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When chef James Mark closed his beloved restaurant North in the Dean Hotel in July, it left a hole in Providence’s dining scene.
In fact, I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked: “Do you know what’s going in the old North space?” Well, here’s the skinny: the space was never going to be empty for long.
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Thanks in part to Michael Silva, who is in charge of the beverage program at The Dean Bar, the old North restaurant space is now known as A Place with No Name. There, he’s helping the hotel launch cocktail and food collaborations. They’ve had guest chefs like Quinneil Simmons of Fork & Flower, the former sous chefs of North, chef Nikhil Navnish Naiker from Fortnight, and many others swing through.
But then Eric Brown, a Wakefield, Mass. native who once attended Johnson & Wales University and just returned to Providence from Chicago, served there under the name “Thick Neck.” It was a hit.
Throughout the winter, Brown will be serving a modern, seafood-focused menu that’s inspired by fare along the coast. Being able to head to the docks or local fish markets is something Brown missed for the decade he was away.
“Any chef will tell you how joyous it is to cook here when you have access to these kinds of ingredients,” Brown told me after rattling off the various producers he works with, such as Sweet & Salty Farm in Little Compton for his cheese dish with grilled cranberries, Walnut and Carpenter Oysters, and White Barn Farm in Wrentham, Mass.
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While in Chicago, Brown co-founded Saint Emeric, a speakeasy-style dining experience in a church from the 19th century. It was an intimate experience for 12 guests at a time, with a new eight-course menu curated each week. Part of the concept was that the place was a secret: Guests were emailed an address without knowing the kind of atmosphere or food they’d be getting.
But there were permit issues, and the city ordered him to shut it down.
As “Thick Neck,” Brown will be serving a menu that will update slightly for each dinner, which will take place on Thursday and Friday nights. Items are available a la carte. There are some nights where you can order everything for $100.
His standout dishes include his spaghetti squash salad, which he’s been serving on his menus for the last few years, where squash is gently roasted, dressed in a vinaigrette with pumpkin seeds, shallots, and parsley. Other favorites include raw fish with grilled pumpkin and sumac; creamed beans with yuzu kosho, shellfish and kohlrabi; and monkfish with grilled broccoli and bagna cauda.
The dessert is a cool gjetost — a brown Norwegian cheese — with bright persimmons and a barley caramel.
Since there’s so much uncertainty around the old North restaurant space, I asked Brown what his plans were for the future. He said he and his fiancé purchased a home on the East Side, and he wants his pop-ups under the Thick Neck brand to become a staple.
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“I plan on doing this for as long as I’m allowed to,” he said. “Until someone tells me to stop.”
Thick Neck’s pop-ups are located inside the restaurant space at The Dean Hotel at 122 Fountain St. in Providence, Rhode Island. The “Thick Neck” pop-up by chef Eric Brown does not accept reservations at this time. Updated are posted on Thick Neck’s Instagram.
If you have suggestions or need a recommendation, shoot me an email at Alexa.Gagosz@globe.com.
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Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
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