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EPISODES
    SEASON 1
    EPISODE 1 – THE OYSTER RENAISSANCE
    EPISODE 2 – THE REBIRTH OF BROADWAY
    Episode 3 – INTO THE HEART OF FEDERAL HILL PT. I
    EPISODE 4 – INTO THE HEART OF FEDERAL HILL PT. II
    EPISODE 5 – NEWPORT FINE DINING CLASSICS
    EPISODE 6 – ELEVATED IN DOWN CITY
    EPISODE 7 – A SOUTH COUNTY SAMPLER
    EPISODE 8 - SUMMER LOVIN'
    EPISODE 9 – SUMMER ON BLOCK ISLAND
    EPISODE 10 – ISLAND GEMS
    EPISODE 11 – ELEVATED IN DOWNCITY PT. TWO
    EPISODE 12 – A SOUTH COUNTY SAMPLER PT. II
RESTAURANTS
    Providence area
    Cafe Nuovo, Providence
    Caserta Pizza
    Camille's Restaurant
    Pane E Vino & Massimo
    Mill's Tavern, Providence
    Venda Ravioli
    Newport/Jamestown
    Boru Noodle Bar
    Flo's Clamshack
    Pour Judgment
    The Salvation Cafe
    South County
    Casa Della Luce
    Matunuck Oyster Bar and Farm
    Mew's Tavern
    The Nordic Lodge
    The Breachway Grill
    Watch Hill Oysters
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A Taste of Rhode Island TV series - Culinary adventures in the Ocean State
  • HOME
  • EPISODES
    • SEASON 1
      • EPISODE 1 – THE OYSTER RENAISSANCE
      • EPISODE 2 – THE REBIRTH OF BROADWAY
      • Episode 3 – INTO THE HEART OF FEDERAL HILL PT. I
      • EPISODE 4 – INTO THE HEART OF FEDERAL HILL PT. II
      • EPISODE 5 – NEWPORT FINE DINING CLASSICS
      • EPISODE 6 – ELEVATED IN DOWN CITY
      • EPISODE 7 – A SOUTH COUNTY SAMPLER
      • EPISODE 8 – SUMMER LOVIN’
      • EPISODE 9 – SUMMER ON BLOCK ISLAND
      • EPISODE 10 – ISLAND GEMS
      • EPISODE 11 – ELEVATED IN DOWNCITY PT. TWO
      • EPISODE 12 – A SOUTH COUNTY SAMPLER PT. II
  • RESTAURANTS
    • Providence area
      • Cafe Nuovo, Providence
      • Caserta Pizza
      • Camille’s Restaurant
      • Pane E Vino & Massimo
      • Mill’s Tavern, Providence
      • Venda Ravioli
    • Newport/Jamestown
      • Boru Noodle Bar
      • Flo’s Clamshack
      • Pour Judgment
      • The Salvation Cafe
    • South County
      • Casa Della Luce
      • Matunuck Oyster Bar and Farm
      • Mew’s Tavern
      • The Nordic Lodge
      • The Breachway Grill
      • Watch Hill Oysters
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • SPONSORS
Blog, Episode 10 - A South Country Sampler, RESTAURANTS, Season One, South County

Mew’s Tavern

December 4, 2018 by admin No Comments
mews_tavern

Mew’s Tavern is a long-time favorite of locals in the Wakefield area. They’re famous for their huge tap list of craft beers, their awesome burgers, some fantastic pizza, and the tree in the main dining room. But it doesn’t stop there: there’s comfort food galore coming out of this kitchen, everything from gourmet mac’n’cheese to seafood, sandwiches, and creative appetizers. Have a peek below and head into the kitchen with us in our “South County Sampler” episode.

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    bacon_burger
  • buff_wings
  • Buffalo Chicken Pizza
    with blue cheese and scallions
  • mews_tavern
    Downstairs bar
  • Eggplant parmesan pizza
  • Fish'n'chips
  • Fried fish sandwich
  • fried_mozzarella
  • Bacon mushroom burger
  • jalapeno_burger
  • lobster_macncheese
  • nachos
  • pastrami_wings
  • pizza_in_oven
  • mews_tavern_mac_cheese
    pork_macncheese_beer
  • pork_macncheese
  • pulled_pork_nachos
  • reuben
  • salmon_bourbon
  • tots
  • mews_tavern
    tray_dishes
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Blog, Episode 10 - A South Country Sampler, Season One, South County

Casa Della Luce

November 20, 2018 by admin No Comments
chicken_cacciatore

Tucked away in an unassuming building in a shopping plaza on the outskirts of Westerly is one of the best Italian restaurants in the state of Rhode Island: Casa Della Luce. At the heart of the menu here are delicious pasta dishes using pasta that is hand-made fresh daily in small batches from the finest ingredients possible. There are very few restaurants these days making all their own pasta in-house, but Casa Della Luce is one of them. The house favorite, a cavatelli with sopressata made locally at Westerly Meat Packing gets sauteed broccoli rabe, garlic, olive oil and parmesan, and it is one of the best pasta dishes you will ever have outside of Italy. The texture of the cavatelli is perfect – springy and tender, and the salty-sweetness of the sopressatta (known locally here as “soupy”) perfectly offset the bitterness of the broccoli rabe.

House made cavatelli with broccoli rabe and local sopressata (known locally as “soupy”).

Owner and founding chef, Mark Lacz, also made us a fresh spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli with a decadent sun-dried tomato and cheese sauce, topped off with toasted pine nuts, that was just out of this world, bursting with flavor and savory richness.

spinach_ravioli

Hand-made spinach ravioli, Casa della Luce, Westerly.

In addition to the pasta dishes, Casa Della Luce is home to some of the best NY style pizza and calzones anywhere, with wildly creative varieties like taco and cheeseburger pizzas that attract a rabid local following.

casa_della_luce_pizza

Meat pizza with soppressata, pepperoni and meatballs, Casa Della Luce.

The menu varies seasonally, and also features other dishes like steaks, fried fish and chips on Fridays, and a clam chowder topped with clam cakes that is delicous. This is Rhode Island, after all. Do yourself a favor and head on down to Casa Della Luce for some amazing, hand-made Italian food in a cozy, friendly space. And don’t miss our upcoming “South County Sampler” episode where we’ll feature Casa Della Luce plus other local gems.

For more info go to: casadellaluce.net

  • Cavatelli with Sopressata
    and Broccoli Rabe
  • spinach_ravioli
    Spinach ravioli
    with sun-dried tomato cream sauce
  • house-made fresh cavatelli
    All the pasta at Casa Della Luce is made fresh by hand
  • casa_della_luce_pizza
    Meat Lovers Pizza
    Casa Della Luce has some of the best pizza in the state
  • Mark Lacz
    Owner of Casa Della Luce with his fresh made ravioli
  • Some serious Calzones here
  • Casa Della Luce chowder with Clam Cakes
  • Cheesy Calzone
  • chicken_cacciatore
    Chicken Cacciatore, Casa Della Luce
  • casa_della_luce_marsala
    Chicken marsala, Casa della Luce
  • Chicken parmigiana, Casa Della Luce
  • Hot off the line
  • Lasagna, Casa Della Luce
  • Shrimp Fettucine
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Blog, Episode 6 - Elevated In Down City, Providence area, RESTAURANTS, Season One

Mill’s Tavern, Providence

November 17, 2018 by admin No Comments

Last night we had the pleasure of filming – and eating – at Mill’s Tavern, in downtown Providence, for our upcoming “Elevated In Down City” episode. Like all the other spots we’ve filmed for this episode, the food was out of this world. Billing themselves as “modern American meets classic French technique”, the menu is more of an ecclectic assortment of classic meals with modern, exotic twists, or what Executive Chef Edward Bolus says is “a reflection of the diverse backgrounds and influences of our cooking team.” Edward himself is of German and Lebanese descent, and he brings these influences into dishes such as their phenomenal Tandoori grilled rack of lamb, which is marinated in yogurt and spices in a Lebanese style, then dusted with Tandoori before grilling and served with beet hummus, chick peas, Israeli couscous, and a tatziki sauce made with thick Lebanese “labheh” yoghurt. Needless to say, the dish is sublime, with subtle and not-so-subtle flavors and textures blending into one of the most interesting and delicious dishes we’ve had anywhere in the past year.

tandoori_lamb

Tandoori lamb rack with Israeli cous cous, chick pea, beet hummus and tatziki.

Mill’s Tavern sits at the base of college hill in downtown Providence, and is surrounded by lovely old historic buildings lined with cobblestone streets and mature trees. While they try to evoke a cozy, rustic, tavern feel, the space is also stylish and sophisticated, a great blend of comfortable and elegant, with dark wood and burnished steel accents and subdued lighting. Along the back wall is the open kitchen, and in the corner of the kitchen is the wood-fired oven, the “heart and soul” of the restaurant, which castes a warm flickering light over the dining area. Some of the mouth-watering specialties coming out of the oven on the current autumn menu are pizza with with smoked chicken, buttermilk chive crema, spaghetti squash, crisp bacon and fontina; harissa dusted Atlantic swordfish with black sesame caramelized turnips and yellow pepper ketchup; and seared Long Island duck breast with parsnip mash, sweet and sour cabbage, pickled cherries and orange duck demi glace. We did try the pizza, and it was fantastic: rich and tangy, and similar to Edward’s description of it as a “really really good ranch chicken pizza.” The spaghetti squash on top was a great touch, adding a unique texture and savory sweetness.

smoked_chicken_pizza

Pizzas and main roast dishes take on the unique flavor of the wood and coal fired oven.

fontina_chicken_pizza

Smoked chicken and spaghetti squash pizza with chive-cremas, fontina cheese and crispy bacon.

Mill’s Tavern also has a beautiful raw bar, with fat sweet littlenecks and Walrus and Carpenter oysters along with house-made smoked bluefish pate and other delicacies from the sea. The charcuterie platter was phenomenal as well, the star of this show being the house-made pheasant and pork terrine with pistachio and fig, which was delicous along with touches of fig jam, mustard, house-smoked blue cheese and other house-cured meats.

mills_charcuterie

The charcuterie plate features house-cured meats, cheeses and spreads.

We also tried a wonderful autumn mushroom risotto, laden with truffle-flecked cheese and cured forest mushrooms and topped with crispy puffed rice that added a nice crunchy texture. And although not technically a “steak house”, the steaks here are famous throughout town and are gorgeous: thick cuts basted with a herb-seasoned butter, sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper then grilled to perfection on the wood-fires grill. All the food here looks amazing, and the chefs, mostly graduates from Johnson and Wales culinary program, know their stuff and push the flavor envelope well past what most timid palates would expect. But the superlatives don’t stop at the kitchen; Mill’s Tavern has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence five years running, and have a fantastic wine selection to pair along with the dishes. And this is just the kind of elegant, flavorful food that begs for the right wine, be it a muscular cab, a buttery chardonnay, or a bright pinot for the more delicate dishes. And they also have an amazing seasonal, creative craft cocktail menu that is delicious. This rustically elegant tavern is serving up some seriously extraordinary food and drinks. Stay tuned as we add more photos and video, and check out the episode “Elevated In Down City” when it hits PBS in mid-winter.

For more info go to the Mill’s Tavern website: www.millstavernrestaurant.com

Image Gallery

  • Mill's Tavern, Providence
    on a snowy November's eve
  • mills_charcuterie
    Charcuterie board, Mill's Tavern
    Featuring house-cured meats, cheeses and condiments
  • Fresh pizza from the wood-fired oven
    the wood fired oven is the heart of this kitchen
  • Charcuterie board
    features delicacies such as the house-made pheasant and pork terrine with pistachio and fig
  • fontina_chicken_pizza
    Smoked chicken and spahetti squash pizza
    wit Buttermilk Chive Crema, Spaghetti Squash, Crisp Bacon and Fontina
  • smoked_chicken_pizza
    Smoked chicken pizza
    several dishes are cooked in the open oven
  • Autumn mushroom risotto
    with Puffed Rice, Moliterno Tartufo and Scallion Butter
  • Seared Day Boat Scallops
    with Cider Glazed Pork Belly, Sauteed Broccoli Rabe, Celeriac Puree and Apple Herb Salad
  • tandoori_lamb
    Tandoori Lamb
    with beet hummous, chick peas, israeli couscous, and tatziki sauce
  • tandoori_lamb
    Executive Chef Edward Bolus
    with his "off-menu" tandoori lamb dish
  • Sous Chef Christian Chin
    with the autumn mushroom risotto
  • Wood-fire grilled steaks
    Mill's Tavern is known for its excellent steaks
  • Cocktail menu, Mill's Tavern
    features seasonal, creative craft cocktails
  • The "Inside Joke" cocktail
    Black Fig Vodka, St. Germain, Huckleberry Puree, Lemon, Boston Bittahs, Galliano Spritz 14
  • Executive Pastry Chef Samantha del Arroyo
    creates culinary masterpieces for the dessert menu
  • Chevre Cheese cake
    with Res El Hanout Spiced Carrot Cake, Yuzu Curd, Muscat Grapes, Pistachio Crumble, Mandarin Sorbet
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Blog, Episode 7 - The Fishermen of Galilee, RESTAURANTS, Season One, South County

George’s of Galilee

November 15, 2018 by admin No Comments

George’s of Galilee has one foot in the past, and another in the future. The Durfee family, which has owned and operated this spot since the 1940’s, can trace their local heritage, and even some family recipes, back to the 1600’s. For years George’s has been one of the most iconic seafood restaurants in the Ocean State, serving up authentic clam cakes, classic Rhode Island clear-broth chowder, and fresh seafood sourced directly from the fishing docks just steps from the restaurant. And today, George’s continues to set the standard for quality seafood by making a big push towards utilizing local, sustainable fish species such as skate, sea robin, and scup.

 

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Blog, Episode 4 - Into the Heart of Federal Hill, Pt. Two, Providence area, RESTAURANTS, Season One

Pane E Vino & Massimo

November 11, 2018 by admin No Comments

These two award-winning restaurants are both owned by the DeQuattro family. Pane E Vino, on the west end of Federal Hill, was opened fifteen years ago and features authentic, classic, Southern Italian cuisine inspired by the DeQuattro’s grandmother, who emigrated from southern Italy to Narragansett back in the early 1900’s. On the other end of Atwell’s, Massimo dishes up modern, regional Italian cuisine from all over Italy, or what the family likes to call “Italy to Table.” Pane E Vino is rustic, dark, and cozy, Massimo is open, bright, and modern. Just like good food with the right wine, they are a perfect pairing and wonderful addition to Federal Hill.

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Blog, Episode 2 - The Rebirth of Broadway, Newport/Jamestown, RESTAURANTS, Season One

Boru Noodle Bar

November 8, 2018 by admin No Comments

We’re taking you inside this authentic Japanese-style ramen noodle bar, in downtown Newport, Rhode Island, to get the story behind this wildly popular spot on lower Broadway. Broadway Avenue has evolved into one of the most diverse strip of eclectic eateries in the state, with all kinds of cuisine types and atmospheres in a compact neighborhood. Boru Noodle Bar is a delicious addition: the laid-back but funky space features a handful of dishes with tons of flavor. Their house ramen with crispy house-cured pork belly, pickled cabbage, bamboo shoots, and soft-boiled egg, is a local favorite, as is their gorgeous beef ramen bowl, in which finely chopped raw beef and a raw egg cook slowly in the savory “double-soup” broth. We also dive into the Mediterranean Ramen bowl, a nod to owner Casey Shaw’s Portuguese heritage, which features mussels, clams, squid, olives, and peppers in a savory tomato infused ramen broth. There’s not just noodles here, either; the Boru pork bao on steamed buns with hoisin are fantastic, along with the crispy squid dish and the locally famous crispy brussel sprouts with a dark sweet soy glaze. Check out the image gallery below, and be sure to watch the video for the story behind Newport’s favorite noodle shop.

For more info go to: www.borunoodlebar.com

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    House ramen, Boru
  • boru_twobowls
  • Beef and egg ramen
  • Mediterranean ramen, Boru.
  • boru_squid
  • boru_brussels
  • boru_bao
  • lower_broadway_newport
    Boru Noodle Bar
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Blog, Episode 4 - Into the Heart of Federal Hill, Pt. Two, Providence area, Season One

Caserta Pizza

October 13, 2018 by admin No Comments

Caserta Pizzeria is famous for their extra-crispy crust, their sauce-on-top style pizza, and the legendary “Whimpy Skippy”, a decadent pepperoni and spinach pie.

 

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Blog, Episode 1: The Oyster Renaissance, Season One, South County

Watch Hill Oysters

December 7, 2017 by admin No Comments

In the 1700’s and early 1800’s, Rhode Island, specifically Narragansett Bay, was one of the most productive oyster fisheries on the planet, and fishing and aquaculture drove much of the local economy. But the arrival of the industrial revolution and the mill and textile industries situated on waterways that led into the bay created massive amounts of toxic runoff that wiped out the oyster and fishing industries. But years of diligent clean-up strategies have restored much of the bay, and Rhode Island, with a big push from URI’s aquaculture program, is once again leading the country in aquaculture. Oyster farming is the star attraction, with farms established in various locations around Narraganset Bay, and also in the salt ponds along the shores of South County.

watch_hill_oysters

Watch Hill oysters ready for market.

Jeff Gardner established Watch Hill Oysters over twenty-five years ago, on Winnapaug Pond just outside of Westerly. He is one of the fathers of modern Rhode Island aquaculture, and his oysters are sought after the world over. In addition to being a wonderful character, Jeff is a wellspring of knowledge and experience. We spend a day with his hard-working crew and learn all about oyster farming and oysters, and what makes Watch Hill oysters unique. After harvest, we’ll follow the oysters to the world-famous Nordic Lodge, just up the road in Charlestown.

Go to Watch Hill Oyster’s website: www.watchhilloysters.net

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    Jeff_commute
  • little_oysters
  • watch_hill_oysters
    oystercrates_bay
  • watch_hill_oysters
    cu_bigoysters
  • travis_ortega
    travis_working
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Recent Posts

  • Mew’s Tavern
  • Cafe Nuovo, Providence
  • Casa Della Luce
  • Mill’s Tavern, Providence
  • George’s of Galilee

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