Experience: Igloo Dining at Track 15

I have always wanted to dine inside an illuminated igloo. Decorated domes that started as pandemic options for restaurants continue to pop-up, offering distinctive experiences for small groups. Track 15, Providence’s very own food hall housed in historic Union Station, recently installed two – just in time for snow-lovers to luxuriate over fare from individual merchants and watch or partake in street curling on a synthetic rink on the property’s plaza. In early January, my party of a few dear co-workers and I were among the first to get the inside track on the food hall’s latest venture.

“Igloos came first as we were trying to figure out how to enliven the plaza after the excitement of Christmas decorations came down,” begins Alison Mountford, director of marketing, retelling conversations with Track 15 founder Chris Marsella. “The idea is to create an outdoor, icy, winter wonderland of sorts.” Next came research, a HomeGoods shopping spree, and decorating. “The igloo kits were only frames and the covering, so we wrapped every single pole with white LED lights for maximum glow – each igloo has 240 feet of lights!” says Mountford of tag-team efforts with Kaitlyn Frolich, director of private events and sales.

It was nearly dusk when the four of us arrived at the Track 15 plaza, the impressive brick complex softened by amber lighting. There are two glimmering igloos and the vibe is Winter Olympics Village. Being the test audience, Frolich is there to greet us. She unzips the transparent door and ushers us inside. She explains that it costs $50 to reserve an igloo for two hours, each seats up to eight people, and they ask for a $150 food and beverage minimum during igloo time. A dedicated cocktail server will attend your table and take drink orders, make sure you’re comfy, and bus the tables. However, you must go to the food hall to place and pick up your order, and bring it all back to your igloo.

Inside our glowing geodesic, it’s snug and dreamy. A patio set of a long table and chairs is furnished with lap blankets and nubby textiles, and there are electric candles and a miniature fireplace lending to the ambience set by the strands of lights. While we’re perusing the binder of seven menus, our server enters the snow globe and takes our drink orders. One member of our group decides we must have an app with our drinks, heads to the food hall and returns with a scrumptious mezze platter from Tolia, a Turkish eatery. We make short work of the hummus, whipped feta, and muhammara – a dip made from pomegranate molasses, red pepper, and walnuts. Two of us decide on one of the zero-proof seasonal cocktails, the Blood Orange “Rita” – a yummy punch of non-alcoholic tequila, blood orange, and lime, while the others order from the selections of wine and 15 regional beers.

After round one, we don our coats and head to the nearby food hall. For the uninitiated, “food hall” is akin to “upscale food court” – where you place your order, receive a text when it’s ready, and it’s placed on a tray – cafeteria style. I’m indecisive with the myriad options, each stall a mini-version of acclaimed local restaurants, but I land on personal favorites: a bowl of white chowder from Dune Bros, and two shrimp tacos from Dolores. Between our quartet, we covered most of the bases: rigatoni from Giusto PVD, coconut mango rice pudding from Chaska Indian Cuisine, a chopped wedge salad and steak fries dusted with Old Bay Seasoning from There, There, among other tasty bites. Once our group has its orders filled, we make a tray-holding parade into the night. Back inside our bubble everything is delicious, and the whole thing feels a bit like glamping. A worthwhile plan for winter-lovers.

Track 15

1 Union Station

Track15RI.com