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Restaurant Reviews

Pho Paradise

Vietnamese bragging rights
You’ve got to admire a restaurant with as ambitious a name as Pho Paradise.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | August 30, 2006

H2O

Inventive, with room to grow
Taking a cue from the waters of Newport Harbor lapping at their deck, owners Tom and Jody Whittington have run with the marine theme for their new restaurant.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | August 23, 2006

Stella Blues

Grateful spread
How can you not like a restaurant named after the chef’s favorite Grateful Dead song?

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | August 17, 2006

Anthony’s Cucina

Keeping it real
Over the past year or so, Father Time has forced my hand from the ball court to the golf course.

By CHRIS CONTI | August 09, 2006

Bliss

A cornucopia of delights
What a great idea — a breakfast-and-lunch café that doubles as a small whole-foods market.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | August 02, 2006

Moda

A winning way with food
Chef Jules Ramos has a winning way with restaurants.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | July 26, 2006

Imaginative and memorable meals
When you visit Nicola’s in Westerly, you’ll be treated to a history of two Italian families, beginning with the hostess’s question when you call for directions: “Do you know where Capizzano’s used to be?”

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | July 19, 2006

Efendi’s Mediterranean Grill

A casual, undemanding lunch
The food you rub your hands over is only half of the meal.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | July 12, 2006

The Commons Lunch

A winner returns
My appetite for jonnycakes at the Commons Lunch increased with every mile during a recent Sunday morning drive to Little Compton.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | July 05, 2006

Wiley’s

Hot time in the summertime
In the early ’90s, lines of hungry hopefuls used to stack up at breakfast time when Wiley’s was a tiny 10-seat place at Middlebridge in Narragansett.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | June 28, 2006

Ristorante Pizzico

A longtime standout on Hope Street
Friday night is a hopping time on the East Side, so the competitive spirit among restaurants gets turned way up.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | June 21, 2006

Clarke Cooke House

A delectable midday bargain
On sunny summer weekends, when Thames Street is choked with tourists, Newport can be a good place to avoid restaurants.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | June 13, 2006

Mario’s

Another Italian standout in Cranston
Maybe there’s a city ordinance about it, maybe it’s not wanting to let the home team down, or maybe it’s that ethnic tradition of making us a menu we can’t refuse.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | June 07, 2006

L’Epicureo

Upscale Italian proves exquisite
From the minute when a Federal Hill butcher shop with deli seating was transformed into a white-linened trattoria, L’Epicureo set new standards for elegance and excellence.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | May 31, 2006

Not Just Snacks

Keeping it sweet and simple
When the proprietors of Not Just Spices opened their doors seven years ago, they wanted to acquaint their neighbors with exotic fresh produce as well as fresh ingredients for curry.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | May 17, 2006

Fortune House

A full menu worth exploring
What a pleasant dilemma for a restaurant reviewer.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | May 10, 2006

Guytanno’s Café

Neat, sleek, and good tasting
Every year, new Italian restaurants spring up like mushrooms in Rhode Island’s welcoming soil.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | May 03, 2006

15 Point Road

Fresh and full of seafood
Though the Sakonnet River is not technically the ocean, it certainly sets the scene for seafood dining at 15 Point Road, the restaurant that overlooks the river.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | April 27, 2006

Nat Porter

Something old, something new
History and hipness — who says you can’t have it all?

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | April 19, 2006

Geppetto’s Pizzeria

A panoply of tasty delights
After a culinary tour of Federal Hill on a frigid late-winter day, a group of us had our grand finale lunch at Geppetto’s Pizzeria.

By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | April 12, 2006