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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
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
They fell in love while cooking at NYC's Per Se. Now they're opening a tasting menu restaurant in Providence.
Advertisement An eight-course tasting will cost $165 per person. 'We've dedicated our whole lives to food... and going out to eat. And there aren't a ton of places to go [in Providence] on a high-end level,' McConnell said in an exclusive interview with the Boston Globe. 'While we love what's here, and we're excited to be adding to that community, I think we're bringing something that's a little different.' Tasting menus are 'what we've specialized in together for the last five or six years together, and it's not something that we've seen in Providence,' she added. A 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 For McConnell, Claudine is a homecoming. She grew up in Providence, attended the Gordon School, and her father is 'If you're from here, you know how special it is,' said McConnell. 'In the back of my mind, even though I've lived in multiple places, I always knew that I would return here.' McConnell graduated from George Washington University in 2012, and followed her love for at-home baking and enrolled in a pastry certificate program at Le Cordon Bleu in Advertisement In 2018, McConnell moved back to the east coast to New York City, where she was pastry chef de partie at acclaimed Per Se. In an interview, she said she thrived in the fine-dining atmosphere. When the pandemic temporarily closed the restaurant, she worked at their sister restaurant in Napa Valley, The storefront at 225 Weybosset St., where Claudine will soon open in May. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Finger grew up in Williamsburg, Va., where he watched his mother's career working in the dining rooms of restaurants. Claudine is actually named for her, Finger said. At 16, he started working as a stage, which is an unpaid intern working as a cook to learn and gain new experience, at a local bistro. He moved to New York City with a dream to learn from the culinary greats. And that he did: When he arrived, he secured a position at chef Advertisement During the pandemic, and unlike McConnell, Finger stayed at Per Se. By the time she returned to New York in November 2021, they were both in management positions. 'That's when we kind of 're-met' one another,' said McConnell. Sashimi of Rhode Island tuna with honeynut squash emulsion, clementine, fennel, and toasted pistachio at Claudine, an upcoming restaurant in downtown Providence, R.I. Courtesy of Claudine The pair shared a passion for culinary excellence, and bonded over running — a continued passion of Finger's, but not so much for McConnell. For the last two years, the two have taken their love for one another and the restaurant industry on the road, and hosted pop-up and collaboration dinners with other chefs. In April 2023, for instance, they hosted a collaborative seven-course dinner with beverage pairings at When it comes to them as a duo 'it's all about technique,' Delaney said in a phone interview. When you work for chef Keller, you get drilled into you that 'cooking is just an intersection of great technique and great products. Rhode Island is an amazing place, not only for seafood, but also for its resources,' said Delaney. 'I think [McConnell and Finger are] going to shine by taking this incredible technique they've spent their careers developing and then mixing it with amazing products.' Celeriac cream crepe cake with Burgundy wine and date puree at Claudine in Providence, R.I. Courtesy of Claudine 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. Dry-aging in-house has become more popular, particularly over the last five years, said Finger. 'But that's truly something that will be very unique to our restaurant,' he said. Advertisement Other items could include a pork and Point Judith squid raviolo with parmigiano reggiano, a roasted celeriac cream crepe cake with burgundy wine and date puree, and a citrus pavlova with campari sorbet. They're also taking on Keller's 'no problem' mentality, so allergy- and vegetarian-friendly tasting menus will be available with advanced notice of at least 48 hours. While there won't be any 'standard' items on the menu that will remain, each course will begin with a daily oyster dish, served in custom clay plates crafted by McConnell's aunt, a local ceramicist . Plated desserts will pull in nostalgic and classic flavors, in addition to meringue and ice creams. Pork and Point Judith squid raviolo with parmigiano reggiano and fried leeks at Claudine in Providence, R.I. Courtesy of Claudine The beverage program will focus on low-intervention, old-world wines; a non-alcoholic pairing menu; a selection of classic cocktails; and after-dinner digestives and spirits. They'll even make their own kombucha in-house. The restaurant will be located in the space that previously held 'It's our hope that every table feels like a chef's table,' said Finger. Claudine will be located at 225 Weybosset St. in Providence, R.I. The restaurant will be open Thursdays through Sundays evenings from 4:30 p.m. to midnight, with dinner reservations available from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Stay updated by following their Instagram or checking their . Advertisement Alexa Gagosz can be reached at
