April 2002 – From Rhode Island Monthly
CAFÉ FRESCO
Suburban Jungle
It's not all chain restaurants outside the city, you know. Take a field trip and check out what some good suburban restaurants are cooking up.
By PAULA M. BODAH
This month I went looking to answer the age-old question, “Can you get good food in the suburbs?” Of course you can. The trick is in knowing where to go. And I have to conclude that most people don’t know where to go. How else to explain why on any given night you can wait an hour and a half to get into a chain restaurant, while at dozens of local places the chefs are cooking their hearts out with some pretty good results and you can walk right in and take a seat. Here are three suburban outposts that deserve to be crowded.
Chef Tony Morales, who used to work at Al Forno and is still a part owner of Grappa in Providence, has built a menu worthy of downtown, but with prices squarely at suburban rates. Try to find a restaurant in the city that has veal tenderloin marsala with grilled polenta and grilled vegetables for $16.99. And that's one of the pricier items; most entrées run around $13 or $14.
Morales keeps his menu on the simple side — a sign of confidence, not timidity. Our appetizer is about as simple as you can get: inch-wide slices of salmon fillet that have been briefly deep-fried so they're still rare inside. The tomato vinaigrette on the side, a salsa-textured mix of chopped tomatoes and fresh parsley with just enough balsamic vinegar, is a piquant match for the mild fish.
I happen to believe iceberg lettuce deserves more respect than it gets, so I'm happy that the kitchen is brave enough to serve it — in wedge form, no less! — sprinkled with pancetta and topped with a gorgonzola dressing that's creamy without being goopy and sharp without overwhelming the delicate lettuce.
Since we've never heard of escolar, a fish reminiscent of swordfish but with a softer, oilier texture and a naturally lemony flavor, we have to try it. It comes grilled with lemon butter and has a pleasantly mild taste. A caveat is in order though: when I was researching it later, I learned that its oiliness can have the same effect as castor oil on some unlucky people.
I also believe career waiters don't get the respect they deserve, so I want to mention our server. I can't tell you his name because he didn't introduce himself (one reason I liked him), but I can tell you that he was personable and professional and knew his menu and his wine list well enough to steer me toward the right cabernet for my sliced sirloin in its rich demi glaze. That demi glaze is a delicious curiosity. It has a deep sweetness that's almost fig-like, but the chef, coyly, will divulge only that there are no figs in the mix.
Desserts, like rest of the menu, are simple and faultlessly executed. The crust on the rustic strawberry and apple tart is light and crispy and sugary, and the chocolate lava, one of those chocolate cakes that oozes chocolate when you cut into it, is dizzyingly good.
The only thing Café Fresco has against it is its location. Some spots just seem to be cursed, and nothing has lasted long here. The atmosphere might have something to do with that. It's a big, open place with a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that make it look like an auto showroom. But it's been warmed considerably with a coat of rich, deep red paint on the walls and jewel-toned print fabric on the banquette along the interior wall. If there's justice in the world, Café Fresco will succeed where others have failed. |
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