Don't-Miss Dishes at Newport Restaurant Week
By Ann and Michael Martini, GoLocalProv Food Editors
Don't-Miss Dishes at Newport Restaurant Week
We are lucky that in a state as small as ours that we have two dining capitals, Providence and Newport. Each city boasts many top-notch restaurants and chefs. This week we look forward to the Newport and Bristol County Restaurant Week. Put on by the Convention and Visitors Bureau, restaurant week features over fifty restaurants offering a three course lunch for $16 or a three course dinner for $30 from Thursday, November 4th through Sunday November 13th. Here are some typical main ingredients, along with some not-so-typical ways of serving them.
A recent trip to Bristol garnered us a new favorite new date spot…The Hourglass Brasserie. We fell in love with its Parisian atmosphere and the tasty food of Chef Rizwan Ahmed. Clean, bright flavors are chef Ahmed’s calling card and he uses locally-sourced products to produce the flavors of France. For Restaurant Week he has put together a tasty chicken dish of sous vide supreme of free-range chicken, with caramelized fennel, plum compote and a flavorful broth called jus gras. The sous vide cooking method keeps the chicken nice and tender and all the other flavors meld together nicely. Whether we're talking food or accommodations, the grand dame of Newport is the Hotel Viking. The hotel houses the terrific One Bellevue Avenue restaurant, where Chef Kevin Thiele's cider glazed half chicken with pancetta whipped potatoes, sautéed spinach and wild mushrooms is making us welcome autumn with open arms. This half chicken is lovingly glazed with an apple cider pan reduction to keep it juicy and intensify the flavors of fall. The Hourglass Brasserie, 382 Thames St. Bristol, 396-9811, www.hourglassbrasserie.com ; The Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue Ave. Newport, 847-3300, www.hotelviking.com
Pork
We feel like “the other white meat” is the perfect palette for the flavors of fall. Cider, pumpkin, sweet potato, they all lend themselves nicely to pork. Our “tour de pork” begins at Fluke Wine Bar and Kitchen, located on Bowen’s Wharf. Newport was abuzz in 2009 when Fluke hit the scene with a pair of talented chefs from New York City and Chefs Manacle and King haven't let us down. Fluke’s Restaurant Week offering is a mouthwatering grilled pork belly with a maple and mustard glaze, roasted apples, braised cabbage and Brussels sprouts with pecans. And really you can’t go wrong with a top-notch chef preparing pork belly.
Beef
Tucked into a little strip on a burgeoning restaurant row on Broadway in Newport, Spark Restaurant and Catering has developed a loyal following of locals and travelers alike with thoughtful food with flare. Owner Susan Zinno has turned this little B.Y.O.B. into a destination restaurant. We grab a cool small-batch bottle from Maria at Newport Wine Cellar beforehand. For Restaurant Week Zinno is preparing a grilled filet mignon on a crispy potato cake with a dijon mustard-infused demi-glaze, roasted spaghetti squash and sautéed greens. The little bit of bite from the dijon adds just the right touch. The oldest watering hole in the country, The White Horse Tavern has been serving pilgrims and patriots alike since 1673. And chef Richard Silvia has taken this historic tavern into the 21st century with local, seasonal food in this classic setting. Fall and winter means short ribs to us and Chef Silvia entices with his dish of braised and pulled short rib ragu over papardelle pasta. The short ribs are slowly braised and hand pulled before it is made into a sauce over wide ribbon pasta with parmesan cheese. It is all kinds of warm and fuzzy! Spark Restaurant and Catering, 12 Broadway, Newport, 842-0023, www.sparkrestaurantandcatering.com,The White Horse Tavern, 26 Marlborough St. Newport, 849-3600, www.whitehorsetavern.us
Dessert
We went with two old-school desserts made classic by a couple of cool local restaurants.
