaurants? Do you have a favorite that we didn’t mention here? Let us know in the comments. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go get some lunch! 

The post Which Providence Restaurant Is Our Favorite? Part 1 first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

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If you have looked at the menus or websites for many high end restaurants, you have probably noticed that most of them offer a tasting menu. For the adventurous, ordering dinner without regard to what might arrive to your table could be great. Even for the less curious, most restaurants can accommodate allergies or a dietary preference and still offer a tasting menu. However, ordering dinner at a restaurant, and not knowing in advance what you might be eating, is taking a big leap of faith. This is especially true if you have never dined at a restaurant. Hopefully, we can shed some light on the question, “What is a tasting menu?”

As the name implies, a tasting menu is a selection of several dishes, usually in a series of 5, 7, or up to 10 courses. At Gracie’s, we offer a 5 and 7-course tasting menu. These courses change weekly, and are often based on seasonality, and what is available from our local vendors. The portions of each dish are smaller than a regular entree, but are quite filling when you consider that the tasting menu is, in essence, several smaller portioned entrees, and also includes complimentary bread.

Focaccia and Honey Beer Bread – photo by JWessel Photography

What is a Tasting Menu AND What Does It Look Like?

You’ve made the decision to try the tasting menu. Great! Now what? Assuming you have ordered the 7-course tasting menu, your dinner will start with a cold dish – usually a salad, though this can vary quite a bit. This week, our starter is a dish of Nantucket Bay Scallops, with persimmon, breakfast radish, orange, watercress, and sorrel.

photo by JWessel photography

The second course is a pasta or soup. Pictured here is Parsnip soup, with marcona almond angolotti, whipped maple, asian pear, and pancetta.

photo by JWessel Photography

Photo by JWessel Photography

Photo by JWessel Photography

The third course in the 7-course tasting is Foie Gras. Here we have Hudson Valley Foie Gras, with sesame crust, soy glazed carrot, beet pickled ginger, rice crackers, and trumpet mushrooms. In the 5-course tasting, this course is omitted, and your next dish would be a fish entree.

Photo by JWessel Photography

For the fourth course in the 7-course tasting menu, fish is served. Here we have local Monkfish, with  house-cured bacon, sweet potato, braised red cabbage, and cabbage sprouts.

Photo by JWessel Photography

Following your fish entree, a meat dish will arrive at your table. Pictured here is venison, with juniper, salsify, apple, crispy wild rice, squash, and brussel sprouts.

Photo by JWessel Photography

In the 7-course tasting menu, the meat is followed by a cheese plate, then dessert. In a 5-course tasting menu, you go from meat, straight to dessert. Here we have Angelito Mousse with sunflower seed crust, molasses candied black currants, carrot cake, and carrot sherbet.

Photo by JWessel Photography

The tasting menu can also be paired with wines that are chosen to complement the flavors on your plate. At Gracie’s, we also offer a vegetarian tasting menu, and can work with you to accommodate allergies or dietary preferences. So if someone asks, what is a tasting menu? Now you know, and I don’t know about you, but I am feeling a bit hungry. Join us at Gracie’s for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays by calling 401.272.7811 to reserve your seat at the table.

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The post Chocolate Chip Cookies first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

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“You’ve got time, guys. Make sure it’s nice.” The heirloom tomatoes go on the plate first, followed by freshly sliced avocado. The pattern continues for a stacked salad of lightly seasoned tomato and avocado, topped with pickled onion and fresh, green mint. The tomatoes – bright red, green with red sunbursts, and light orange – are fresh from Little City Farm, Four Town Farm, and Schartner’s. Chef Matt also picked some of the tomatoes this morning from Gracie’s rooftop garden, several stories above downtown Providence. “Somebody’s gonna hold, and somebody’s gonna drop.”

Preparing the dish

Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Salad

As the kitchen staff puts the final touches on the salad, the wait staff is upstairs clearing tables of the first course. Kristie is at the bar, opening wine for the second course while Stephen is delivering freshly polished wine glasses, six at a time, to each table. At the wait station, between the kitchen and dining area, Jessie is filling silver star-shaped trays with forks. It is 7:45. “Let’s start running food, please.”

With the salad out, the wait staff has enough time to survey the dining room. Alan tells me they “want to make sure everyone has water in their glasses, everything they need, and are having a nice dinner.” Even with this interval, there is not much down time. Kristie is behind the bar making simple syrup, Steph and Travis are polishing wine glasses and silverware for the next course, and the rest of the wait staff is attending to the dining room.

Polishing wine glasses

For the wait staff, this sequence continues throughout the meal: prepping dishes, clearing tables, resetting tables, filling water and wine glasses, and delivering each new course. The trick is in timing and pacing, making sure the night moves efficiently and smoothly. There are big changes for the kitchen staff, though. The hot courses require a more intricate level of speed and precision- there is time to make each dish beautiful, but accuracy is key here.

Concentration

Blackbird Farm Angus Beef

The kitchen is divided into two sections: an outer ring lining the wall, and an inner rectangle filled with a worktable. The outer ring, facing the wall, includes the cold prep area, where, on most nights, salads and deserts are made and plated. To the left of that, along the back wall and the far wall, is a line of ovens, twelve gas burners, a flat top grill, and shelves with dozens of well worn pots and fry pans in a variety of sizes. The rest of the outer ring consists of space for used dishes, a dish sink, dishwasher, a hand washing sink, and a space for clean dishes. The steam rises continuously from the consistent flow of plates, glasses, and silverware making the journey through the cleaning cycle.

In the middle of the floor, surrounded by the ovens, pans, and sinks, is a large wooden work table. It looks like a cutting board that just happens to be the size of an extra large dining room table, and tall enough to work while standing. With the steam from the dish area, fire from most of the gas burners, the heat of the flat top, and the hot lamps that help light this workspace, the temperature in the kitchen reaches 93 degrees.

Even so, the 10 cooks standing at three sides of the table are barely breaking a sweat. It is time to plate and serve the next course. Just like the salad dishes, there is a specific order to follow, and even specific placement; “We need to see the ginger; that’s why it’s going on the left.” The ginger follows the sauce, meat, arroz, gravy, and garden lettuce. Chef Bruce Tillinghast examines the first plate, waving his hand from the plate to his nose to appraise the aroma. Ellen Slattery, the owner of Gracie’s, is the last in line; she inspects each plate, and wipes any trace of sauce splashes.

Smoked Trout with Black Quinoa, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Quail Egg, Crispy Shallots, and Chili Sauce

Slow Braised Beef Short Rib with Sauteed Rice, Shiso, Pickled Ginger, and Squash Puree

As the last course goes out, Ellen looks over the guest list one last time to ensure that everyone is served. Chef Bruce looks at her, asking, “Are we clear?” “We’re clear.” Chef Bruce looks around at the Gracie’s staff, and says a heartfelt, and simple, “thank you.” With this Star Chefs Dinner almost over, the kitchen staff at Gracie’s enjoys a toast of wine in honor of Chef Bruce. They will spend the next two hours cleaning, then go home. Tomorrow is Tuesday, and they will all be in early to get ready for dinner.

Coconut Tuile Cones with Passion Fruit Ice Cream, Tropical Fruits, and Chocolate Crumble

All photos by JWessel Photography.

The post Behind the Scenes: Star Chef Dinner Part 2 first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

The post Behind the Scenes: Star Chef Dinner Part 2 appeared first on Gracie's Providence.

photo courtesy of First and South

On Monday, October 20, Gracie’s is hosting the next dinner in the Star Chefs Series. Chef Taylor Knapp, of First and South in Greenport, New York, will join us for an evening of passed canapés, and a five-course tasting menu. We were curious to know what Chef Taylor might have planned for his first visit to Gracie’s; he took some time to chat with us in between foraging, cooking, and working on his newest project, Peconic Escargot.

Chef Taylor is known for his dedication to foraging, and seeking out local and regional foods that are a little off the beaten path, such as “young sassafras saplings that will be used to make butter.” The Star Chefs Dinner will use ingredients “raised or foraged on Long Island’s East end, but there is a lot of collaboration happening. Take the bread for the dinner. It will utilize spent beer grains from a Rhode Island brewery and flour made from wheat grown on Long Island – a melding of ingredients from two different locations in one bite.”

photo by JWessel Photography

Creating a meal for the Star Chefs Dinner, and for the menu at First and South, is not just about finding ingredients, though. Chef Taylor is asking us to slow down, to “think about what we’re eating, where it comes from, and the history behind the ingredients.” This is what compels him to forage through beach plum briars, head to the shore to harvest seaweed, or spend hours plucking the petals from fresh flowers. In fact, Chef Taylor is so dedicated to the idea of fresh and local food that he is about to open Peconic Escargot, the “first and only company in the U.S. to offer fresh escargot.”

Chef Taylor sums up his philosophy of food quite eloquently: Food “should be given as though it were a gift, prepared with care, love, and thought, just as you would prepare a meal for a loved one. Slow down. Simplify. Focus on the things we’re putting on the plate.”

We look forward to working with Chef Taylor Knapp for this special evening on Monday, October 20. The five-course tasting menu will be paired with wine from The Savory Grape. For reservations, call Gracie’s at 401-272-7811, or email Tenneal@graciesprov.com.

Gracie’s by JWessel Photography

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Art Culinaire is published quarterly as a hard cover celebration of artfully crafted foods and culinary talent. Issue 111 dedicates ten pages of full-color photographs and recipes to Chef Varga’s dishes. Even though Varga says he is “not that interesting of a person,” his use of local and vibrant ingredients contradicts his modesty.

photo courtesy of Art Culinaire

The recipes in this edition highlight Varga’s appreciation for local ingredients, including Nantucket Bay Scallops, Narragansett Littleneck Clams, Blackbird Farm Eggs, and flowers and vegetables from Gracie’s rooftop garden.

Chef Varga and his team bring this international acclaim to Providence every Tuesday through Saturday at Gracie’s in Downcity Providence.

Photo courtesy of Art Culinaire

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