The restaurant, located inside a Gilded Age-era building with dramatic stained-glass windows and marble, was a launchpad for young talent from the time it opened in 2011. When The Dorrance closed in 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, it left a quiet ache downtown. But after years of silence, its owner, Michael Lester, is finally making his return with a new restaurant.
Mémère’s, a Quebec- and French-inspired restaurant that looks inward to Lester’s own family and honors his grandmother, will open in October inside Neptune, the hip downtown hotel previously known as The Dean. Mémère’s is a deeply personal project, and could inspire a new generation of chefs and bartenders.
At Mémère’s, expect items like crunchy bread, chocolate crepes, poutine, steak frites, twice-baked potatoes, and tourtière pie (a savory, double-crusted meat pie beloved in Quebec). They’ll have a cheese cart that will be pushed around to the tables, and will offer a table-side bouillabaisse, the traditional Provençal fish stew. They’ll also have a raw bar, a strong emphasis on non-alcoholic options, showcase food from local farms, and the menu will change often.
“It’s going to be New England comfort with a French twist,” said Lester. “We kind of have Montreal during the week and Paris on the weekends. We’ll jazz it up, and go from a refined rusticity to more glitzy.”
Lester said they’ll have “Casablanca vibes at night,” with a piano player, Sunday suppers that will offer large-format plates and family-style servings, and host themed parties.
Similarly to The Dorrance, Mémère’s space carries its own lore. The space previously housed North, a nationally known restaurant by chef James Mark, and then Thick Neck, a yearlong pop-up by chef Eric Brown (who went on to open Frank & Laurie’s). The hotel itself opened in 2014 in a refurbished brothel and strip club. Lester might lean into that gritty past.
A view through a porthole window of the dining room bar area while it was under renovation in the summer of 2025.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
“I was thinking we’d do a gnudi bar night,” said Lester, referencing the tender, ricotta-based dumplings that are pronounced “nu-di.” “It’ll be a little edgy. That’s very Providence.”
While Mémère’s makes its mark, the spirit of The Dorrance looms large.
Lester declined to provide details about why The Dorrance closed. He had planned to rebuild the restaurant in Newport, but ultimately did not. Colin Geoffroy, who owns G Hospitality and the Providence building where The Dorrance was located, did not respond to the Globe’s request for comment. The building now houses G Hospitality’s private event space, The Reserve on Dorrance, which is closed to the public.
Ask some of Providence’s top chefs and bartenders where they got their starts, and chances are they’ll mention The Dorrance.
“As a young chef, it felt like I was working at Eleven Madison Park,” said Ben Sukle, who worked as a chef at The Dorrance before leaving to open Birch, a tasting menu restaurant that closed in 2020, and his wildly successful restaurant Oberlin.
The Dorrance earned accolades from Food & Wine and Bon Appétit magazines, as well as from the James Beard Foundation.
While Lester said Mémère’s will be a place to “celebrate the special moments,” much like people did at The Dorrance, he acknowledges it will not be the same.
“The Dorrance was very much more of a fine dining restaurant, which I think with the exception of a few new openings, Providence needs more of,” said Sukle.
Michael Lester pours a daiquiri in the hotel’s Bar, which he will also oversee at Neptune.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Providence itself has changed since The Dorrance opened in 2011, when the restaurant was known for its mixology and playful parties – including burlesque shows during dinner service. It was the place where people got married, but also where restaurant workers would gather after their shifts.
Can Lester capture the region’s diners’ hearts twice in a city that’s changed since he was at the top of his game?
“He’s Providence’s original bon vivant,” said Jesse Hedberg, who previously worked for Lester as the bar manager at The Dorrance. Now he co-owns Club Frills, a cocktail bar, and Pizza Marvin, a funky pizza shop with his own bottled and canned drinks.
Lester “is hospitality to a T,” said Ed Davis, a former sous chef at The Dorrance who now owns Debbie’s, a downtown hot dog and hoagie joint. “When I actually go out now, I still want to go to The Dorrance. It was cool, and beautiful, but, man, it was still down to earth.”
While many restaurants lacked drink menus, Lester went out of his way to make The Dorrance’s cocktails stand out.
In the early days of The Dorrance, Lester acquired a Perlini, a cocktail carbonating system. He and the bar team carbonated every classic cocktail possible.
“It was like a marathon affair. There were a lot of hits that ended up making our menu, but there were a lot of misses, too,” said Hedberg. “That sums Mike up perfectly. He was always willing to put in the work to find something great.”
Stools from the previous eatery are stacked near a window where a piano will go.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
While Lester ran The Dorrance, he also worked for MS Walker, a liquor importer and distributor, where Hedberg said he helped get unique spirits into the hands of budding bartenders. Lester left MS Walker in August after 22 years, to focus on Mémère’s.
Running The Dorrance “feels like a million years ago. But it also feels like it’s only been five seconds,” said Lester. “I’m embracing this new world of hospitality.”
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
Dining and Cooking