Dining Review: Purslane in Wakefield

Chicken Milanese. Photography by Angel Tucker

Can a food truck morph seamlessly into a restaurant? Or does part of its innate identity depend on being mobile and on offering food that’s fit to travel? Matthew Brown and Freida Sahady have been grappling with this quandary since making the transition from Butterhead food truck operators to Purslane restaurant owners. 

Chilled lobster roll. Photography by Angel Tucker

But avoiding a definitive answer has led them to simply park the truck at the rear of the restaurant, temporarily using it as a second kitchen while they wait for a hood to be installed inside the restaurant. For now, the truck serves a preestablished menu, allowing the small interior kitchen to focus on more formal plating. 

It’s a harmonious relationship between disparate parts — which is at the very heart of Purslane’s character. Housed in what was once a glass studio and, most recently, a juice bar, the pint-sized restaurant feels a bit like a she-shed. It’s draped with greenery, plants cascading from ceiling hooks and tumbling dramatically over counters. The vibe is slightly reminiscent of the original incarnation of Oberlin — willfully mismatched and with an aesthetic that defines charm as an exponent of quirkiness. 

Behind the bar, high on a shelf, is a tiny television with a DVD player, always on. By the register, a metal and glass cricket that holds candy sits next to a banker’s lamp, both under a shadow of a William Eggleston poster and shelves full of Mason jars. Unlike the old Oberlin, however, Purslane has a feminine energy: This is fertile ground in many ways, including ample herbs, spices, and whatever fruit falls off the tree on a given day. But it’s the dialogue between these dishes — delicate, nuanced and colorful — and those coming off the truck with spice, char and salt, that create balance in this homey space. 

Miso-sesame caramel pavlova. Photography by Angel Tucker

With barely twenty-five seats inside, the patio is a key feature in summer. Locals are quick to fill every spot, watching Wakefield’s midcentury Main Street go about its business. The dress code is far-reaching: Trucker hats show up often, as do sundresses and Block Island gear. Couples might take up most weekend nights, but families are a mainstay, with kids getting up occasionally to shimmy to the Buena Vista Social Club soundtrack. Inside, the brick is painted white and the large industrial windows allow diners to keep an eye on the truck cranking out sandwiches. 

But it’s the collection of dishes and flatware that best speaks to Purslane’s commitment to avoid monotony at all costs. Tableware runs the gamut from flea-market chic to bold steakhouse, with a panoply of cut glass, French porcelain and Sputnik-inspired plates. The aesthetic matches the menu, which, at times, is bright and acidic and, at others, rich and unctuous. 

Tuna crudo ($15) with nuoc cham and chili oil is the lightest dish on the menu (other than oysters), served on ice in delicate slivers. This corner of the menu — small plates of seafood — is a postcard of Rhode Island in summer, all the reasons we use to lure friends in for a visit. Even the smoked bluefish dip ($16) eats with surprising buoyancy, tempered with pickled mustard seeds and cornichons. Stuffies ($9), on the other hand, are dense and bold — as are wedges of crusty focaccia served with dukkah-spiced olive oil. But if you’re looking for the dish that stands at the fulcrum of these two extremes, a bowl of potato chips with sour cream and caviar ($60) proves that the kitchen doesn’t have to forfeit one flavor profile for an opposing one. (If you are lucky enough to grab a patio seat in the sun, get yourself a glass of the funky Flower Girl sparkling rose and steadfastly refuse to share the caviar. It’s a one-person job.)

Smash burger and fries. Photography by Angel Tucker

The main dishes are clearly delineated as coming from the Butterhead kitchen or from Purslane (whose offerings are titled “Dinner Plates”). It’s tough to choose between the two, though. “Butterhead Grub” is all handheld but that doesn’t make it any less appealing, particularly in the heat of summer. Old favorites like the kimchi dog (meat or vegan, $10), brought out in plastic baskets, are steadfastly delish and, it’s the twenty-first century, so fried chicken sandwiches ($14) continue to dominate all markets. 

But know that there is a clear, runaway winner in the house and that’s the unassuming smash burger ($14). No doubt there’s competition crowing in Providence but this one could take it all. If any part of you dreams that a Big Mac might fall into the hands of Matty Matheson, this one’s for you. Despite the dousing of ketchup, mustard, aioli, lettuce, pickles, onions, cheese, and a hefty dose of New Hampshire’s North Country bacon, it’s not too much. Not at all. In fact, it’s treading into the divine. 

Labneh and herbs with tuna crudo and local oysters. Photography by Angel Tucker

The more formal plates, however, know how to keep up with the casual. You do need a knife and fork, but the kitchen follows the same mantra as the truck: People live for comfort food that tastes better than their memories. Cavatelli with pork ragu and garlic crumbs ($25) is an onslaught of Italian grandma hugs — full of texture, the intensity of long braising, and the sharp bite of Pecorino. Order it on a full stomach and it’ll still beckon you like the sirens. Even the chicken Milanese ($26) is a mashup of old-school Milan and a California snack shop: a thick, crunchy chicken cutlet topped with a rough, anchovy-heavy Caesar that’s dotted with julienned snow peas. “Right?” said a grinning server walking by a family, all eating off the plate. “Our food is just good.”

The restaurant’s bar and dining room. Photography by Angel Tucker

The neighborhood very clearly agrees. It’s not surprising to see every table full by 5:30 p.m., though regulars know that’ll ensure a second seating or maybe a third. And don’t forget to opt into dessert, as the kitchen continues to play off divergent flavors, most notably with a delicate pavlova that has a savory miso-sesame caramel dripping over the top ($11). Brown and Sahady may be intent on serving the locals — not only as customers but in gathering their ingredients as well. And yet, with the addition of a brick-and-mortar building, they’re also determined to prove that opposites attract and complement. 

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PURSLANE

Strawberries and rhubarb with cream and elderflowers. Photography by Angel Tucker

318 Main St., Wakefield, 515-7340, purslane-ri.com

Open for dinner Wed.–Sun.; lunch Fri.–Sun. 

Wheelchair accessible. Street parking. 

CUISINE: Modern American, which includes an unapologetic affection for fast food.

CAPACITY: About twenty-five indoors and thirty on the outdoor patio.

VIBE: Stevie Nicks in the Rhiannon era. 

PRICES: Small plates: $6–$60; larger plates: $9–$32; dessert: $10–$11.

KAREN’S PICKS: Tuna crudo, chips and caviar, smash burger, cavatelli, chicken Milanese.