Plum Point Bistro

Early on a Sunday evening we drove down to Plum Point Bistro in Saunderstown.  It sits quietly on a corner bordering the entrance to the Jamestown Bridge in an ordinary looking building.  Walking in the door, you are about to learn it is far from ordinary and anything but quiet.

This is a happening spot.  I am sure the owners are overwhelmed by their success.  Plum Point Bistro is so far ahead of its competitors that it is busy all the time, with diners backed up on the weekends.  It’s no surprise given the pedigree of the owners, Ralph and Elisa Conte, who were major players in Providence for many years, turning out some of the best meals I ever experienced at Rafael’s Bar Risto in Union Square.  They own Plum Point Bistro with their children playing a significant part. Zoe Conte is General Manager and Raphael tends bar when he is not at college.  This is a restaurant family and all that experience has been brought to bear.  Ralph was responsible for the food, the crack culinary team,  and Elisa for the design, the vibe, or as she says “set the stage” for a great dining experience, right down to the music and dishes and silverware. They have been doing this, she says, for thirty years now.  I am so happy they are still young.

Plum Point Bistro is such a handsome restaurant with rich leather booths and a checkerboard floor.  It is immediately inviting and comfortable. It is divided into a bar area, which seats about 14 people, who have a clear view of the open kitchen.  The bar is divided from the adjoining the dining room, which in my experience is always bustling.  

Here is my only caveat.  The beautiful tin ceiling amplifies the noise level, which is very hard on my old ears.  It is a noisy dining room.

The ambiance perfectly matches the food, which I must confess, is exactly the kind of food I want when I go out for a casual evening.  It is not fussy at all, and yet it is perfectly executed, beautifully presented, very good food.  The octopus appetizer was grilled and twisted over crushed potatoes, celery leaves, an olive tapenade and citrus. Glorious.  The Caesar Salad was much, much better than most I have had, with dark leafy romaine, pan fried croutons and a perfect amount of luscious dressing.  Some of the appetizers we passed up were a short-rib dumpling with daikon, meyer lemon cream and chili oil, an eggplant roulade with spinach, ricotta and marinara sauce, and crepes filled with duck confit, which make for an unbeatable light dinner.

For our entrees, we struggled to choose between the appealing daily specials like whole roasted silver heard snapper with garlic, capers and lemon or a half chargrilled free range chicken with parisian gnocchi, and the house menu which is tantalizing in itself.  There are painful choices to be made: spaghetti with fruits of the sea served in a sauce flecked with olives, capers and oregano, espresso and cocoa braised short ribs, braised duck legs with white beans and pan seared local fluke.  When my dining companion inquired about the spaghetti with fruits do mer, he was offered the option of of a white sauce if he preferred it to the tomato sauce on the menu.  That says something about the restaurants service and desire to please its customers. He was thrilled with the dish as presented, but anxious to try it the other way as well. I had the charbroiled bistro steak with a garlic parsley butter and a little mug of crispy, it hurts to share, frites.  There was some other element to the steak sauce because it was slightly sweet and savory.  I could eat steak frites forever and not find a better rendition than this one.

Ralph Conte oversees the dinner menu which is executed by Peter Kielec, the Chef de Cuisine, and Elisa Conte has designed the dessert menu.  You tell me how to choose between a Plum Tarte Tatin and a Toasted Coconut Lemon Meringue Tartlet, let alone the chocolate torte or the fruit crostata, or the creme brulee and more. 

One more word on the service at the Plum.  Our waitress, Jennifer, was well informed, helpful, courteous and attentive.  We welcomed the information she offered on the dishes she explained and elected to go with some of her favorites, despite the various temptations.  That’s is the problem with Plum Point Bistro. It is so tough to choose because everything looks and is so good.  There will be even more choices soon when the summer menu comes out.  That means, of course, that I will have to elbow my way back in whenever I can. 

Reservations are a must.  Thankfully they take them. 

Plum Point Bistro

1814 Boston Neck Road

Saunderstown RI

401 667 4999

www.plumptbistro.com

North

North is strange but special.  The food there is entirely original.  If you find the same dish listed on another menu, I guarantee the taste will be different here.  It is a tiny little restaurant on the West Side that is as cozy and inviting on the inside as it looks on the outside.  It used to be Ama’s and the decor seems unchanged:  murals of mermaids and seascapes and a ceiling made of heavy hemp ropes.  There are three tables that would seat four people and another smattering of two tops.  I describe this because the tinyness lends itself to the general ambience.

The night we went there were two other tables filled, one with Syvia Moubayed and her husband, and the other with Genie Trevor and her husband.  Sylvia is the owner of Cav restaurant and Genie is the editor of edibleRhody.  Since we all know each other from the food world, it ended up being quite convivial and embracing.  We chatted with each other about what we ordered and even tasted each other’s food.  You may not get that opportunity, but the menu is so interesting, you will want to come back to try what you didn’t have.


Sttart with the bar menu:  North offers spirits, but only the suggested drinks of the night.  Like the dinner menu, the bar menu has to do with what the chef found in the market that day.  So, we had options of Whiskey and Lemon, (which was made with Old Overholt, Lemongrass and Angostura Bitters), or Rico Hola, a mix of tequila, lemon and mint.  Other options were stranger, like Red Wine and Coca-Cola, which sounds too awful to try, and Moxie and Fernet which lists lemon and crushed ice among its ingredients.  We had the Rico Hola, which had featured Galangal the previous evening,  but was much more subdued this night.  It was delicious and my only complaint is that it was served in a stainless steel glass, which made for a splendid iciness, but stainless steel makes my fillings stand up.

The entire menu fits on a  4 x 11 inch card and offers only this:  three appetizers, three snacks, two small bowls to share as sides or appetizers, two sandwiches, two large plates meant for 2-3 to share and two desserts.  Since I was trying to get a sense of the food, we ordered  a number of dishes.  We started with the Country Ham appetizer, which the waitress says is the most popular item on the menu, along with a squash salad bowl to share and the Indian summer corn.  The Country Ham was a new presentation for me.

The succulent moist shreds of Kentucky ham were served with baguette slices and a miso mayo.  I ate alot of the mayo because I thought it was a mustard without mustard flavor.  I kept dabbing my bread on it to determine the taste and finally asked the waitress.  The miso mayo was sweet and savory and made a repeat appearance when it was slathered on the summer corn along with scallions, cilantro, cotija cheese and a heretofore unknown spice called espellette.    Again, the miso leant a sweetness to the other ingredients that was appealing.  Our Squash Salad had spaghetti and acorn squash tossed with Thai Basil and croutons.  A light dressing of vinegar and nuoc mam added that welcome sweet savory taste.

The Twice Cooked Pork for two ended up being a stuffed pork shoulder in a red curry sauce.  It was served on a bed of broccoli rabe and charred long beans with biscuit rounds on top of the red curry.  We loved it and ate quite a bit, sopping up our biscuits in the curry sauce, wanting yet one more bite.  But the portion was so generous we managed to take a full serving home to enjoy another time.   

So, we didn’t need dessert but we were curious.  Genie Trevor ordered  and loved the Buttermilk Doughnuts served with fresh and pickled soup.  We had the Palm Sugar Ice Cream and a Charred Pineapple Sorbet sprinkled with toasted coconut and topped with a coconut vinegar.  It was dense with flavor and the vinegar made the dish surprising.  It worked:  again, just enough savory with an intensely sweet base.

North makes eating an adventure again, and I thought it was fun and very special.  The Chef/cook/owner is James Mark and he was in an out of the dining room explaining his concepts and what we were eating.  Mark did a stint at Momofuku in New York and he worked at Nicks on Broadway for three years, so he knows his food, and he clearly is personally invested in the food he places in front of his customers.  In a restaurant this size, it is likely he will remain so, not burning out with a hundred turnovers each night, but I am sure he will work hard because once this place finds its niche, it will be busy all the time.

There is no website yet for North, which means you will never know what they are serving until you get there.  There are several Oyster dishes on the menu, like a Po’Boy Sandwich, Toaster Oven Oysters and au natural on the shell.  There will surely be enough variety to please each diner, which is a big accomplishment when they only serve a dozen items altogether. 

North

3 Luongo  Memorial Square

Providence

foodbynorth.com

What's new?

Sorry about the hiatus.  Have been traveling and taking care of plenty of business and now I have had some downtime.  I wanted to catch up with a few notes on what is going on in the restaurant world and also a new review.  Amazingly enough in this economy, new places are opening all the time. This summer saw the addition of Plum Point Bistro in Saunderstown, a great new spot opened by Providence restaurateur Ralph Conte and his wife Elise and their two kids.  Packed and noisy, charming and delicious, PPB is a welcome addition to the South County scene, where it is unrivalled in food quality.  Here in town, New Rivers started serving an astonishing lunch.  If you haven't tried it, you must, because everything is creative, fresh, seasonal, and remarkably good.  This is a special lunch, exquisitely presented and memorable, a bit pricier than most, but worth every penny.  Matt Jennings at La Laiterie is also serving an expanded and very impressive lunch.  The best restaurants used to shy away from lunch, but these two are back in and hopefully will get your support.
Mario Panagos, who used to run Paragon and Viva, and who opened Bravo Brasserie downtown and then Bravo in Warwick, where 1149 now sits, is about to open a new spot in the Barnsider location.  It will be called Mile and a Quarter House and it has been handsomely refurbished.  Also about to open, Two Pauls, at the East Providence site of Josephs/Cattails/Vineyard East.  Paul Shire, formerly of Oak and Downcity, and currently at the Roi, will take this on with his Roi partner, and promises casual ambience and comfort food.  Temple Downtown has a new manager named Vincent LoBuono, who used to work with Todd English, and he has pumped new life into the attractive restaurant at the Renaissance Hotel.  There is a new outdoor patio and a very appealing new menu.  The food is first rate and the cocktails are even better.  Chef Ryan Keogh, who made Tiverton's 524 restaurant well worth the drive, has shifted from his amazing French food to Italian rustic at Coco Pazzo at Thayer and Angell.  He is a chef who will definitely make his mark on the current culinary scene and Coco Pazzo is certainly worth a visit.  Kitchen Bar is up and running on Hope Street, with Jaime D'Oliveira at the helm.  Jaime has long been one of the greats in the Providence food community with Angell's, Capital Grille, Mill's Tavern and Red Stripe, on his resume.
Up on Federal Hill, Venda added a traditional Neopolitan pizza restaurant with a giant oven imported from Italy.  They brought in an expert who has been creating this "not like we're used to" pizza all of his professional life.  Venda Bar, which serves the pizza, is operated by Venda owner Alan Cosantino's children, who enjoyed immense popularity this summer.  Alan's son has taken over for the Napoli pizza chef and the other two Cosantino restaurants, Venda and Cosantino's, will serve the pizza during the evenings upon request.    Down the street from Venda, in the ever changing ethnicity of Atwells Avenue, French food is on the menu at The Grande.  I haven't tried it yet, but early reviews give the food a positive review.  Adesso on the Hill has reintroduced the long successful east side Adesso, using many of the same personnel, manager, owner, waitstaff.  Adesso was my all time go to restaurant when it was off Thayer so I couldn't try it fast enough.  The menu was the same and it was bustling, but, and it is a big but, it is unbearably noisy and they didn't bring in the same chef, which is a shame.  The dishes were reminiscent of the old menu, but they missed the mark.  Worth another try, but only on a quiet night.

Waterman Grille

Waterman Grille is a delightful spot: perfectly sited in an old brick building perched on the Seekonk riverbank, decorated in appealing tones of blues and browns, and very comfortable.  It is also a lively spot, packed on a Monday night because they offer such a great dinner deal Monday thru Wednesday nights. They serve a three-course dinner for $19.95 per person.  The $19.95 menu includes appealing choices like an appetizer of beef satay, salad, or bisque, entrees that include steak, seafood, or pasta, and scrumptious desserts like creme brulee or flourless chocolate cake.  

With this early spring’s summerlike temperatures, the outside deck was filled by six o’clock.  The inside window tables were also all filled, but we had a lovely view from a middle table on the inside porch.  Service was prompt and attentive and the wine list offered good reasonably priced options by the glass, or a bottle of Beringer wine for $20.

This dinner is a great option when you want to go out at the last minute, don’t want to drop a bundle, but still want something better than a burger and fries.  
It would give the restaurant short shrift however, if you didn’t go there when you wanted a really good dinner with a great range of options.  The menu is seasonal and varied, with plenty of seafood and pasta and meat.  The regular menu has a fabulous wood-grilled five- cheese pizza with radicchio an baby spinach.  It also offers braised lamb shank, pan roasted duck breast, lobster mac and cheese and a maple-brined pork porterhouse.

There are always great soups like their Crab and Jalapeño Chowder.  Sandwiches and pan inis are available and all in all there is something on the menu to please just about any appetite or inclination.

I've had several dishes over the years that I saw for the first time at Waterman Grille, like grilled haloumi cheese, which I now prepare at home.

The chef is Kevin DeLibero, who put Pane e Vino on the map and then moved onto to the Newport Restaurant Group which owns Inn at Castle Hill, the Boathouse, the Mooring, Hemenway’s , Smokehouse Cafe, 22 Bowen’s Wharf and Trio in Narragansett.  This is a serious group which prides itself on ambience, service, food quality and sustainability.  Hemenway’s is their seafood prize, but Waterman Grille is their Providence mainstream Jewel.  

This spot is great for private parties, designed for small or large groups.  The management knows its stuff and you can count on a well-catered affair.  But back to my dinner, weeknight, last minute, cheap and good.  And you can, and should make a reservation.

Waterman Grille

4 Richmond Square

Providence RI  02906

401 521 9229

watermangrille.com

The Capital Grille

I just came from a spectacular lunch at the Capital Grille.  They are offering a new quick lunch for business clients, in and out in 45 minutes,  But this is no Sloppy Joe or sandwich.  Everything about this lunch reminds you that you are eating in one of the best restaurants in the city.  The place is always opulent looking, clubby and comfortable, with a long inviting bar overlooked by a buffalo head and a moose.  The bar features home made potato chips in baskets, which alone might seduce you, but there is plenty more appeal that that.  A great bartender, comfy bar stools, a tv, and plenty of buzz.

This review is entirely focused on lunch, but many, many times I have had dinner at The Capital Grille.  I am never disappointed, being a total steak lover.  I have also had the great fortune to be at one of their wine dinners in the wine room, which you can see just behind these tables to the right.  That was one of the best wine dinners I have ever attended.  I can't remember the menu, but I do remember the imagination of the chef, the freshness of each ingredient, and the unrivaled beef that was served.  Today we ate in the dining room and while it wasn’t cheap at first glance, it was certainly a bargain when you considered what you got.  The prices range in the $15-20 range, but for that money, you can have tenderloin sliders along with clam chowder and dessert, or as I did, a deconstructed Cobb Salad with filet instead of chicken. Some of the other options are a Maine Lobster Salad, a Ribeye Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and Havarti or the Lobster and Crab Burger, among other classics.  Definitely worth going to the website to peruse the menu.

My pal had a cheeseburger that seemed to transport her;  she ate it naked rather than using the tasty accompaniments of fresh onion slice, tomato, lettuce and three little cups of ketchup, mustard and an herbal mayo sauce.  She did seem to love the truffled, parmesan french fries that came with the burger, and the one I filched was crisp and yummy.  When I say it wasn’t just your run of the mill burger and salad, I am referring to the warm crisp rolls that came with the salted butter and the continually refilled sodas we had with lunch.  We also shared a coconut cream pie that is rich and soft, creamy and crunchy at the same time, and so redolent of coconut that if you love that flavor you will approach nirvana.

The Capital Grille has been a consistent favorite since Ned Grace opened it 20 years ago.  It’s known for dry aged beef and it certainly fulfills anyone’s steak house fantasy.

The service is top notch, the place is very handsome, the food is all you could ask for.  The wine list is amazing with an impressive selection, which does include some lower priced wines.  But if you are looking for that amazing Cabernet to go with your Ribeye, you will certainly find it there.

The Capital Grille

1 Union Station

Providence RI  02903

401 521 5600

www.thecapitalgrille.com/locations/providence/main.asp

Charleston and Scottsdale

Sorry to have let this drop but I was away for several weeks in Charleston SC and Scottsdale Arizona.  Both spots have some significant restaurants and here is a list of some in case you are visiting.

CHARLESTON

Hominy Grill

The Fat Hen

Cru Cafe

All three have been written up when Charleston restaurants are described, with the Hominy Grill making it onto one of those best in the country lists and the Cru Cafe just mentioned by John Mariani of Esquire.  

Hominy Grill is all grits and shrimp, catfish and Country Captain Chicken.  It is casual, affordable and charming. The Fat Hen is on Johns Island across the bridge from Charleston and it is also low country cooking, but with a French twist. If you are in South Carolina, fried green tomatoes are a must and each restaurant has its own appealing version.  Charleston is absolutely gorgeous and has some spiritual kinship with Providence, beautiful architecture, diverse community, fabulous restaurants. Everywhere we went the service was lovely, people were friendly, food was important.  My personal favorite was the Cru Cafe, which served sensational onion rings, thin and perfectly crisp, unusual and flavorful salads, like a buttermilk fried oyster salad and among the many tempting entrees poblano and mozzarella fried chicken and a great steak with green peppercorns.  There is also a great selection of marvelous wines.

Hominy Grill

207 Rutledge Avenue  Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 937-0930

www.hominygrill.com

The Fat Hen

3140 Maybank Hwy  Johns Island, SC 29455
(843) 559-9090

www.thefathen.com

Cru Cafe

18 Pinckney Street Charleston SC  29401

(843) 534 2434

www.crucafe.com

SCOTTSDALE

Barrio Queen

Spotted Donkey

Citizen’s Public House

The Village Tavern

Okay, so the first two are Mexican restaurants, but oh my, they are unbelievable.  The margaritas at the Barrio Queen could slide down for hours.  The restaurant was the by-demand new joint that opened after its parent restaurant The Barrio Cafe, couldn’t stuff one more body into its little spot on 16th street.  The Cafe is in a decidedly unchic part of town, but that didn’t slow down the caravans of eager eaters.  Indeed, we got in about one in five times we tried, but we tried about 15 times, so that made for three great meals.  The guacamole, which thankfully has been transported to the new Queen, is made with pomegranate seeds,and it is so delicious, all chunky and clean flavored, that there is NEVER one scrap left for those homemade chips.  There is lime cotijo corn and great tostadas and a taco menu that covers two sides of a small printed page.  The slow roasted pork is succulent and sweet and paired with pickled onions and more good stuff.

Spotted Donkey

The Spotted Donkey is in Carefree, which is a gorgeous drive through the dessert north of Scottsdale.  Since there isn’t much dessert left, it was joyful to see.  It was all in bloom with red tipped paintbrush cactus and flowering ocatillo.  We each had the most marvelous tortilla soup and split some crispy mushroom taquitos and we finished it all, despite being ready to burst.

The Village Tavern in Scottsdale is one of those unimaginative menus in a typical big restaurant place that manages to pack them in day and night.  I think it is because the ingredients are so good.  The salads at lunch are enormous and varied, from Asian Chicken to Chicken Taco to Spinach or Caesar and more.  The dinner has everything from Steak au Poivre to Chicken quesadillas and it is reasonably priced and never disappointing.

The highlight was indisputably the Citizen Public House which is a relatively new, highly acclaimed spot in Old Scottsdale.  This is one of those places where the knowledge and enthusiasm of the waiter lets you know you are in for a special meal.  I had a lamburger on a homemade bun with a tangy tzatziki and the best french fries I’ve had in a long time.  They were apparently dusted with rice powder, which meant they were crunchy even though they weren’t browned. The potato flavor was burst forth and the texture was sublime.  The coffee rubbed short ribs with a dried cherry bbq sauce  might have been the most succulent interpretation of ribs I have ever seen.  My mother who rarely eats more than two bites of any meal was like a whirligig digging into those ribs.  We had been out so much we were too ashamed to try dessert, but I have no doubt it would have been marvelous.

So if you are heading to either of these towns, you cannot go wrong with this list.

Let me know what you think if you go.

Barrio Queen

7714 Stetson Drive

Scottsdale AZ  85251

480 656 4197

www.barrioqueen.com

The Spotted Donkey Cantina at Pedregal

34505 N. Scottsdale Rd. #H4
Scottsdale, AZ 85266-1204 
Phone: 480.488.335

www:spotteddonkeycantinapedregal.com

Village Tavern

8787 North Scottsdale Road  Scottsdale, AZ 85253
(480) 951-6445

www.villagetavern.com

Citizen Public House

7111 East 5th Avenue  Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 398-4208

www.citizenpublichouse.com

New Rivers

Heaven on Steeple Street

Poutine

Poutine.  Have you ever had poutine?  It is one of life’s guiltier pleasures.  Let’s describe it as enhanced French fries.  Now French fries are great enough with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, but in Canada they like to serve them with a gravy or sweet vinegary sauce and some cheese curds, which somehow makes them quite different and totally wonderful.  Poutine means mushy mess, and I guess it is, but it is worth the calories.  It originated in Quebec, and you can find it in Montreal, but by great good fortune, New Rivers sometimes has it on their menu.  And it was on last night, when my son-in-law and I went to New Rivers and had a fabulous dinner.

The poutine at New Rivers was sensational.  Talk about enhanced french fries, this poutine featured Bucheron Cheese, that melted under the gravy and the heat of the fresh cut fries.  Just to push this dish up and over the top, Chef Beau Vestal added  bites of foie gras, a smattering of chopped fresh tomatoes and thyme, and then poured a smoked maple syrup over the dish, as the finishing touch.  If the description doesn’t make you salivate, I bet the picture will.

My son-in-law Alejandro is a knowledgeable and experienced foodie:  he has had his own restaurant, raised his own pigs, learned how to make cheese, and turns out some of the best food I have eaten.  He had heard about New Rivers for a while, and he wanted to try it out.  He was definitely not disappointed. We had a great evening and a truly great meal.  

New Rivers is certainly one of the very top restaurants in RI and it has been for a very long time. When I contemplate  New Rivers in the way each restaurant reflects the personality of its owner, I think of Bruce and Pat Tillinghast.  Pat Tillinghast exuded grace and gentleness as does her husband Bruce.  She used to stand by the door welcoming the guests into this cool, dark green, peaceful space.  A large painting of bright red pears provides the counterpoint to that glacial cool high-gloss green.The restaurant was tiny then, with about three booths and a few rows of small tables, always packed with the lucky people who got a reservation.  Now, 21 years later, New Rivers is a larger space, in which none of that atmosphere has been sacrificed.  The space has opened up with a new room that features soft lighting, an L-shaped bar and floor to ceiling windows that look upon the First Baptist Church.  There could be no more quintessential New England dining room. 

Bruce Tillinghast has kept true to his and Pat’s mission since her death, championing local seasonal products, offering carefully prepared excellent cuisine, and even serving her signature basket of homemade cookies as a dessert.  Beau Vestal has been the chef de cuisine at New Rivers, working in tandem with Bruce, for a very long time. They have won countless awards and earned a loyal, admiring following that consider this restaurant the best of what Providence offers.

The menu changes quite often, always reflecting the seasons, and the chef’s imagination.  Last night, we shared a lovely green salad with a light shallot oil and white balsamic vinaigrette. 

Two toasts with goat cheese adorned the vibrant greens. Alejandro ordered a rabbit leg, beautifully braised, with a sunchoke puree, and sides of slow cooked fennel, blood orange and mustard seed.  He left nary a seed.  

I ordered the agnolotti.  I have always been transported by the pasta at New Rivers, and  this entree, described as “petit agnolotti filled with ricotta, caramelized shallots and winter savory” was described by our waiter as one of the best they have served.  These little hand formed pillows of pasta were floating in a lemon scented broth which  was made with thyme, fennel pollen, parmigiana reggiano, and extra virgin olive oil.  I ordered it with a smokey pork sausage, which gave the lovely light dish a rustic punch.  It was distinctive and delicious.  I would love to have it again.  I will also go back for the gnochetti bolognese.

Braised rabbit

That’s the problem with New Rivers, there are so many tempting offerings that by the time you got through one menu, the seasons would have changed and you couldn’t have anything twice.    I was at New Rivers two weeks ago and my friend was raving about her seafood stew, which was a tasting of cod, squid and littlenecks in a “bouillabaisse” vinaigrette.   New Rivers, like many of the best places in Providence, also cures its own pork and offers lovely charcuterie plates, like pork rillettes and canadian bacon.   The charcuterie menu offers duck prosciutto and duck ham, chicken liver mousse and arctic char.  As I said, there is a great deal to select from on the menus at New Rivers.

New Rivers has always shined in the dessert area, ever since Pat was making her cookie baskets, with eight freshly baked new rivers cookies, each with a different flavor and texture.  Each offering is distinctive and delicate, like the signature flaky lemon tart, filled with tart lemon curd and garnished with seckle pears.  There is a dessert called "affogato" which is their own homemade vanilla bean ice cream drowned in espresso with a chocolate biscotti.  A fragrant cardamom poundcake is served with pineapple
vanilla bean compote, macadamia nut crumble and lime cream.


New Rivers
7 Steeple Street
Providence RI  02903
401 751 0350
www.newriversrestaurant.com




Chef Beau Vestal has kindly shared his recipe for his sublime gnochetti.

Gnocchetti with Lamb Sugo

for the dough:

1 1/4 cup AP flour

1 1/4 cup semolina flour

3/4 warm water

1 T olive oil

Add all ingredients to stand mixer and mix until combined, turn on to flour surface and knead for 5 minutes until dough is soft, smooth, and pliable.  wrap in plastic and let rest 20 minutes.  

Roll out dough into 1/4 inch square and using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into 1/2 in wide strips.  Going perpendicular to the initial strips, cut again resulting in little squares of dough.  Run the pieces of dough over a gnocchi paddle or fork to make little ridged dumplings about 1 inch long.  dry on tray dusted with semolina.  Can freeze and boil right out of the freezer.

for the sugo

olive oil

2 cup onions, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1 t each dry thyme, oregano, basil, chili flakes, mint

1 t crushed fennel seeds

4 T tomato paste

2 cups good italian red wine

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound ground pork

2 quarts whole peeled tomatoes

In a heavy bottom pan heat olive oil and slowly sweat onions, carrots, garlic and all the spices.  after about 12-15 minutes add tomato paste and cook additional 4-5 minutes over low heat. increase heat to medium high and add the meat, stirring frequently to break apart the meat.  When meat is nicely browned, add wine and cook until almost evaporated.  reduce hate to low and add the tomatoes and stew for 90 minutes, adjusting seasoning as you go.  If sugo looks too thick, add water or stock.

Boil pasta in plenty of heavily salted water (about 6 minutes if thawed and 8 if frozen) and drain and add to sumo.  Simmer in sauce and add grated reggiano and butter as you please.  Portion into warmed bowls and garnish with more reggiano, olive oil, and fine chiffonade of mint and parsley.