Rhode Island Restaurants and Dining
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RI Restaurants and Dining Articles
The Invasion of the Texas Steakhouse
Longhorn, Lone Star, and Texas Roadhouse
By Paul Pence
I remember restaurants that were different, purposefully different -- "The Magic Time Machine" with waiters in costumes and each booth decorated like a different movie set, "Old Spaghetti Warehouse" where you could sit in a trolly car or in booth constructed from an old brass bed, "China Palace" where each booth looked like a different merchant's shop in a Peiking marketplace. None of these were around here -- I spent many of my formative years in Texas, and many of my adult years in Texas restaurants. There are a few themed restaurants here in Rhode Island, but, oddly, three restaurants in Rhode Island follow a Texas Theme.
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Bringing Seafood Back Home
McCorimick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, Providence, RI
By Paul Pence
Bill McCormick left Providence many many years ago. While he was gone, he cooked crawfish and NorthWestern salmon and Pacific Mahi-Mahi. Along the way, he learned how to manage restaurants, teamed up with Doug Schmick, and became enormously successful serving seafood across the entire US. When he finally brought his restaurant chain to Providence, he had seafood and restauranteering down right.
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Johnny Rockets is Expanding
Perhaps the best burger in RI will be easier to find
Johnny Rockets offers the food, fun, and friendliness reminiscent of feel-good Americana. Every Johnny Rockets restaurant offers its guests simple, great-tasting food from a menu of all-American favorites, including juicy hamburgers, hand-dipped shakes and malts and freshly-baked apple pie. Guests also enjoy an all-American retro restaurant, servers who know the secret behind getting ketchup out of the bottle, tabletop jukeboxes that belt out tunes for a nickel and authentic décor.
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The Art of SSSSSSSSSSwirl, Sniff and Sip
Newport Vineyards, Middletown, RI
By Linda S. Manning
You might ask yourself, are we in the Bordeaux region of France? Napa Valley? Certainly seems like it. But alas, a local winery committed to excellence makes fine wines right on our door step in Middletown. If you have not had the opportunity to visit Newport Vineyards, put it on your calendar, you won’t want to miss it.
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Dinner at the Diner
Blue Plate Diner, Middletown RI
By Linda S. Manning
The origins of a diner can be traced in history to Walter Scott from Providence, Rhode Island who sold food to the Providence Journal newspaper office workers from a horse drawn carriage in the late 1800’s. Innocently, he inspired the origin of what was to become one of America’s icons…the diner...
Real Greek Food On Thayer Street
Andrea's, Providence RI
By Paul Pence
Of course you know about Thayer, the artsy neo-Bohemian part of Providence's East Side, sort of a downtown for Brown University and RISD. You'd expect Thayer Street to attract quirky sandwich shops, poet havens, and funky jewelry boutiques. Well, Thayer attracts those, but there are also a couple of nice upscale restaurants. In particular, you can find Andrea's.
Opulant Fine Dining in Newport
The Spiced Pear, Newport RI
By Paul Pence
There was a day when the Vanderbilts and the Dukes and the Astors and the wealthiest of the Guilded Age would import the most talented chefs and the finest ingredients to Newport, making even their simplest breakfasts an exercise in lavish dining. Since those days, Newport's dining extravagances have stepped back, tending to spend more effort on elegant teas and the occasional historical society gala. Long ago, the best restaurants of Newport started catering to the lobster and seafood tastes of tourists, forgetting their gourmet roots. The Spiced Pear has returned truely fine dining to Newport.
Wakefield's Choice For Italian
Italian Village Restaurant, Wakefield, RI
By Paul Pence
It's not really fair to say that dining options are limited in Wakefield, since a short drive takes you to Narragansett or Galilee. And the number of options are increasing in the nearby areas, with development along Post Road and down Route 108, but if you insist on staying in Wakefield, there aren't many choices: One Asian restaurant, one Italian restaurant, a sports bar/restaurant, a tavern, one of the restaurants in the Chelos chain, the dining rooms for Larchwood Inn, and a variety of diners and fast food places. Luckly, if you decide to go to the Italian Village restaurant, you're not just settling for what's available, since the quality of their food still makes them a good choice.
Rhode Island Has Hundreds of Italian Restaurants
So why do I keep going back to Olive Garden?
By Paul Pence
It's a conundrum -- a puzzle with no apparent solution -- Rhode Island is filled with world-class Italian restaurants, Italian family restaurants, and even an abundance of excellent Italian sandwich shops and pizza places. The majority of these are run by people who take pride in their Italian heritage and traditional Italian recipes. But despite this wonderful selection, I still end up visiting the Olive Garden every few months.
Ribs, Ribs, Ribs! (And Sauce)
Pigging out at Stickfingers, Providence, RI
By Paul Pence
I love barbecue. I can't help it, I was raised down South where babies are silenced, not by a pacifier but by a rib dipped in barbecue sauce. So I am in a constant search for tender smoked meat here in Rhode Island.
Three of Our Favorite East Bay Family Restaurants
Davenport's, Tweet's, and Country Inn Restaurants
By Paul Pence
Good family restaurants come in a variety of flavors -- We found three in East Bay that we're happy to list among our favorites -- and they're all different...
An Artistic Brunch, Every Day of the Week
Julian's Restaurant, Providence, RI
By Paul Pence
Wasabi
Sushi in Johnston, RI
By Paul Pence
Searching for Salad Bars
Where in West Bay can you fulfill a major salad craving?
By Paul Pence
Union Station Brewery
A place for a quiet drink and good food
May Breakfast
The one breakfast of each year that I actually look forward to
By Paul Pence
My Tealuxe
Providence's Tealuxe on Thayer Street resists the Starbucks syndrome
It's a Dunkin' Donut State
A road trip to every one of Providence's Dunkin' Donuts!
If You Knew Sushi
Haruki Japanese Restaurant in Cranston brings Japanese food to Rhode Island
By Paul Pence
Chelos's And Gregg's
The Rhode Island Definition of 'Family Restaurant'
By Paul Pence
Rhode Island's Restaurant Row
Head on out to Bald Hill in Warwick, THEN decide where you want to eat
By Paul Pence
The Rhode Island State Beverage
The battle between coffee milk and Del's lemonade
Newport Winter Dining
The winter is a great time for gourmet food at bargain prices in Newport
Taste of East Greenwich
Great food for a great cause
By Paul Pence
Food for the Soul
Miss Fannie's Soul Food Kitchen, Providence
By Paul Pence
Federal Hill Stroll
Sampling the best of Providence's Atwells Avenue
By Paul Pence
Lessons in Restaurant Counterprogramming
Chinese food on Federal Hill, Mexican food in Rhode Island
By Paul Pence
Beer? Steaks!!
Hops, Warwick, RI
By Paul Pence
Beacon Diner in East Greenwich
A great place for breakfast.
By Paul Pence
The Oar
Sunsets, casual food, and mudslides on Block Island
By Paul Pence
22 Bowen
Prime steaks and seafood on Newport's waterfront
By Paul Pence
Spice of Life
Vegetarian food in the Fantastic Umbrella Factory
By Paul Pence
Asian Mega-Buffets
A lot more than just Chinese food
By Paul Pence
Cafe Dianna
Where take-out can also mean "gourmet"
By Paul Pence
CAV
Bohemian atmosphere, upscale dining
By Paul Pence
Chelos on the Bay
Summertime fun and food
By Paul Pence
Chevy's Fresh-Mex
Mexican food in Rhode Island
By Paul Pence
Chevy's is gone. We gave it a less than complementry review...
Tapas at Bevo
Light food with drinks is the idea behind tapas dining
By Paul Pence
Taste of China II
We welcome an old friend back to East Greenwich
By Paul Pence
Tony's Pizza
One of our favorite mom-and-pop places
By Paul Pence
Cracker Barrel Restaurant
A taste of mom's cooking from down South
By Paul Pence
Crazy Burger
Unique food without a clown in sight
By Paul Pence
Don Jose Tequila
Live Cinco de Mayo all year long
Napa Valley Grille
Wine country inspired food, with wine for more inspiration
By Paul Pence
Spike's Junkyard Dogs
Where man bites dog (And sometimes the dog bites back!)
By Ziomara Hernandez
Newport Restaurant Picks
A selection of favorites from a Newport native
The Purple Cat
Great food in Chepachet started in a trolley car
By Paul Pence
Jeanettes Pastry
Show up early
Seafood Right off the Boat
Three great restaurants in Galilee, Narragansett, RI
By Paul Pence
Point Judith Restaurant Picks
From doughboys to Spain in Point Judith
By Paul Pence
