CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT : Steak tostada ; chef
Stacy Deetz ; salmon tartare .
Think of it as bar food that ’ s been filtered through a Willy Wonka app . ( The subtitle at the top of the menu says “ Nom Nom Chronicles ,” which gives an indication that Deetz has entered the phase of her career that fully eschews pretense .) A line of seared dumplings ($ 14 ) comes to the table looking traditional but they ’ re not . Stuffed with bacon and squash and served on a shmear of miso butterscotch , it ’ s a smoky-sweet combination that cries out for a margarita .
Hangry Kitchen is a place for grazers and those who believe condiments are as critical to a dish as the focal point . It ’ s a point made by the fricco fries ($ 7 ) — a french fry / cheese stick hybrid — which are dunked in cacio e pepe sauce for emphatic joy . Or the beignets ($ 9 ), which eat less like fried dough and more like a spring roll stuffed with loaded baked potatoes . They ’ re sprinkled with a sour cream and chive powder that bears an uncanny resemblance to salt and vinegar potato chips and offers a welcome burst of tartness .
In fact , the fryer is responsible for most of the restaurant ’ s best dishes and , at the top of the list , are Carolina red rice arancini ($ 12 ). They manifest Lowcountry food fully , in a single bite : smoky , crunchy , layered with flavor and — with an added smoked aioli dripping over the top — essential eating . Even the bite-sized lobster rolls ($ 17 ), which can be downed in two bites , leave their mark with a bowl of frothy lemon butter that makes quick friends with anything dunked in it . ( If Deetz ever decides the restaurant business asks too much of its players , the world would wait for a line of bottled condiments bearing her name .)
Some of the larger plates lack the intensity of the kitchen ’ s small dishes — which doesn ’ t make them bad ; it just makes them less imperative . Jumbo shrimp in tomato and Tabasco marinade with lemon aioli ($ 17 ) sounds like it ’ s got all sorts of bite to it but it ’ s actually pretty mellow in both heat and tartness . And while chicken pot pie johnny cakes ($ 14 ) are a good homage to biscuits and gravy , the high pile of cakes tends to soak up the gravy before you can relish it . Very few items top twenty dollars though , which allows for more meandering and less guilt .
There ’ s a patty melt on rye bread with Muenster for those who simply cannot see their way to modernity , or the scallion roti which anchors an international pu pu platter of sorts . An amalgam of pickled vegetables , beet spread and sweet potato fries fills out the perimeter , but it ’ s the scallion pancake and jalapeño jam that offer the best , last bite of a meal here . Or you can start dinner with it and call the whole thing a bread basket which , for $ 8 , might be one of the city ’ s best deals .
It is the savory items that manage to offer the most creativity , not only in flavor but in texture as well . Crispy inevitably partners with soft , and sweet almost always ends up transforming into piquant . Desserts , on the other hand , lean entirely toward sugar . Rice pudding ($ 9 ) is tempered by an array of tart tropical fruit , but chocolate-peanut butter mousse ($ 11 ) and a warm lemon skillet “ blondie ” ($ 10 ) are studies in full-tilt sweet . If you want to embrace this approach with abandon , there ’ s also Hangry ’ s take on Dunkaroos — a nightly cookie paired with dipping sauce ($ 7 ) for those who thrive on nostalgia .
Ultimately , almost everything about the restaurant speaks to a determined youthfulness . Deetz has the technique to go old school and upscale but that ’ s not this gig . There ’ s something in this small space that feels like a 2 a . m . tramp through an episode of “ Chopped ,” where all things have been doctored , fried and come out coated in figurative sparkles . In restaurants that demand myopic attention and devout reverence , it can be easy to forget that food is actually fun — but that ’ s Hangry Kitchen ’ s mantra . It ’ s a reminder that food doesn ’ t necessarily have to change the world ; sometimes it just makes the day better . 🆁
118 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2024