A pair of friendly eateries remind us that over the top can be wonderful .
By Karen Deutsch Photography by Angel Tucker
Lost Valley Pizza and Brewery
S ean Larkin has long sought a space irreverent enough to match his Revival beer . No wonder his latest outpost is a hyped-up garage over on Sims Avenue , in an enclave that features equally progressive neighbors including the Steel Yard , Industrious Spirit Company , Red Tomato (“ righteous produce ”), and a makeshift skate park that hosts twenty-year-olds in various degrees of laidback . The restaurant itself — if you can call it such — is a homage to your early evening beer with the sun still on your face , propped up in a lawn chair . Skateboards adorn the walls but it ’ s the AstroTurf and patio furniture that set a mood that straddles mellow and insubordinate .
Lost Valley might read like a Diane Arbus photograph to newcomers , were it not for the brick pizza oven in the center of everything . Larkin transformed a century-old kiln into a pie maker and , as kitschy as that sounds , these people are serious about their pizza . Slightly charred , insistently delicate and irregularly shaped rounds are covered in everything from shrimp ceviche ($ 24 ) to kielbasa and potatoes ($ 22 ). But innovation alone is not going to get you fans . There are a lot of boxes heading out the door , which suggests the public thinks as much of Larkin ’ s pizza as they do of his beer . Another piece of evidence : There are a surprising number of kids munching on warm crust as they sit next to their still-cool parents for a night of revelry . (“ Awesome Legos ,” says a bald , tatted server to a first grader . “ I ’ ve got a collection , too .”) Make no mistake , Lost Valley is family-friendly and casual but that won ’ t dissipate a good time . The soundtrack is as eclectic as the menu , moving quickly between house music , ’ 80s rock and instrumental jazz . Stay long enough and you ’ ll see the over-forty reps singing along to
Ol ’ Dirty Bastard ’ s “ Shimmy Shimmy Ya ” like it ’ s their theme song .
Beer and pizza may be the simplest and best equation for any meal after noon but , again , this stretch of Providence is as mindful as it is industrial . Black Lives Matter signs sit proudly in every window and , if the kitchen is still using meat , it ’ s also carved out legitimate airtime for vegans . Pizzas are as comfortable with seitan and cashew cheese as they are with pepperoni and provolone . There ’ s also a surprisingly good vegan wiener ( a roasted carrot with vegan meat sauce , onion and celery salt on a hot dog roll , $ 4 ), and a sushi plate ($ 10 ) that centers around compressed watermelon that looks and acts like tuna . (“ That ’ s my favorite dish on the menu ,” declares a badass behind the bar , inverting everything you thought possible .)
There are desserts as well , but most people — even those who came for food — will linger with a beer or any one of the canned seltzers or cocktails that make over-twentyone fun . This isn ’ t a place for messy drunks or indiscriminate drinkers . It ’ s a lab for comparing pilsners and IPAs and for debating whether you ’ ll get a Gary Busey ( pineapple and spicy capicola ) next time or a pie with crab Rangoon and chili paste . Lost Valley is convinced that peculiar is cool , as is everyone who walks through the garage door .
LOST VALLEY PIZZA AND BREWERY
50 Sims Ave ., Providence , 305-0473 , lostvalleypizza . com .
Open Wed .– Sun . for lunch and dinner . Street parking .
MUST GET Pizza , beer and — no joke — vegan food .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l NOVEMBER 2021 85