RI Restaurant Stories: Persimmon On Hope Street In PVD

The hottest reservation in RI this week? It's the recently relocated Persimmon, formerly in Bristol and now at 99 Hope Street, the East Side PVD space previously occupied by Rue de L'Espoir. Never went to Rue, but I can tell you that both the interior and exterior of the new Persimmon look ahhh-mazing. When I called the other day (They opened officially on Tues., the 17th.), trying to secure a table for two, the only times they had available for last night were 5:30 or 8pm. For the record, I went with the 8 because I figured it was more 'big city' and cosmopolitan. Luckily, I'd invited someone to join me who is a frequent contributor to this blog and who happens to travel back and forth to NYC all the time, so she gets the whole eat-dinner-later thing. She also doesn't care if I snap mad, crazy pics of all the food and drinks after they've been served. 'Wait, don't start eating! I have to take a pic.'

We started with some drinks. She had sparkling water while I ordered 'The Nomad', a blend of ALOO vodka, Mahia fig spirit, lemon, and sugar with a salted rim. Our waitress confided that it's been one of the most popular cocktails this opening week and I totally understand why. #tasty And I probably would've ordered another - if I didn't have to wake up early the next morning to get to a special am event on the water (#hint #staytuned).

Next, we munched on some bread and butter while deciding what to order. Their Providence menu* is divided into 5 sections - Vegetables, Fish + Shellfish, Handmade Pasta + Grains, Meat + Poultry + Game, and Desserts - to choose from. After some careful consideration, I ordered the salad (of greens, veggies, pickles, and flowers, w/herbed buttermilk vinaigrette), the native asparagus, sliced Morel mushrooms, glazed scallions, and the penne with eggs, peas, and Pecorino. All small plates and all delicious. Currently day dreaming about that penne pasta as I'm blogging this. True story, I try to eat mostly vegetarian (They made the penne without the guanciale meat for me.), but if you're a carnivore, or paleo, you'll want to try their venison tartare. Our waitress told us it's been a big hit. 

We didn't get coffee or dessert, but I did notice they have French press on the menu, so that's another reason to return. As a matter of fact, I can't think of a single reason why anyone would turn down a chance to go to Persimmon. The food is everything, our waitress was a real sweetheart, and the mood overall is cozy-foodie. It was a tad loud, but in the interest of full disclosure, I probably have some hearing-related issues from all the loud live music I listened to back in my teens and 20's. 'It's not you, it's me.' 

*I hear that the Bristol location was famous for a special 5 course tasting menu, which I didn't see listed last night. Maybe because they are so brand-y new? Most definitely something to watch for this Spring and Summer though. 

Ciao for Now,

Patty J

Photo Credits: All photos courtesy of PattyJ.com and Patty J Style, LLC