Pub Amble: From Pretzels to Pickles, My Night in Downtown

Ever since I turned the big two-one, downtown PVD has been my go-to destination. Consisting of bars, clubs, restaurants and hybrids of all kinds, uniqueness is Downcity’s middle name. It was a Thursday night with nothing to do, so my bestie Michaela, a seasoned veteran in bars and crawling, and I took to the streets for our first destination, Trinity Brewhouse.

Trinity Brewhouse is a triple threat, as the name implies, embodying a brewhouse, pub and restaurant. The restaurant is on top while downstairs is the pub section. For this particular night, we went straight to the basement. The vibe in Trinity’s basement is divey, hipster and grungy, while still accessible to everyone — if that makes sense. I’ve seen everyone from hipsters to bros to preps down there all mingling and getting along, with a common interest in beer and having a good time. Its essence is a slightly dressed-up basement with cement walls, somewhat dingy wooden chairs and tables, and single tea-light candles, which I think is the real charm of the place.  

Since this was the first stop on our bar tour, we rushed right toward bar itself. Now this might seem insane as Trinity is an brewhouse and all, but in all the times I’ve been there, I’ve never had one of their own brews. This time, because I was in a good mood, I figured I would give something a shot.

My palate for beers is not the most complex. What I do know is that the less it tastes like beer, the better! Lighter beers with hints of fruit are right up my alley. So I looked above their impressive mug wall (rows and rows of mugs that belong to people in the mug club) to check out their beer selection. One immediately stood out to me: the Superfly. Its description had fancy beer terminology that flew over my head, but my eyes zoomed straight in on the words pale ale, mango, pineapple and passionfruit. Sold! I got it on tap, took a sip and Superfly did not fail me. I could taste the subtle hints of the fruit and it was refreshing and crisp; the night couldn’t have started off better. Great first destination; total success. I had my liquid coat on and it was time for the second destination.

Michaela was feeling hungry, and I didn’t realize it but my stomach was grumbling a bit too. So she suggested The Malted Barley, a place I never heard of, but apparently has great cocktails, pretzels, and sandwiches. We strolled in and the phrase modern elegance came to mind. Everything is wooden from the chairs to the tables to the bar, and there are string lights hanging from the ceiling illuminating the room. There are also plants scattered throughout, and every table was candle lit. It felt campy and classy, which is the complete opposite effect I got from Trinity’s urban basement.

We sat at a table and gave the menu a good skimming. I decided to get a Hawaiian Dragon, a fruity
cocktail made with muddled orange, Bacardi dragon fruit rum, blue curacao, pineapple and oj. More intriguing was Michaela’s choice: a Summer Pop. I have never heard of using Pop Rocks as a rim, but whoever came up with it is a genius. Made with Tito’s handcrafted vodka, prosecco and lemonade, this drink tasted like a refreshing Popsicle, and the Pop Rocks on the rim literally made it pop. To quiet our grumbling stomachs, we got a dessert pretzel with sugar, cinnamon and frosting — basically an explosion of ecstasy on my tastebuds.

After scarfing down food and cocktails, we headed to our last stop, the Salon. There is no sign that actually says the Salon. Instead they have a huge sign with old-school light bulbs that spell out BAR. The morning after my first time there, I called all my friends pleading, “What is that cool-ass bar we stopped in last night?” One by one they all had no clue, until finally someone shot the name Salon into the universe and the mystery was solved. Salon is the best place to end a night. The first floor has a bar, some arcade machines, pinball machines, a ping-pong table, picnic tables and a DJ. The basement is its own separate entity; it has an open space for dancing and its own bar, and hosts a DJ some nights each week.

But the thing that ultimately drives me there is their Pickleback shots: a shot of Jameson whiskey and a shot of pickle juice. When I tell people about the shot, understandably, I am met with either disgust or confusion. I get it; it sounds gross, but I always say you just have to try it. You get the nice sting of the whiskey, which is immediately followed by the pickle juice. It’s one of those things that just seems to work.

From Superfly to pretzels, Summer Pop and the infamous Pickleback, I would call this deep downtown Providence pub amble a success. Good food, good cocktails, good beer and I can remember it; that’s what I call a good night. So as I headed home, my taste buds happy and ready for bed, I was already looking forward to my next night out in downtown, and hoping it would be as unique as this one.

Trinity: 186 Fountain St

The Malted Barley: 334 Westminster St

Salon: 57 Eddy St