The George (On Washington)
I’ve had The George on my Two Girls restaurant list for some time and I was looking for the perfect excuse to give it a try. We actually visited The George back in March for Jessica’s birthday but with life moving at what seems to be the speed of sound, I’m just getting to the write up today.
I’m not sure if it’s just me but some of our favorite restaurants seem to have unusual names….. The George certainly sits at the top of our favorite list!!! My first thought was who would name a restaurant The George?? I needed to know why someone would choose this name ( yes, sometimes I geek out on things like this) so googled the address and saw that it was on Washington Street. Ahhhh….ok, so the picture comes more into focus.
From the exterior, The George is quite unassuming especially when it’s dark, raining, and you’re trying to find the best place to leave your car for the valet. Valet parking is free for customers of The George and was a welcomed sight given that metered parking on Washington Street in Providence is hard to come by on a weekend. It’s almost like looking for a picture of me in a TuTu as a child….. there might be one out there, but good luck finding it! LOL 🙂
We dodged the raindrops, ran in and…… BOOM, I was captivated! I absolutely love architecture of historic buildings and The George was a feast for my eyes. The main dining room features fluted Corinthian style columns ( with a modern touch) and the phrase “We The People” backlit in blue as a beautiful backdrop. Modern elegance at its very best.
We followed our host our table in the piano lounge and once again….wow! Beautiful dark, ornamental wood adornes the room and the stained glass windows are the piece de resistance!
While we were waiting for our server, the owner ( Alex if I remember correctly) was explaining the history of the building to the couple seated behind us.. Now I’m not one to eavesdrop on a conversation, but for our readers I felt it was my duty.
Two Girls fun facts…....
The stained glass windows are original to the building, the bar has been unchanged since the 1940’s and there’s a speakeasy downstairs. I wanted more information on the speakeasy but thought it would be rude to interrupt so……. Alex, if you’re reading this, we would be happy to return to get our readers more insight on the speakeasy ( maybe even a tour) and, for research purposes, try some of the other menu items that looked delicious! 🙂
Speaking of Alex, he’s been playing piano since the age of 8 and tickles the ivories on the baby grand for guests every Thursday night from 6-9. We already have plans to return this summer on a Thursday night.
Shortly after we were seated Dan came to welcome us to The George. He promptly took our drink order and asked us if we had any questions with regard to the menu and went over the specials in detail.
Dan was absolutely perfect. He had a great personality was very attentive without being overbearing.
Two Girls Suggestion: There were a good number of specials, and although Dan did an amazing job at describing them, it was a lot to remember. It is certainly impressive to hear them verbalized by the server, but we also like to have the opportunity to mull over the specials while looking at the main menu. A visual of some type would be our suggestion.
After hearing the specials and looking over the menu Jess and I agreed that it was hard to make a decision. We decided to try two appetizers ( again, simply for research purposes)…. Mozzarella Cakes ($12) and the homemade Focaccia bread. Now I know what you’re thinking…BREAD? Why bread with all those other choices? We are Portuguese…need I say more? 🙂
Let me begin by saying that the stuffed mozzarella cakes were absolutely phenomenal! My first bite was the perfect combination of fresh hot mozzarella cheese oozing out of a perfectly seasoned crispy outside. Surrounded by marinara for dipping and topped with fresh basil, these cakes were the perfect start of more great things to come!
Our second choice was the Focaccia bread but Dan gave us the bad news that they were out of Focaccia ($12) so we opted to go with their garlic bread($10). With a perfect crunch on the outside and a light and flaky center, the garlic bread hit the spot and went perfectly with our mozzarella cakes. We were a strong 2 for 2!
To be honest, at this point we were wondering how we would fit anything else in but were aren’t quitters so we pushed through!
For entrees I chose the braised short ribs ( $33) and Jessica opted for Seafood Fra Diavolo which was one of the specials, and unfortunately I don’t recall the price.
If you’re a regular reader of Two Girls you know that short ribs are my weakness, and I’m happy to say that The George has taken over the number one spot! The mouth-watering, fork tender ribs, sitting atop a cloud of buttery mashed potatoes were complimented by a delicious red wine demi glaze and topped with perfectly cooked green beans. George Washington may have lost all his teeth by the age of 30 but he wouldn’t need them for this dish.
As you can imagine, the Seafood Fra Diavolo lived up to its name and was packed with scallops, cod, clams and chunks of lobster. Jessica loves all things seafood (me, not so much) and I’m beginning to think she always orders seafood because she knows I won’t ask for a taste. LOL! The medley of seafood lightly swam in a spicy and flavorful red broth with spaghetti that Jessica described as having just the right amount of kick. If we weren’t in such a nice place I think she would have slurped the broth out of the bowl. 🙂
At this point we were both at the very top of full on the food meter but what kind of food bloggers would we be without sampling a few desserts? Dan came by and asked us if we wanted dessert and although our stomachs said no, no ,no our taste buds said yes, yes, yes. Now here’s where blogging this 2 months after our visit becomes difficult. I don’t recall how many choices we had but I can tell you that the two we chose were out of this world!!! Our choices: Chocolate Peanut Butter cake and the Strawberry Tres leches cake. As we expected after the first 2 courses, the desserts hit just right and were clearly homemade.
From start to finish, the service and our food was absolutely on point!! The George is a must visit and I can tell you that we will be back for round two, and a visit down to the Speakeasy is on our must do list.
If you enjoy supporting local businesses, The George should be at the top of your list!! We would highly encourage you to make reservations, especially on a weekend. Click here to go to their website: https://thegeorgerestaurantri.com/
Enjoy and don’t forget to tell them that Two Girls Spooning sent you!
Happy Spooning!
Sara and Jess 🙂