Rhode Island
To seal the deal, here’s where to eat your next power lunch in Rhode Island – The Boston Globe
The sweating began nearly immediately. Where on earth should we go? At the time, I was new to the Globe. Prior to working here, I was hardly making any money and there was little thing called a global pandemic that didn’t allow me to start tasting around just yet. I was in unknown territory.
Like many, I played it safe and chose The Capital Grille. Sure, it’s a chain restaurant, but the one in Providence is the original that was founded by Edward P. “Ned” Grace in 1990. I ordered the steak frites — something I usually would only order for dinner. But this was a power lunch.
Power lunches are exactly that — a show of power. They are a break in the action of your work day, where in certain situations it might be acceptable to have a martini. Plenty of great restaurants that once hosted many power lunches before the pandemic have not yet made a comeback, and are still only opening for dinner service. But as we continue to return to the office, you’ll need to know where to meet for a business meal.
Here’s where to eat your next power lunch in Rhode Island.
Perfect occasion: When you just want to eat something delicious and don’t care about the hoopla of steakhouses or fancy dining rooms.
If you’re having a meeting with folks who are self-proclaimed “foodies,” who are impressed less by luxurious dining rooms and more about what’s actually on their plates, then you need to go to Nicks on Broadway. Long-run by chef Derek Wagner, they serve a great menu of comfort foods using ingredients from local farms. Split the mushroom crostini with mushroom-boursin, sautéed mushrooms, and herbs piled on slices of grilled bread. And then order your own plates: polenta with local veggies and wilted greens, chargrilled pork with tallow roasted purple potatoes and madeira jus, or grilled tuna with sautéed veggies and lemon-thyme vinaigrette. Finish the meal off with a warm peach crumble. 500 Broadway, Providence, R.I., nicksonbroadway.com.
Perfect occasion: You’re looking for a classic steakhouse, you may have wine with lunch, and you contemplated whether forgoing a tie today was acceptable.
Known for regulars like Judge Judy, 22 Bowen’s is a traditional steakhouse that also serves giant king crab legs, shellfish towers with caviar, and Maine-style lobster to pair with their wine list. For lunch, grab their French onion burger, which was the winner of this past year’s Newport “Burger Bender” competition where an Australian wagyu patty is smothered in French onion jam, crispy onion straws, and melted havarti and gruyere — and then all layered on a toasted onion roll smothered in roasted garlic aioli. If you need something less messy, get the flat iron steak salad or pan-seared halibut with Calabrian chili. 22 Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, R.I., 22bowens.com.
Perfect occasion: You’re an actual elected official, lobbyist, or CEO. Or you’re meeting one.
Grace, the founder, had the idea to open a high-end steakhouse that would be an ideal spot for the political and business elite in Providence. Now with multiple locations across the US, all I can say is Grace is a visionary. And when I went to lunch at the chain’s flagship location on a cold Wednesday around noon back in 2021, I saw all the movers and shakers. In fact, it’s where I’ve historically seen the president of the Rhode Island Senate the most, and a free lunch at this location was the subject of a recent scandal involving the governor, a lobbyist, and a development firm. Red meat is the obvious choice here, but ordering the sushi-grade seared sesame tuna with sambal vinaigrette is a power move of its own. 10 Memorial Blvd., Suite 101, Providence, R.I., thecapitalgrille.com.
Perfect occasion: You’re looking for an edgier spot compared to the more traditional options.
There’s something to be said about the bonding activity you could have with your colleagues or meeting guests when you’re presented with a pizza on a slab along with a pair of kitchen shears. It’s interactive for a familiar dish, and these pies are layered with local ingredients sourced from mostly Rhode Island farms. The thin crust crackles along with the activities at the buzzing bar. Order an Aperol spritz while you’re at it. 22 Washington Square, Newport, R.I., barcino.com/newport.
Perfect occasion: You’re an artist, go antiquing on the weekends, and are looking for a uniquely beautiful spot.
Located in Providence’s Jewelry District, CAV stands for “cocktails, antiques, victuals,” where its ground-floor space on Imperial Place represents a bohemian artsy gallery of vintage finds. The restaurant first opened in 1989, and since then, all the art, rugs, pillows, and certain chandeliers used to decorate the space are for sale. Grab the walnut encrusted brie with brandied apricots for the table to share before going your separate ways for lunch — whether that be with a wrap, sandwich, or a pasta dish. If you’re gluten free, they have rice noodles for a solid substitute. 14 Imperial Place, Providence, R.I., cavrestaurant.com.
Perfect occasion: You’re due back in court in less than an hour.
Hemenway’s has been around for years, and has long been known as the place where all the wheeling and dealing occurs. They have an actual power lunch menu during the week, where you can order an appetizer and entree for just $30 that also includes a takeaway cup of coffee or their own cold brew, along with freshly baked cookies. It’s also in an ideal location surrounded by courthouses, universities, and other nearby offices. Translation: If you’re a lawyer, you’ll be able to eat here and be back in front of the judge in the nick of time. 121 South Main St., Providence, R.I., hemenwaysrestaurant.com.
Perfect occasion: A more casual meeting for lunch, meeting nonprofit leaders, believe in social-impact brands, or need caffeine refills throughout the meal.
Inside the Providence Public Library is CHOP (which stands for the Culinary Hub of Providence), a new all-day café that’s backed by the Jacques Pépin Foundation. It’s a great workforce development program, serving as a culinary education and training hub creating jobs, while also serving good food that highlights local producers. It’s more of a casual set up than the other spots on this list: You go and order at a counter and there’s a mix of communal tables and more intimate nooks. During the week, most of the people at CHOP are either having lunch with a co-worker, hosting a more relaxed business meeting, or doing work on their laptop with a cup of coffee (they serve beans from Providence-based New Harvest Coffee Roasters). There’s music over the speakers, but it’s soft enough for you to have an in-depth conversation. Be sure to try the honey tamari shiitake, which is pulled shiitake mushrooms marinated with a tamari-honey glaze served over heirloom rice, pickled onions, and slices of avocado. 211 Washington St., Providence, R.I., culinaryhubpvd.com.
Perfect occasion: You’re looking for a working brunch in downtown.
If you’re looking for a casual, but delicious brunch, or a lunch that focuses on ingredients from local producers and farms, head to Rogue Island inside the Arcade, America’s oldest mall. It has been open for a decade this year in downtown, which is no easy feat, and has a cozy atmosphere with brick walls and tinned ceilings. Head there for brunch: cajun lobster Benedicts on a griddled English muffin with fried shallots and garlic; biscuits and gravy; and French toast sticks with dehydrated banana chips and candied pecans and sea salt caramel. Or for something that sounds more like lunch, try the “The Bear” sandwich with beer-braised short rib, giardiniera aioli, and sharp cheddar on a griddled sesame bun, for instance. If you’re drinking, Rogue Island has one of the most extensive beer lists available for lunch, where plenty of Rhode Island brews are available. 65 Weybosset St. #108, Providence, R.I., rogueislandgroup.com.
Perfect occasion: When you want to be seen, breaking out your fur coat for the season, are hoping to have a three-martini lunch.
Downtown is historically the center of work in Providence. If you travel to the financial district, or around capital center, you have some options. If you’re strictly looking for a place to go and be seen, Bellini’s is a good bet. It’s inside The Beatrice, the swanky boutique hotel on Westminster Street owned by former mayor Joe Paolino. If he knows your face, he might stop at your table for a chat, but Bellini’s is bright and luxurious. Their lunch-size pastas are pushing $30 a plate, but you could opt for a $20 salad (the farro salad with avocado, zucchini, and asparagus is good with the bread basket) and martini or two. 50 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., bellinirestaurant.com/providence.
This story first appeared in The Food Club, a free weekly email newsletter about Rhode Island food and dining. Already a member of the club? Check your inbox for more news, recipes, and features in the latest newsletter. Not a member yet? If you’d like to receive it via e-mail each Thursday, you can sign up here.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
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The doctor is not in, and there’s not one on the way either. Many Rhode Islanders are well aware that the state is facing a harrowing shortage of primary care physicians. As native Rhode Islanders and physicians invested in quality accessible primary care for our community, we are dedicated to working towards policies to support our state.
A medical school at the University of Rhode Island is not the solution to solve the primary care crisis. A medical school at URI would not provide a timely solution, would likely not achieve the target outcome of increasing the number of primary care physicians in the state, and would likely not address the underlying issue of getting doctors to stay. Instead, resources should be allocated now to supporting primary care in ways that would make sustainable change.
Lack of access to primary care is hurting patients now. A medical school at URI would not be a short- or long-term solution. In addition to the time needed to engineer an accredited medical school, it takes seven years to produce an inexperienced primary care physician. Once trained, there still must be an incentive to stay in Rhode Island. Patients do not have access to necessary care for acute and chronic conditions. The burden on our health care system, impacting ER wait times and hospital capacity, impacts everyone. We cannot afford to wait another decade for a solution.
More physicians does not equal more physicians in primary care or in Rhode Island. If the aim is to produce more physicians from URI’s medical school, this will certainly occur, but we should not delude ourselves into believing it will fix primary care. It’s not due to lack of opportunities. In 2019, the National Resident Matching Program offered a record number of primary care positions, yet the percentage filled by students graduating from MD-granting medical schools in the United States was a new low. Of 8,116 internal medical positions that were offered, just 41.5% were filled by U.S. students; most residency spots went to foreign-trained and U.S.-trained osteopathic physicians.
As medical schools across the country look to debt reduction as a means of encouraging students to enter primary care specialties, their goals have fallen far short. In 2018, The New York University School of Medicine offered full-tuition scholarships to every medical student, regardless of merit or need. In 2024, only 14% of NYU’s graduating seniors entered primary care, lower than the national average of 30%.
There must be an incentive to stay in Rhode Island (or at least not a disadvantage). Our efforts must shift to recruiting and maintaining physicians in primary care. Inequitable reimbursement from commercial insurers between Rhode Island and neighboring states (leading to significantly lower salaries than if you lived here and traveled to Attleboro to care for patients), the lack of loan repayment(average medical student debt is $250,000, forcing the choice between meaning and money), and the ongoing administrative burdens are amongst the drivers away from primary care. Rhode Island needs to get on par with surrounding states to prevent physicians from going elsewhere.
The motivations behind opening a medical school are well intended in terms of wanting to increase the number of primary care providers by enabling local talent to train close to home. Training more people in Rhode Island will not keep them here; it will invest significant resources without addressing the root of the issue. Until there are comparable salaries between Rhode Island and our neighbors, until loan repayment is improved and the administrative burdens are reduced, primary care in the state will forever be fighting an uphill battle. Both providers and patients suffer the consequences.
Dr. Kelly McGarry is the director of the General Internal Medicine Residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Maria Iannotti is a first-year resident, a Rhode Islander intent on practicing primary care in Rhode Island.
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The trucking industry will have to pay its own legal bills for the unsuccessful eight-year-old lawsuit it brought to stop Rhode Island’s truck toll system, a federal judge ruled Friday, March 27.
The American Trucking Associations was seeking $21 million in attorneys fees and other costs from the state, but a decision from U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. says the truckers lost the case and will have to pick up the tab.
The state had previously filed a counterclaim for reimbursement of $9 million in legal bills, but an earlier recommendation from U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Sullivan had already thrown cold water on that possibility.
McConnell ordered American Trucking Associations to pay Rhode Island $199,281, a tiny fraction of the amount the state spent defending the network of tolls on tractor trailers.
Settling the lawyer tab may finally bring an end to a court fight that bounced back and forth through the federal judiciary since the toll system launched and the truckers brought suit in 2018.
As it stands, the state’s truck toll network has been mothballed since 2022 when a since-overturned judge’s ruling temporarily ruled it unconstitutional.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said it hopes to relaunch the tolls around March 2027.
The court costs fight hinged on which side could claim legal “prevailing party” status as the winner of the lawsuit.
The trucking industry claimed that it had won because the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled an in-state trucker discount mechanism, known as caps, in the original truck toll system was unconstitutional.
But Rhode Island argued that it is the winner because the appeals court had ruled that the larger system and broad concept of truck tolls is constitutional and can relaunch with the discounts stripped out.
“The Court determines that ATA has vastly overstated the benefit, if any, that they have received from the ultimate resolution of their challenge to the RhodeWorks program,” McConnell wrote.
The truckers “failed to obtain any practical benefit from the First Circuit’s severance of the [in-state toll] caps,” he went on. “Specifically, the evidence from this dispute confirmed that the lack of daily caps will result in ATA paying a higher amount in daily tolls and that it does not receive any tangible financial benefit from their elimination.”
In her December analysis of the legal fees question, Sullivan had concluded that the Trucking Associations’ outside counsel had overbilled and overstaffed the case.
But she had recommended that the industry be reimbursed $2.7 million for its bills, while McConnell’s ruling gives it nothing.
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