Newport’s restaurant community goes pedal to the metal from spring through the winter holidays, earning management and staff alike the right to the annual break many take at the beginning of the year. Midtown Oyster Bar closed for a quick winter refresher on Jan. 5, reopening on Jan. 9 at 4 p.m. The Speakeasy crew headed to Cancun for an annual staff trip, back to open their doors on Jan. 10. On Bannisters Wharf, The Black Pearl will remain closed until around Parade Day in March. In the 5th Ward, Zelda’s is currently on hiatus, re-opening Jan. 16, Scales and Shells is now closed through Feb. 11, and Hooked is on break until April 1.
Meanwhile, if you’re taking a little belly breather after season’s eatings, but you’re still hungry, may I suggest a little soup? Back away from that creamy chowder, friends. Your gut will thank you for a bowl of Diego’s brothy, deeply flavorful and authentic Mexican chicken tortilla soup with pulled chicken, chopped veggies and crispy tortilla strips. A squeeze of lime over the hot soup and you’re cured of all that ails you.
A similar restorative elixir can be found in Bottega Bocconi’s Ribollita, a hearty Tuscan vegetable soup chock full of vegetables and cannellini beans and thickened with bread rather than cream or a roux, ready to take home, re-heat, and serve with a salad.
Cooking at home gives you the chance to walk that fine line between healthy’ing up your diet and feeling satisfied by what you’re eating. Try the substitution factor and make your chili and meatballs with ground chicken instead of beef. Veggie up your red sauce: Sautee zucchini and yellow squash with onions and garlic before adding canned whole or crushed tomatoes and the rest of ingredients for your tomato sauce. Simmer, then craftily hide your veggie evidence by buzzing with a handheld blender for a smooth sauce. Make salads rib-sticking by adding cannellini beans, sunflower seeds or nuts, bits of goat cheese or shaved parmigiano, olives and pickled vegetables and every raw vegetable you can find. Make it big.
When a bowl of soup and a salad won’t cut it and the Polar vortex has you chilled to the bone, have I got a dish for you. Go straight to The Quencher for the house made, al dente tagliatelle Funghi. The noodles are luxuriously bathed in a silky, sage truffle cream and pecorino cheese sauce, studded with meaty roasted mushrooms and bits of butternut squash so tender that they add to the luxurious mouthfeel without imparting too much sweetness. Ask for extra parm and call me in the morning.
If you’re looking for some foodie fun in the coming months, check out the Surf Club’s pizza classes, but hurry, because they sell out quickly. Whether you’re a novice or a self-styled pizzaiolo, this event is an absolute blast for couples, friends and groups of all kinds. Chef Brian Ashness ensures the hands-on class is fun and informative as he offers step by step instructions for classic Neapolitan-style pizza. Guests are presented with ingredients for mixing, balling, stretching and shaping their own dough, and an array of locally sourced, fresh meats and vegetables for topping and assembling their own pies. The Surf Club provides hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine served by a cheery and efficient staff and participants enjoy their final pies with bragging rights bestowed by a small group of judges for the best of the bunch. Tickets are $75 and well worth it for a great night out.
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