RI Monthly's battle of Best Restaurant

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - It's one of the most sought after titles for Best of Rhode Island, "Best Restaurant".

And for many years the award has gone back and forth to two Providence restaurants, Siena and Pane E Vino.

"It was nice to win such a wonderful award. It was a tribute to the chef and Joe the owner. We were really proud," said Esther Gonzalez, general manager at Pane E Vino.

But in order to win awards and claim the title, they need to make their place stand apart from the rest.

"We're bringing the energy of the restaurant, the customers, the food and the service staff all together with that warm inviting feel that you get when you're basically in our houses," said Anthony Tarro, Chef and co-owner of Siena.

And while the competition is close for these two restaurants, so are their locations.

Pane E Vino and Siena are both on Federal Hill and both take pride in serving up the best.

Pane E Vino serves classic cuisine.

"We offer southern Italian cuisine, wonderful customer service. I think that our staff is something that really sets us apart," said Gonzalez.

Siena, also named as being the best, has a delicious menu too.

"We have a lot of warm comfort food approachable food and the nice thing about tuscany is it has coastal areas it has inland areas, you get a lot of seafood, you get a lot of steaks, you get the great cheeses and meats of Tuscany so we have a wide variety of offerings here," said co-owner Chris Tarro.

Both attribute their success to their collaboration of menu and staff.

The friendly rivalry has gone on over the years. But who's taking the title for 2012? Siena!

"I think that our secret is that my brother and I are in our restaurants each and every day. We continue to set high standards for ourselves and for our employees."

Online:

www. panevino.net/

www. sienari.com/