Signature dishes are any restaurant’s backbone. Steakhouses had better have a great filet mignon. Up and down the Rhode Island coast, the chowder, lobster, littlenecks and calamari must be no less than spectacular.
To foodies, signature dishes require a deeper dive than what appears on the restaurant’s sign. Where to go for the best stuffed lobster or even dan dan noodles is the real sport to those who dine out often and the so-called influencers. Savvy restaurateurs keep a close watch on how their signatures are doing. Chefs and proprietors are likely to hear directly from their customers about favorite dishes whose very personalities are intertwined with the personality of the eatery. And the response is immediate if one of those favorites disappears from the menu.
Signature dishes are playing a big role at some local restaurants in early 2020.
The reality TV series “Restaurant: Impossible” episode featuring Perella’s Ristorante in Warren is airing in January on Food Network. The episode, entitled “Old Habits Die Hard,” stars celebrity chef Robert Irvine and is the sixth episode in the series’ 16th season. Its dramatic “reveal” and backstory is being shown multiple times on the cable channel for the rest of the month, as well as on-demand online. Full disclosure – Perella’s is a marketing partner on my radio show.
According to chef-owner Lou Perella, the focus of the show is the “reveal” of the makeover of his restaurant’s dining room and menu, including several signature dishes. Perella’s has been a successful family-run operation for 25 years. The Italian eatery had among its signature dishes a popular seafood specialty that had been suggested by a longtime customer. Irvine left it off the new menu. Perella’s regulars immediately asked if it would be returning, and Perella listened. “We are now in the next phase, which involves feedback from our customers on which of our signature dishes they would like to see back on our menu,” he said. So the Stan Ross Seafood Special, with its multiple shellfish from clams to crab, made a comeback. Perella said, “We have had interesting feedback so far – we have had to spend time reassuring our friends and our regulars that we were never in danger of closing. Our regulars have, for the most part, stayed, and we have had an increase in business [as a result of the makeover]. It will be interesting to see the response after the show airs nationally. Time will tell.”
Also in Warren, a beloved restaurant mainstay is about to reopen and signature dishes again play a large role. The former Country Inn at 382 Market St. is undergoing a makeover of its own. The Gorman family, who owns and operates the Sakonnet River Grille and Four Corners Grille, both in Tiverton, are the new proprietors. The restaurant will be known as Palmer River Grille and is expected to open in late January. Dave Gorman said the location required extensive renovations. It will have a similar look and color scheme as the Sakonnet River Grille. The question of signature dishes is somewhat of a complicated one. The Country Inn was known for traditional comfort food such as yankee pot roast, fisherman’s platters, prime rib and stuffed seafood dishes, from sole to shrimp. The Four Corners, which opened in 1998, and the Sakonnet River Grille, which has been open since 2015, have some of the same signature dishes plus some of their own, such as sea scallops Nantucket with sauteed mushrooms, garlic butter, white wine, Swiss cheese and crumb topping; and stuffed local scrod with house-made crabmeat stuffing.
There will doubtless be new signature dishes to come that perhaps started out as daily specials or, like Lou Perella’s regular customer, were ideas that came from our side of the table. As long as there are restaurateurs such as these, our favorites hopefully will continue to be with us for some time.
Sakonnet River Grille
524 Main Road, Tiverton
(401) 816-6944 | sakonnetrivergrille.com
Cuisine: American
Entrée price range for lunch/dinner: $14-$26
[caption id="attachment_313408" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
THE GORMAN FAMILY: From left is Jim Gorman and sons, Dave and Jim. Seated is Chris Gorman, mother of Dave and Jim. / COURTESY SAKONNET RIVER GRILLE[/caption]
Reservations: Accepted for parties of eight or more (no reservations accepted Friday or Saturday nights)
Favorite bites: Prime rib ($20/$26/$30 depending on size) available Friday and Saturday nights. Barbecue baby back ribs ($16/$22 full or half rack) are slow-roasted, fall-off-the-bone tender. Pan-seared maple sea scallops appetizer ($15) is made with fresh sea scallops and pure Vermont maple. Baked stuffed scrod ($19) is fresh local cod with house-made crabmeat stuffing. Pirate’s cove seafood pasta ($26) is sea scallops, lobster and shrimp in a lobster cream sauce.
Best time to come: Least busy days are Monday and Tuesday. Busiest are Friday and Saturday, starting around 4:30 p.m. and lasting through about 8:15 p.m. Expect a wait on the weekend. Full menu available for takeout.
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.