Chapel Grille

My husband and I decided we were sick of going to our usual restaurants and favorite joints in Providence, so we decided to go somewhere new out of town.  After perusing Yelp, we came across Chapel Grille, a place we have intended to visit forever, but somehow, never actually made it to.  It fit all our requirements:  we were looking for an upscalish (but still casual) restaurant where we knew we would be able to make reservations and that would satisfy both my needs as a vegetarian and my husband’s carnivorous appetite.

I was instantly impressed by Chapel Grille as soon as I laid eyes on it:  the sign was lit up, and a generous number of twinkly Christmas lights decorated the outside.  It looked pretty fancy if you ask me!

We were seated right away, which I was very happy with considering it was a Saturday night.  The restaurant itself was huge, but still managed to pull off a cozy, hearthy vibe.  It was really beautiful inside too– and it was packed!

As soon as we sat down, we were brought some warm focaccia bread and a tasting of four different olive oils, from California, Spain, Greece, and Italy.  I don’t know if they did this on purpose, but the olive oils provided us great entertainment until our food arrived!  We had a great time tasting each one and deciding on our favorites– it was actually a perfect way to pass the time until our food arrived.  Oh, the oils and focaccia were all quite tasty.

We decided to order a bunch of different items to come out all at once.  First, we tackled the Mediterranean tasting plate, which was a combo of baba ghanoush, hummus, tzatziki, marinated feta, olives, tomatoes, fried zucchini with marinara, and warm pita wedges and more focaccia.

Just like our tasting of oils, this felt like a perfectly assembled tasting plate of Mediterranean goodies.  Every single item of that plate tasted great, but even better when combined.  The plate, while perfect for two, had just enough of each item to get our fill without feeling stuffed.  I loved combining the different components to create new flavors in my mouth!  I would get this again and again. . . it was very fun to eat and share!

I also ordered the Cleopatra salad with bibb lettuce, candied marcona almonds, goat cheese, golden delicious apples, and a pomegranate vinaigrette.  Honestly, the first bite confirmed this is now one of my favorite salads.  I love fruit, nut, and cheese combos, and this was done right.  My only complaint was the lack of almonds (there was one on my plate), so when we mentioned it to our waiter, he brought me a whole bowl full!

I also enjoyed a side of sweet potato fries.  Usually, sweet potato fries are hit or miss because they run a risk of being too soggy or undercooked, but these almost shoestring-like fries were perfect– soft and fluffy on the inside while retaining a nice crisp.

My husband raved about his calamari and shrimp appetizer and crab cakes as well!

Now dessert had to be the best part of an already stellar meal.  I was so ecstatic to see pumpkin cheesecake on the menu– the last time I ordered pumpkin cheesecake off a menu, it ended up being sold out.  It came out quickly, and the presentation was adorable– there were two squares of cheesecake garnished with whipped cream, cinnamon apples, candied pumpkin seeds and candied pecans.  It tasted just as good as it looked if not better– the cheesecake was creamy and not too sweet or heavy.  With a cup of decaf, it was a perfect ending to our meal.

It would be important to mention service was excellent as well– all in all Chapel Grille is our new favorite suburban restaurant!

Have you had pumpkin cheesecake this fall season yet?  Is it a favorite of yours?

I try to have it at least once every fall!