Cav Restaurant

Recommends

ggatsby

Joined 4 years ago

My favorite restaurant. I love, love, love this place. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is so funky, unique, romantic, etc. Great service, good prices, this place is exceptional!

Doesn't Recommend

jimmieta

Joined 4 years ago

Mediocre food. Service was friendly but haphazard. Appetizers took a long time and then the main course arrived before we had finished the appetizers. The food was mediocre. Lack of flavor was overcompensated by excessive butter, cream, and oil.

Recommends

r2007

Joined 5 years ago

NO MUSIC. I haven't been, but I recently found out that this establishment NO LONGER HAS JAZZ AND BLUES ON SATURDAYS!!!!! bummer.

Recommends

River19

Joined 5 years ago

Eclectic atmosphere and owner but very solid food & drinks. African art everywhere and a menu that has nothing to do with Africa, the food is well thought out and very good. However they haven't changed their menu much and only have a special or two each night that I can tell.

Drinks are well thought out and the bartenders usually have a few new ones you can try out.

Recommends

eastsideprov

Joined 5 years ago

unique decor, attentive service, great food. unique decor, attentive service, great food. That pretty much says it all. One of my favorite restaurants. A "must see"

Recommends

cocuzzo

Joined 6 years ago

Romantic, Eccelectic, Great lighting, AMAZING FOOD!. This is totally Providence's little untapped resource. Trendy but NOT pretentious. We arrived early on a Wednesday (Halloween) so the place was a little on the quiet side. But the ambiance is so eclectic and cozy, we quickly forgot we were the only patrons there! Dim, romantic, just a great vibe.

Our waiter was attentive and very polite, but not stuffy, and his name was Vinnie. Service was perfect. No one hovered, noone acted like they were reading off a script, just warm, good service.

But the food. OH...the food.

The appetizers and salads are EXTREMELY reasonably priced. Most under $12.00. We splurged and ordered the Crabcake, but it was worth every penny. A little spicy, perfectly crisp on the outside, encrusted lightly with pistachios, with a savory sauce underneath. And the plating! Gorgeous! Just like on Top Chef, with all the ingredients insanity piled high, with the fried lotus root on the top! We were practically licking the plate.

My boyfriend ordered the duck, with an incredible reduction sauce and a sweet potato mash underneath. Delicious, perfectly cooked and not too gamy! Also, the plating was gorgeous. This ran about $26.00 - but he loved every bite.

But I MUST rave about the Chicken and Pear dish. "Poulet aux Poires". It's a pan-seared chicken breast cooked perfectly (2, and they are HUGE!) with red pears in a red wine & ginger pear sauce. Underneath the chicken is a little surprise which offsets the dish perfectly! They are little Asian Chive Dumplings, flattened, crisp and tasty. This was a reasonable at $21.95. Everything sang perfectly, the ginger pear sauce was delicious and the chive dumplings were an interesting addition. A MUST try.

Altogether, with a nice mid-price bottle of wine, the meal cost about $90.00. But for a satisfactory "special occasion" dinner, it was WORTH IT. We can't wait to go back, get some salads and appetizers, and spend the same $40 we would at some steakhouse for dinner.

Recommends

aaronmc

Joined 6 years ago

One of Rhode Island's best restaurants.. I fell in love with CAV. The dining area is large, with plenty of seating, so waits are usually short, if at all. The dining area is decorated like Charles Foster Kane's dreams, with loads of antiques, and pieces of art from the four corners of the globe. While lunch is a treat, and a good deal, nighttime meals are the star. During the summer, you can sit outside in the small courtyard that houses Jerry's Art Supply and Framing. The small area exudes a quiet Bohemia that isn't nearly as pretentious as Thayer Street. As such, the clientele isn't as young and trendy as many of the places in Providence. Instead, it's replaced by a well lived, older group in their 30's-50's. If you didn't know, this is a good thing. If you choose to sit inside, you're treated to a dining area that literally glitters. Small lights and candles illuminate the area and all its artistic wonders. It can only be described as ethereal. The staff is young, but not too young, and boy howdy are they friendly and attentive. The menu is suitably large for both lunch and dinner, and specials round out the offerings. Their crab cakes and bruschetta are delicious, and for entrees its hard to pick a favorite. From the delectably sweet and savory Poulet aux Poires (chicken with pears), to a Shrimp Scampy in vodka butter sauce that had me crying it was so good. Their dessert offerings are not as good as their dinner and lunch offerings, but that's like complaining that that a 24k gold necklace isn't platinum. They are quite excellent and change frequently. You will never be faced with the same choice multiple times. I ordered a chocolate thing, the name escapes me, that had me actually licking my dish. And I'm not sure where they get their biscotti, but it was fantastic. CAV is a wonder of Providence and all of New England. Restaurants in New York that charge twice the price don't offer as much. CAV is, without doubt, one of the best.

Recommends

leslieortizlopez

Joined 7 years ago

Great!. Best Experience Ever. A Very Romantic Restaurant And The Food Is Excellent!

Recommends

foodie119

Joined 8 years ago

AMAZINGLY DIFFERENT. Cav is one of those places that never ceases to surprise me. It is so ecclectic, and inviting and is one of my favorite places to be. The owner always welcomes us and has even given us tokens of her appreciation. Everything there is collected from different countries and are for sale. The food is fabulous, the ambience is delightful. Couldn't ask for anything more.

Recommends

jetson

Joined 8 years ago

excellent service, gorgeous space!. We really liked everything we tried at CAV, but were most impressed by the beautiful and inviting space and the wonderful service. The servers were incredibly attentive without being overbearing, and had perfect timing. We went early so no reservations were not a problem. Salads were lovely, the tuna and salmon entrees both very good, fabulous fresh pasta dish was my favorite.ice vegetarian options. Worth the drive from Boston.