Best Calzones in Rhode Island
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Ah, the humble calzone. Every culture has a version of a calzone…a portable, cheap, hand food. In Spain it’s an empanada; In Polish culture it’s a pierogi; In Asian cultures it’s a dumpling. In Italian culture it was thin dough wrapped around whatever Nona had in left over in the fridge, baked in the oven until golden brown. Today, here in Rhode Island, places continue that tradition. We set out to find some of the state’s best and came back with these 5 contendahhhs…
Jeanette’s, Providence
We vividly remember the first time we pulled up in front of Jeanette’s. “This couldn’t possibly be the place that people were talking about,” we thought. This place is low on aesthetics but high on flavor. Every day a parade of people make their way over to Branch Avenue. At Jeanette’s, you will find Brooks Brothers suits rubbing elbows with construction workers all happily waiting for their slice of heaven. The shop is small and old, but let us tell you, these calzones rock. The dough is thin and crisp and not at all “gummy’ and the fillings are delicious. Our favorites include the pepperoni, the shaved steak and the chicken parm. The trick here is getting there early so you have the best selection. They are baking all day but the rushes of people can wipe out a flavor quickly. A recent visit had us looking for pepperoni and we ended up with potato and egg. We weren't dissapointed. 348 Branch Ave. 521-1440
Campanella’s, Cranston
A couple of years ago the most Italian Irish guy we know told us that he had cheated on Twin Oaks and found a new love in Cranston. He told us about all the great pasta dishes and pizzas at Campanella’s and told us we had to go. Never ones to turn down a challenge, we headed over to Oaklawn Avenue and found a quaint, family restaurant with good, fresh Italian food. We like to observe diners when we go to a new place…it’s a good way to pick up on what the kitchen does well when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings. Well, one thing stood out here, the number of calzones leaving the kitchen. We find ourselves there about once a month now for one of an incredible 17 calzones on the menu. These are big…like take-half-home big and tasty. You can get everything from turkey and ham to sausage and peppers all wrapped in a light pizza dough. They also feature a couple of meat-free options that are also very good. 930 Oaklawn Ave. 943-3500, www.campanellasrestaurantri.com
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTomaselli Brothers Restaurant and Catering, Cranston
Italians still flock to Oaklawn Avenue when they need a fix of old school Italian. We love Tomaselli’s rectangular, Sicilian style pizza and the pasta dishes, but we find ourselves craving the calzones. These things are awesome. We are partial to the pepperoni with hot peppers as the vinegar and heat from the peppers cuts the fat of the pepperoni and provides needed balance. Other standouts include the chicken parm and the delicious honey mustard chicken with cheddar cheese. The former had their old school red sauce and the later was an unexpected addition to our calzone flavor palette. 693 Oaklawn Ave. 464-4666, www.tomaselliinc.com
West Main Pizza, Portsmouth
Since the late 1990’s diners in the East Bay have enjoyed all things pizza at West Main Pizza, but we’re here for calzones. We tried several and settled on two as our favorites: the Porky Pig and the Imperial. The Porky Pig featured pulled pork and red onions and the Imperial had local chourico, green peppers and marinara sauce. We figured that you really can’t go wrong with chourico from the East Bay and the sweetness of the sauce cooled the heat of the chourico. The Porky Pig was a tour de force of porkiness with the onions providing a nice texture change to the pulled pork. 1620 West Main Rd. 683-1492, www.westmainpizzari.com
Mike’s Calzones, Providence
The restaurant landscape changes frequently on Thayer, just like the students, but you can always find good, cheap eats. This is also a cutthroat group of diners – college students. If they don’t like you, you’re not getting a second chance. One place that has no worries in that department is Mike’s. These calzones are incredible—and huge—and all cost one price. You have several options that they’ve created or you can build your own. We tried the Meltdown, which featured five kinds of cheese and came out nicely toasted and brown. The marinara sauce on the side was perfect for dipping. We also built our own with shaved steak, banana peppers, provolone cheese and a little ricotta cheese for moisture. It was also very good. 288 Thayer St. 228-8455, www.mikescalzones.com
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