The October issue of “Rhode Island Monthly” is out with its monthly look at stories on food and culture.
Editor Jamie Coelho joined Ocean State Media’s James Baumgartner to talk about the latest developments in Rhode Island’s dining scene.
Interview highlights
On major renovations at Newport’s Hotel Viking, which now sports four separate food and drink establishments
Jamie Coelho: So first of all, (Hotel Viking) is celebrating its century birthday. So they felt like this was the perfect time to overhaul the dining rooms, and they have not just one but four.
Pescadou is an amazing new seafood restaurant with Will Rietzel at the helm. And he comes from Coast at the Ocean House and also Giusto in Newport. And his seafood is all locally procured and he really puts his creative touches on it.
They also have a rooftop bar that's still good for October called Cap Club and a coffee shop called Tuck Shop. And there is also a really sleek and sexy bar called Skoal Room when you first walk in the building.
On Murmur HiFi Lounge in Providence, which combines music and cocktails
Coelho: Murmur, people are thinking of it as a listening bar, a place to listen to music, but not only do they have an incredible record collection that spans generations and different varieties and genres of music; it also has a very cool cocktail menu and Japanese-inspired food.
They have procured this amazing special Japanese Toki highball machine that you can only find in very few places. They have a lot of requirements in order to be able to get access to it. And they have this extensive menu with different highballs and also a lot of sake and also creative cocktails that would suit anyone really.
On new developments at one of New England’s oldest vineyards, Sakonnet Vineyard in Little Compton
Coelho: So Sakonnet Vineyard is one of the oldest wineries and vineyards in New England. And for the first time ever, there's a new couple behind the helm who have had a chance to create new estate-grown wines.
So they have a whole new line of wines that people can try. And it's perfect for fall since they've been harvesting Vidal Blanc grapes, which is their signature wine. Vidal Blanc comes in four different types of variations.
This weekend, coming up on Oct. 3-4, they're going to be having their annual harvest festival. And they’re going to have kids' activities; they're going to have wine tastings and live music. I'll also be there doing a book signing for my book called “Rhode Island Food Crawls.”
