Details of ill-fated Philly trip that ended with a state official on leave come to light. What we know.

PROVIDENCE — Piece by piece, the story of what happened on the Friday in March when two top state officials went to Philadelphia to visit a state contractor – and lunched at a high-end Sicilian restaurant that doesn't normally open until 5 p.m. – is coming to light.

Gov. Dan McKee's lawyers have denied access to an email sent by "representatives" of Scout Ltd. – the company hired by the state to come up with future uses of the Cranston Street Armory – that discussed "the conduct of a state employee" during this March 10 visit.

The Journal has appealed the denial to the attorney general.

More: McKee administration official on leave after dust-up with state consultant. What we know.

What is known about the Philadelphia trip?

Until now, little was known beyond this: David Patten – the $174,490-a-year director of the state's property management division who had traveled with then-Director of Administration James Thorsen to Philadelphia – went on leave the Monday after the trip. And Thorsen, after the trip, offered to personally pay for their $250 lunch, according to a state spokeswoman.

On Friday, however, the governor's legal team released a letter Patten sent Thorsen on March 12 – two days after the trip – that sheds more light on the visit.

In this redacted letter, Patten recounts his impressions of the "BOK building" the two men visited, which was the result of Scout's previous work in turning around a large, unused government-owned building in South Philadelphia. In that case, it was a closed vocational high school.

With only three hours between 9 a.m. and noon to tour the multistory Bok building, "the day was exhausting physically and mentally," Patten wrote Thorsen.

More: What happens to those seeking shelter when Cranston Street Armory closes? What we know

"However, it was the best day [I] have experienced in my nearly one year of service to the State of Rhode Island, both on a personal and professional level."

The context: As the director of the state's property management division, Patten signed Scout's initial $470,000 contract to develop options for the re-use of the armory; he is currently on unpaid medical leave.

That contract set the stage for a potential $56-million contract in the future if the state opts to turn the armory into state offices, "public indoor recreation" including multisport fields, a cultural center and a home site for "skilled labor training," as Scout recommended.

A curiously timed lunch and gifts

In this redacted letter, Patten described the "assortment of interesting tenants," including the "North American corporate office for an Italian shoe company," their "lunch" at Irwin's, which is normally only open from 5 to 10 p.m., as well as the gifts he said he picked up along the way.

"I purchased a few things and went back home with gifts for my family. This was appreciated by my family that evening. However, more importantly, I stimulated the economy of Philadelphia and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania," he wrote in his synopsis. "Isn't that what we want for South Providence and the state of Rhode Island?"

About the lunch at Irwin's, where entrees on the dinner menu start at $28 and no lunch menu is featured, he wrote: "Those reading this memo should know that Irwin's looked like it was vandalized just before our arrival at 11:30 a.m. for lunch."

"Imagine my surprise when I learned that 'Bon Appetit' magazine rated it one of the top ten restaurants in the United States! The cuisine at Irwin's did not disappoint. The word 'understated' comes to mind." (The Journal has not been able to reach anyone at the restaurant for elaboration on why the dinner-only restaurant opened for lunch.)

"As we walked out to leave, we passed what looked like a tiny, cluttered workshop of some sort of craftsman," Patten wrote.

"It was actually the unassuming workshop of Mark Jacobi, who repairs and makes custom parts of rare instruments (e.g., clarinets) for the finest symphony orchestras in the country (e.g., Pittsburgh, Dallas and Philadelphia). I looked into the window and waved at Mr. Jacobi. He walked towards the door to open it. I was told that we had to catch the Uber back to the Philadelphia airport."

"If I had more time, I would have enjoyed meeting Mr. Jacobi. When I return to the BOK ... perhaps I will see him repairing a Stradivarius for the :first violinist of the Rhode Island Philharmonic."

Visit was billed as 'due diligence'

At the start of his letter, Patten recounted the reason for the trip "as part of our due diligence related to the proposed Cranston Street Armory development."

When he first interviewed for his current job, "as well as my first meeting with the governor's office," he said, "it was made clear that one of my top priorities was to make better use" of the armory, which in recent months has been used as a warming and homeless shelter.

More: Cranston Street Armory through the years

Among his impressions of the multistory Bok building: "It is a special place that makes people want to be there ... While I expected to see an indoor flea market, I was pleasantly surprised to find several interesting shops which I wanted to explore," he wrote.

The only other unredacted sentences in the letter says: "Governor McKee has to make a strategic decision regarding the [armory]. The basis options are as follows."

Everything that follows is blacked out.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: New details in Philadelphia trip by RI officials that ended with one on leave