The Contemporary Theater Company, which has been staging shows in various locations around South County since 2005, is establishing a permanent home in downtown Wakefield at 327 Main Street. The benefits are twofold, in that it will finally give CTC its own space to grow and create, and it will enhance the bustling downtown area as the town's only theater. The grand opening is scheduled for July 6, in tandem with neighboring Phil's Restaurant opening its new rooftop dining -- a perfect accompaniment to the new entertainment offerings.
So how can you help? By attending a Zoning Board hearing on Wednesday, February 15 at 7pm. Because the parking lot is slightly smaller than regulations require, the board needs to sign off on the plan. There is ample municipal parking in the area, and several neighboring businesses have offered up their parking lots in support of the project. CTC Artistic Director Christopher Simpson and Phil's proprietors Carl and Ken Tetzner are calling on residents to come down and voice their support, or if they can't make the meeting, to send a letter of support: South Kingstown Town Hall, Attn: Zoning Board of Review, 180 High Street, Wakefield, RI 02879.More
Nicholas Jon Beaubien and Ricky Adelon Laprade of Cut to the Chase Productions are co-directing a feature-length suspense/horror film titled Erebus to be shot entirely on Block Island, beginning in March. Building on the foundation of their last soon-to-be-released feature, Villanelle, the Rhode Island natives plan on taking both the gore and the thrill-factor up a few more notches.
According to the production website, Erebus is “an anthology horror film inspired by the well-documented history of supernatural phenomenon in Rhode Island.” Much of the action will take place in and around the Gorham House, a mysterious old hotel with a history of bone-chilling occult activity. “In Erebus, we don’t just spit out ghost stories,” says Beaubien, “we make you feel as if you lived one.”
As part of their Kickstarter campaign (in which the duo hopes to raise funding for the film), Beaubien and Laprade offer the rare opportunity for anyone to be in the movie as an extra. Spend the day on Block Island – ferry fees covered – with the entire cast and crew. Receive full make-up and wardrobe services, an official call sheet and an IMDB named cast credit. It’s an opportunity to live out your actor fantasy while also supporting local indie film; pledge rewards will be finalized by February 17 so don’t delay. To find out more, or to watch trailers and interviews, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/rickyalaprade/erebus?ref=liveMore
It’s time to recognize the people making a big difference in southern Rhode Island – well, the younger ones, anyway. The United Chambers of Southern Rhode Island are hosting their first 40 Under 40 awards, and it’s time for you to start nominating the people in your community who are making a difference. To be eligible, a candidate must live or work in Southern RI, and work to promote the community by helping to foster small business, to preserve or utilize a historic site, to create a neighborhood initiative, or a host of other good things. Check out the United Chambers' webiste for more information on the nomination process. The winners will be recognized at a dinner at the Ocean House in Watch Hill on March 23, and will be profiled on this site.More
Jonathan Feiler, sommelier at Ocean House in Watch Hill, has announced the schedule for upcoming wine weekends at the posh hotel. Festivities begin on Friday nights with a wine and cheese reception in the Club Room. On Saturdays, Feiler will discuss the qualities and flavor profile of the wines being tasted. On February 17-18, the wines of Bordeaux will be examined. On March 16-17, the difference between Barolo and Bar- baresco will be explored. The cost for these monthly sessions is $38 per person. For more info, call 584-7000.More
This year is off to a positive start as far as the local restaurant scene is concerned. Where one door closes, another opens.
The Post Office Café in East Greenwich is expected to reopen after being closed for the past year. The interior isn’t the only thing being renovated. Other updates will include menu changes (with light fare such as gourmet burgers being offered), added entertainment and perhaps even a new name for the restaurant, which has occupied that historic spot on Main Street since 1995.
Since two of East Greenwich’s much-loved breakfast spots – Audra’s and Jigger’s – closed last year, many were happy to see the Village Café open on Main Street. Let’s hope the third time’s the charm; this is where The Sweet Nest and Twisted Dogs used to be located. The Village Café, owned by Anne Steger, offers traditional diner fare with eggs, waffles and pancakes on the breakfast menu and soups and salads at lunch. Early morning specials include banana split waffles and cranberry-walnut pancakes. Midday specials will have an Italian bent with veal and chicken parmesan on the menu. Open every day of the week, the café will serve dinner on Fridays with chowder and fish and chips available.
It was sad to see Tricia’s Tropi Grille in Jamestown close, but the good news is that it will reopen as Jamestown Fish, an upscale seafood restaurant, thanks to the owners of the Narragansett Café across the street. We hear the chef there has an impressive resume, having worked at three New York kitchens: Colicchio & Sons, Gramercy Tavern and Peacock Alley in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
It was also sad to learn that the Cheeky Monkey closed for good in Narragansett. However, that space is now taken by SoHo, a contemporary Italian restaurant with a martini list that features a 10-ounce martini and drinks named after famous artists. Located at 21 Pier Marketplace, SoHo is the dream of Lisa Delfarno-Lavigne …More
For the second month in a row, Vogue magazine has shot a cool, blonde, Oscar-winning Hollywood A-lister along the equally cool Rhode Island coastline for its cover. In December, it was Charlize Theron, shot in Newport...
This month, Meryl Streep kicks off the New Year Charlestown...
Who's next? Kirsten Dunst in Little Compton? Cate Blanchett in Watch Hill? Here's hoping they ditch the blondes and graduate redhead Emma Stone to big girl Vogue. Oh, Emma...
One of the hottest chefs in Providence has relocated to the suburbs. Kevin Millonzi, the culinary star who made the Atomic Grille and Restaurant Prov shine, has opened Millonzi’s in West Warwick. This is a modern-day neighborhood restaurant serving global cuisine. One of Millonzi’s signature appetizers, the Tuscan Potato Chips with Gorgonzola Gravy is not to be missed. The menu also offers pizza, burgers, sandwiches, pasta and a good selection of entrees, from New York sirloin to ribs with root beer barbecue sauce. And for dessert, I recommend the Baklava Cheesecake.
Siena Cucina and the Savory Grape will host a wine dinner on January 17 at 6:30pm. The all-inclusive cost is $65 per person. Call 885-8850 for details and reservations.
Good news! The Post Office Cafe on Main Street in East Greenwich will reopen after being closed for the past year. The once-popular restaurant is undergoing renovations and is expected to reopen early this year, possibly with a new name.
The culinary program known as Farm + Vine at the Ocean House in Watch Hill is dedicated to the rich bounty of Rhode Island, on land and in the sea. Monthly dinners with different themes will take place in the hotel’s restaurant, Seasons. Culinary weekends, led by experts in the field, are being planned, specially designed to provide unique experiences and to demonstrate the farm-to-table philosophy of the Ocean House. Farm + Vine dinners are set for January 4 and February 1. A local cheese weekend is tentatively scheduled for February 12. Stay tuned for details.
If you have news dealing with food, restaurants or chefs, feed it to Linda Beaulieu at Lindab2720@aol.com.More
Looking for something to do this winter instead of staying bundled up indoors until spring arrives? Westerly has just opened its very own ice rink, the Washington Trust Community Skating rink, on Main Street. The ice rink is now open seven days a week through March. If you do not have your own skates, the rink has over 250 ice skates for people to rent, making for an affordable day out. Skaters can take a little breather and visit the concession stand, located in the skate shack, for a well-deserved snack. The rink will be open Monday-Friday from 3pm-9pm and then on Saturday and Sunday from 11am-9pm. Aside from their regular hours, you can also schedule the ice rink for use for private parties or lessons. Admission for children and seniors will be $5, adults $7. The Washington Trust Community Skating Rink is something that can be fun for everyone. Perhaps you will learn to be the next Scott Hamilton or Sasha Cohen. 85 Main Street, Westerly. 742-7563, www.westerlylandtrust.org.More
Congratulations to Donna Marie Ranucci of Coventry, who was selected to appear on the Rachael Ray Show as part of the “Hey, Can You Cook?” cooking challenge. Although she was not the grand prize winner, Donna had an experience she will never forget. Not only did she have to fly to New York where the show is taped, she went on to Mexico, making 10 airplane trips in one week. For the first challenge, the contestants went to a chocolate factory in Oaxaca and learned how to make chocolate.
For their next challenge, they had to use the five basic food staples of Mexico: corn, chili, cactus, squash and verdolaga, an herb. The contestants were given 500 pesos to purchase everything they needed in as little as 30 minutes from vendors in an open-air market.
Each contestant had to overcome perhaps the biggest challenge of all, the language barrier. They also had to use an authentic Mexican grill, using charcoal, a few sticks and matches.
Despite generally good comments from the judges, Donna did not survive the first elimination round. She was paired with Timothy Morris of Washington. Their dishes – which included a stuffed chili pepper with peach mango salsa, olive oil and garlic, drizzled with chocolate, and a dessert of sliced pineapples with hollowed-out centers and melted chocolate with vanilla beans and Mexican liquor – just did not rate high enough.
Donna is the author of Donna’s Dishes: Cooking for a Cure, a collection of 150 hearty, healthy and inexpensive family recipes. She donates 30 percent of the proceeds from the book to different charities. For more information about Donna’s book, contact her at dmarieranucci@aol.com.More
Have you ever been to a meat cutting party? The culinary crew with the Newport Restaurant Group gathered recently to do just that with an entire grass-fed, crossbred Red Devon steer, provided by Greg Lynch and Patrick Beck, partners at New England Grass Fed LLC.
The steer arrived frozen, and it took more than 24 hours for it to defrost in the walk-in cooler at Castle Hill Inn in Newport. Eight chefs participated in the meat-cutting experience, dividing up the meat for restaurants in the Newport group: Trio in Narragansett, Boat House in Tiverton, Waterman Grille and Hemenway’s in Providence, 22 Bowen’s, The Mooring and Castle Hill Inn, all in Newport.
According to Beck, the chefs were excited to see the dense, dark red meat and the internal marbling. He pointed out that the buttery yellow fat was full of B vitamins and soluble Omega-3 fats. “The Devons retain the old qualities that make them hardy, a good all-rounder for the small traditional farmer,” Beck says. “Because they don’t grow so big, they were overlooked for many years but have recently emerged as the class of the field among those who know truly outstanding grass-fed beef.”
Steaks, roasts and short ribs piled up during the meat-cutting party. The meat was trimmed, and those trimmings were used to make kielbasa, salami and bresaola. Some of the meat was ground for burgers. All in all, the chefs got nearly an 80 percent yield, pretty remarkable when 60 to 63 percent is normally considered a good yield from a butcher.More