Perro Salado [Newport, R.I.]

Perro Salado
19 Charles Street
Newport, RI 02840

Perro Salado ("salty dog", in Spanish) is truly one of my favorite spots in Rhode Island. Tucked away in an 18th century cape in downtown Newport, the restaurant serves up many surprises in addition to delicious drinks and dishes.

During my most recent visit, I had the chance to chat briefly with manager Daisy Maher, who has been working at the restaurant since its opening in July 2007. When I asked Daisy about the restaurant's origins, she told me that the idea came from two individuals who loved Mexican food and tequila, and most importantly, found the "quirkiness and history" of the building irresistible.

{A view from outside Perro Salado}

This quirkiness is featured in every aspect of the dining experience, from the French greeting on the front door to the old liquor bottles that serve as water pitchers. In talking to Daisy, I learned that the owners not only oversee food and service, but also did all the interior design, from window treatments to tiled fireplaces, by hand. Daisy described the restaurant as "very much a DIY", and emphasized the importance of creating ambiance and comfort in the restaurant. In this way, the owners dine with all their guests, making for a wonderfully unique dining experience.

{Hand Tiled Fireplace}

The quirkiness doesn't stop with interior design and ambiance. The Perro Salado menu features a variety of dishes which Daisy described as "Mexican Fusion." Some of the items on the menu, especially the taquieras (voted best in R.I. in 2008 according to Rhode Island Monthly), are in the spirit of authentic Mexican street food. Adding to the uniqueness of the menu is the owners' diligent effort to support local businesses in buying foods. During the summer, the restaurant features a Market Salad which is made entirely from local, seasonal vegetables.

{Perro Salado's Famous Fish Tacos}

Dining at Perro Salado is truly an experience. Beyond the great drinks and delicious food, the restaurant has a warm, romantic atmosphere. It's just one of those places where you can't help but leave in a better mood than you came in with--and return to as soon as possible.

Kafé Lila.

Kafe Lila

250 Main Street

Pawtucket, RI 02806

401.305.3050

Kafé Lila is one of my very favorite weekend spots. When I moved to Providence from North Carolina in August, I immediately began the hunt for my favorite coffee shop. I found it in Kafé Lila, and I haven't looked back. Not only is the place cozy and quiet, it also serves up really good locally sourced food.

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to sit down for a chat with owner Karen Pace. As most good ideas are apt to do, the idea for Kafé Lila began with ice cream. A few years ago Karen, a trained textile artist, began making ice cream and selling it out of a bicycle cart. Once the ice cream business took off, Karen decided to open up a storefront and found herself a place in Pawtucket's Grant Building. Three years later, the café's still in full force, and Karen's still churning out ice cream, all of which is made using Rhody Fresh milk and in flavors that only a genius could dream up--blueberry ginger, vegan coconut chili, local quince, olive oil, organic coffee--the list goes on, and I promise you, you'll want to try them all.

{The view from inside the Grant Building}.

But more than offering delicious varieties of homemade ice cream, Kafé Lila keeps you well fed and caffeinated. Karen tries to use as many locally sourced whole foods in her cafe as possible. With the help of Schartner Farm's frozen vegetables, Kafé Lila feels summery even in the wintertime. In growing season, vegetables from Red Planet Vegetables and Southside Community Land Trust's gardens also wend their way to Pawtucket. And it's the tomato jam served on top of Kafé Lila's signature frittata (made, of course, with eggs from Rhody Fresh) that keeps me coming back for more.

{Frittata with tomato jam}.

{Kafé Lila's sweet treats}.

Beyond serving up local foods to hungry customers, Karen has plans in the works to continue with her goal of educational outreach--starting up a series of edible gardening classes and cooking instruction that focuses on making good meals using simple ingredients. In the meantime, a morning stop into Kafé Lila will leave you feeling like you just spent an hour in your grandmother's living room--if, of course your grandmother's living room is the sort where you can find sweet treats, warm coffee, plush vintage furniture, and homemade ice cream.

{Mid-century furniture finds from Rocket to Mars in Providence}.

Trinity Brewhouse

Trinity Brewhouse Restaurant & Brewery
186 Fountain Street
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 453-BEER

Friendly bartender Ethan has been working for restaurant owner Josh Miller for over 30 years. We chatted on a rainy Thursday evening as I enjoyed a delicious pint of a Belgian Amber Ale. Trinity opened about fifteen years ago. Providence was in need of a brewpub, Union Station Brewery had opened about a year before. But when it opened Trinity differentiated itself as a non-corporate, locally owned restaurant and brewery. While the start-up costs were high, once it established itself, the cost of beer production decreased (until more recently when the costs of hops and barely skyrocketed), allowing Trinity to pass on the low costs to patrons (22 oz. beer is still less than $5!!). Trinity's brews have become so popular that a few years ago Trinity Beer Company was formed, selling bottled beer throughout southern New England. While the bottled beer is brewed in Pawcatuck, CT, all of the pints served at the Brewhouse are brewed onsite, no other beers are sold.

Trinity has brewed 50-70 beers in the last fifteen years. The beers on tap are constantly changing, with an innovative brewmaster crafting new creations and bringing back old favorites. Owner Josh Miller has gone from celebrated restaurateur (currently owning Trinity and Local 121) to state senator. In a city like Providence it's amazing there aren't more breweries like Trinity. But when you have one with such great food and beer, do you really need more?

{Trinity Chopped Salad & Belgian Amber Ale}

{Seafood Chowder & Kolsch}

Angkor Restaurant

Angkor Restaurant

333 Wickenden St

Providence, RI 02903

(401) 383-2227

On the East Side of Providence, a fold-out sign on Wickenden Street promises a passer-byer, "Authentic Cambodian Cuisine" at Angkor Restaurant.  Though I've walked by the sign numerous times, I'd never stopped-mostly because I wasn't sure what I'd find inside.  Unlike Cambodia's neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, many Americans do not associate this Southeast Asian nation with distinctive and flavorful curries, rice dishes, and soups.  Instead its contemporary history of genocide overshadows a rich culture and heritage.

But thanks to friendly owner Chutema, diners at Angkor Restaurant are able to experience the many layers of history that shape Cambodia today, from Hindu and Buddhist art which adorns the walls (inspired by images found on temples of the ancient Khmer empire, the restaurant's namesake), to stories that capture the realities of the Killing Fields.  Chutema and his family, like many Cambodians in the 1970s-1980s, were resettled in Rhode Island after escaping Pol Pot's regime.  Luckily, their culture and recipes also escaped cultural annihilation by the Khmer Rouge, brought to America by Chutema's late mother-in-law, Bopha Kem.  Before escaping Cambodia, Bopha Kem recorded her aunt's recipes from when she worked in the kitchen of a royal palace in Northwest Cambodia.  Today these recipes serve as the foundation for Angkor's food, though Chutema has adapted the menu to meet the tastes of the Brown and RISD students and faculty who frequent the restaurant.  Chutema leaves the kitchen often to talk to diners and share his family's story- though he makes sure not to share the secrets behind his tasty dishes, which Johnson & Wales student have tried unsuccessfully to get out of him.

Based on Chutema's recommendation, I started with Angkor's signature dish, Medicine Soup, or Nam Yaa, which he described as "chicken soup on stereoids."  This perfectly spicy noodle soup is touted for its delicious healing power, relying on a combination of herbs, lemon grass, ginger, galangal, garlic, karffir, limeleaves, chicken and shrimp for its unique flavor.  Luckily I brought along an equally enthusiastic dining partner to help me try two more dishes, including fresh spring rolls and an overflowing platter of Banh Hoi, a Vietnamese put-it-together-yourself-dish of rice noodles, fresh lettuce, mint cucumbers, tofu and vegetables, bean sprouts and peanut dipping sauce.  After scrapping our plates clean, we left Angkor with a new appreciation of the cultural power of recipes and the spices of Southeast Asia.