3.5-ish/5 but I can't round up. :/
Had some extra time this week on Wednesday to try out a new spot and this wound up being the selection. I'd heard fairly mixed things about this place so I was glad I was able to come for lunch, as dinner is a bit too pricy for me to risk spending that much money on a so-so meal and I'll never get up early enough to head out to Providence for brunch, lol.
GoM is in the old Grille 29 spot, a somewhat nostalgic restaurant for me. It's a Boyce restaurant (think Cotton Row, Commerce Kitchen) so it serves comparably ritzy American seafood, steaks, and other dishes.
They weren't too busy around 11:45 on Wednesday, so the polite hostess offered me my choice of booth, table, or patio seating. Despite the rather warm weather, I selected the patio. It's a nice patio, comfy and inviting with decent views of the rest of Providence. The only detractor from the atmosphere was someone seated at a table near mine ordered some sort of fish dish and it came out smelling...not awesome, and strongly enough I could smell it at my table. This might bother people who like fish less than it bothered me.
My waiter was Seth, or at least it was per the check he gave me -- names are hard to remember sometimes, lol. He was prompt and polite, if maybe a tiny bit awkward. No worries, he did a fine job.
I ordered the fried green tomato BLT for my lunch. I had my choice of Parmesan fries or a side salad, and I chose the fries. It came out in a reasonable amount of time.
Ultimately, I feel conflicted about the dish. I think it was really pretty good, flavor wise, but the portion and ratio was just kind of...off. There was a TON of lettuce (enough I removed a few leaves), and not a ton of bacon. At this price point, I was expecting some kind of impressive, smoky, thick cut applewood type of deal, but this was ordinary, kinda wimpy strips -- to the point where on a couple bites, I was left wondering where the bacon even was. It was cooked well at least. The fried green tomatoes had good flavor but were cut way too thick, imo, and wound up dominating the sandwich more than they should have. On the bright side, the bread stood up well to all the toppings, and the pimento cheese was delicious. Less lettuce, thicker/more bacon, thinner FGT, and you'll have yourself a winner here.
Lastly, the fries...just kind of annoyed me. Fries are my favorite food and I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, the fries I was served were frozen fries, maybe Ore-Ida. They were cooked well, and the Parmesan jazzed them up, but they were ABSOLUTELY not fresh. Had that vague mealy texture and bland taste I associate with freezer fries. No potato skin to be found anywhere, extremely uniform, etc. As far as freezer fries go, they weren't bad, but...come on, at this price point?? This is what I'd expect of a small mom and pop meat and 3 with 30 other side selections to worry about, not one of the fancier restaurants in town. When comparing my fries to pictures other reviewers posted, they don't look quite the same. Maybe I came on an off day, but regardless, it wasn't cool.
Idk. I feel like I'm coming across pretty harsh. Service and atmosphere was solid. The sandwich was just a few small adjustments away from being really good, so there's hope here, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to risk $18 at lunch again. read more