November 15, 2001
MAMMA LUISA'S, INDIAN GRILLE, SALVATION CAFE
Newport dining without breaking the bank
Visits to Italian, Indian and multi-ethnic restaurants remind our critic of her favorite movies

By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Reviewer

For me, the words Newport and restaurants conjure images of grand mansions and lavish antique inns, serving food that a decade ago would have been called ``continental cuisine'' -- well-prepared and classically European-influenced; decidedly expensive.

I went in search of another Newport; one that goes beyond the usual serving of the classics -- one that ventures into a more common realm for a more commonly budgeted diner. And one without a tuxedoed waiter, filet mignon or 300-bottle wine list in sight.

Straight from the screen

I love food, and I love movies. Often, a meal or a certain food will remind me of a favorite scene in a movie. At Mamma Luisa's, the food brought memories of the scene from A Room With a View where Julian Sands's character sweeps across a wheat field, takes Helena Bonham Carter in his arms and lays the biggest, sexiest kiss on her the world has ever known.

That kiss. I kept going back to it as I delved into a mix of tiny, fresh leaves of arugula with radicchio and endive. Think of it as a kind of cross-referencing of sensual experiences. What really put things over the top was the trio of sweet dates, layered with walnuts, goat cheese and red grapes, lightly dressed with a tangy, mouth-puckering honey-mustard vinaigrette.

Mamma Luisa's food is made by chef/owner Marco Trazzi and his wife Antonietta, Alessandro and Manuela Ancarani, all from Bologna, and Maria Manuela Marangoni, from Venice. The restaurant is named after Trazzi's mother, a painting of whom graces not only the big yellow sign out front, but also one of the walls in the cozy dining room. Her expression is one of approval, it seems.

My expression was one of approval as well. With each dish, the layered flavors of Northern Italian cooking -- the area that is home to Parmigiana Reggiano, prosciutto and Balsamic vinegar -- came rushing over me, just like that kiss.

The restaurant is housed in a tiny Victorian-style walk-up in the Fifth Ward district of Newport. Though it's on Thames Street, its location is far past the maddening crowds that normally bog down this bustling thoroughfare. The tiny dining rooms are decorated like a home, and reminded me a little of visits to my grandmother's house.

A spread of fava beans, laced with the flavors of garlic and olive oil, was brushed over large slices of crusty grilled bread and dotted with shavings of the sharp flavor of pecorino and rich, buttery slivers of prosciutto. Both dishes were perfect preludes to what was to come.

Meanwhile, our waitress could not have been more helpful and amusing. While waiting momentarily to be seated, we had danced around each other several times in the small corridor in front of the steep, narrow stairs that lead to the little upstairs dining area. Later, arriving at the table with a basket of warm Italian bread, she coyly asked, ``Would you like to tango?''

She described a pasta dish -- a special for the evening -- stuffed with ricotta, spinach and lobster in a way that could've had me eating it from the palm of her hand. Two roulades of tender, perfect, wide egg-ribbon noodles were stuffed with a creamy, rich filling of ricotta cheese, spinach and sweet, succulent shreds of lobster meat. The dish was dressed in a snappy concoction of chopped tomatoes and onions, its refreshing astringency a good balancing act for the sweetness of the lobster and cheese.

A soft rustic woodsiness dominated the flavor of a pork loin stuffed with prosciutto and Parmesan cheese and bathed in a light cream sauce with spinach and mushrooms. It was a warming dish, one that made me long for the hearty flavors of fall and winter -- perfect for a chilly autumn evening.

Almost all of the desserts are house-made -- and all were like a textbook offering of Italian sweets. I opted for two of the most common -- tiramisu and caramel custard. Both came beautifully laid out on the eclectic mix of china Mamma Luisa's uses for all its dishes, with a dreamy scoop of sweetened whipped cream, drizzles of chocolate sauce and a dusting of confectioner's sugar.

The caramel custard -- here sliced and with a sweet dough crust and called fiore di latte (flower of milk) -- was a giggly mix of egg and cream with the rich, dark flavor of caramel that made me gleefully thankful for the nuns who centuries ago invented this dish. The tiramisu was lighter than air, with a fluffy mascarpone filling, but because I'm such a coffee junkie I wanted more coffee flavor.

The restaurant has a well-selected wine list, with many fine Italian selections, with bottles from $19 to $250. Appetizers are $3.95 to $7.95; pasta dishes, such as egg-ribbon pasta with Bolognese sauce or butternut squash-and-cheese-filled ravioli are $11.95 to $$15.95. Entrees are $15.50 to $16.95 (excluding a veal chop with porcini mushroom sauce that is $23.50). Desserts are $7.

I have a friend who, when still unmarried at 38, kept telling me that she was ``waiting for that kiss in the wheatfield.'' She's since happily tied the knot, but if she hadn't, I'd recommend Mamma Luisa's as an excellent substitute.

Worth the wait

If Mamma Luisa's brought back memories of A Room With a View, the Indian Grill, just across the street, was more like Waiting for Godot.

The food here is mostly Northern Indian -- masala dishes, tandoori specialties, naan -- and good. We just had to wait a long while -- almost an hour -- to eat it.

Normally, waiting for a table doesn't bother me; here we sat at the bar-that-isn't-a-bar (the restaurant doesn't serve alcohol, but the space still has a bar from previous occupancy) drinking a BYOB bottle of red wine. But when a quote of 20 minutes turns into an hour, I can work myself into a dither.

There's nothing new about the menu items, but almost everything I tried here was well prepared, starting with a platter of appetizers that included tiny, tender lamb chops and seekh kabobs (minced lamb flavored with mildly hot spices). Vegetable samosas -- the tiny pockets of potato-and-pea-filled pastry -- were hot and spicy, even better with the mint and onion chutneys that accompanied them.

It was disappointing not to have papadum brought to the table, as is standard in many Indian restaurants in Rhode Island, but we staved off hunger pangs with the appetizers and a basket of steaming hot naan.

Paneer dishes (paneer is a soft, unripened cheese) are a favorite of mine, and I rarely walk away from an Indian meal without indulging in one. My tablemate had never tried Indian food before, and I couldn't resist forcing my favorite of all -- a saag paneer -- on him. A creamy mixture of spinach and cubes of paneer are swimming in mild spices, served with light, fluffy saffron-laced rice.

Murg malia kabob is a tandoori dish of roasted chicken marinated in cream, almond paste and spices, and although it had a pungent, almost tangy flavor, it was a little too dry. Served with green peppers and onions with rice, the dish is brought steaming to the table like a fajita -- and the buttery aroma it creates wafts through the dining room, whetting appetites along the way.

I never miss dessert at Indian restaurants, mainly because I love gulab jamin -- a dish of small, round doughnut-like sweets steeped in a rose-scented syrup after they have been lightly fried. They burst like little pillows of spicy flavor when popped into your mouth, and are especially delicious with coffee.

Appetizers are $2.95 to $8.95; entrees -- there are a variety of curries and biryani (basmati rice) dishes as well -- are $4.95 to $16.95. Breads and desserts are $1.95 to $2.50.

By the time we finished eating, we hardly cared anymore about the hour-long wait. Instead, it was All's Well that Ends Well.

Seeking Salvation

Salvation Cafe is deceiving. The front of this bohemian enclave looks like a tiny cafe, replete with deco art -- from velvet curtains to zebra-striped booth chairs -- but once inside it's like a maze that opens up into two large dining rooms, called the pagoda room and the tikki lounge.

Admittedly, both rooms look like afterthoughts -- outdoor seating now enclosed to accommodate more people. A necessity, from the number of people eating there on my visit.

Most of the offerings are a multi-ethnic blend of East-meets-West, with lots of layovers (particularly Southwestern ones) in between, from chef Alex Hart Nibbrig, a 1996 graduate of Johnson & Wales University who's worked at Cheekey Monkey in Newport and the Gatehouse in Providence.

Many are dishes are Asian, including an appetizer special of Thai fish cakes. In traditional Thai fashion, tiny cakes of minced fish were lightly fried and served with a bold red curry sauce. The fiery essence of the sauce held most of this dish's flavor, though, and the cakes' texture was a little too gummy.

After reading over the menu, I was craving the deep, rustic flavor of poblano chiles touted in a sauce that came with a quesadilla. Filled with juicy chicken and melted cheese, it was smothered in the sauce, about which I came away undecided: It was rich and creamy (what's not to like?), but ultimately lacked the flavor of the poblanos I was seeking.

A sirloin steak, encrusted with red chiles, lacked flavor and proved a little too tough. The garlic mashed potatoes served with it, though, were worth the price of the meal: Smashed, rather than mashed, with bits of buttery potato laced with heavy hits of garlic and cream.

Large, plump ravioli were filled with an intriguing espresso-and-porcini filling and dressed with a semi-sweet sauce that smacked of cinnamon and hints of sage. Drops of a fiery chile infusion were the perfect frame for a dish that would have otherwise been too sweet. Instead, it was perfect.

Kudos to Salvation Cafe for creating a strong lineup of house-made desserts. All seasonally inspired, they were warming and fulfilling.

A strudel, made here with a flaky puff pastry instead of the traditional strudel dough, was filled with caramelized figs and bits of pecans. It was served hot with a maple ice cream that melted and oozed, creating a creamy sauce and an icy backdrop for the soft flavors of dough and fruit.

A free-formed pear tart looked like a giant purse bursting with fresh pears, sugar and cinnamon. The real draw here, though, was a pumpkin ice cream -- rich, yet a little icy, and blasted with the full-blown flavor of pumpkin -- framed by the sweetness of a maple-flavored creme Anglaise (a cream sauce).

There is a moderate wine list, with bottles from $19 to $27 and a list of funky cocktails from $4 to $7. Appetizers are $3.50 to $9; entrees are $8.50 to $20. Desserts are $5.50 to $6.50.

With its funky, lowbeat atmosphere and creatively fused food, Salvation Cafe reminded me of the movie equivalent of an odd cross between Austin Powers and Butterflies are Free: Fun, inspired, slightly flawed -- and in the end, well worth my time.

* * * * *

Mamma Luisa's, 673 Thames St., Newport, 848-5257. Casually upscale. Reservations accepted. Not wheelchair accessible. No smoking. Open daily for dinner from Memorial Day to Columbus Day from 5 to 10 p.m., closed on Wednesdays the rest of the year. V, MC, AM. Highchairs available. On-street parking and in small lot at rear of building. $$.

Indian Grill, 677 Thames St., Newport, 847-7979. Casual. No reservations. No smoking. Not wheelchair accessible. Open Mon-Fri 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, 5 to 11 p.m. for dinner; Sat-Sun for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. On-street parking. $$.

Salvation Cafe, 140 Broadway, Newport, 847-2620. Casual. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. Smoking section; tikki lounge is all smoking. Open Sun-Thu 5 to 10 p.m., Fri-Sat 5 to 11 p.m. V, MC, AM. Parking in lot in rear of building or on-street. Highchairs and booster seats available. $$.