Steve H.
Yelp
While this review is with a critical eye, I want to start off saying this was a good meal. Café Nuovo is nicely located near the train station, right where the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck Rivers merge. It is beautiful, and if you have the chance to dine outdoors, take the opportunity.
While it a solidly good meal, what brought this to 4 stars was the service. I believe the gentleman who served me was named Justin (or something that starts with a J) - tall, clean-cut, slender, Caucasian guy who recently started working at the restaurant. He was conversational and never skipped a beat to ensure I was taken care of. Also, he provided me some suggestions for places to tour and eat throughout Providence. He took the extra mile with the service.
I did a starter, main, and dessert with a glass of German Starling Castle Riesling.
Brussels sprouts with goat cheese crema, crispy bacon, polenta crouton, balsamic glaze. This was a pretty classic preparation. While some have a philosophy of cooking Brussel sprouts to mush, I liked that the cooked Brussel sprouts retained some texture. The polenta croutons were creative in concept, lacking in execution. They were oddly cold and didn't blend with the overall temperature of the dish. Bacon was crispy. Goat cheese crema added a tang to the dish. But really the star that elevated the dish was an ingredient not listed in the menu, pickled roasted red peppers. An impromptu move from the kitchen, but it paid off. It complemented the goat cheese crema, balsamic glaze, and gave more life to the sprouts.
Chilean sea bass with saffron and charred fennel broth, spinach, creamer potatoes, roasted garlic butter. Another classic preparation. The Chilean sea bass was seared perfectly with a golden crust and sear. The broth was light, bright, and yet had a nice body to it. It reminded me of a light bouillabaisse or a Japanese seafood broth. It complemented the Chilean sea bass' boldness nicely. The spinach and potatoes cooked well and seemed pretty standard, but at times were an afterthought when all you can think about was that Chilean sea bass. The quality of the dish wouldn't change if the spinach and potatoes weren't there. I think the potatoes and spinach would have been more successful if maybe they were cooked in the broth or in a way that integrated more with the broth.
Toasted corn cake & dark chocolate ganache with tarragon gel, chocolate crumble, caramel corn, lime foam, chili sweet corn sherbet. As this caught my eye on the menu, this deserved top marks for being creative and audacious. In execution, the components tasted good, but the components did not come together. The toasted corn cake was moist. The ganache was smooth. The chocolate crumble complemented the ganache and sherbet. But there are a lot of strong flavors on the dish: tarragon, chocolate, lime, and chili. The tarragon and lime in particular were very strong. When any other ingredient was combined with either the tarragon or lime, the tarragon and lime took over. I think this dessert would benefit with taming the tarragon and taking out the lime.
Café Nuovo is a foundation of good cooking with potential that can do more. If you're looking for an upscale, yet straightforward place, Café Nuovo would be it.