EXPERIENCE CAV
Get a head start on summer this spring with our new outdoor bonfire . Enjoy fine dining under the stars surrounded by the light and warmth of the fire .
14 Imperial Place • Providence , RI 401.751.9164 cavrestaurant . com
D I N E - I N , P A T I O S E A T I N G & T A K E - O U T .
DINNER • SUNDAY BRUNCH CRAFT BEER & COCKTAILS
. . B L A C K D U C K T A V E R N . C O M set of veggie stuffed bao buns ($ 12 ) that go down like an elevated plate of moo shu pancakes .
If you ’ re lucky , the kitchen will be churning out paper-thin pork dumplings that come in a set of five and should be considered a single serving . Stoneacre leans toward Japanese cuisine and , subsequently , you can get a bento box of small plates but for anyone who passed through the 1970s , it ’ s an updated and discerning pu-pu platter . ( Some things should remain fixed in our culinary lexicon forever , for nostalgia or kitsch .)
Lobster is a perennial presence on the menu regardless of season because , hey , it ’ s still Newport and New England has a reputation to uphold . Even if the ubiquitous summer salad rolls haven ’ t yet hit the market , the kitchen turns out plates of Bang Bang lobster ($ 21 ), deep-fried chunks of tail meat in siracha aioli that a meandering native Rhode Islander insisted was an aspiration for calamari everywhere .
Larger plates tend to default to continental cuisine — a big old burger on brioche ($ 20 ) or a seared steak ($ 34 ) — but a variety of sauces , from yuzu to miso , render most dishes Asian , at least by association . Soba noodles with pulled chicken and peanuts ($ 16 ) could be read as mainstream but the kitchen has such proficiency with chili peppers , from Thai to Sichuan to jalapeno , that it plays out with authenticity . If there ’ s a time for the restaurant to return to a more conventional approach , it ’ s in the weekend brunch , which aligns with the Brasserie menu . No matter . Sunday mornings are an
American ritual and Newport is just as likely to demand its avocado toast and smoked salmon as any other city . It ’ s the dinner menu that defines this sprawling garden and , if two days of bloody marys keep the vision intact , so be it .
No doubt restaurants have stepped up their takeout game this past year but Stoneacre is a reminder that space matters and that dining out is as much about the surroundings as it is about the food . Part circus , part Japanese orchard , Newport has never been more in need of a sprawling bar that incorporates society and escapism in one fell swoop — without the need for yachting attire .
Curfews may be earlier but this is a space where diners linger until last call , either by doubling down on a carrot juice-laced cognac or by destroying a upside down coconut custard pie nestled in a mason jar ( a throwback to the original Stoneacre down on Thames Street , which gleefully wedged whipped desserts into glass jars ). Even ever-changing desserts come out in artful arrays and , like the restaurant itself , are determined to meld cultures . Apple crisp is tinged with Sichuan peppercorns and a slim triangle of chocolate cake is topped with a quenelle of passionfruit cream and served on a thin coating of ganache . There are few things higher on bucket lists these days than a late night nowhere near Netflix , and it ’ s certainly germinating here . High season is around the corner and it may be mere weeks before seasonal visitors hit the patio hard . For now , Stoneacre Garden has a path to enlightenment that ’ s easily accessible . �
86 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MAY 2021