5 Foods You Have to Eat This Summer (and Where to Find Them)

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Ann & Michael Martini, GoLocalProv Food Editors

 

We write this week from sunny Southern California, where the weather is gorgeous (we know, sorry...) and the clam chowder is sub-par. It gets us thinking about all the things we miss about home, and all the things we must fit in during these remaining weeks of summer. Here, in no particular order, is what's on our list come touch-down at T.F. Green.

 

1. Matunuck Oysters

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Owner/Farmer/Heart and Soul Perry Raso seems like an overnight success. But it's really been 20 years since he began his aquaculture adventure in East Matunuck. Those of us who have been lucky enough to see the genesis of the old Seagull restaurant property into one of the state's true small business success stories take pride in Perry's story, and we crave his tasty shellfish. Raso began by trying to come up with local, organic oysters that he loved and then expanded to farmers' markets where he would stand on his briny soapbox and tell anyone who cared to listen why his oysters were deliciously different. While everything -- really, everything -- on the menu here is fantastic and fresh, its the oysters -- simple and cold -- that we'll be in for. There is something amazing about being able to sit at an outdoor patio table and slurp away while looking over the salt pond that gave you those delicious beauties. Thanks, Perry! 629 Succotash Rd. East Matunuck, 783-4202, www.rhodyoysters.com

 

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2. House-Made Ice Cream

Okay, it may not be revolutionary, but house-made ice cream is still kind of a novelty, and, if nothing else, a reminder of how ice cream really can and should taste. In Providence the first to tempt us with house-made ice cream was Al Forno. On our minds now is the toasted coconut ice cream sandwiched between two freshly-baked brownies. The ice cream is the creamiest we know...you can't get those nasty freezer ice crystals and "freezer flavor" when the ice cream is made hours before it comes to your table. Another local practitioner of the house-made creamy confection is our friend Chef Champe Speidel at Persimmon in Bristol. Speidel always seems to have some incredible creams and sorbets that fulfill  his vision of seasonal and local on the sweets menu. The menu changes often but you can count on several versions as parts of beautifully-composed desserts or as a tasting of all of them. One of our all-time favorites was a hazelnut/coffee ice cream that would make any Rhode Islander proud! Al Forno, 577 South Main St. 273-9760, www.alforno.com Persimmon, 31 State St. Bristol, 254-7474, www.persimmonbristol.com

 

3. "Clear" Chowdah

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Once and for all, let's get this straight. In Rhode Island, there are three types of clam chowder (we pity the rest of the country, who can only muster two). Rhode Island clear is all about the clams: a rich clam broth with fresh clams. Manhattan is all about the tomatoes, while clams and potatoes take a back seat in flavor. New England clam chowder may be what we're all used to, and it is like the Rhode Island style but includes cream. As purists (and after tasting what passes for clam chower on the West Coast), we're coming for some Rhode Island style. It's not the easiest to find -- we'll go casual and get ours at Iggy's Doughboy and Chowder House in Narragansett. CBS News named this the best chowder in the nation last summer, and we have to agree it's darn tasty. So much so that we'll wait for it in those very long lines at the take out window. This is simple SEA food: clams, some onions, a little celery, some salt and pepper. That's it -- simple, tried and true! Iggy's Doughboys and Chowder 1157 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 783-5608, www.iggysdoughboys.com

4. Food Truck French

Now that we have seen what food trucks coast-to-coast are doing, we are even more impressed with Providence's food truck offerings and impressed with the arry of trucks our city boasts. And there is something very summertime about the act of eating from one...reminiscent, perhaphs, of running to the ice cream truck for a treat on a warm summer evening. In Providence it may seem like there is a truck on every corner, and right now we are craving Plouf Plouf Gastronomie. Imagine a chef who has won 3 Michelin stars in France opening a bistro on wheels in Providence. The food that comes off of this truck rivals the best Providence has to offer. Escargot...steak frites...Croque Monsieur...you can get them all from chef Mario out the window of his truck. The food is locally-sourced and prepared with the respect that you expect from a French master chef. We're thinking steak frites featuring the Belgian-style frites. These are a little thicker than you're used to but they're crispy and perfectly seasoned. We'll be back just for those! Follow them on facebook and Twitter to find daily locations and specials or check out www.ploufploufgastronomie.com

5. Native Fluke

One of the most common questions we're asked by friends and family is "Who has the freshest fish?"

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Thanks to the Trace and Trust revolution the worry is gone out of many local restaurant fish purchases by providing you with a detailed history of that fish you're about to eat. One of the byproducts of the local fish revolution is the rediscovery of fluke. Fluke is also called summer flounder, and it's like candy in the summer in the waters off Rhode Island. If you are lucky enough to find "fluke crudo" on the menu at Nick's on Broadway, get it...immediately! This is a double victory...chef Derek Wagner has a deft touch when it comes to the raw, seasoned fish in his crudo, and fluke's natural sweetness is truly on display in this style. It's one of the joys of living in Rhode Island. Nick's on Broadway, 500 Broadway, Providence, 421-0286, www.nicksonbroadway.com Also follow Trace and Trust on facebook and Twitter to see where their fabulous fish is going.

 

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