FACING PAGE:
Diners cut their pizza
with shears. THIS PAGE:
The antipasti plate with
bruschetta; the chicken
milanese piadini comes
with arugula, chicories
and salsa verde.
B
ar ’Cino is reminiscent of a
lot of things, but being part
of a restaurant conglomer-
ate isn’t one of them.
Newport Restaurant Group
owns a dozen places across the state and
almost all of them — the Boat House, Castle
Hill, the Mooring — carry an element of
grandeur. Sometimes it’s the water view,
sometimes the size of the dining room,
but every space conveys financial backing
that exceeds one person’s checkbook and
creates a uniformly reliable identity.
However, Bar ’Cino, the company’s latest
restaurant, has a smaller footprint, fewer
tables, no view to speak of — and it’s
better because of it.
On the corner of Washington Square and
Charles Street, Bar ’Cino has a single large
window overlooking the square but the
bulk of the restaurant runs railroad-style,
straight back in single file. Tight banquette
tables run parallel to the stooled bar, each
side holding about thirty diners. Reserva-
tions are saved for parties of six or more
but what could be a messy mass of
impatient locals gathering by the front
door collects in easy, authentic revelry.
Some people stand with a drink in hand,
many meander down the single lane of
traffic to greet old friends, doe-eyed babies
and colleagues who grabbed available
seats first. It all feels very small town,
simple and sincere and as far from a
corporation as you can get.
It’s not a big space but it’s an inviting
one, reminiscent of a New York bistro
with eight feet of storefront and eighteen
hundred feet of life within. The kitchen
works openly, directly alongside the bar
where the younger half of the dining room
perches on stools and rests their feet on
iron piping. If the other half — sitting
along the wall — seems slightly older,
that’s just the juxtaposition that Bar ’Cino
thrives on. Vineyard Vines wind comfort-
ably next to trucker hats in a room that’s
as bucolic as it is industrial. Tables
alternate between rustic wood and Italian
tile and everything on the menu elicits a
double take of pleasant surprise.
Wine is the mainstay but Bar ’Cino
mixes up a quirky cocktail that speaks to
its sense of humor. A chocolate margarita
sounds like a bad dare but what smells
sweet tastes tart and spicy. Like a lot of
the cocktails, it lives somewhere between
modern American and Fellini’s Italy,
dramatic and enigmatic but ultimately
lighthearted as it goes down. This
dichotomy is an approach that the
restaurant is keen on: minimalist line
drawings of curious characters dot the
walls while old school tins of Partanna
olive oil grace each table. It’s an aesthetic
that straddles the last seventy years,
appreciating the Italy of old but updating
memories as they spring to mind.
Nothing manifests the parallel more
than the grilled pizza. To say it’s thin is a
vast understatement; surely someone is
running it through a pasta maker to tame
the unruly gluten. It’s served whole with
shears, which is entertaining if you’re
actually willing to share. (Advice: don’t.)
In a state that made a name for itself on
***
BAR ’CINO
22 Washington Sq., Newport, 619-8201,
barcinonewport.com
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Wheelchair accessible in the front of the
restaurant. Street parking.
CUISINE
Modern Italian with a retro streak.
CAPACITY
Sixty.
VIBE
A Moveable Feast, Italian-style.
PRICES
Appetizers $5–$14;
entrees $11–$33; dessert $4–$8.
KAREN’S PICKS
Pizza, a tavola (dinner for two),
pistachio-ricotta cake.
KEY
Good
Very Good
Excellent + Half-star
* **
****
Fair
***
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY
l MARCH 2020 83