City Side Cafe

An "immovable" feast of the most generous proportions

by Dawn Keable

53 Pine Street
Providence
272-6660
Open Sun - Thurs from 11 to 12:30 a.m.
Fri and Sat until 1 a.m.
Major credit cards
No access

You have to be in reasonably good shape to dine at the City Side Cafe -- or at least strong enough to pull out your chair. The narrow-backed seats are really cool --made with shellacked particleboard and steel rods -- and fit the minimalist/industrial decor of the restaurant. But not only are they deceptively heavy, they are equipped with pads to prevent them from scraping the floor! (Okay, the floor is a gorgeous hardwood.)

The night we went, my boyfriend Andre and I were struggling with the chairs so much, I thought we'd be forced to eat standing up. But once we were finally seated, there was no chance of either us tipping over -- and we looked so hip sitting there!

At the time, the City Side was packed with a Friday-night, after-work crowd, especially in the bar area. Andre and I decided to join in this unofficial celebration of the weekend from our table, with a round of drinks. For an appetizer, I let Andre talk me into potato skins ($5.75).

I think I'm a freak of nature, but I'm usually not crazy about potatoes. These were great, though! Five (hey, the menu said six; did our waiter need a snack on the way to our table?) deep-fried skins surrounding a mound of cool sour cream. Heaped with a blend of melted Swiss and Cheddar cheese and topped with crumbled bacon, the potato skins were amazingly crispy. This counts as a vegetable serving from the four basic food groups, right?

Okay, so maybe that's a bit of creative dieting. Still, I think my meal knocked off at least one of those daily requirements -- if not two or three. I'd selected the grilled chicken salad ($6.75), after all, for my main course.

The strips of tender boneless chicken had been marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing for a mildly tangy flavor, and they were served over an incredible assortment of garden vegetables. The foundation of this huge creation was a crisp mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce. From there, the dish included big, juicy plum tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, onions, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, and jalapeño peppers. Phew! All was deliciously fresh!

Andre also went with a salad, one custom-designed for him. You see, he wanted a small Caesar ($2.35) to accompany his meal. Officially, City Side offers only a large Caesar, but the kitchen readily fielded his request. If you, too, would like to sample the exclusive Andre salad with crunchy romaine lettuce, black olives, tomatoes, croutons, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Parmesan cheese, simply drop his name. If that doesn't work, wink twice and slip the waiter a $20.

As for Andre's entrée, he ordered it right off the menu. (Imagine that!) He picked the chicken parmesan ($10.50), and his serving was so enormous, it looked as if an entire box of penne, cooked perfectly to an al dente firmness, had been dumped on his plate.

On top of this were two generous chicken cutlets, which had been grilled for a nice smoky flavor and then baked with imported Provolone cheese. The entire dish was topped with a delicious tomato sauce which had the perfect degree of sweetness.

What else could Andre have possibly desired? Dessert, of course.

There were two specials, so naturally we had to sample one of each. Andre chose a slice of carrot cake ($3.95). (He didn't have any energy left to design his own confection.) Topped with a light, whipped-cream frosting (and a cherry), the moist cake had a tasty natural carrot flavor and was not overly filling.

I ordered a piece of strawberry cheesecake ($3.95), a crust-lover's dream with a graham-cracker layer on both the top and bottom. The richness of the cheesecake was complimented by a simple strawberry sauce, while cascading slices of strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream finished this perfect culinary picture.

It was hard to push ourselves away from the table -- not because we were so full that we couldn't move (although we were close to the breaking point), but because we couldn't get out of our chairs. Next time, we'll try moving the table.