Dining Review: Celeste in Narragansett

Grilled bavette steak with roasted asparagus. Photography by Angel Tucker

Spanish mackerel in mustard sauce. Photography by Angel Tucker

Over the last several decades, Narragansett has continued its evolution from a seasonal summer spot to a year-round, water-bound enclave. Long before COVID-19, residents began to realize that the views were nearly as good in November as in July and let the season go longer and longer until its three ZIP codes became a permanent fixture on address labels and envelopes. It’s not all that surprising given the way that the small town has expanded. There are still the requisite surf shops and T-shirt depots, as well as the Rhody basics to get by: a Dunkin’, Roch’s and Brickley’s — now re-branded as Baron’s Homemade Ice Cream by its new owner and longtime staff member — which serves as the entire town’s fourth meal. But there are also increasing numbers of coffee shops, specialty stores and the occasional spa to placate weeklong guests and their hard-working hosts.

Newport Restaurant Group has long held court in the area, as the Italy-focused Trio stood for fifteen years on Kingstown Road. This year, the restaurant shifted gears to more coastal European cuisine and opened as Celeste before much of the state migrated south. The space feels, expectedly, like a sprawling summer house in its hues. A navy wine closet gives way to copious amounts of white marble, subtle sage booths and mid-century style seats and stools in warm leather. Most of the shiplap walls are white, the ceiling soaring, and the building airy, even in the height of summer. A take on Botticelli’s Venus is wallpapered around the rooms, with images of Renaissance women lounging through life, manifesting the mantra of a town that’s all about vacation life. The vast tiled bar sits at the center of things as casual dining reigns, outdone only by a sizable patio space that’s equal parts Main Street America and privileged water view.

Lobster roll on toasted brioche with fries. Photography by Angel Tucker

It’s an expansive space that appears more intimate because it’s split into several rooms, all of which flow together like a small city built for beach dwellers. There’s plenty of Lilly Pulitzer but just as many flip flops, bowling shirts and faded khakis. Kids shimmy out of booths to meander in their surroundings, and servers are conditioned to look around their feet for errant toddlers as they transport trays. The construction of Celeste was clearly meant to cater to a sun-kissed state of mind and, in some sense, it does so — just not by way of the New England shores. Instead, the menu revolves around coastal Europe with a focus on Spain, France and Italy and some inspiration from North Africa, which results in a series of dishes that are varied but not necessarily interrelated.

Garlic shrimp with grilled focaccia. Photography by Angel Tucker

If there is a close-to-home approach, it’s in the seafood: shrimp cocktail, calamari ($15), salt cod fritters ($12) and a stellar, simple, Sicilian-style tuna crudo topped with olive oil, capers, anchovies and olives ($14). They’re expected offerings in a seaside restaurant, which doesn’t make them any less appealing, particularly at the very large bar where diners are happy to spend the evening with a cocktail and little more. It is worth noting that the drinks are festive, but often small. The Celeste 75 (Empress gin, lavender and prosecco), which arrives in a Nick and Nora glass, disappears within several sips, as do other options which, at $12, are not a prohibitive investment. (Wine might be the better call, though, if quantity is the priority.)

The rest of the menu diverges in flavor, with some profiles from Italy and Spain, others from Morocco and Kenya. Occasionally, a dish straddles the cultural divide all on its own — as with the lamb meatballs ($14) which are spiced like Spanish albondigas, but served with green olives and feta. Likewise, the curious combination of carrots and cucumber with peri peri ($8) is several perspectives at once. The chunky carrots come lightly steamed — like a perfectly cooked vegetable plucked out of a stew. Wedges of cucumber, on the other hand, are raw, unpeeled and eat like a salad with the bright pepper sauce. It’s a sort of yin-yang dish that is both pleasant and perplexing to the palate.

As with the seafood appetizers, however, Celeste does simple well. Bavette steak with crispy potatoes is a modern take on steak frites ($32), and chicken Milanese ($21) is appealing in its homage to texture. Even a toothsome pizza ($15-$18) can proudly hold its own — perhaps the biggest surprise of all in a restaurant that no longer makes a dedicated claim to Italian cuisine. Toppings do fall in line with the international approach though: Some pies hold spinach and feta, some roasted chicken and peri peri, and others fig and prosciutto.

Tuna crudo. Photography by Angel Tucker

Spicy calabrese pizza. Photography by Angel Tucker

Surprisingly, the kitchen feels most like its surroundings when it’s dealing in hand-held foods. Lobster rolls with brown butter aioli ($32) merge Connecticut and Maine traditions and, served on toasted brioche, it’s a timeless rendition of coastal living. (Large lobster claws also show up in a corn risotto though, heavily seasoned, it’s a step removed from the shellfish’s most beloved iteration.) Celeste’s burger ($18), made with Smithfield’s Blackbird Farm beef with cheddar and onion jam, also eats like a day at the beach — certainly elevated but still reminiscent of why we love a snack shack on the shore and everything it evokes. Even the prosciutto and Manchego sandwich ($15) — clearly not a native dish — is just familiar enough to make the restaurant as much of a daytime affair as a dinner spot.

There are a handful of desserts ($9-$14) that have origins around the globe: flan, clafoutis, Basque cheesecake and cornmeal cookies among them. Only the chocolate tart, with its hints of salted caramel and a splash of raspberry sauce, conjures a bit of continental nostalgia. Clearly that’s not really the goal of Celeste — which is firmly rooted in an international tour. But location is so dominant in Narragansett, a town named for its proximity to the ocean, that it still seems curious not to indulge in a few pointed memories of life on the shores of this particular coastline. The patio stays open as long as it can, so perhaps the crisp air is enough to round out a global menu with just a hint of its hometown.

The stylish interior of Celeste. Photography by Angel Tucker

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CELESTE

15 Kingstown Rd., Narragansett, 792-4333, celesteri.com

Open for dinner Mon-Fri. Lunch and dinner Sat. and Sun.  Wheelchair accessible. Lot parking.

CUISINE: A survey of coastal European and North African cuisine.

CAPACITY: Upwards of 200.

VIBE: Hamptons home in a Nancy Meyers’ movie. 

PRICES: 

Small plates: $7-$15; sandwiches: $15-$32; 

Larger plates: $21-$36; dessert: $9-$14. 

KAREN’S PICKS: Tuna crudo, lobster roll, pizza, bavette steak.