Great Last-Minute Restaurants for Grad Weekends

Great Last-Minute Restaurants for Grad Weekends

A big grad weekend is fast approaching and many top restaurants are already booked up for that special day. Not to worry—we’ve got the go-to spots where you can celebrate over a meal worthy of all that tuition you just dropped.

Hope Street Help

The epicenter of the East Side, Hope Street is home to one of the Americas great new restaurants, at least according to Esquire magazine—The Cook and Brown Public House. This small restaurant will book up fast for Brown and RISD graduations, but don’t worry— Hope Street and the surrounding area is chock full of great options.

Right across the street from Cook and Brown is Chez Pascal, where Chef Matt Gennuso has been working his farm-to-table magic for years. Gennuso is a master with beef, pork and fish, as well as fresh produce, so prepare to be amazed by his deft touch with hearty ingredients. If the grad is craving Italian food, Pizzico Ristorante, a little further along Hope, will cover anything from grilled pizza to inventive pastas to great steaks and chops all in a comfortable bistro setting.

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A few blocks off Hope will land you at the Waterman Grille, located on the water at the end of Pitman Street. Part of the Newport Restaurant Group, Waterman Grille serves great wood-roasted meats and seafood with a local slant. Waterman also features a great Sunday brunch if that fits into your plans. Back on Hope, Deb Norman’s Rue De L'Espoir,

long one of the East Side’s hidden gems, is a more casual setting perfect for smaller parties, and it, too, has a popular Sunday brunch.

Chez Pascal, 960 Hope St. Providence, 421-4422. Pizzico Ristorante, 762 Hope St. Providence, 421-4114. The Waterman Grille, 4 Richmond Sq. Providence, 521-9229. The Rue De L'Espoir, 99 Hope St. Providence, 751-8890. 

Avoiding a Downcity Disaster

We are all aware of the award-winning restaurants that Downcity boasts, but what happens when Gracie's or Cafe Nuovo or Bacaro are all booked up? (Sorry, Al Forno was booked up months ago...)Well, think local, as in Local 121. Local 121 utilizes the incredible foods found here in Rhode Island and throughout New England and transforms them. Try the Bomster scallops with brown butter and parsnip puree. You won't be disappointed, and the restaurant is gorgeous inside.

Now that the shouting of Gordon Ramsey has finally died down, Downcity Restaurant is another spot that should meet your graduate’s high expectations. Downcity is a cool and funky place to take that RISD grad or anyone else who loves good food and a fun atmosphere. We are huge fans of the three-cheese lobster mac and cheese and the bacon wrapped meatloaf. Mediterraneo, on Federal Hill, is all that an Italian family celebration should be: loud, vibrant, and full of food. When the weather is warm and the front windows are opened

onto Atwells Avenue, Mediterraneo is the perfect spot to celebrate with your new grad. Chef Michele Calise presides over the kitchen with a deft touch and the consistency that we are looking for in a restaurant. Mediterraneo is also the place where celebrities love to dine with their graduates, so have those cameras ready!

If a giant steak your idea of a great, celebratory meal then make your reservations at Capital Grille. The chain was started here in Providence by restaurant legend Ned Grace and has expanded into a national steakhouse power. They feature great dry-aged steaks and traditional side dishes that take things up a notch.

Local 121, 121 Washington St. Providence, 274-2121. Downcity Restaurant, 50 Weybosset St. Providence, 331-9217. Mediterraneo, 134 Atwells Ave. Providence, 331-7760. The Capital Grille, 1 Union Station Providence, 521-5600. 

Outside Providence

So did your graduate matriculate at Salve or Bryant or the Community College of Rhode Island? Or do you just want something away from the craziness of the city at graduation time? Well, these great places will make you forget your allegiance to the capital city.

In Newport, Tallulah on Thames is the place to be right now, but it is small and likely to book up fast. So try The Pier Restaurant on the waterfront. Chef Kevin Gaudreau is a whiz with seafood, and the perfect guy to take advantage of

all that Narragansett bay provides. Also in Newport is Pasta Beach. Until recently this gem had somehow eluded us. But two of our favorite foodies listed Pasta Beach among their favorites, so we ventured in, and we are really glad we did! The pizza and pastas are expertly prepared by chefs from Italy and you can tell with each bite that this is a labor of love! Pasta Beach is a great place for a large group to order a couple of pizzas and pastas and pass them around for everyone to enjoy, like true Italians.

On the western side of the state, near Bryant University, is one of the favorite old-school, "special occasion" restaurants in the state, The Little Inn. For over 40 years, the Russo family has been providing classic service and cuisine in a setting of dark woods and quiet corners. The menu is slanted Italian but we also love the entrees that come off the wood grill, such as the 14-ounce sirloin with spinach and Gorgonzola risotto, or the wood grilled shrimp on rosemary skewers with white beans and tomatoes.

Located in Smithfield, d.carlo Trattoria is a wonderful place for your graduation celebration. Chef Chris Kattawar has put together a great menu that celebrates many different cuisines while still returning to Italian roots. The current menu item that has us returning is the 10-ounce filet mignon with foie gras buttered toast, bacon jus and fried onions. We'll give you a second to wipe the drool off your keypad...All set? Good. And the pasta is all good too! Short rib-stuffed ravioli with haricot verts and au poive sauce is a sentence that needs to be in your last vocabulary assignment.

The Pier Restaurant, 10 Howard Wharf Newport, 847-3645. Pasta Beach, 7 Memorial Blvd. Newport, 847-2222. The Little Inn, 103 Putnam Pike Johnston, 231-0570. d.carlo Trattoria, 970 Douglas Pike Smithfield, 349-4979.