Providence, Rhode Island may be a little city, but it is, without a doubt, one of the best restaurant cities I have ever visited. Around any corner, in any part of town, you will find great food, from cheap Mexican fare to haute cuisine. If you’re hungry, Providence has something to satisfy your stomach.
One of those sure-to-satisfy places is La Laiterie. Attached to a cheese shop, Farmstead, Inc., and run by the same couple, La Laiterie is small (we’re talking something on the order of six or seven tables) and delicious. The chefs specialize in food inspired by the seasons and focus heavily on including local ingredients in their dishes. The restaurant also features a fantastic beer list (heavy on Belgians and other craft brews) and a wine list which I imagine is also very good (though not being particularly well-versed in the world of wines, I am not one to judge).
I have eaten at La Laiterie on two occasions now, once for a regular dinner and once for one of their Sunday night special events. For the first meal, my girlfriend and I split the charcuterie platter, a selection of home-cured meats complimented by sweet and dill pickles, a red onion relish and some great sauces including a delicious maple mustard. We washed down our food with some excellent beer. Altogether, we ate for a total of around $40. Not bad for a hearty fall dinner for two.
Even better, though, was the Belgian beer dinner. This was a special event which cost $65 per person and included a five course meal with commentary from the chefs as well as an employee of Rochefort, the brewery whose beer was being featured. The dinner started off with a cheese course, the components of which I forget – I should have taken notes! – but believe me when I tell you, everything was very good.
The first main course of the dinner was a cream of endive soup with caramelized onions. Incredible! I love cream soups and this was the epitome of what makes me love them: warm, bitter, sweet and creamy this was one of the best soups I’ve ever had. Next came a salad course, the dressing a vinaigrette made with Rochefort 6, the first of the evening’s featured beers. This was a light, very bubbly brown Belgian with subtle flavors. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was certainly not bad at all.
The real moment of culinary bliss came when I first laid eyes on the duck confit. A beautifully-browned duck leg rested against a hazelnut gaufre, or Belgian waffle, smothered in a cranberry-Rochefort 8 sauce. At the risk of understatement, I will simply say this was the best dish I have had in a year. Maybe more.
The meat fell off the bone effortlessly. The rich duck contrasted elegantly with the bittersweet cranberry sauce and the waffle added substance and a light hint of hazelnut. Perfectly balanced, wonderful flavors. The Rochefort 8 was my favorite beer of the night, a rich brown ale with dark, sweet and earthy flavors. Just right for the cold autumn night.
The final course – I didn’t think I’d have room, but I found it! – was an ice cream made from Rochefort 10 with a syrup made from a reduction of the same beer, all served over traditional Belgian almond cookies. Light, sweet, clean. The perfect end to a decadent dinner.
There is so much more to say, but I don’t want to stuff this review so full it bursts at the seams. Suffice it to say, if you are in Providence, go to La Laiterie.
5 out of 5 stars.
