JULIAN'S,

318 Broadway, Providence, 861-1770.

Julian's seems to exude a '70s California style, featuring wooden tables marked with hump-back whales, counter stools, and aged cookbooks stacked throughout the room. The menu, however, reflects '90s dining, with pasta, calamari, and grilled pork loin or veal chops. If you're in the mood for grilled seafood, Julian's serves shrimp over linguine with a tomato-and-pesto cream sauce ($12). There is also swordfish with portobello ($12) complimented with three accompanying sides of Yukon mashed potatoes, the best grilled zucchini, and summer squash rounds. The swordfish steak, meanwhile, is so naturally moist, it doesn't need to be topped with the usual buttery sauce. On the night we visited, the alternating menu only offered "Anita's almond cheesecake" for dessert ($3). No matter. Light and creamy, the cake had just a hint of almond with sliced almonds on top.

Full review.