OT - City of Providence, RI

[Excalibur]

I think this is true in every city BTW. Aging boomers with money seem to like decent food and have a wider pallette than their parents. Even Hartford, you can't compare 20 years ago with today. There's decent food in Hartford. Maybe not as diverse as New Haven but its far more diverse--and upscale--than 20 years ago.

Hartford has some great upscale restaurants. They still rely on the business lunch crowd. Whatever they're calling the Polytechnic these days, it's still one of the best around anywhere. Also really enjoy Feng.

 

[upstater]

Roseland rocks. Love that place. The pasta dishes may be even better than the pizza.

Pepe's and Sally's were mentioned at least a few times; I think those are givens when you are talking about New Haven. Although, as has been debated here and elsewhere for time immemorial, many people (including me) include Modern Apizza and BAR in the holy quadrangle of New Haven pizza. Pepe's is still king of the clam pie. I haven't been to Sally's in years, but I hear that it has slipped considerably. They were never big on style points there, but I can tell you from driving down Wooster Street a few times a week that Sally's rarely has a line anymore, and Pepe's is the same as it ever was. I've asked some who frequent that scene more than I do and have been told that Sally's is quite dirty and hasn't kept up with the times.

I've lived practically in every state in the northeast but the northern New England states (Ct, RI, Ma, NY, NJ, Md, DC, Mich) and the one constant is the lack of good pizza outside of So. Ct and NYC. Sure, you can find maybe one place that does something now and again, but on Wooster Street you can walk blindly and find good pizza. When Pepe's was overloaded with people a few months ago, we walked down to Anastasio's. The pizza was fantastic. Better than anything you'd find in other cities. It was like this growing up. Remember going to a place called Palm Beach Pizza quite a bit. They just do it right.

 

[HooperScooper]

As someone who grew up in Fairfield County and now lives in Boston, I can verify. The pizza up here is terrible.

I live in the Boston area and work in Boston and I concur. Even my kids ask why they can't make pizza up here like they do in Connecticut.

 

[Waquoit]

Cianci was as dirty as it gets. He also presided over one of the more remarkable makeovers an American city has seen.

And the trains ran on time.

 

[Robertelamin]

I live in the Boston area and work in Boston and I concur. Even my kids ask why they can't make pizza up here like they do in Connecticut.

Yup. I don't understand why but the pizza there stinks. Regina's is supposed to be the best pizza in Boston. LOL.

 

[superjohn]

I haven't been to Providence in 10 years but there wasn't any good pizza places when I used to spend time there, New Haven's pizza is a million times better. The list is just ridiculous, I live in Chicago now and can tell you that having Chicago ranked ahead of New Haven or NYC is a joke, then I see Philly is #4 on the list, this has to be one of the most inaccurate lists I've seen.

 

[superjohn]

I just looked at the top 10 foodie city list as well and this is even more insane, Providence ahead of Chicago???? Savannah ahead of Charleston???

 

[Excalibur]

Ooh, look, I can post links too.

 

[upstater]

America's Best Cities for Pizza per Travel and Leisure
#3 Providence
Link:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-cities-for-pizza/4

America's Best Cities for 'Foodies'
#3 Providence
Link:
http://eater.com/archives/2011/09/14/here-is-a-list-of-americas-best-cities-for-foodies.php

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-cities-for-foodies/4


America's Top Foodie Cities per CNBC.COM
Providence
http://www.cnbc.com/id/41315888?slide=7

Thanks for the link to articles with a ton of commenters refuting the articles. And not only that, the writer says New Haven is for some reason not included but should have been. Huh?

And just what is this good pizza in Providence anyway? What joint? The article doesn't mention it (probably because the writer has never before been to Providence).

 

[JSB60]

I've lived in both New Haven and Providence also, and go back to both regularly. My two cents:

New Haven:

Better food of all kinds. Seafood, Italian, variety of ethnic. When I wanted pizza and lived in Providence I waited until I could drive to New Haven. The only real advantage of Providence was Portuguese and my favorite, Estrella's, closed a few years ago.

Theater/Arts. Not that Providence is bad, but NH is just better. Long Wharf, and Yale>Brown in this aspect as well.

Sports: Yale hockey and football are a much better experience than Brown has. And UCONN>>PC.

Providence:

Beach Access: Block Island, RI beaches just outclass Hamonasset or anything else in CT.

Liveable Neighborhoods: East Side is a much more enjoyable place to live in than any neighborhood in New Haven.

I call the access to larger cities a draw, Boston is closer to Providence, but NY>Boston.