American

The airy, large dining room of Mill’s Tavern (101 N. Main St., 401/272-3331, www.millstavernrestaurant.com [1], 5–10 p.m. Mon.–Thu.; 5–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat.; 4–9 p.m. Sun., $18–31) opened in 2003 and quickly became a local favorite for big plates of icy oysters and pappardelle with rabbit stew.

The trendy XO Café (125 N. Main St., 401/273-9090, www.xocafe.com [2], 12 p.m.–10 p.m., $26–32) oozes sleek urbanity with its red walls and epic cocktail list. The dessert list tops the menu (along with the instruction: “Life is short. Order dessert first”). But some of the entrées are just as rich—like the foie gras dumplings with champagne ponzu sauce, or the prosciutto mac ’n’ cheese with truffle essence.

The original outpost of the successful steakhouse chain Capital Grille (1 Union Station, 401/521-5600, www.thecapitalgrille.com [3], 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; 5–10 p.m. Mon.–Thu.; 5 p.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat.; 4 p.m.–9 p.m. Sun., $26–35) is a clubby, masculine house of sirloin and seafood. It’s also a magnet for bigwigs and politicos, in for the dry-aged porterhouses, double-cut lamb chops, classic caviar presentations, and hefty wine list.

Very popular for pre- and post-theater dining, Gracies (194 Washington St., 401/272-7811, www.graciesprov.com [4], 4 p.m.–11 p.m., $19–24) is a refreshing combination of refinement and relaxation. The professional but friendly staff whizzes about the red-walled room, serving excellent artisanal cheese platters, and entrées like duck breast with braised apples, cranberry corn bread, and foie gras butter.