Set a straight course for the Rhumbline

By KATHERINE IMBRIE
Journal Staff Writer

• See the menu.

Newport is known for its many fine restaurants, but most tourists don't stray very far from the main drag -- Thames Street and its wharves -- to find a good meal. That leaves the Rhumbline -- tucked away on a side street in the historic Point neighborhood -- for the locals to enjoy.

The restaurant, in a late-1800s Colonial gambrel-roof building, has been a "public house" on and off for some 200 years, and it's the only place to get a bite to eat in the back streets of the Point, which is one of Newport's most charming sections. Street after street is lined with Colonial houses, many of them with harbor views and some of them serving as bed-and-breakfast inns.

After being closed for about two years, the Rhumbline reopened in September 2003 with a new chef/owner, Ian McIntyre. Having cooked at several Newport restaurants, including the new-defunct El Diablo, McIntyre had already earned a following in Newport for his inventive Mexican-fusion cuisine. (He grew up in Jamestown, but earned a degree in 1997 from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and later worked for a time in Tucson, Ariz.)

So now this old Colonial American restaurant -- named for a nautical term meaning the straightest course between two points -- is home to a kind of cooking that melds French and American traditions with a dash of hot Latin fire.

On Fridays and Saturdays, live jazz piano music adds yet another element to the mix: On Fridays, local crooner Georgette tickles the ivories, and on Saturdays, it's Lois Vaughan.

When my companion and I visited on the Saturday before Easter, the restaurant's 18 tables were filled with groups who seemed to be regulars, many of them families with older members out to enjoy a restaurant meal on the night before the holiday.

Although the Rhumbline's exterior is antique Colonial, its interior appointments are generic and rather plain. A fire many years ago gutted the restaurant, resulting in the plain-Jane renovation. The wood floors, walls and windows are new. White cloths under glass on the tables and candleglow help, but there's no replacing real history for ambience.

A cultural contrast

We began our meal with a big, shallow bowl of butternut squash bisque, its mellow flavor subtly enhanced with a touch of curry and a dollop of corn and tomato salsa. For appetizers, we chose a big bowl of the French classic mussels Mariniere and, for cultural contrast, braised duck wrapped in blue-corn jonnycakes.

The mussels were outstanding, a large portion of perhaps two dozen tender nuggets in their shells, mounded in a deliciously garlicky broth that was equally tasty on pieces of baguette. The restaurant gets its bread from Provencal Bakery in Middletown.

The braised duck -- reminiscent of some of the Southwestern-style dishes from McIntyre's El Diablo period -- made a hearty and satisfying filling rolled inside a pair of jonnycakes made with Kenyon's blue corn meal and enhanced with the dusky flavors of coriander, cumin and allspice. Strips of roasted red peppers and bright green watercress puree finished the plate with panache.

For his entree, my companion chose osso bucco, and I the ancho-braised Lamb Wellington -- both hearty dishes that suited the damp, cool night outside. As it should be, the veal shank was fall-off-the-bone tender, and flavorful with a medley of smoked tomatoes with spears of grilled asparagus and a side of creamy polenta.

My lamb had also been braised, and it was so tender that I didn't need a knife to cut through the layer of phyllo pastry to the meat, which was very lightly fired with ancho chile. It was served with sauteed spinach and grilled Yukon Gold potatoes. The potatoes were unfortunately a bit raw; I would have preferred them roasted.

Desserts made in-house

Throughout the meal, our waitress was helpful and cheerfully knowledgeable, accurately describing what was on the menu and never intruding on a conversation.

The wine list is well chosen in the price range of $18 to $62, with many choices available by the glass from $5.25 to $7.50. We were happy with our Adelsheim Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon ($7.50 for a glass; $32 for the bottle).

McIntyre makes all of his desserts in-house. Following our waitress' suggestion, we chose a light banana cake served with slices of caramelized banana under a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a decadent Chocolate Marquis -- molten chocolate oozing from beneath a layer of phyllo pastry and also topped with vanilla ice cream.

Both were excellent and made a fine finale for a meal that added a touch of Southwestern flair to an Old Newport setting. The locals have found the Rhumbline -- now that summer's coming, can the tourists be far behind?

****

The Rhumbline, 62 Bridge St., Newport, (401) 849-3999. Contemporary casual. Reservations accepted. Wheelchairs must negotiate one step. Highchairs available, but this is not a restaurant geared to children. Open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday 5-10 p.m. and to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. MC, V, AE, D. Street parking and some spaces in nearby private lots. Appetizers and salads $6.95 to $12.95. Entrees $13.95 to $24.95. Desserts $6.95 to $7.95. Wines $5.25 to $7.50 by the glass; $18 to $62 for bottles.

****

Bill of fare

A bill for two at the Rhumbline might look something like this:

Mussels Mariniere ... $7.95

Duck jonnycakes ... $8.95

Lamb Wellington ... $20.95

Osso bucco ... $23.95

Banana cake ... $6.95

Chocolate Marquis ... $7.95

2 glasses Pinot Noir ... $15

Tax ... $7.34

Tip ... $18

Total ... $117.04

---

Rhumbline