A place with the perfect runny yolk. New breakfast and lunch restaurant coming to Providence

Gail Ciampa, Providence Journal
Updated ·2 min read

A new breakfast and lunch restaurant from the chef of Thick Neck will be going into the space formerly occupied by Rebelle Bagels in Providence.

Rebelle owners Milena Pagán and Darcy Coleman posted a thanks and goodbye to the space at 110 Doyle Ave. as a story on Instagram on Wednesday, Nov. 15. A short few hours later, the space's future was revealed in another Instagram post. That one was from Thick Neck featuring chef Eric Brown and wife Sarah Watts.

They posted about their plans for a new restaurant via video showing them at the door on Doyle Avenue, putting up an "Opening Soon" sign. It bears the name of the new place: Frank & Laurie's.

They wrote that since moving to Providence, they "have been seeking a certain somewhere we can sit down midday and get lost in a meal. A neighborhood retreat … where our stacked to-do list can wait outside while we fill our cups inside."

Because they hadn't found such a restaurant, they decided they would build it themselves.

Chef Eric Brown has been running Thick Neck as a pop-up restaurant in the Dean Hotel. Soon he and his wife, Sarah, will open Frank & Laurie's, a breakfast and lunch spot at 110 Doyle St. in Providence, where Rebelle Bagels most recently operated.
Chef Eric Brown has been running Thick Neck as a pop-up restaurant in the Dean Hotel. Soon he and his wife, Sarah, will open Frank & Laurie's, a breakfast and lunch spot at 110 Doyle St. in Providence, where Rebelle Bagels most recently operated.

"Soon, Frank & Laurie’s will open its doors at 110 Doyle. Named after my grandparents and the place where I learned what a perfect runny yolk is like, where I learned how dark to take a pancake, where I learned ranch is good on most things, where I tasted a peach for the first time."

Eric Brown grew up in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and attended Johnson & Wales University. During college, he worked at Gracie's, and after graduation moved to Chicago. There he worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant, Elske, before opening his own pop-up, Pinky Ring.

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Since returning to Providence, he's been in residence at the Dean Hotel with Thick Neck as a pop-up, in the former North space. That will continue for now, according to the social media post.

"Now we’ve got keys in hand, and we’re ready to build our baby. Thick Neck will be here until the bitter end, and then it’s onwards to something new."

Brown was recently named a 2023 Coastal New England Rising Star by StarChefs,  a restaurant industry media group that singles out chefs who represent the future of American hospitality.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Chef Eric Brown of Thick Neck opening breakfast restaurant in Providence