Construction an often unwanted spring appetizer

“Look at the history in this street,” said chef Jake Rojas, as he looked out the front window of his restaurant, Tallulah on Thames. Even as he admired the scene, he did so with a certain amount of trepidation. Lower Thames Street in Newport was undergoing a repaving operation and like his colleagues from Memorial Boulevard to Wellington Avenue, Rojas was casting a wary eye on the craters and potholes in the pavement before him.
Restaurateurs are at the mercy of the environment. An eatery can have the best menu, appealing décor, perfect location, convivial waiters, great chef and rave reviews. But a small variation, indeed the slightest blip, in the weather forecast, traffic conditions, or the alignment of the planets can turn a full reservation list and the promise of a packed house into an off-night. This time of year, the gremlins are on board orange construction trucks as municipalities take advantage of the good weather to catch up on infrastructure repair projects before the summer season arrives.
Word about such projects and the delays and detours they can create spread like wildfire. Savvy operators have learned to be philosophical about such vagaries.
Outside Tallulah on Thames, Newport‘s Department of Public Services was working on providing a new asphalt roadway surface on lower Thames Street. Rojas was surveying the preparation work which had uncovered the street’s original cobblestone surface. “Imagine if they could find a way to bring back those cobblestones,” he mused.
The chef has great sensitivity to his environment. The restaurant has gained a reputation in town and in the national press for Rojas’ locally sourced menu, which changes almost daily depending upon what fresh ingredients are available.
Back in January, USA Today reviewed his pasta dish known as gnudi, a type of gnocchi made with ricotta cheese and a bit of flour. At Tallulah, the creamy fare was made with locally produced ricotta, chestnuts and roasted apple. Later that night, a caravan of heavy machinery worked its way down Thames Street as crews got to work laying down a new layer of asphalt and covering up the cobblestones. However, the next morning brought unexpected good news. The paving operations were complete.
What had been forecast to be a month-long headache turned out to be just one, noisy night. Traffic and parking have been restored to pre-construction conditions. City officials stated the project was fast-tracked earlier this year in preparation of the America’s Cup World Series Regatta coming to Newport in June.
Rojas is smiling as he prepares for the crowds and the abundance of fresh produce from the local farms with which he works.
In Providence, the hum of heavy equipment signals that work is going on along the Hope Street Restaurant Row. As a water-line maintenance operation is making its way down the street, restaurateurs at popular spots such as Pizzico, Blaze, Ivy Tavern and Seven Stars Bakery are crossing their fingers that the work will continue to progress on or a bit ahead of schedule. The crews are attempting to mitigate the after-effects of their work each day. By approximately four each afternoon, the equipment has been hauled away, excavation sites have been filled in and the dust has settled just in time for dinner service. At one of the newest spots on the street, KitchenBAR, consulting chef Jaime D’Oliveira is trying not to let the construction distract him from launching a new menu for the recently opened bistro. KitchenBAR is owned by longtime restaurant owner “Sammy” Katsaras. D’Oliveira is confident that between the end of the construction project and some sustained warm weather that KitchenBAR will be able to offer sidewalk seating this summer. Bristol has seen a major makeover since the end of the winter. The major streets in town have become one way. The town’s restaurants as well as its residents have made significant adjustments in their schedules. Thames Street is now southbound-only past Redlefsen’s, S.S. Dion and Hourglass Brasserie, while Hope Street carries northbound traffic past Roberto’s and Leo’s. The proprietor of Leo’s, Paul Mancieri, is accentuating the positive. “In some ways, Bristol has never been easier to get around,” he said from his office at his restaurant, at the corner of Hope and Church Streets.
Mancieri, a lifelong Bristolian and the third generation to operate the onetime pizzeria, looks toward the future.
“When the construction is complete, the town will have a completely different look,” he said recently on my radio show. “The lights on Hope Street will be in the style of historic gaslights. It will be much more inviting.” The project is expected to be complete by the end of summer, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Leo’s marketing executive, local businessman John Mancuso, has some advice for patrons of the restaurant. “Come on down to Bristol, sit outside at our sidewalk tables and do some people watching!”
It is advice that is shared by Phyllis Arffa, the owner of Blaze, who extends the same invitation to her East Side guests in Providence. These local businesspeople and their colleagues welcome you and as always appreciate your patronage. •

Bruce Newbury’s food and wine talk radio show is heard Saturdays and Sundays locally on WPRV-AM 790, on radio throughout New England and on the Stitcher mobile application. He can be reached at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.