L'Elizabeth, Providence

I went to L'Elizabeth's last night with a group of friends. We were meeting two friends who had already ordered drinks. The manager didn't seem to like the look of seven neatly dressed people, mostly middle-aged, coming into his restaurant. He immediately told us we had to sit down and get out of the way. Then he micro-managed where we could sit and informed us they "don't do separate checks," so we would have to order together. He asked one couple to move so he could have that table in case a couple came in - yet he didn't want us standing. It was rapidly becoming clear he didn't want us there at all.

At about the moment I sat down as instructed on a very uncomfortable, old, and ratty couch, he started yelling, forcibly took a drink out of my (very tiny) friend's hand, and told us all to leave. We stared at him, open-mouthed. He continued to yell. My brother went to the bar to get another friend who was still waiting for her drink and didn't know what was going on. The manager got in his face, yelling and threatening to "drop him" where he stood. My brother kept his composure and ignored the guy; we all left.

When we were on the sidewalk regrouping, the waitress and manager came out to yell some more and tell us not to stand in front of their restaurant. On a public street. We were so stunned by it all that we just left. Fortunately, the member of our group who is a career military man didn't hear them stomping all over our constititional right to peaceably assemble.

One last word: the place was a mess and the manager was clearly tweaked on something. I would only recommend this as a place for a narcotics officer to make an easy bust