HOT

Jack Ryan

Not that Jack Ryan, but the Rhode Island architect Jack Ryan.

Will Morgan writes about the RI Ryan's newest project:

"If one wants to know how handsome new housing can be built on Providence’s East Side without tearing down existing buildings, then take a look at the Matilda Overlook complex of townhouses and apartments soaring above Smithfield Avenue. A joint venture of developer Josh Chu and architect Jack Ryan, the two adjacent blocks containing seven townhouses and eleven apartments demonstrate how architecturally distinguished housing can be inserted into and enrich the existing urban fabric.

The two-thirds of an acre that software engineer-turned-developer Chu purchased three years ago was essentially a garbage lot, where highway infill was dumped during construction of the Smithfield Avenue overpass. Also, the narrow trapezoidal plot drops 24 feet from Matilda Street to Collyer Street. The site alone would have thwarted your usual ubiquibox builder. Yet the imaginative Ryan transformed this ugly-duckling squinch of land into a harbinger of what the empty lots along North Main Street could become.

When Ryan tackles residential living the results are a win for the city. Most notable is his renovation of the original Miriam Hospital on Parade Street for Armory Revival. And just off North Main, the RISD-trained designer has been transforming the former St. Raymond’s convent and school on Eight and Ninth Streets into 52 apartments for East Side developer Ghassan Daou. Designed from the ground up, however, Matilda Overlook was erected on an unpromising and difficult location that required a particularly creative solution."

READ MORE

PHOTO: Jack Ryan

HOT

Soup for You

There is “free soup for you” in Rhode Island this week — following what one business said was a recent error that they are now apologizing for.

West Valley Soup & Sauce in West Warwick, which opened in 2022, said that they are offering free soup to all customers this coming Friday. 

On Monday, they shared the following message: 

"An Open Letter From West Valley Soup & Sauce:

It has come to our attention that we inadvertently served a substandard batch (too salty) of our chicken soup last week. It was not prepared according to written recipes and proper written preparation procedures. Moreover, that batch of soup did not adhere to our strict quality control standards and safeguards that have been in place since day one. 

This was an employee error but ultimately it was the fault of West Valley Soup & Sauce as a whole and we as a company take full responsibility for the error and any inconvenience it may have caused. We make fresh soup every hour on the hour in 50-gallon batches. We never reheat or reuse any of our products. Ever. Any soup left over at the end of the day is donated to several different local organizations to use to feed hungry people in need.

We apologize to all our loyal guests who purchased that soup and we vow to implement an additional layer of quality control standards to assure that it never happens again. This error has been a reawakening for us and is of the utmost importance to West Valley Soup & Sauce. 

That being said, we will be offering a “Free Soup Day” on Friday [1-19-2024] to any and all of our guests. We will offer one quart of free soup to everyone that comes in on that day, regardless of any other purchase. Just ask your server. We offer this to make up for our error and shortcomings to ensure and reemphasize to our community of our commitment, devotion, and appreciation for its continued support.

Sincerely, the owner and the entire staff of West Valley Soup & Sauce."

PHOTO: A RI restaurant has offered free soup. PHOTO: Unsplash/ Piotr Miazga

HOT

Former Providence Watchdog Named to RIPTA Board

James Lombardi III, the former Providence City Treasurer, has been named to the RIPTA board.

He is an attorney and certified public accountant with more than 30 years of experience in federal and state taxation, which includes an extensive background in the assessment and collection of taxes, budgeting, auditing, and detailed financial report writing.  

He was often one of the few officials in the City of Providence keeping an eye on spending.

Additionally, Lombardi previously served as the Providence City Council’s Chief of Staff and the City's Internal Auditor. He leads both the North Smithfield School Committee and the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy. 

HOT

A Hell of a Ride

This week, RI Hospitality Association (RIHA) President & CEO Dale J. Venturini announced that she will retire from the organization in February 2024.

Venturini has led RIHA, the official voice of Rhode Island’s lodging, restaurant, and tourism industry, for more than 35 years.

HOT

Celtica No More, But Big Things Coming

A new waterfront bar and restaurant is slated to open in Newport next month — by some familiar faces. 

“The Quencher” has been under renovation at the location of the old Celtica for months, across from the Newport Yacht Club. 

The brainchild of Scott Kirmil — the owner of Diego’s and Wharf Southern Kitchen and Whiskey Bar — and chef Joey Piotti, the concept of his newest establishment is “a bar with really good food.”

“We’re just getting toward the home stretch,” said Kirmil of working with Piotti on the finishing touches. “It’s been a process with delays and permitting and unexpected things that needed to be fixed. It’s an old building — but it’s coming out pretty well.”

Seizing New Opportunity 

The location of the former Celtica Public House at 95 Long Wharf Mall, adjacent to the Marriott Hotel and across from Perotti Park, had long been a fixture as a watering hole with locals and tourists alike. 

When the Celtica closed in 2022, Kirmil was made aware that the property was available — and seized the opportunity.

“We decided it needed to have that bar vibe, and we wanted to keep karaoke,” said Kirmil, of keeping some of the core elements of what made the Celtica so popular 

But when The Quencher opens, it will have a completely new look — and height. 

“We’re phasing in an upstairs deck,” said Kirmil, of taking advantage of the views of Newport Harbor. 

According to Kirmil, the new upstairs deck will be half-open and half-covered with heat and air-conditioning for the elements.

Then, there’s the food. READ MORE

HOT

Weekly Spot

Those Rhode Island College women's basketball players are now #3 in the country and 17-0 on the season.

Coach Jenna Cosgrove is carving out a permanent spot on the HOT LIST.

NOT

Smiley's Storm Sloppiness

A small winter storm overwhelmed the Smiley administration this week.

City Hall struggled to plow or treat the roads Tuesday morning, perhaps hoping rain would wash it away. 

Nope. It froze.

Three days later, in some neighborhoods, garbage has yet to be collected.

NOT

Beach Erosion

On Monday, GoLocal published a collection of photos showing the devastating impact of recent coastal storms.

While winter storms have always impacted beaches and some summer homes, the destruction caused by these two storms appears to be just a little bit different.

NOT

Ranked 50th

There is a new ranking for “Best and Worst States to Start a Business” — and Rhode Island is ranked dead last. 

In the study released Tuesday by WalletHub, it compared the 50 states across 25 key indicators of startup success to “determine the most fertile grounds in which to launch and grow an enterprise.”

“Starting a business is never easy. About one-fifth of all startups typically don’t survive past year one of operation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and nearly half never make it to their fifth anniversary,” writes WallethHub. “Staying afloat is difficult even under normal conditions, and even more so when dealing with high inflation and labor shortages.”

In 2023, Rhode Island ranked 45th in CNBC's "Top States for Business." 

PHOTO: Liam Nguyen, Unsplash

NOT

Silly Talk

Governor Dan McKee used his State of the State address to claim that in the next few years, he is going to increase everyone's annual wages by $20,000.

He only forgot to tell anyone how he was going to do it.

By the way, this week, the Department of Labor and Training unveiled the jobs number for December, and the unemployment rate jumped three-tenths of one percent.

Darn, those pesky numbers.