Food & Drink
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Print this pageThe Updated Approach
As much as we love the proverbial greasy spoon, we’re quick to embrace progress (as long as it tastes good). Thankfully, plenty of neighborhood joints have modernized morning eggs.
Modern Diner
364 East Ave., Pawtucket, 726-8390
The most common thing heard in the snaking line that forms outside of Modern Diner? Order off the board. While the printed menu looks as traditional as the diner’s 1941 Sterling Streamliner, it’s the handmade signs slapped up on the wall that people strain to see. There’s no way to rank Modern’s best dishes since they change almost hourly, but there are plenty of contenders: kielbasa omelets, zabaglione waffles, French toast with creme anglaise and lobster cheese grits are just the start. No credit cards.
Liberty Elm
777 Elmwood Ave., Providence, 467-0777, libertyelmdiner.com
Liberty Elm looks a lot like a retro diner, but its philosophy is decidedly modern. Owners Carol DeFeciani and Diane Horstmyer source local ingre-dients, Sunday mornings mean live music, and 1 percent of the profits go toward buying American Liberty Elms for the neighborhood. They’ve even got a garden out back where you can sip free-trade joe or purchase a plant for your yard. And though there are plenty of eggs and bacon to go around, you can also start your day with a smoothie (aka liquida), panini or plate of tamari tofu.
The Sunnyside
267 Water St., Warren, 247-1200, thesunnysideri.com
Owner Joe Simone corners the market on charming with this fifty-seater that transitions to Italian eatery Tav-Vino in the evenings. Updated classics included wood-grilled grape-fruit drizzled in honey, berries with creme fraiche, pumpkin pancakes and baked eggs with roasted leeks and truffled mushrooms. Whatever you get, wash it down with a Belgian strawberry wheat beer.
Nicks on Broadway
500 Broadway, Providence, 421-0286, nicksonbroadway.com
Nicks has been revered for so long that it’d be tough to call it modern were it not for chef-owner Derek Wagner’s contemporary take on b’fast. With its sleek (but small) interior, Nicks continues to spoil West Side residents into thinking every diner serves sides of yellowfin tuna and pesto-grilled spears of Italian bread. Get there early or be prepared to wait.
Waterman Grille
4 Richmond Sq., Providence, 521-9229, watermangrille.com
Newport Restaurant Group loves water locales, which is one of the reasons city dwellers flock to the deck of Waterman Grille on Sundays. The other is Chef Michael Conetta’s playful approach to morning meals. After drinking down a salted-rim bloody Mary with dill pickles, diners can play around with anything from cornmeal-encrusted sole with lemon-thyme gastrique and Hereford sliders to locally sourced cheeses with rose petal jam.
Loie Fuller’s
1455 Westminster St., Providence, 273-4375, loiefullers.com
Long a favorite for Europhiles around town, Loie Fuller’s recently added a French-inspired Sunday brunch to their repertoire. What does it offer? In addition to the standards, the streamlined menu includes poached eggs (sans the English muffins), beignets and a requisite side salad laced with dijon.
Don’t forget the mimosas.
Asterisk
599 Thames St., Newport, 841-8833,
asterisknewport.com l We have a tendency to think the phenomenon of breakfast is a uniquely American concept. But the French mastered coffee and croissants while we were still toying with maize, so it’s only right that we give them a bit of respect. Asterisk does. Chef-owner John Bach-Sorensen delivers the standards along with a variety of European favorites such as eggs en cocotte with cream and thyme and eggs sandwiches on — what else? — freshly baked croissants.
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