NEW: Twin Oaks Named RI’s Top Dinner Spot
Thursday, July 28, 2011
New York Magazine’s Grub Street food blog has scanned the entire nation and carefully selected a "state dinner" - an iconic restaurant worth traveling to in each state in the union. Rhode Island’s selection may come as no surprise to locals. Grub Street selected no other than the classic Twin Oaks Restaurant in Cranston as RI's State Dinner.
The writers at Grub Street clearly enjoyed a dip in Rhode Island ambience. “Twin Oaks started out as a speakeasy in 1928 and operated till federal agents caught on," they say, describing a place known far and wide in Rhode Island for its homestyle portions and insider line-jumping traditions. "Here you’ll find six cavernous dining rooms that seat 650 people. How do they fill ‘em? With massive portions of very good, pleasantly kitschy tributes to Americana," Grub Street says.
"This is the type of place your parents took you when you were a kid. That means Yankee fare grandma would approve of (liver-n-onions, baked scrod) and of course that Rhode Island specialty — quahog pie. There are surely fancier restaurants in the Providence area, and certainly more innovative ones. But for sheer atmosphere and nostalgia, you just can’t beat Twin Oaks.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTManger Michael Regine, getting his massive dining rooms ready for another busy Thursday night, was delighted by the news. “We are very proud to be chosen for any honor because we value all of our customers,” he said. “We put a lot of pride in what we put out.” Regine cited Twin Oaks hallmark dishes such as steaks and baked stuff shrimp, original pasta dishes and an overall "huge menu."
“We are one of Rhode Island’s institutions," he says. "Everyone knows about Twin Oaks.” And now, thanks to Grub Street, a lot of food lovers in New York and nationwide do too.
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