Rhode Island has never lost the old school touch.
A recent story in Food & Wine turned the spotlight on a style of dining that is lavish, lengthy and conspicuous by its gracious hospitality. It is known in the Midwest as the supper club. The menu consists of surf and turf, prime rib, and lobster. It is an example of renewed interest in older culinary traditions, if only because quarantines forced many to rediscover the homegrown foods that were most accessible and comforting.
At one place north of Madison, Wis., a classic supper club that was founded in 1953, there is an expected two-hour wait for a weekend dinner. Out there, they say if the meal doesn’t start with a relish tray the size of a tractor tire, you’re not at a bonafide supper club.
Once again, the rest of the country is catching up with Rhode Island. It was always a given that when one dines out in the Ocean State, there is going to be a leftover box coming home.
“Rhode Island has always had hearty portions,” said Bob Burke, owner of Pot au Feu in Providence. “It’s always been interesting because if there’s any group of restaurants that have [a reputation] for small portions, it is French restaurants.”
Burke maintains a long-standing philosophy that if a restaurant wants to survive in this state, it better have hearty portions.
“We have always served gigantic portions by French standards,” he said, laughing. “People who come from France are appalled by the portions that we serve. One person from Paris years ago exclaimed in French that this was enough for a family!”
Burke agrees that the tone of the times is calling for an “over-the-top kind of return,” citing examples such as Marchetti’s in Cranston and the legendary eating palace The Nordic Lodge in Charlestown.
Burke reflected on what the current nostalgia means. Part of it, he says, is in the wake of the lockdown and the present economic uncertainty, “people in those situations get a little bit of an ‘ eat, drink and be merry’ attitude.”
Burke also thinks there is a significant number of people who have been deprived of experiences of some extravagance. The past three years put a stop to the cruise, the visit to Europe or the cross-country vacation. He wonders if people feel as though they just need something that’s over the top and wonderful. A memorable night at an upscale restaurant may give people a taste of that which they lacked.
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HANGING IT UP: The Nordic Lodge co-owner Steve Persson, second from left, recently announced his retirement from the restaurant. With Persson are, from left, co-owners Pelle Persson, Cole Persson, Brent Log and Shane Libert at the New England Food Show at the Boston Convention and Visitors Center in April 2022.
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Speaking of the Nordic Lodge, time is marching on for the family that founded the lavish buffet destination nearly 60 years ago. The restaurant is owned by third-generation siblings Nancy Log, Lisa Brown and Steve Persson. Steve’s wife, Lorna, also helps to manage the restaurant. Co-owner Steve Persson, a bearded, rugged outdoorsman who some say looks like a Viking, considers himself to be positively connected to the Swedish ways. That includes the workplace and its ethic. Persson has been widely quoted as insisting that the single greatest asset at his dining destination is the staff. The entire family shares that belief.
It was recently announced that after a storied career of building The Nordic brick by brick, the time has come for Persson to hang up his apron, although he will still be present as an on-site adviser.
The Nordic Lodge will reopen in April and is accepting reservations for large parties.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury” is broadcast locally on WADK 101.1 FM and 1540 AM and on WWRI 105.5 FM and 1450 AM. The show is also broadcast on radio stations in Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
