Restaurant Review: Capriccio

Restaurant: Capriccio
Address: 2 Pine St, Providence, RI
Website: www.capriccios.com
Rating: A+

As far as one of my business partners is concerned, the three martini lunch is still alive and well (not so much for me, as I had to drive 30 miles home). After eating a modest lunch at Joe's American Bar and Grill a few weeks ago, we made a pact to try different restaurants every time we met up. My company is hosting a dinner at Capriccio in a few weeks so we decided to go there this afternoon as a test run.

Capriccio is the type of old school Italian restaurant that conjures memories of the of the Providence Renaissance glory days. The waiters don tuxedos and white gloves (for lunch!) while reciting a laundry list of specials from memory. Both my colleague and I started off with the lobster bisque which featured chunks of lobster meat completely void of the tart sherry taste that often plagues this appetizer. For my main course I chose the shrimp pollipeno, a light dish of shrimp, pasta, and garlic marinara garnished with cherry tomatoes. My colleague being the daring Rhode Islander that he is feasted on sole with a side of risotto, which he seemed to enjoy. We both agreed that the lunch portions were completely overboard, and neither of us even came close to finishing our main course.

While the food at Capriccio is outstanding enough to impress just about anyone, I was completely floored by their attention to detail. A lot of upscale restaurants use a crumb knife to clear the table between courses, but Capriccio went above and beyond the type of service you might expect to receive at a high end steak house chain like Capital Grille or Morton's. Our waiter came around multiple times with garnishes like fresh pepper and Parmesan, emptied wine from our old wine glass into our new round, and pulled my chair when I attempted to stand up. On the way home I spoke to my grandmother about my Capriccio experience and it was strikingly similar to the types of upscale restaurants she frequented while growing up in uber-formal post war Montreal.

Incidentally, the bill (which I totally get to expense, which may or may not be the reason I enjoyed this place so much) was only about $25 higher than our previous lunch at Joe's. Capriccio's is located near the courthouse in downtown Providence. Street parking and complimentary valet is available.