Bristol is home to more than famous parade

Champe Spiedel, owner of Persimmon in Bristol, says that clusters of restaurants heighten competition among eateries. /
Champe Spiedel, owner of Persimmon in Bristol, says that clusters of restaurants heighten competition among eateries. /

Welcome to Bristol, home of the nation’s oldest Fourth of July parade and another exceptional neighborhood in which to dine. In about a six-block stretch, food aficionados can find traditional New England seafood, adventuresome contemporary cuisine and even German Oktoberfest celebration.
On a chilly evening when you are longing for spring, drop in for dinner at S.S. Dion at 520 Thames St., just across the street from Bristol Harbor. Sit in the main dining room as close to the Scandinavian, round enamel fireplace as you can and order sea scallops, the freshest offering from the icy Atlantic this time of year.
Steve Dion opened S.S. Dion in 1983. His original business plan could have been written today. “We were just out of a recession and we wanted to have a place where you could have dinner for $12.”
What is still on the menu? “Baked scrod, mussels, littlenecks, and we always had swordfish, the highest-priced item on the original menu,” Dion says.
Redlefsen’s, 444 Thames St., is one of the more popular lunch and dinner spots. East Bay lovers of German food wait all year long for the annual Oktoberfest celebration at Redlefsen’s, as proprietor Walter Guertler pays homage to his beloved Bavaria. While there are a couple of German dishes on the menu all year long, the full Oktoberfest menu of wursts, schnitzels and oom-pah-pah’s is only available in late September.
A little further down Thames Street on the waterfront is the contemporary DeWolf Tavern. The Tavern’s chef-proprietor, Sai Viswanath, was spotlighted in Food & Wine Magazine, which stated he is as likely to cook with foie gras as with tamarind and other India accents.
Rounding the corner onto State Street, the Rhode Island navigation system kicks in. “Where the Hotpoint restaurant used to be” – the sign remains thanks to historic-district zoning – is Persimmon. Chef-proprietor Champe Spiedel took over the space three years ago. He says the idea of a restaurant row being better for business is a myth.
“Everyone thinks more is better but we’re all competing for seats. As someone in the business once told me, ‘We’re in a game of musical chairs. When the music stops, you hope someone is sitting in your chair.’ ” Speidel notes that Bristol is rather quiet this time of year so support from the locals is essential.
Speidel doesn’t want those regulars to get bored so he is trying different dishes this winter, such as cooking with the exacting process known as “sous vide,” in which fresh ingredients are slow cooked under pressure.
Along Hope Street, in the heart of the historic district, signs and frontage are severely restricted by town ordinance. Patterned after so-called “snob zoning” laws in Nantucket and Carmel, Calif., the ordinance bars “formula businesses” – larger than 2,500 square feet or with 65 feet of street frontage, with five or more lookalike locations on earth – from locating in the downtown. Some are prohibited from displaying their corporate logos, and drive-thru’s are verboten.
The cozy Roberto’s at 301 Hope St. capitalizes on the quirks of the zoning ordinance. It’s unique, cozy and romantic, with an interesting wine cellar and an Italian menu. Affable proprietor Robert Vanderhoof is often in the dining room or behind the bar chatting with his regulars.
Bristol’s year-round dining scene, like the town itself, is a hidden treasure. Don’t wait until the Fourth of July to visit. Who knows, you may find a better spot to pitch your lawn chair for next year’s parade viewing. &#8226
Dining Out with Bruce Newbury (bruce@brucenewbury.com) can be heard on TalkRadio 920 WHJJ-AM Fridays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at noon.

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