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.
Three generations of a family, including a two-year-old girl, have been killed during a driving lesson after their car plunged into a Rhode Island river.
Police received a report that a car had driven into the Seekonk River in Pawtucket on Sunday evening at the small boat-launching area, The Boston Globe reported.
After hours of searching for the submerged car, authorities pulled it out of the water Monday afternoon. The 45-year-old woman, a 22-year-old woman and the two-year-old girl inside the car were found dead.
Pawtucket resident Josue Gomez told The Globe it was his wife, Floridalma Arceno, their daughter, Linora Sucely Gomez, and their granddaughter, Ana Sofia Garcia Gomez, who were killed in the accident.
Gomez said Arceno was teaching their daughter how to drive with their granddaughter in the car when his wife called him in a panic and said, “‘It won’t brake, it won’t brake.’’
“It was the last thing she said to me,” he said.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves told reporters that a “Good Samaritan riding a jet ski in the vicinity heard the car enter the water and attempted to help,” The Providence Journal reported.
“While this was occurring, another individual called 911, and first responders were on scene within 3 minutes,” Goncalves said.
Gomez said he hurried to the boat ramp Sunday evening, but the car was already submerged.
Police tried to find the car, but suspended the search around 1 a.m. Monday due to poor conditions, according to reports.
The search resumed Monday morning, and by around 2:30 p.m. ET, a tow truck pulled the car out of the water.
“They were good people,” Gomez told The Globe.
The Independent has reached out to the Pawtucket Police Department and the Rhode Island Office of the State Medical Examiners for comment.
Authorities called it a “tragic accident,” and said there were no indications of foul play, according to reports.
“Preliminary findings suggest the vehicle was in proper working order,” Pawtucket Detective Sergeant Paul Trout said in an email to The Globe.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien called the incident a “heartbreaking tragedy” in a statement shared with the media.
“Our community mourns alongside them, and we want them to know they are not alone during this unimaginable time,” Grebien said.
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PROVIDENCE – Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes still leads Gov. Dan McKee by double-digits in the Democratic primary race for governor, but her whopping 34-point lead of last April has shrunk to 20 points in the wake of McKee’s TV attack ads, according to a new University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll.
The survey sampled 337 likely 2026 Democratic state primary voters, 145 likely Republican state primary voters and 664 likely general election voters between June 18 and June 23.
Among the key findings of the survey:
If the Democratic primary had been held while the survey was underway, 42% of likely primary voters would have chosen Foulkes and 22% would have chosen McKee, with restaurant owner Gregory Stevens and Wil Gregersen each getting 1%, the poll said. Thirty-one percent of respondents were undecided.
“Pluralities of moderates (46%), liberals (46%), and progressives (46%) support Foulkes, while two-thirds of socialists (66%) are undecided. McKee does best among those aged 65 and older (31%) but still trailsFoulkes (46%) among this group,” according to this poll.
McKee has narrowed the gap somewhat since the last UNH poll in April, when 45% of likely primary voters chose Foulkes and only 11% McKee.
Bottom line: Incumbent McKee, a former Cumberland mayor and lieutenant governor who has been governor since his predecessor Gina Raimondo quit mid-term in March 2021, “remains quite unpopular among likely Democratic primary voters: only 18% have a favorable opinion of him, 56% have an unfavorable opinion,” according to the poll released on Tuesday, June 30.
And then there’s this: In a hypothetical matchup between Foulkes, whoever emerges as the Republican nominee and independent Ken Block, the poll showed 38% of likely general election voters would vote for Foulkes, 22% would vote for the Republican nominee and 19% for Block.
If, however, McKee won the Democratic nomination, the potential matchup “would be very close,” with both McKee and Block getting 27% of the likely general election vote and the GOP nominee 23%; 2% would vote for another candidate. Twenty-one percent were undecided, according to the poll.
The poll is the latest in a string of bad news for the 74-year-old McKee, including his failure to clinch the endorsement of the state Democratic Party on June 20.
Depending on how you do the math, he fell three votes short of the endorsement, making him the first Democratic governor in Rhode Island to fail to win his party’s endorsement for a reelection bid since the modern primary system was created in 1948.
In the days since, Foulkes has racked up city and town Democratic committee endorsements, while McKee has only won endorsements from Pawtucket and North Providence Democrats. On Tuesday, June 30, he touted one more from the East Providence Democratic City Committee.
But McKee campaign spokeswoman Sophie Mestas hailed the poll as evidence that “the more Rhode Islanders learn about Helena Foulkes – a corporate executive who built her career on cutting healthcare access and fueling the opioid crisis – the more they want no part of her empty promises.
“More Rhode Islanders now view her unfavorably than favorably, and it’s not hard to see why,” Mestas said. “Rhode Islanders know the difference between a Governor who delivers for them and an executive who cashed in at their expense – and they’re choosing the Governor who’s always fought for working families.”
Her statement reflects disputed allegations in McKee’s TV ads about Foulkes’ record.
On the Republican front, those surveyed chose retired comedian Elaine Pelino, who has campaigned almost exclusively on Facebook (38%), over the state GOP’s endorsed candidate, Aaron Guckian (19%), an advance man and driver for former Gov. Donald Carcieri who most recently worked for the Rhode Island Dental Association.
Flying athletes in with the Special Olympics Airlift
Getting athletes to the games takes more than airplanes. Textron Aviation coordinates the effort while AccuWeather provides forecasting support to make weather-informed decisions.
Rhode Island athletes took home five gold medals, nine silver medals and 11 bronze medals at 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which wrapped up on June 26.
The Rhode Island Special Olympians left for the games in private jets provided by Textron on June 15. A total of 50 members, including 24 athletes and their families, traveled to represent and cheer on Rhode Island.
“Once we went to the hangar on the way out to Minnesota, and there was a big rally, my husband Steve and I were looking at each other saying, ‘This is big. This is huge being invited to the USA games,’” Rena Megrdichian, mother of softball player Garen Megrdichian, said. “I guess we just didn’t realize what an honor this whole process was.”
After preliminary events on June 22 to group athletes accordingly, the medal rounds across multiple sports began the next day.
Rhode Island picked up three gold medals, three silver medals and four bronzes in bowling, swimming, powerlifting and track and field events on June 23. Despite the heavy medal count for the smallest state, one athlete’s finish went viral on social media.
Thomas Poirier, of North Providence, was placed in lane 5 of group 4 in the 400-meter after finishing fifth in his preliminary race with a time of 1:20.54. The race started, and Poirier hustled as hard as he could, but coming into the final 100 meters, he found himself in fourth place. Then, he kicked it into another gear. He passed the runner in third, then second and suddenly he was gaining on the leader he was about 25 meters behind just a few seconds prior. With 25 meters left to go, Poirier passed Noah Lamusga, of Minnesota, and took the lead and the gold medal.
Poirier finished with a time of 1:17.24, three seconds faster than his time in the preliminaries.
“I saw my time in the prelims, and I was like ‘That’s good, but I just need to work harder,’ and so I did,” Poirier said.
The clip of him running the final 100 meters and his post-race interview where he says, “Rhode Island… I’m coming home golden,” currently has over 100,000 likes on Instagram.
“At first I was a little embarrassed, but I slowly and surely got used to it,” Poirier said. “I’m not used to getting fame like this.”
Poirier’s mom, Dora, was able to attend the games with her husband and daughter, Poirier’s twin sister. When they saw Thomas cross the finish line, the only emotions they could convey were shock and tears of joy.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Dora said. “We’re like, ‘Oh my god, he actually might do this.’ I honestly couldn’t believe that he did it. We hoped he would come home with something. I was so happy for him, overjoyed.”
Dora said that the family had no idea that Thomas had gone viral until later that night. They had received a few videos of friends recording the TV when the race first ended, but they kept receiving more videos, and that’s when they realized he had his viral social media moment.
Thomas also competed in the 200-meter run and 4 x 100-meter relay, where he won silver in both with a time of 30.59 and 1:07.83, respectively.
Thomas noted that the quick turnaround to compete in the three events was hard, but he knew he had to power through.
“It was definitely a little hard, but I slowly adapted to it, and I gave it my all,” Thomas said. “In the end, that other guy was just a little faster, but I still gave it my all, and I’m happy with what I came home with.”
Another one of Rhode Island’s five gold medals came from the softball team. The team had lost its first two group stage games 17-8 and 18-3 against Delaware and Connecticut, respectively, on June 22. They were able to salvage one win, a 12-9 victory against Arkansas the next day, before losing to Florida in its final group stage game on June 24.
The team suffered a couple of injuries during the group stage games, one of which was Jamar Abney, who suffered a hand injury in the final group stage game. Abney’s injury was a rallying cry for the rest of the team as they developed a slogan, “Win for Jamar,” that would define the rest of the team’s run, according to Special Olympics Rhode Island President and CEO Edwin Pacheco.
In the first game of the medal round, Rhode Island was paired up against Arkansas once more. The team was down 9-3 at one point but rallied back in extra innings to pull off the 11-10 win and advance to the gold medal game.
“The enthusiasm, the excitement that came from the team was just contagious,” Pacheco said. “You think about all the memorable moments, whether it be the Red Sox or the Patriots, and these come-from-behind wins that people still talk about 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 years later, that game between Rhode Island and Arkansas was one of those moments.”
In the championship, it was another rematch, this time with Connecticut. No miracles or comebacks were needed in this game, though, as Rhode Island won 21-7 to take home the gold.
“I feel like in the gold medal match, I thought we had a lot of energy coming into this game,” said Garen Megrdichian, of Hope. “We had some urgency, and we had some confidence, so I’m really happy that we got the gold medal, and I’m just happy for our guys.”
Garen’s mom Rena attended the games and watched her son and his team’s run to the gold medal. The emotions ran high throughout the week.
“The nail-biting and anxiety that the parents go through watching them go through all this, it really was a nail-biter,” Rena Megrdichia said. “We couldn’t be more proud. We really couldn’t be more proud of what not only Garen accomplished, but this whole team, how they came together, [and] how they supported one another.”
She spoke about the team’s camaraderie despite the struggles and the emotions all the parents felt after they took home the gold.
“They just kept saying, ‘We’re going to win this for Jamar,’ and not only did they FaceTime Jamar right after the game, [but they also] called his mother to say we won this for Jamar. So, the support they all had for each other – we were just in tears. It was just one of those times where they overcame being beaten down and not doing well, and then all of a sudden, they turned it around, and they did very, very well.”
Megrdichian’s mom noted that the teams, despite it being a competition, all became friends with one another.
“They want to play each other again,” Rena Megrdichia said. “That’s how much playing against them meant to them that they would love to get together again and play these teams again. Because it was so fun for them and they really enjoyed it.”
Poirier and Megrdichian both described just getting the call that they had made it to the USA Games as a “dream come true,” and that earning the gold medal just added to an already incredible experience.
Special Olympics Rhode Island invites any Rhode Islander with an intellectual or developmental disability to join the organization and participate in a sport at no cost, according to Pacheco.
Find the full results of the USA Games here.
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