With the news in January that the famous Top of the Hub restaurant in Boston would be closing in April, there was a wave of nostalgia for restaurants that are no longer around. There’s a real sense of loss when a favorite spot closes. The emotional attachment goes far beyond eating and drinking. Even if we had stopped patronizing a restaurant, we cling to the notion that it will always be there should we want to go back. Is it the sense of loss of our past that makes it so gut-wrenching?
Dining out is memorable. To some degree, we call upon our taste memory every time we go to a restaurant, whether it is the first visit or a return to a favorite. The question of naming one’s favorite restaurant is on some level unanswerable. We are actually being asked to name our favorite life experiences. The reason for eating at a particular restaurant can, in some cases, be about anything but sustenance. It is a basic human need to return to our past, to attempt to relive the most memorable moments of our lives.
When iconic enduring restaurants are discussed, here in Rhode Island we are more fortunate than in many other parts of the country. Many of our longstanding eateries are still thriving, starting with the longest continuously operating tavern in the U.S., The White Horse Tavern in Newport, which harks back to 1673 – almost 350 years.
In every city of just about any size, there was at least one “landmark” restaurant that had a large seating capacity and was the center of community celebrations from weddings to sports banquets. Industry lists of the most popular eateries, and not coincidentally those with the highest dollar volume of food and beverage sales, included Twin Oaks in Cranston right up there with the likes of Tavern on the Green in New York City, and Anthony’s Pier 4 and Hilltop Steak House in the Boston area. Of that quartet, the only place still standing is Twin Oaks, still going strong for nearly 90 years.
It is easy to wax nostalgic about memorable Rhode Island dining landmarks, many of which are now a memory, such as Country Inn, Remington House, Post Office Café, Grille on Main, Olga’s, Rue de L’Espoir and many others. On balance, however, it appears that attrition is balanced by new concepts taking over old spaces, as has happened in all but one on this list.
Occasionally, a name from the past will be brought back, or at least an attempt will be made to resurrect a nostalgic eatery. The Lum’s concept was one of those in the “attempt” category. A Seekonk restaurateur made a valiant effort with many of the familiar trappings of the old pub, from the red-and-white striped awning to some of the menu items. However, the response was not very enthusiastic and not enough to keep it going.
It is never pleasant when any business closes its doors. The management company that ran Top of the Hub had to inform its staff of 200 people they would be losing their jobs. Hopefully those staffers will be able to take advantage of the overall boom currently in the restaurant industry and land on their feet.
There are interesting sidelights to this phenomenon. A place located near a Vermont ski resort that was written about in glowing terms but closed after two years is not quite done. The location opens occasionally for “pop-up” restaurant experiences over a weekend or longer. And Legal Sea Foods, which moved its Warwick location to Garden City in 2018 in a much-touted makeover into a hip bar-type concept, found itself, after the new place seriously underperformed, having to “makeover the makeover.”
The new approach? The iconic restaurant’s 65-year-old traditional menu of New England seafood and award-winning chowder served under its original name.
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LASTING MEMORIES: The White Horse Tavern in Newport has been in business since 1673 and is said to be the oldest tavern in the U.S.[/caption]
THE WHITE HORSE TAVERN
26 Marlborough St., Newport
Cuisine: American
Entrée price range: Lunch, $14-$32; dinner, $22-$46
Reservations: Accepted
FAVORITE BITES Filet mignon beef Wellington ($46) with foie gras mousse, puff pastry, potat puree, glazed carrots and perigueux sauce; lobster mac and cheese ($26) with rigatoni, native lobster, mascarpone, fontina, aged gouda and toasted truffle crumbs; lobster salad BLT sandwich ($22) with native lobster, dill-shallot aioli, lettuce, tomato, celery, apple-wood smoked bacon on a brioche torpedo roll.
BEST TIME TO COME The busiest times are during the summer tourist season. Least busiest times are during the winter, but that’s when guests can dine beside one of The White Horse Tavern’s several live fireplaces.
Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, on radio throughout New England, through various mobile applications and his podcast. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.
