Kartabar - @@@@

On Monday, April 4 we went to Kartabar, a restaurant in the campus section of Brown University.  Feeling adventurous after work, we decided to drive over to the "college hill" section of Providence where Brown is to check out the offerings over there.  From what I gathered, the main street in this area is Thayer St with different restaurants and stores branching a few blocks out from Thayer.  Being my main frame of reference is U of M, I would more closely relate Thayer to State St in Ann Arbor.  It is not quite as undergrady as South U but not as dressy as Main St.  Thayer St has the pizza spots (rolled into a cone nonetheless!), burritos, sushi, and various other sit-down restaurants.  Interestingly I noticed quite a few of the sit-down restaurants were Mediterranean-inspired places.  Lamb and hummus were well represented it seemed.  Also talking to the host at Kartabar, most of the area is owned by the same person similarly to Ann Arbor.  After walking the blocks and looking at various menus, we decided on Kartabar mainly because a large party had just emptied into the streets with smiles on their faces.

Kartabar was a restaurant that seemed to turn into a lounge/club?? on weekends and later at night.  It had a cool vibe with some pretty good music going on.  It was more late 90's, early 00's R&B that I havent heard in a while.  There was also a side room that they probably open up on the weekends for the festivities.  I really enjoyed the layout and the music, with the type of interior where you think the entrees are pricey.  To my surprise they were not.  A hamburger was like $7 which seems really cheap even in a college area.  Since it wasnt too busy, I wonder if people have the perception that it is more expensive than it really is.

I ordered the french onion soup as an appetizer that was oozing cheese.  The broth was really good and flavorful, and the onions were cooked down appropriately; nice and carmelized.  This is important since I do not like the strong, crunchy texture of onions.  One interesting take on the soup was the topping of swiss cheese as opposed to the more classic gruyere.  They also used a smaller piece of bread in the soup than the normal large crouton.

For dinner I ordered something that I rarely think of...grilled turkey.  It said it was marinated with garlic, herbs, and white wine.  For some reason all I could think of was the turkey served at Thanksgiving - sliced turkey that was maybe finished on the grill.  This was not what I got at all.  Instead it was 2 large chunks of turkey breast similar to chicken breasts that were cooked on the grill.  It was actually very good.  I am not sure if the marinade made it good or what, but the meat was very tender and juicy.  Cooking it on the grill gave it additional flavor than baking or even pan-searing it seemed.  I was very pleased even though it was not what I was picturing when I ordered it.  It was accompanied with mashed potatoes (so-so) and steamed vegetables which were not overcooked which is all I can ask with steamed veggies.

I thought this place was a great find that we just stumbled across.  The interior and music were cool and the food was surprisingly good as well.  It was a good place to hang out, relax, and get some good, reasonably priced food.  Overall a 4 of 5 and I would definitely go back again.  Reading reviews online, it seems it turns very clubby on the weekend nights, so I would advise if you are going for dinner to go during the week.

not sliced turkey at all

284 Thayer St
Providence, RI 02906