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The 6 Rhody Food Groups

We’re lucky. In Rhode Island (where we pledge allegiance to the weiner) none of our state’s curious culinary staples cost much. Here’s where to go for…

The 6 Rhody Food Groups

Pasta & Gravy
Angelo’s Civita Farnese 141 Atwells Ave., Providence, 621-8171, angelosonthehill.com
Street cred: The ultimate: Angelo’s sits in the entryway of Federal Hill.
Age: Seventy years
Draw: With a handful of exceptions, everything is under $10, huge-portioned and covered in Italian gravy: homemade macaroni, lasagna, meatballs, sausage…. Communal tables make for good stories and add to the old-school charm of the place.
Cash: Sunday dinner will run about $8

All-You-Can-Eat Chicken
Wright’s Farm 84 Inman Rd., Harrisville, 769-2856, wrightsfarm.com
Street cred: What better location to serve chicken than on a former farm?
Age: Thirty-five years young
Draw: Wright’s will go through 10,000-plus pounds of chicken in a single weekend thanks to a steady stream of devotees (we’re talking a thousand or more a night) who fill up on the family-style meal of salad, pasta, fries and platters of roasted chicken for just $10.95 ($6.25 for kids).
Cash: $15 for one loooong night of eating

Grinders
Sandwich Hut 1253 North Main St., Providence, 272-2590
Street cred: A busy North Main Street corner that still sports a 1960s facade.
Age: Forty-five years of cheese and capacolla
Draw: This tiny shop is still cranking out Italian grinders and chicken parm subs for the work and college crowd. They’ve expanded their options to include soup, salad and wraps, but salami could hardly find a better home than between these torpedo rolls.
Cash: $6 feeds two

Weiners
Rod’s Grille 6 Washington St., Warren, 245-9405
Street cred: A neighborhood joint where the neighbors love their weiners.
Age: More than fifty years of street meat
Draw: True, there are a number of so-called gagga spots around town, but Rod’s secret sauce and second-generation owners (courtesy of the Rodrigues family) keep a steady crowd for lunch and early dinners.
Cash: $1.73 for one “all the way”

Chowder and Clam Cakes
Flo’s Clam Shack 4 Wave Ave., Middletown, 847-8141, flosclamshack.net
Aunt Carrie’s 1240 Ocean Rd., Narragansett, 783-7930, auntcarriesri.com
Evelyn’s Drive-in 2335 Main Rd., Tiverton, 624-3100, evelynsdrivein.com
Street cred: All within a quahog’s throw of the water.
Age: As grandma always said, a woman of stature never reveals her age.
Draw: The Holy Trinity of fried seafood, though everyone puts their faith in a different sector. All three shacks boast having the state’s best secret-recipe chowda and the most addictive made-from-scratch cakes. You decide.
Cash: Eight clams

Pizza Strips
D. Palmieri’s Bakery 624 Killingly Street, Johnston, 621-9357, dpalmierisbakery.com
Street cred: Nothing fancy, but the smell of baking dough wafts through the Johnston air.
Age: Nearly forty, but the Palmieri family’s been baking for a hundred-plus.
Draw: No Rhode Island party is complete without a box of room temp Palmieri’s pizza strips. After a hundred years, they’ve added a few varieties (chicken, roasted peppers and olives), but the crowds still line up for the old-fashioned tomato and garlic.
Cash: Very little dough: $1.35
 

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- November, 2008

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