Open and Closed

Open

Back 40 is a restaurant run by former Miss USA and Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and her father. They’re serving up coastal comfort . 20 South County Trail, North Kingstown. back40ri.com

Bayberry Hall, the long-awaited German beerhall-inspired restaurant, has opened. If you are looking for a restaurant with a communal feel on the West Side, this place should be your first stop. 381 W. Fountain St, PVD. bayberrybeerhall.com

Stout Irish Sports Pub is a new Irish-themed sports pub. 50 Exchange Terrace, PVD. stoutri.com

Base Station VR Lounge is “the future of entertainment.” Make reservations online and see what all the fuss is about. 286 Thayer St, PVD. basestationvr.com

Ground for Urban Greens, the new local grocer and co-op, has been broken. Stay tuned. 93 Cranston St, PVD. urbangreens.com

North, Part 4? With a thriving restaurant and two bakery location, let’s see what they have in store for us next! 122 Fountain St, PVD. foodbynorth.com

Rebelle Artisan Bagels is a tasty new bagel spot with lots of style. 110 Doyle Ave, PVD. rebelleartisanbagels.com

Revival Massage is re-opening on Sep 11 at their brand new location. 269 Wickenden St, PVD. revivalmassageri.com

FreePlay Bar and Arcade will have more than 100 classic video games, pinball, Skee-Ball and air hockey, all set to free play! 182 Pine St, PVD. freeplayri.com

Black Duck Tavern opened in the same space as The Watchemoket Bar, which opened on the day Prohibition was repealed: December 5, 1933. 31 Warren Ave, East PVD. blackducktavern.com

Flat Waves has opened a second location right in the URI Emporium. Acai bowls, come through. 99 Fortin Rd, Kingston. flat-waves.com

Johnny’s at the Atlantic Resort, has brunch, patio and fire pits. And it’s brand spanking new! 240 Aquidneck Ave, Middletown. johnnysnewport.com

Shoobies, is an adorable spot with an open . The string lights really make you feel like you’re mowing that ‘za on the piazza. 66 Broadway, Newport. shoobiesnewport.com

The Backyard Patio and Grille boasts giant checkers and free apps during trivia. These people know how to party! 151 Swinburne Row, Newport. backyardnpt.com

Diego’s has opened their long-awaited second floor and it’s stunning; you need to check it out. Tag them in some photos on FB and IG. 11 Bowens Wharf, Newport. diegosnewport.com Closed

Say is closing their PVD location and re-opening TBA in another location with adequate parking and enough interior space for a full bar. 45 Weybosset St, PVD. saycheeseprovidence.com

The Burbage Theatre Co’s new home at 249 Roosevelt Ave in Pawtucket and new partnership with the Rhode Island-based living arts company TEN31 Productions are official.

Following Galileo, the first show of the 2017-18 season, Burbage will conclude their residency at 276 Westminster St in concurrence with the closing of Aurora Providence. The remaining four productions of the 2017-18 season, beginning with The Great Gatsby on November 24, will signal the start of their new residency and partnership with TEN31.

Aurora, which is a truly sad loss for Providence. All shows will continue until the official close date in October. Go see a show and enjoy the space to show your support before the close. 276 Westminster St, PVD. auroraprovidence.com

Fertile Underground, the local co-op, seems to be struggling. Signage posted read that they couldn’t keep the shelves stocked. Support them at gofundme.com/help-fertile-underground-stay-open

Faust (pictured), a downtown favourite, the cool and chic German-style restaurant, has permanently closed. 122 Fountain St, PVD. Faustpvd.com

Cider Donuts: A Quest

My first fall in New England, after moving here from Texas, a friend brought me apple picking. Eager to embrace all things fall, I filled bags with apples, spent a paycheck on local maple syrup and tried my first doughnut. It was love at first bite. Fresh out of the fryer, the doughnut was crisp on the outside with a light sprinkling of sugar, and warm on the inside. It was cakey and dense and perfect. And I was thrilled with the thought that I’d be able to enjoy this fall treat every year in my new home. But it was not to be. And so began my quest.

Year after year, I searched for an apple cider doughnut experience that matched that first glorious bite. And year after year, I left apple orchards with a bag full of apples and a stomach full of disappointment. This one wasn’t fresh. That one wasn’t cakey enough. Not enough cinnamon. Too much sugar. One year I held my boyfriend’s hand as we picked apples together. Then that boyfriend, now husband, and I brought along a child. Then another. Sometimes I dragged my sleepy little apple pickers to multiple orchards or bakeries in one day, just chasing that first doughnut high. My sweet husband would turn to me eagerly as I tried a different doughnut every year. I imagine his only hope was for my happiness, but I’m sure he just hoped the quest — and my complaining — would end.

Then last year, pregnant with baby #3, I dragged my exhausted and swollen body to another orchard, family in tow, because apple picking is a family tradition, dammit. I was the kind of hungry that only a pregnant woman knows and followed the scent of cider doughnuts to a trailer beneath the hilly orchard. I asked for a half dozen and was handed a white bag full of fresh doughnuts that warmed my hands. I managed to stuff a whole doughnut in my mouth before greedy little hands snatched the bag from me, and what I tasted was perfection. My quest complete, I declared that this — this was our family orchard.

This week I asked my husband if we could go back to that orchard again. “Which one?” he asked.

“The one we went to last year,” I said. “With the doughnuts.”

“Those doughnuts were good,” he replied. “What was the name of the place?”

“I thought you knew,” I said. But he didn’t. And so my request begins anew, and like a weary warrior, I’ll pick up my apple picker, gather my children and march back into the trees.

Love Oysters? Don’t Miss the Ocean State Oyster Festival

Tom Robbins once equated eating an oyster with French kissing a mermaid. Others have likened it to swallowing a large wad of snot. I get both analogies, but for obvious reasons prefer the first one as it perfectly describes the sensuous nature of gulping down a bit of the sea, enjoying the salty brininess that lingers on your tongue; knowing you just consumed something sure to enhance your libido. Eating an oyster has nothing to do with eating; it’s an experience all unto itself. Here in Rhode Island, we’re fortunate to have access to high-quality fresh oysters year-round, and the 3rd Annual Ocean State Oyster Festival celebrates that fact. This year’s event will take place on Sep 23 from 1 – 7pm at River Walk Park in Providence, where oysters from 18 local oyster farms will be featured. The ticket gets you half a dozen oysters and a drink of choice (beer, or spiked ginger beer). This event is family-friendly (children under 12 are free) as there’s live entertainment and activities for the kids, such as face-painting, a photo booth and chill-out tent where kids can hang while mom and dad hit the bar. For those not inclined to shuck and suck, there will be food trucks from Pat’s Pastured, Smoke n’ Squeal Bbq and Mike’s Ice. In the afternoon, you can participate in an oyster shucking contest and vote for your favorite oyster – a perfect way to spend the first weekend of fall. Also, the coolest part of this already cool festival is that everything used is either compostable or recyclable. That means net zero in terms of waste.

Purchase tickets at oysterfestri.com. The event is held rain or shine as there are plenty of tents. To volunteer, email [email protected].

Family Date Night at La Familia

Date night and family night are no longer mutually exclusive. La Familia, located at 1666 Diamond Hill Rd. in Cumberland and at 431 Winthrop St. in Taunton, Mass, provides an elegant setting with a casual vibe where the whole family can feast on delicious, reasonably priced food. The menu features a combination of Italian and Portuguese-inspired with classics such as Fettuccini Bolognese and Linguini Alla Vongole, as well as a number of innovative dishes, including Chipotle Maple Glaze Salmon and Chicken and Kale Ravioli. What makes La Familia unique is its casual elegance.

I recently enjoyed a spectacular dinner out with my own familia at the Cumberland location. We were seated in the main dining room, which features a fireplace, several large windows, a few simple mirrors and plants, and tables with white tablecloths topped with butcher paper. That simple combination — white tablecloths and butcher paper — creates an elegant yet playful mood. The entire room is beautifully decorated, but you can’t help doodling on the butcher paper after you order if you happen to have a pen. There are two other rooms as well, one of which features a stunning bar shaped like a square, but we loved our table in the main room. It was a busy Sunday night; we hadn’t made a reservation and we didn’t have to wait for a table, but it felt more like a Saturday evening based on the number of people — people that included couples and groups of all ages and a number of school-aged children (all of whom were well-behaved).

As soon as we were seated, our water glasses were filled and a basket was delivered by two friendly server assistants. Our waiter appeared shortly thereafter, recited two appetizer and five dinner specials flawlessly, and returned promptly with our drinks. Throughout the , he was attentive and welcoming, as was one of the owners, who greeted us (and everyone else) personally and was clearly hands-on in the running of the business.

The food tastes homemade, and by that I mean delicious, as though an Italian-Portuguese grandmother, who has spent her life in the kitchen, just happened to make enough food for an entire restaurant full of people. We had clam chowder and seafood-stuffed mushrooms for appetizers, both of which were excellent. The chowder tasted like the sea, not fishy but flavorful and rich, while the mushrooms were plump and juicy and in perfect proportion to the seafood inside. For dinner I ordered the Chipotle Maple Glaze Salmon, which wasn’t too sweet, thanks to a nice balance of chipotle and maple. The mashed potatoes were thick and creamy; I wondered if the secret ingredient might be a bit of stock mixed with heavy cream, but I’m not sure. The sauteed — carrots, bell peppers and green beans — were truly al dente (not a hair overcooked) and subtly seasoned. My daughter had meatballs over angel hair , and the meatballs were notably moist and juicy. My husband had Spinach and Roasted Garlic Ravioli with homemade marinara , and although ravioli in general tends to be a very heavy dish, this one was just right — filling but not overbearing, according to him. I tried it and was pleased to discover that the earthy taste of the spinach had not been masked by . I could taste each ingredient, the total effect of which was a superb dish.

The menu at La Familia has something for every palette: appetizers, soup, salad, beef, pork, chicken, pasta, seafood and . The menu boasts a number of sandwiches, and the children’s menu is commendable because it offers several pasta dishes in addition to grilled cheese and a burger. It sends the message that kids can and should enjoy real food at La Familia. Another nice option — for children and for adults — is the Family Style section of the menu, which offers Fettuccine Alfredo, Chicken Parmesan, Fettuccini Bolognese and the Italian Trio (Chicken Parmesan, Eggplant Parmesan and Meatballs) in larger portions for two or four people. We might go for the Italian Trio next time, but even if we change our minds, I know I’ll have a great date night out with my family at La Familia.

Woonsocket location: 401-305-3916; Taunton location: 508-823-8664; lafamiliarestaurants.com

The Secret’s in the Milk: Coffee Milk Crawl of RI

Two weeks ago I had a couch surfer visiting from Germany, and I wanted to show her as many Rhode Island things as I could in 24 hours. One of the things I knew she needed to experience was coffee milk, the state drink of Rhode Island.

After three failed attempts to locate this drink in my neighborhood, a startling discovery emerged: There are people in Rhode Island who don’t know what coffee milk is. Therefore, a new quest ignited: The Coffee Milk Quest. Not only is it my duty to inform you what coffee milk is — milk mixed with coffee syrup — but I must also tell you where the best varieties of coffee milk can be found. I’ve included five different options, and included coffee milk pairings where applicable.

To locals: I implore you to abandon the syrup in your cupboard and give one of these a shot. And to newcomers: Even if you don’t like coffee, even if you don’t like milk, give coffee milk a chance. It doesn’t taste like what you’d expect, and it’s the Rhode Island thing to do.

JP Spoonem’s – 1678 Broad Street, Cranston — This is the diner where I had my very first coffee milk, and for this reason, it holds a special place in my heart. They serve the most recognized and traditional coffee milk, made with Autocrat. I watched the waitress fill a glass with two inches of the syrup before adding milk and almost had a heart attack — think of all the high fructose corn syrup! — but I forgot the health crisis the instant it touched my lips. Sweet and delicious and classically good. Suggested pairing: Portuguese Sweet Bread French Toast

Louis Family Restaurant – 286 Brook Street, PVD – Louis upheld my honor and allowed my German friend to try coffee milk before she left. Unfortunately, we were in a hurry to catch a ferry, so we needed to order it to go. We stood behind the counter and watched the waiter make it.

“Is that Autocrat?” I asked, eyeing the familiar rocket-shaped brown bottle.

“No. We make our own syrup.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope. We brew five gallons of coffee, boil it with some sugar and vióla! We just store it in old Autocrat bottles. You’ll taste the difference.”

And with that, I had to order another one, for myself.

He was right — it’s distinctly different, much more subtle. There was just enough sugar to cut the bitterness of coffee, but not enough that the drink was sweet. I think this is a good initiator for those who are unsure about coffee milk.

Verdict: German-approved. Olneyville New York System – 18 Plainfield Street, PVD – I took a Canadian friend here, and we sat at the bar. I was mesmerized by the guy balancing hot dogs on his arm, so I completely missed the coffee milk preparation. My friend said it came from a steel well, much like those that dispense soft serve ice cream. “That can’t be,” I said. “They need to mix it!”

“I’m pretty sure…” she said, sounding less sure.

It turns out she was right. “We have a coffee milk guy who delivers it to us this way,” the waiter said.

“Really? They deliver it pre-mixed?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of syrup do they use?”

“Don’t know.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“They don’t tell you?”

“No.”

“It’s really good,” I observed. It tasted like a coffee milkshake: not too sweet, not too coffee-like, creamier than the others.

“You know how they say the secret’s in the sauce?” he said. “Here, the secret’s in the milk.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

Suggested pairing: Two RI wieners, all the way. Julians – 318 Broadway, PVD – I remembered their coffee milk being distinct, so on a Thursday morning, I chauffeured a Ukrainian to Julians for an RI brunch experience. I ordered coffee milk, and he did the same. I explained that it wasn’t coffee — it was something else. The state drink of Rhode Island.

“Well then I must have it!” he said.

Upon first sip, he said, “This is the best!” And I will say, I drank it in a record two minutes. It’s perhaps the sweetest of them all, and the one that also gave me a slight caffeine buzz. “Do you make this yourselves?” I asked.

“Nah, we use Dave’s syrup,” the waiter said.

Ahhh, Dave’s Coffee Syrup, made straight from coffee and cane sugar. For those who want the pure stuff, Dave’s (and Louis) is the way to go.

Suggested pairing: Italian hash, with eggs and toast.

Wayland Square Diner – 208 Wayland Ave, PVD – When I called to ask what coffee syrup they used, they said, “Only the best! Eclipse.”

Eclipse? I’d never heard of this before, but as I correctly guessed, it was Autocrat’s rival, first appearing on the scene in the 1930s. Upon first sip, I didn’t notice anything strikingly different about it, but the more I drank, the more distinct I found the flavor to be. More of an aftertaste, maybe?

I later learned that Autocrat bought Eclipse 25 years ago, and it’s likely that any differences I tasted were purely psychological. But people still maintain their loyalties, and so I will leave the decision of “the best” up to you.

Scales and Tales Dinner Series: A New Way to See-Food

If you’ve been living under a rock or asleep for a really, really long time (think Rip Van Winkle), I have some news for you: Donald Trump is president (yes, that guy), Russia is the enemy again and local, sustainable food is all the rage. That last one is really great news.

One reason for this phenomenon is flavor. After all, nothing tastes better in New England than tomatoes in August and crisp, juicy apples in September. Aside from flavor, eating locally is the right thing to do. It takes an unnecessary amount of resources to fly bananas from Jamaica or ship salmon from the Pacific Northwest. Also, and perhaps more importantly, eating the way we do is not sustainable, particularly with regard to seafood. Our oceans are overfished, enabling entrepreneurial types to create underwater farms to grow and harvest fish. These fish are raised in nets or cages, creating many of the same issues facing the agricultural industry, such as inhumane treatment of animals, disposal of waste and food safety.

So what’s the solution? We could stop eating seafood altogether, but is that realistic in a culture that’s used to getting whatever we want, whenever we want it? Not likely. Fortunately there is another option: moving away from traditional over-fished seafood toward species that are more abundant. Enter Eating with the Ecosystem (EWTE), a local non-profit dedicated to promoting a “place-based approach” to seafood in New England. By partnering with local chefs and educating the public, EWTE seeks to inspire people to forego mass-farmed fish and try seafood that’s both sustainable and delicious.

One way EWTE hopes to get the word out is via the Scales and Tales Mobile Food Boat. The vision is this: A skiff that has been converted into a mobile platform where local chefs, fishermen and food experts conduct educational talks, demonstrations and tastings. This “boat with wheels” will travel around the state’s various farmers markets, fairs and public events, selling these abundant alternatives and teaching methods of preparation that are easy to try at home.

At this point, the boat is merely a dream — a hope for the future that requires funding. To raise money, EWTE and EatDrinkRI have partnered to host a series of Scales and Tales dinners. Aside from fundraising, the main goal of this dinner series is the same spirit of the mobile food boat: teaching the public that alternatives to traditional seafood can be appetizing.

The first in this series took place in June at the Statesman Tavern in Bristol. I spoke to Dave Dedakian, founder of EatDrinkRI, to get the skinny. The Tavern’s head , Chris Kleyla, put together a menu that combined alternative seafood with an explosion of flavor. The first was a periwinkle salad. If you’re unfamiliar with periwinkles, they’re those tiny black snail-like crustaceans that cling to rocks. As a kid, I recall spending hours at the beach pulling those poor suckers off the rocks, watching them retreat into their shell out of fear. (Don’t judge. You know you did the same.) It never occurred to me to eat one, but edible they are. The downside is they’re labor intensive, as it takes a while to get the out of that tiny shell, and it takes many shells to produce a meal. Kleyla mixed the periwinkles with capers and fresh herbs to create a salad that he piled on crostini. Think snail salad meets bruschetta, only different.

Also on the menu was fluke, sea robin and scup, also known as porgy, which is primarily a bait fish. All of the fish served are abundant in our oceans, flavorful and versatile. For example, due to issues of availability and freshness, Kleyla did a last minute substitution of fluke for black seabass, which he served raw with jasmine , cabbages, kings kelp, furikake and cucumber. This flexibility is a perfect example of ETWE’s mission: to adapt our diet to what our ever-changing ecosystem provides.

Aside from dining on excellent food, guests met Chef Kleyla, who talked about how he chose the seafood for each course and determined the best way to prepare it. They were later regaled with stories from local fisherman Tom Hoxsie. I admit when I heard about the “tales” portion of the dinner, images of a salty boat captain like Quint from Jaws came to mind. I pictured him smoking a pipe and recalling the day he hauled in a fish the size of a Cadillac, all told in a cockney accent. Instead Tom showed up in a dress shirt and boat shoes – no pipe, no accent, no drama. The tales were fascinating nonetheless.

There are two dinners left in the series: August 29 at Nick’s on Broadway and October 23 at Easy Entertaining. Tickets include a 5-course meal and drinks to accompany each course. Chef Kleyla paired his courses with cocktails; Chefs Derek Wagner and Ashley Vanasse might choose a wine pairing. Who knows – it’s the chef’s whim, which could change at any given moment, making for quite the culinary adventure.

Advance reservations are a must for Scales and Tales. To order tickets, visit EatDrinkRI’s website eatdrinkri.com/scalesandtales. You’ll have a great night out and support a unique but important local cause. To learn more about Eating with the Ecosystem, their website eatingwiththeecosystem.org contains a plethora of information. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for that mobile skiff in 2018.

Locale Profile: Kleos — The New Greek Concept in PVD In Greece, after you’ve just taken your first bite of freshly made dolmades, delicately constructed stuffed grape leaves dipped in a cool tzaziki sauce — when that involuntary moan of approval escapes from your lips, the word you’re looking for is “nostimo.” Delicious.

By way of introduction, my name is Jenny, and I am a Greek-aholic. I first caught wind of Kleos months ago, before there was even a Facebook page to hint at its arrival. I started sending messages as early as April, inquiring about their opening day, anxiously awaiting their debut. I’d walk down Westminster and peer through the butcher-papered windows, spying on construction. At one point, I was told they were planning to open on my birthday, which seemed divinely ordained, but instead they officially opened their doors one week later, on July 17.

There is no question: Greek food is my favorite food in all the world. There’s something to be said for the Mediterranean diet that keeps Aristotelian descendants healthy enough to gather olives from underneath their trees well into their 90s. That olive oil alone is worth drinking by the spoonful, and I knew for sure Kleos was the real deal when I ran out of bread to soak up the oil on my plate and switched, literally, to a spoon.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

My friend Jeremy and I arrived right at 7:30 for our reservations into a packed house. For an opening night, word must have gotten out — every table was full. Inside, the restaurant is small, but they’ve maximized their space to include an entire wall-length bar to the left, booths down the middle and tables along the right, next to the windows. There are also patio seats where patrons can cheers the Oberlin diners next door.

As soon as I stepped inside I noticed the place feels Greek, and I’m not just saying that. It was louder than most Greek restaurants I’ve visited (indoor dining is not something I’ve done in Greece), but there was so much light. The wall of windows allowed the restaurant to be illuminated until the sun went down, highlighting the potted plants along the booths, the traditional white wooden walls and blue tiles, a very nautical theme. The bench seats were decorated with blue and white pillows, some emblazoned with an anchor. There was an air of summer, and — at least in my case — joy.

The menus came on clipboards that were painted blue, with Greek designs and simple navy and white text. So many options to choose from: cold meze (meze = appetizers), hot meze, salads and soups, makaronia (pasta), Greek classics, meat and fish dishes, and side dishes that spoke straight to my heart. Jeremy deferred to me, but first we ordered drinks. I chose the Santorini Sunrise, with Deep Eddy grapefruit vodka, Campari, grapefruit juice and a splash of grapefruit soda. Truth be told, I ordered this drink because one of my favorite Greek fishermen always drinks Campari, and it made me think of him.

Jeremy asked which Greek I knew, and I said Fix and Mythos. Throughout the course of the night he tried both, preferring the latter. My drink was, in fact, the color of the sunrise, and despite being grapefruit heavy, did not strike me as a tart drink. The balancing effect of the Campari did wonders.

Food was a difficult decision. I’m used to ordering family style, and ordering three times the number of dishes as there are people, but here I was forced to narrow it down. I was craving every side dish, from fasolakia — green beans — to tyrokafteri, spicy feta, but we decided to go with the Kleos meze plate, which offered the classics: spanakopita (spinach and feta inside filo ), dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), keftedes (meatballs), zoutsoukakia (grilled Greek sausage), vegetables, tzatziki (an addictive yogurt-based sauce) and fries.

We also ordered a horiatiki salad (ie, the traditional “Greek” salad), briam, which is a cooked dish that I’ve never seen on an American menu, and an open-faced gyro.

Sweet Lord have mercy. We were full after the meze plate. The spanakopita was cut into thick, tall slices, bigger than I’m used to but one of my favorites of the mix. The plate was large and filling, and I enjoyed everything except the olives; they tasted more like American black olives than their kalamata relative. Jeremy and I seriously started to worry because of all the food we’d ordered, certain we’d be taking home leftovers. Next came the Greek salad, and this is where I have to brag on Kleos: they made it perfectly — fresh tomatoes and cucumbers with sliced , olives and peppers, topped with blocks of feta cheese, sprinkled with oregano, and — the best part — a layer of olive oil covering the plate. It was amazing. This is what I saved my bread for. This is what I drank with a spoon. The olive oil they use comes from the owner’s family’s olive grove in Greece, and you can taste the difference.

At this point in the night — we’d probably been there over an hour — the waitress told us there was a mix-up in the tickets and the kitchen lost our briam order and had run out of ingredients. By way of apology, they offered drinks and dessert on the house, apologized profusely, and Jeremy and I were relieved; we couldn’t have eaten it if we’d wanted to. We struggled to finish the gyro, and only because it was so delicious we couldn’t leave any on the plate.

But there’s always room for dessert, right? We chose the yogurt parfait, alongside another round of drinks and a Greek coffee. I was expecting the small Turkish-like coffee but instead got a Fredo Cappucino. A hot drink would’ve been better with dessert, but this brought a rush of memories — it tasted just like a Greek afternoon. I wish I could order them during the day!

From the over-the-top kindness of the owners to the traditional dishes and the Greek atmosphere, I can only say that I’m thrilled to have this restaurant in Providence. The only thing left to say is this: Everything was nostimo.

250 Westminster Street, PVD

Food Truck Profile: Vurrito

It was only up until a couple years ago that Casey Pomes ate meat. It’s not how you expect a story of a new vegan food start-up to begin. At the age of 26, he found himself with a case of early-onset arthritis from the elevated levels of uric acid in his system. One of the causes of that can be meat-eating, and Casey underwent a major dietary change and went full vegan.

Today Casey, along with partner Chris Kerwick, are in the process of launching Vurrito, a food truck that serves vegan Mexican food. Chris is a former restaurant manager. Casey grew up on a farm and has a strong food service background. They met while working in IT sales. “My favorite food before I went vegan was Mexican food,” says Casey in a phone interview. “And that’s where the idea started.”

All their menu options are plant-based, whole food and organic. They work with local providers to source their food, like Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton, one of the only organic farms in the state. Their menu items are one-of-a-kind, like a vegan burrito they call the vurrito (get it?) made with summer squash, zucchini and plenty of other vegetables. They make sweet tacos and mushroom quesadillas among other unique vegan twists on classic .

As of this writing they’ve set up shop at a few events. An event at Hope and Main in Warren had a crowd of mostly non-vegans enjoy their food, with some even thinking that the portobello mushroom they were eating was steak, a fact that makes Casey beam with pride. “I want people to leave satisfied, ultimately satisfied, enjoying cruelty-free, plant-based food,” says Casey. “Our slogan is ‘Eat What’s Right’ and we want people to walk away happy.”

And people do. Right now, Vurrito is still raising funding. Traditional funding for food trucks being typically difficult, Casey and Chris have opted to start crowd-funding on indiegogo.com. Their current goal is to raise enough to buy equipment for a pop-up and work their

way up from there. On July 17, they had a fundraiser at fellow vegan-friendly eatery Like No Udder. They prepared 85 beforehand and only advertised on social media for a few weeks before. There was a line out the door and they sold out their stock within 15 minutes.

Vurrito hopes to officially launch in August. They’ve been invited and have plans to go to more events to sell as well, like Worcester Veg Fest, Pawtucket‘s Dragonboat Festival and animal rights events/fundraisers. Casey wants to focus on street service as well. “Right now we want to build a brand and our following,” says Casey. “But our ultimate goal is to be the next Chipotle and have a series of fast-casual vegan restaurants.” Until then, tune in to their social media (facebook.com/vurritofoods) to find out where you can find them, and when you try their food, be prepared to enjoy tastes you didn’t know could come from vegetables.

Locale Profile: Schasteâ: The Elephant Room of PVD

Broadway is a hot spot in Providence. Home to Nick’s on Broadway, The Grange, Julians and Seven Stars, the deck is stacked in the brunch-goers’ favor. And now, after two years of discussion, planning and preparations, a new and creperie has joined the mix: Schasteâ, partner restaurant of the beloved Elephant Room in Pawtuxet Village.

The Elephant Room has a loyal following for anyone privy to its whereabouts; they’ve been serving tea and crepes, in addition to tea-infused cocktails accompanied by live music, for three years now. But, as I discovered when telling my friends about Schasteâ’s opening, there are still plenty of unchurched people who need to behold the magic that this tearoom has to offer.

Due to copyright laws, “The Elephant Room” could not expand into a Rhode Island chain, so a new name and identity was created for the PVD location. Schasteâ (pronounced “Shas-tee-ah”) not only has the word “tea” in it, but it is the Russian equivalent of the Spanish word alegría, which is a state of happiness. The Lopez family has a tradition of toasting “Cheers to alegría!” – cheers to our joy! —and since the owner’s wife is Russian, Schasteâ was the perfect blend: They managed to infuse joy into the name as much as exotic are infused into their teas. Speaking of which, let’s talk about this tea list.

Schasteâ does for tea what Belgium does for beer: The menu is divided by class (white, green, black, oolong, botanical), strength (high caffeine, medium caffeine, caffeine free), and level of exoticism (premium, exotic or rare). Served hot or iced, this amount of variety allows even anti-tea drinkers (like myself, usually) to become giddy over the menu. From Ayurvedic “Happy” tea to Chocolate Monkey to Green Pear, there is a tea for every personality. (For the unwavering coffee drinkers — and I dare you to leave this place without wanting to drink tea — they do serve drip, filter and iced coffee).

On a warm but overcast Saturday, my friend Naia and I went to visit this new spot. Both of us are Elephant Room devotees, so we were curious how this would compare. We snagged an outdoor table, but managed to peer inside.

The interiors are vastly different. Unlike Pawtuxet, where there are two stories of nooks and crannies, couches and Zen paintings, Schasteâ is open and modern: a well-lit, single room decorated in simple beige and white tones, with diner-style tables and ceiling lights with covers resembling upside-down wicker baskets. They are a full-service restaurant, but there is a counter display where patrons can purchase bags of tea and locally baked goods, cold drinks and merchandise. All of the teas are meticulously organized on a shelf behind the counter, and emblazoned on the windows and sidewall are elephant logos, a nod to their Pawtuxet pachyderm origins.

Seated outdoors, we were given menus that looked blessedly familiar: All of the same teas, crepes (16 savory, 14 sweet), salads, yogurt and oatmeal that I’ve come to love. Naia chose a spinach salad with turkey; I ordered the pepperoni and spinach crepe; and for “dessert,” we shared the Mixed Berry Vanilla Blintz. As for teas, she went with an iced White Coconut Crème (which is the tea version of a piña colada: summery and refreshing!), and I ordered the Halo Blooming Tea — white tea infused with blueberry and white peach essence that actually “blooms” inside the teapot. True story: I did a time- lapse video of this, but stopped when the food came out so I could take pictures of the crepes. I have ¾ of a bloom on my camera.

The service was extremely friendly with just a few speed bumps — they kept forgetting minor details, water refills and side plates. But Schasteâ is still within two weeks of opening, and I think these minor kinks will disappear. And the food was perfect.

My garlic and herb-crusted crepe was delicately packed with pepperoni and spinach, as well as kalamata olives and a white cheese that made it taste pizza-like, but worlds healthier. The Berry Blintz was, in fact, dessert, arriving with more whipped cream than I remembered — ohhh sooo good. What I love about the crepes here, and what sets them apart from other creperies, is how light they are. I was able to eat 1.5 crepes, satisfying my sweet and savory teeth, without feeling as though I’d overdone it. They are artfully constructed, and it’s clear there is an expertise to this kind of crepe, from the way they are folded to their texture and consistency.

I’m delighted to see a new location for this tearoom because I can confidently say I will never go anywhere else in Rhode Island for tea or crepes. Cheers — or Schasteâ — to that!

We were saddened to learn that the father of Schasteâ’s owner passed away suddenly last week. Running these two restaurants has always been a family affair, and as head chef (and son) Mario noted, “No one made crepe as good as he did.” His presence will be missed terribly by both his family and the patrons who have come to know him. May Francisco “Paco” Lopez’s soul rest in peace.

Food Truck Profile: GottaQ Smokehouse BBQ

The food truck scene in RI has witnessed a major first: GottaQ Smokehouse BBQ took home first place in their category in Mobile Cuisine Magazine’s food truck awards. They faced hundreds of other BBQ trucks and netted over 7,700 votes. It’s a big step forward. “I can’t even describe the value of it,” says Michael Stout, owner and pitmaster. On a more local level, GottaQ also won their first RI Food Truck award this year at a June event produced by Motif and FoodTrucksInRI.

It wasn’t that long ago when Mike started GottaQ with his wife, Janice. He’s originally from Massachusetts, and spent 27 years in Florida. In 2007, he moved to RI, met Janice and got married. GottaQ was originally envisioned as a concession stand before it made its debut as a truck on April 25, 2014. Since then they’ve garnered huge success and expanded to include another truck, a trailer and two brick-and-mortar locations, both located on Mendon Road in Cumberland. They have 15 staff members and took on a new business partner, Anthony Mardenly, to help with the business side of things.

“Everything we sell, all our meals, are made ahead of time,” says Mike. It’s a rainy summer day and we talk on the phone as he drives back from a private event GottaQ catered in New Hampshire. “Pulled pork and brisket cooks for about 20 hours.” Running the truck taught him about the logistics and limits of barbecuing. While they can’t make much fresh to order, they compensate by turning out between one and two orders a minute. There’s not many food trucks in the local scene that can claim that kind of turnaround time.

GottaQ goes through 7,000 pounds of meat a week. That includes the beef, pork butt, sirloin, brisket, ribs, whole chickens and sausage. They’re supplied through a wholesaler; most local farms can’t meet their supply needs. Mike tries to ensure they cook with the best cuts they can — USDA prime beef, Cheshire pork. “The price point is a little more than most, but I want to prove that New England barbecue is worth it.”

GottaQ the truck mostly sticks to events and festivals; however, new to this year is doing service on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Kennedy Plaza around lunchtime. The demand there is still growing, but the good days make it worth it. KP service just started in April, and they’ll continue through September/October. GottaQ also travels out of state frequently, hitting food truck festivals and events in Taunton, New Bedford, Portland (Maine) and Finger Lakes, New York. This year they’re hitting about 280 events overall. They’re also licensing in Boston next year, joining the food trucks on the Greenway.

Catering by GottaQ is in strong demand. On average, they got a dozen catering orders a week this year. They’ve got some big name fans, too. Governor Gina Raimondo has them cater her staff parties, and just recently gave them a citation for their Mobile Cuisine award. “I want people to know how well we were treated,” says Mike. He’s especially proud of the staff and the service they provide to every customer. “Our staff is second to none, they’re rockstars. I want people to have some of the best BBQ they’re going to have. I don’t wanna be New England BBQ, I wanna be the best BBQ nationwide.”

GottaQ plans to continue to slowly expand in the coming years. But what are Mike and Janice’s long- term plans? They have a dream of retiring by driving a perpetual BBQ rig across the road. Serving the best BBQ, sightseeing and traveling all across America. Not a bad plan for one of RI’s most successful food trucks.

To see the current locations of local food trucks, visit motifri.com/food-truck-locator, brought to you by FoodTrucksIn RI (foodtrucksin.com), a Providence-based company allowing users to find local food trucks or food trucks in over 1,300 cities nationwide.