Oberlin

The crudo and the accompanying sauces were so good it almost made me cry. There's nothing more to say.

Welcoming, chill atmosphere. I only stepped in because I had a sweet tooth and ended up having a great apple tart with a pretty delicate geranium ice cream. The ladies working let me taste some sherries and even recommended some other places to see and eat while I'm in town.

This placed earned every one of those stars. Atmosphere is A+, service is A+, and I drove down from Boston and can safely say the food is better than anything I've there. The raw Fluke was amazing. Gnocchi was perfect texture and flavor, the squid and carrots were spectacular. This place should be top of your list.

It was with sadness that news of Birch’s impending closure started circling the internet in Autumn, the small space simply unable to sustain COVID-19’s impact no matter how refreshing Benjamin Sukle’s cooking or the fact that many considered it to be the best Restaurant in Rhode Island.nnFlash forward to late November, the pandemic at peak velocity and nearly all of Providence declining indoor dining, it was via Pre-Order through TOCK that dinner was arranged at Chef Sukle’s more casual Oberlin, though unfortunately the experience was far from perfect.nnBest described as Seasonal Small Plates, a “shared” situation and thriving bar scene not in line with current precautions, things got off to an inauspicious start with Food not ready until 20-minutes after the designated time, a lack of free downtown parking necessitating meter use only to arrive home and find a whole loaf of Bread missing.nnUnapologetic to either error, a simple credit remedying the absent item, it was after quickly rewarming a few small portions that dinner was underway, first bites of Brandade salty yet balanced and beautiful while the ancient-Grain Flatbread was complex and enjoyable but frankly soggy due to haphazard packaging.nnVegetable-focused across much of the menu, a theme common to Birch and Oberlin since its 2015 opening, Honeynut Squash shined bright largely on the strength of its Ingredient quality, while “Crispy & Chewy Beets” found themselves lost to Celery that even overwhelmed the included Gremolata – an unexpected imbalance carried over to housemade Cous-Cous that lacked almost any flavor once past the Roasted Carrots.nnImproving with Noodles done no favors by take-out, each ribbon nonetheless offering a bit of resistance to the tooth amidst Pork, Squash and Spice, suffice it to say that a $55 half-Duck was the only item truly “sharable” by three adults, its richness countering fiery Sauce and bitter Greens before diners cooled their mouths with dueling flavors of Ice Cream.

One of, if not the best spot to sample FRESH, local seafood in a laidback setting. Contemporary plates are art to the eyes, and to the palette. The wine list is absolutely top notch. The great staff will walk you through your odyssey.