The stuffed Berkshire pork chop entrée at Aspire in the Hotel Providence.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

PROVIDENCE — You couldn’t aspire to a more romantic dining spot in Providence than Aspire, the elegant restaurant which has moved into the space that was, in the Rhode Island vernacular, where L’Epicureo used to be … at least in L’Epicureo’s second incarnation.

The bar at Aspire was hopping with a stylish young crowd when we walked in the door on Mathewson Street … which turned out to be the wrong door. The bar and lounge are at the front of the building in the Hotel Providence; the restaurant entrance is on the Westminster Street side of the building in the little park at the corner opposite Grace Church. No matter. Everything’s connected and within seconds Frank, who later became our very knowledgeable and accommodating waiter, swooped in to whisk us into the restaurant through the bar.

We paused at the end of the long bar to admire the bold red image of the Aspire logo shimmering on the floor, created by a projector. Bar, lounge and restaurant share an L-shaped space in the Hotel Providence.

Once cozily seated in the dining room, my companion thought at first that eye tricks were being played when the three ornate crystal chandeliers seemed to take on different hues from moment to moment … red, violet, green, blue. The rainbow effect actually came from lights that were changing colors just above the chandeliers, a contemporary version of color wheels that were all the rage in the 1950s and once gave aluminum Christmas trees a magical pizazz.

The chandeliers are about the only things left from L’Epicureo’s tenure here. Besides the ever-changing colors, they’ve been shrouded by huge circular shades for an effect that combines Old World style with 21st-century design. They help make Aspire’s dining room sophisticated yet accessible; subdued yet snazzy. Along two walls are sumptuous, high-backed banquettes in burgundy velvet, just like you might see in a 1950s Hollywood movie that’s set in a smart Manhattan supper club. A scattering of tables in front of the banquettes have white tablecloths and chairs with hobnailed white leather. The walls are cherry-colored wood and there are lovely oil paintings by Christopher Garrison of Providence of downtown scenes — actors on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center just up the street, the exterior of Trinity Rep, a Mathewson Street streetscape among them.

Floor-to-ceiling windows make a dramatic statement along one side of the dining room, looking out onto a little park that has benches and several tables for outdoor dining, with heaters and a fire pit for cooler weather. At night, with a couple of little lanterns shimmering in the park and the Grace Church clock tower chiming out the quarter hours, you could imagine yourself in a smart Parisian bistro on a side street in Montmartre.

Happily, the menu by executive chef Jennis Heal, formerly of Hemenway’s, matches the atmosphere. Elegant, unhurried, but with a contemporary flair, the choices are both fun and regional: New Bedford-Style mussels with chorizo; pan-roasted scallops with potato gnocchi and butternut squash; Maine lobster and shrimp over pappardelle pasta, Plum Point Rhode Island oysters on the half shell. Every day there are bar specials, such as “Muscle Mondays” (buy two margaritas, martinis or mojitos and get a free order of mussels) or “Wasabi Wednesdays” (complimentary sushi with a drink purchase). Heal says that “99.9 percent” of the recipes are his own and that his work at Aspire allows for a more specialized and seasonal menu than he was allowed before.

While waiting for our drinks –– red raspberry and mango margaritas ($9 each) –– a basket of warm, very good rolls arrived. Both margaritas, served in tall glasses, were refreshing. The mango was slightly smoother and sweeter; the raspberry packed more of a punch. They were a cheery accompaniment to the appetizers.

The New Bedford-style mussels ($12) had three grilled Italian bread slices poised on top, ready for dipping in the light, slightly spicy tomato sauce which also had the hearty flavor of chorizo, the dusky flavor of pitted kalamata olives, sweet slices of red pepper and onion, garlic and thyme. After polishing off the grilled bread, we used some of the rolls in the basket to sop up the remaining sauce. It was a big portion of good-sized briny mussels, too, plump and tasting of the sea. The dish could easily satisfy someone looking for a light dinner.

Our shared Chicken, Gorgonzola and Walnut Ravioli ($9) contained three fat, house-made raviolis filled with roasted chicken, fried garlic and red onion. Slices of cranberries, slightly caramelized, coupled with a hearty Gorgonzola-walnut cream sauce, made for a delicious contrast of flavors and textures. It proved to be another good choice, for in the end we couldn’t decide whether we liked the ravioli or the mussel dish best.

There are several meat and seafood dishes on the menu — Pork Osso Buco, Veal Bolognese, Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast, Pan-Seared Red Grouper, Herb-Crusted Cod, among them.

But the Pan-Roasted Jumbo Scallops ($27) caught my eye because it was served with potato gnocchi, butternut squash with dried cranberries (as in the ravioli appetizer we’d so liked) and pepitas (the hulled, edible pumpkin seeds often used in Mexican cooking) in a brown butter sauce. The cranberries and seeds, along with the orange-tinged sauce, seemed a fitting lead off to Aspire’s fall menu.

The sweet cranberries gave zip to the light sauce as well as to the slices of squash and the gnocchi, which are surprisingly light. Sometimes gnocchi, those tortellini-sized puffs of dough, can be so filling that I reach my limit after no more than a half dozen. But Aspire’s are so light, relatively speaking, that I ate almost every one. There were five large sea scallops scattered across the gnocchi, roasted to a light brown coating, just enough so they were still tender and very moist. Their natural flavor wasn’t overwhelmed by the sauce.

The real star of the table, however, was the Berkshire Pork Chop ($27), stuffed with diced pear, shallot, and pancetta, served over roasted sweet potato. Berkshire is a breed of hogs, noted for their juiciness, flavor and tenderness. The proof was in the eating. The pork chop, besides being very large, was extraordinarily tender and juicy, fragrant with the aromas of the stuffing. Candied walnuts on the side gave a nice crunchiness to the dish, contrasting with the slightly bitter flavor of Swiss chard, which was as tender as spinach. Hats off to the prep person who removed the bright red, bitter ribs from the chard leaving a lovely plate of greens. The mild sage cream sauce gave a lilt to the chop which maintained its own integrity.

Desserts, $7 each, are all made in house and include a Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, a triple-espresso Mousse Torte with a chilled Godiva chocolate shooter and an Apple-Cranberry Tart with Ginger Gelato.

The Creme Brulee was a wonderfully rich and creamy custard, perfectly finished with a nice, crispy crust of caramelized sugar. A ramekin of raspberries and blueberries was served on the side.

Although the tart sounded inviting, the ginger gelato did not. No problem, said Frank, who was most accommodating. He offered to top it with cinnamon gelato instead. It proved a very good choice, the cinnamon adding a sweet touch to the tart, a doughy biscuit that tasted like something from Mom’s kitchen. It was filled with tender pieces of apples and the sweetened cranberries in a pear coulis. Delicious.

Upon leaving we went back out through the bar which was even more active than when we’d come in. Between the dining room and bar we paused to admire the pieces of shiny crystal dangling from the ceiling, lit like the chandeliers by an ever-changing rainbow of colors. With something like this around, who needs television?BILL OF FARE

Dinner for two at Aspire might look something like this:

Raspberry margarita…$9.00

Mango margarita…$9.00

New Bedford mussels…$12.00

Pan-roasted scallops…$27.00

Berkshire pork chop…$27.00

Apple-cranberry tart…$7.00

Total food and drink…$91.00

Tax…$7.28

Tip…$18.00

Total bill…$116.28

Aspire, 311 Westminster St., in the Hotel Providence. (401) 521-3333, aspirerestaurant.com. Dressy. Handicapped accessible. Free valet parking. Child seats. Children’s menu. Reservations. AE, MC, V, DIS, DC, CB. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs; to 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 4 to 9 p.m. Sun.; bar menu always available. Appetizers $5 to $21. Entrees $18 to $34. Wines are $6 to $12 by the glass; $24 to $250 for a bottle.

mjanuson@projo.com