I f Lucky Enough is myopically focused on building community by way of buns and booze , Cinder presents a prismatic dining experience . Tucked away in Westerly , the newly constructed barn with a minimalistic Scandinavian design and sliding garage doors opens up to the outdoors . With a smoker out back , it ’ s hard to categorize though , not surprisingly , smoke is at the center of it all . You could call it a barbecue bar — a collection of slow-cooked and braised meat and equal vegetarian dishes complemented by beer — but the kitchen is determined to create a culinary commune in which pork cracklings are married off to vegan fare .
The restaurant holds about forty people who perch on low stools at the reclaimed wood counter and at slim industrial tables , though firepits keep a three-season patio populated . You might expect platters overflowing with chargrilled beef and pulled pork , but the stellar , seared meats serve only to ground the myriad herbs , spices , sauces and vegetables that Cinder thrives on . In fact , the backbone of the kitchen are small circles of naan that take over for tortillas in cradling a mélange of ingredients ($ 8- $ 9 ).
Most start with something barbecued : crispy pork , pulled chicken , sliced brisket , even smoked tofu . But the action belongs to everything that plays off of that deeply singed flavor — pineapple kimchee , candied jalapeños , lemongrass jus , piles of pea shoots and pickled everything . ( The kitchen ’ s pickled garlic is a game changer of epic proportion .) If the smoker screams America , the sides are decidedly international , pulling from Asia ( togarashi and Korean barbecue ) as readily as from Mexico ( salsa verde and cilantro slaw ).
If you ’ re lulled into meat dreams , however , know that there are ardent , even obsessive , vegetarians on the line . Someone has clearly been reading food pyramids as the menu is anchored by produce and grains ($ 8 ) — a Masterclass in having your meat and eating it too . Root vegetables are roasted with miso maple butter , tabbouleh is dotted with festive pomegranate seeds and bok choy disguises itself convincingly as lettuce in a vegan Caesar with sunflower parmesan . It ’ s hard to believe such disparate approaches can live harmoniously under one roof , but Cinder proves that fragrant hardwoods love all their children — farm produce and cattle — equally .
There ’ s not a lot of chatting between staff and those being served — except when you ’ re up at the register to plan your meal . Most of the line is busy breaking down bones , clearing out ash and dreaming up ways to make mushrooms act even more like meat . The menu hangs overhead on butcher paper and it ’ s clear to everyone who walks into this minute mecca that barbecue isn ’ t just for carnivores . Wrapping anything in bread is a mark of progress , not only because we ’ re less likely to dump dinner on ourselves but because we ’ re more likely to pass it around . If a bar stands for anything , it ’ s this : every experience is better when it ’ s collective . �
CINDER 169 Main St ., Westerly , 229-3377 , cinderrestaurant . com . MUST GET Brisket , smoked chicken , banh mi , meatballs and everything green on the side .
76 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MARCH 2022