What, you may ask, is a snuggery? I wondered the same thing when I first meandered past Duck and Bunny, a self-proclaimed snuggery on Wickenden Street, Providence. My guesses were: 1) the kind of place where you eat scones and sip tea, while keeping your pinkie finger extended and your conversation cultured, or 2) a euphemistically-named harlot house. Eager to solve this mystery (and desperately hoping for the former) I climbed the stairs of this alluring establishment.
I soon found myself within a softly lit space whose quirky décor summons a somewhat restrained Lewis Carroll tale. The bar and lounge are filled with ornate, oversized armchairs and elaborate chandeliers, while the tea room (yes, tea room!) is decorated with famous paintings, cheekily altered to include ducks and bunnies. There’s a “Bunny Van Gogh” portrait, a “Duck with a Pearl Earring” painting, and a couple of impressionist and pointalist works where the woodland creatures have been hidden within.
The menu is an adventure in itself, offering a range of eclectic fare with humorous titles. I took twenty minutes to decide between the “The Distinguished Lincoln” (an upmarket version of the classic ham and cheese sandwich) and “The Gentleman Gordon,” (a fancy tuna melt) only to settle on “The Mazzie Star” (Portobello mushroom and cheese crêpe). The sweet section of the menu was even more comical, thanks to “The Chubby Ella” and “The Sweet Baby James.” The majority of the menu is based on the no-longer-humble crêpe: there are sweet crêpes, savory crêpes, crêpzas (crêpe pizzas), crêpiola (crêpe ravioli), and even a crèperito (burrito-inspired crêpe). Despite the crêpe focus, it’s worth exploring the other items on the menu. The satisfyingly pomme frites are served in terra cotta plant pots, and the salads creatively combine various fruits and cheeses. When my dining companion ordered a strawberry and grilled pear salad I was struck by a case of serious food envy as the glittering pile of greens hit the table—and you know they’re doing something right when the words “food envy” and “salad” are used in the same sentence. For pasta lovers, I’d suggest the crêpe ravioli, otherwise the crêpe nachos will hit the spot.
Then there are the cupcakes. Oh, the cupcakes. An entire cabinet filled with them—and now spotted with my drool. I entered Duck and Bunny having just commenced a sugar hiatus only to emerge an hour later with a box of six artful cupcakes. My resolve is not normally so weak. The cupcake offerings change daily and include inspiring options like brownie mint surprise, dark chocolate salted caramel, peaches and cream, peanut butter candy, and tie dye vanilla vanilla (‘cause just a little vanilla wasn’t enough). After some fairly extensive taste testing, I’d recommend the honey lavender – they pick the lavender from their lovingly tended herb garden out the back…you can practically taste the quaintness.
So far, I’ve been here for brunch with friends, dinner with family, and a Valentine’s day afternoon tea, and this chameleon of a venue has suited all three occasions. Next move: evening cupcake—they’re open ‘til 11pm, for (I imagine) precisely this purpose!
** NB: Since visiting, I’ve performed a cheeky Google search and confirmed that snuggery is, in fact, a real word. “Snuggery (noun): a cozy or comfortable place, especially someone’s private room or den.” Duck and Bunny, you’ve nailed it.