Latest news with #LittleClam
Boston Globe
03-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Seafood towers, whole fish, and more: Meet Little Clam, a new restaurant in Newport, R.I.
'There's not a lot of great coastal New England dishes that are both modern and really highlighting locally-sourced fish,' said Rojas. Some restaurants bring in the day's catch, but Rojas saw an opportunity to do more. Now, he has that chance. In early June, Rojas and fellow chef Antonio Wormley will unveil their latest project: Little Clam. It's Related : Advertisement Wormley, who will serve as executive chef, and Rojas, who is consulting chef for the hotel, say they will showcase New England's rich local fare: Rhode Island oysters from Walrus and Carpenter and a burger made with beef from Blackbird Farm. 'Every dish is a conversation with the people behind the ingredients — oyster farmers, foragers, and family-run farms who make Rhode Island so dynamic,' said Wormley. Executive chef Antonio Wormley (left) with consulting chef Jake Rojas inside of Little Clam. Little Clam Expect seafood towers, fluke crudo with smoked olive oil and salsa verde, and oysters served with fermented hot sauce and yuzu mignonette. Snacks will range from salt-and-pepper squid with shishito peppers to beef tartare with parsley aioli, horseradish gremolata, and bone marrow. Little Clam marks Wormley's return to Rhode Island. Advertisement A Philadelphia native and 2012 Johnson & Wales University graduate, Wormley previously led kitchens at Vanity and Milk Money in Providence before leaving New England in 2018. He came back in 2023 to help multi-time Dovetail & Co., the Wayfinder's owner and development company, brought in Rojas – a native of El Paso, Texas, who previously ran While Rojas has taken more of a backseat management role in recent years, he opened Tallulah on Thames to rave reviews for his modern American take on cuisine, earning a 2012 People's Best New Chef nomination from Food & Wine magazine. The restaurant was a breeding ground for top talent: Advertisement The prawns at Little Clam, a seafood-driven restaurant at the Wayfinder Hotel in Newport, R.I. Little Clam The tartare bone marrow at Little Clam. Little Clam Rojas's approach has always focused on Newport's sense of place with dishes like an Aquidneck Farm egg served with pork belly and truffle jus. Menus, with names like 'Spring Menu #30' and 'Spring Menu #31,' changed often. Rojas is bringing much of the same ethos to Little Clam. 'You've got Dune Brothers with a fun new wholesale business,' said Rojas. 'We've got Brightside [Seafood] in Bonnet Shores. We've got the Rhody Butcher. We've got a lot of new entrepreneurs to work with now.' At Little Clam, larger plates will include a half-smoked chicken with piri-piri, ramp crema, fennel, and a side of confit baby potatoes. The roasted whole fish, which will change often, will be served with wild herbs, nuoc cham, chili crisp, sticky rice, and local lettuce. Inside Little Clam in Newport, R.I. Little Clam The clam strip sliders at Little Clam. Little Clam They don't yet have a signature dish, but Wormley said he expects to introduce one in the future. They'll sell handhelds, like oyster po'boys and hot honey chicken sandwiches. They're also learning what they may be able to forage and serve from around Aquidneck Island. And for dessert, 'I think the sticky toffee pudding is going to be kind of the staple,' said Wormley. 'It's so simple, but so hard to execute.' A pot de creme dessert will change seasonally; and they'll be making their own ice cream in-house. Scoops will be available to purchase as well. 'A lot of times, us chefs just throw away corn cobs. Instead, we're going to steep the corn and milk, and take that abstract that has so much flavor to make our own ice cream,' said Wormley. 'The end result tastes like frosted flakes.' It will be served with the sticky toffee pudding. Advertisement 'With everything we're doing, we're just making sure we use all ingredients and nothing goes to waste,' added Wormley. Thanks for reading The Food Club. ✍️ This newsletter is written and produced by ✉️ Send comments, suggestions, and story tips to 📧 Did someone forward this newsletter to you? 📱 Delivered every Thursday. Alexa Gagosz can be reached at
Boston Globe
28-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
New and coming soon: 13 new restaurants and bars in R.I. to try this summer
Sometime this spring, Maggie McConnell and Josh Finger, two Per Se alums who fell in love while cooking in Claudine's menu will evolve daily, and focus on hyper-local ingredients. They'll work closely with a network of farms, and dry age their own fish and meat in-house for menu items that may include a sashimi of dry-aged bluefin tuna. While there won't be any 'standard' items on the menu that will remain, each course will begin with a daily oyster dish. Advertisement Claudine, 225 Weybosset St., Providence, . Quonnie Rock oyster with dry-aged beef tartare, oyster trim emulsion, capers, slow cooked egg yolk puree at Claudine, an upcoming restaurant in downtown Providence, R.I. Courtesy of Claudine Little Clam Executive chef Antonio Wormley (left) with consulting chef Jake Rojas inside of Little Clam. Little Clam The restaurant space inside the Wayfinder Hotel, which was Advertisement Antonio Wormley, a Philadelphia native who graduated from nearby Johnson & Wales University in 2012, will serve as Little Clam's executive chef. After Wormley graduated, he worked as the chef de cuisine at shuttered Vanity and then as executive chef at Milk Money, where he was serving catfish with roasted corn, collard greens, and hot sauce he made in-house. After leaving New England in 2018, he ultimately returned in 2023 to help chef Dovetail & Co., the Wayfinder's owner and development company, brought in Jake Rojas, who previously ran the Little Clam, 151 Admiral Kalbfus Road, Newport, R.I. . A platter of shellfish from Little Clam, a new restaurant inside the Wayfinder Hotel in Newport, R.I. Little Clam Virginica Pizza There may be a new pizza shop opening on Block Island this year. Sadie Flateman, the owner of oyster company Great Salt Pond Oyster Co. on the island, is working on opening Virginica Pizza. She plans on serving Neapolitan-style pizza with local produce and shellfish from the island. A sample menu says they'll offer Block Island clam pizza, three kinds of oysters, littleneck clams, and soft serve ice cream. 'While Crassostrea virginica is the scientific name for the Atlantic oyster, Virginica Pizza brings together oyster service and pizza,' wrote Flateman, the oyster fisher, in a letter to town officials about the pizza shop. Advertisement The building is not yet winterized, but Flateman said she wants to stay open for as long a season as possible to serve Block Island natives. Virginica Pizza , 125 Corn Neck Road, New Shoreham, R.I. Club Frills Cocktail wiz Jesse Hedberg and chef Robert Andreozzi, the two owners of Pizza Marvin, are soon opening Club Frills, a bar that will focus heavily on unique cocktails, like a Jell-O shot in the form of a deviled egg. Nikhil Naiker, who is 'Rob and I have been wanting to open a space together for the last three years,' said Naiker. 'This will help me really see and experience a full opening of a restaurant and bar.' They'll plan to experiment with plays on classic bar food, like a signature burger, a tuna melt with raw tuna, and a mozzarella stick-onion ring concoction. 'It's all a little ridiculous,' said Andreozzi. Old bartending techniques, such as Co-owners of the bar Club Frills, Robert Andreozzi (right) and Jesse Hedberg (left)) in the space prior to construction. Lane Turner/Globe Staff Debbie's Ed Davis has Advertisement 'I'm good with just making hot dogs,' said Davis. 'All of the moves I've made are lateral. Only difference is how you put food on a plate.' Order one of the dog specials — like the 'Raab' (broccoli rabe, red pepper relish, provolone, and yellow mustard). Or a grinder, like the 'high brow' (mortadella, pistachio tapenade, marinated tomatoes, salsa verde) or the chicken cheesecake with onions, banana peppers, cooper sharp, provolone, mayonnaise, and some hots. Their vegetable sides, such as the asparagus salad, source ingredients from local farms and producers. Debbie's, 100 Washington St., Providence, R.I. Stay updated by checking the restaurant's . Ed Davis, one of Providence's most well-known chefs, is the owner of Debbie's. Alexa Gagosz The Franklin David Fierabend of the Groundswell Design Group is opening his second restaurant this week: The Franklin. A highly anticipated restaurant opening for at least a year, The Franklin will be a sophisticated French brasserie. Fierabend is no stranger to the food and beverage space. In 2020, he opened Advertisement The Franklin, 195 Franklin St., Bristol, R.I., The Franklin in Bristol, R.I. HANDOUT Audette The space that once held Chantarelle/Bouchard Restaurant on Thames Street, has been re-envisioned as Audette by the same team behind Mission, the burger joint in Middletown, and Newport's TSK, a steakhouse, and Utility, a kitchen goods store for the party host and home chef. Audette, however, focuses on French cuisine. While many other restaurants shy away from fine dining, the creators of Audette have embraced white tablecloths, tableside lamps, and caviar presentations. The new group — run by Anna Burnley, Tyler Burnley, Chad Hoffer, and Carmen Ratoi — took over Chanterelle in 2024 from the Bouchard family, who ran the establishment for three decades. If you go, expect a menu of escargot; quail; seared foie gras with rhubarb vanilla purée; quenelles with turnip, halibut, and lobster. For dessert, absolutely order the Grand Marnier soufflé with creme anglaise. Audette, 505 Thames St., Newport, R.I., . d.n/a café The Dean Hotel has undergone a rebrand and become The Dorrance was an iconic restaurant in downtown Providence a few blocks from City Hall since 2010. It was a breeding ground for kitchen and bar talent, and was known as one of the best restaurants in the state. When the pandemic hit, the restaurant Advertisement It's unclear what Lester plans to do in the hotel's restaurant space. For now, he's running ' d.n/a café, 122 Fountain St., Providence, R.I.. 1639 Located inside the 1639, 1 Goat Island Road, Newport, R.I., . The deck at 1639, the restaurant inside the Newport Harbor Island Resort in Newport, R.I. 1639 Bar Lazio Opened in March 2025, Bar Lazio is a new Italian bar in the heart of Knightsville, known as Cranston's 'Little Italy.' This is owners Vincenzo Mazza and Christopher Maselli's first restaurant, and they are specializing in classic Italian desserts, aperitivo, espresso drinks, antipasto boards featuring imported meats and cheeses, and seasonal accompaniments. Bar Lazio pays homage to the Lazio region of Italy, which is where Mazza and Maselli say many families in their neighborhood can trace their roots back to. They pour wines from Lazio, Itri Olives on their boards that are imported from Itri (which is part of Lazio), and pasta dishes that include Bar Lazio, 1669 Cranston St., Cranston, R.I., . Pan-seared artichokes with garlic and fresh herbs at Bar Lazio, a restaurant in Cranston, R.I. HANDOUT Circe Prime The Chapel Grille, a popular restaurant in Cranston located in an old church building, Circe Prime, 3000 Chapel View Blvd., Cranston, R.I., . The Cathedral Bar inside of Circe Prime in Cranston, R.I. Gina Mastrostefano Remy's Loose Earlier this year, Remy's Loose opened inside The Chanler, the historic and Remy's Loose's beverages celebrate garden-inspired cocktails accented with seasonal ingredients, and both Old and New World wine producers. Paying homage to The Chanler's tradition around family, the restaurant is named after the hotel's proprietress Lani Shufelt's niece — who is Cara's sister. Remy's Loose, 117 Memorial Blvd., Newport, R.I., . The octopus at Remy's Loose. Jason Varney Yellow Door Taqueria Yellow Door Taqueria, 191 Dorrance St., Providence, R.I., . Garnishes are prepared for beverages at the Yellow Door Taqueria in the South End of Boston. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Know of another great restaurant or bar opening in Rhode Island? Email Alexa Gagosz can be reached at
