Local 121
121 Washington Street, Providence , RI , 02903
121 Washington Street, Providence , RI , 02903
I recently had the opportunity to revisit Local 121 while dining out with out of town guests (Hi Mom!). We didn't have reservations on a Saturday evening and were advised that there were no tables available unless we wished to eat in the bar. Since the bar has several tables and offers the full menu, we decided to enjoy the distinct dark woods and bottle bottom windows for our dinner. What the dining room has for classy service, white table cloths, napkins, etc., the bar area makes up for with its rich warmth. Pleasantly, the area only has one television tucked above one end of the bar. The area seats about 12 at low tables and has several high tables as well as the bar.
When I heard the specials I was sold on my choice based on one of the side ingredients included which I had been hoping to try this year, and I suspected Local 121 was the place to do it. Fiddle head ferns. In fact, I'm still so jazzed about having tried them, I don't have any recollection of what they were served on the side or atop (bad food writer) My first fiddle head was very tasty, lightly tasting of caramelized butter, but also distinctly reminding me of tender asparagus. At first I thought I only had a few of these delicious goodies, and shared anyways, until I slid the main attraction of my entree aside and found a small pile of the bite sized morsels waiting to be enjoyed.
Additionally, the wine list has been updated and expanded, but no longer features any markings to denote the features of the vineyard such as sustainable or organic production. The waitress did recommend against the local Sakonnet vineyards red, indicating she didn't think it was a particularly good wine, however, she wasn't able to offer a reasonable suggestion of a red to accompany the variety of dishes that were ordered. (yes, it is possible to find wait staff/sommelier who can suggest a good wine for sharing that pairs well chicken, fish, and beef entries).
Recommended? Certainly.
Date of Visit: May 5, 2008
