& FOOD DRINK

Beer Breach

Pawtucket welcomes a pod of breweries from across the globe

Though Pawtucket isn’t exactly synonymous with aquatic animal sightings, a different kind of Whale Watching is surfacing at 249 Roosevelt Avenue this spring. With a name that cheekily refers to limited-edition brews known as “whales” in the craft beer industry, the premier New England festival returns to Rhode Island for its second year.

Hosted by Finback Brewery, based in Queens, NYC, Whale Watching invites beer lovers on a voyage of sipping brews from over 60 worldwide producers – from San Diego to Dublin, Ireland, along with a handful of regional favorites; Buttonwoods, Origin, Narragansett, Tilted Barn, Moniker, Long Live Beerworks, Proclamation, and Shaidzon will all represent the Ocean State. Whale Sightings – a series of small releases during the festival – offer rare and refined sips from select breweries. And pours are best paired with bites from local food vendors on site, like Masa Taqueria and Ming’s Asian Street Food, along with Providence-based DJ Audiofields adding to the ambiance.

“Rhode Island is my home state and where I first fell in love with craft beer, so it feels exciting and inspiring to once again hold Whale Watching here in the Ocean State,” says Basil Lee, co-founder of Finback. “We’re thankful for the support and good energy from last year’s festival and can’t wait to enjoy a fun day overlooking the Blackstone River with attendees and friends from breweries, including those who are pouring their beers in the area for the first time.”

Whale Watching makes a splash May 20, but if the inaugural 2022 event is any indication of this year’s success, tickets will sell out quickly. WhaleWatching2023.eventbrite.com | By Abbie Lahmers

Antiques Over Easy

A brunch retreat in the Jewelry District with a menu as eclectic as its atmosphere

If you’re doing brunch right, it should feel like vacation: a slow wake-up, leisurely 11am arrival, and enough food and drink to carry you through breakfast, lunch…maybe even dinner. Off the beaten path in Providence’s Jewelry District, CAV is the perfect staycation destination to check all these boxes.

Arriving via Bassett Street, you’ll get a sneak peak inside the windows of the ornate lamps, cheeky sculptures, and flickering lanterns filling the interior. Circling around the corner onto Imperial Place, you’ll find a stone courtyard, the patio adorned with trees, plants, and string lights, even in chillier weather. The entrance is marked by a three-foot-tall metal tiger and reads “CAV: Restaurant, Antiques.”

CAV was opened in 1989 by Sylvia Moubayed. Born in Egypt, Moubayed was a world-traveler and antique collector. To culminate her passions, Moubayed opened a restaurant and co ee house where she could also sell and share her love for antiques with patrons. Seeing the loft space for the first time with its tall ceilings and brick walls, Moubayed almost named the business Cavè, an ode to the caves she once visited in France. Instead, she chose “CAV,” an acronym for cocktails, antiques, victuals. Today, five years after her passing, the restaurant is run by her son, John Moubayed.

A friend and I visited CAV on a Sunday for a mid-morning brunch. We were seated in the corner next to a display case full of textiles, with a beautifully beaded bull on the wall behind us, beneath a series of glass orbs and chandeliers. We delighted in the full cafe menu, ordering a latte and cappuccino to start. Soon after, we indulged in pomegranate mimosas from their full bar.

Exploring the rest of the restaurant, we glimpsed gatherings ranging from intimate tables of two to lively parties of 14, each

CUISINE: Global-inspired contemporary dining and brunch

PRICES: $10-$35

ATMOSPHERE: Boho-eclectic tucked away into their own bohemian, maximalist backdrops. Everywhere you look there are beautiful antique carpets, windowed paneling, and large hanging glass mirrors.

At our waiter Vinny’s recommendation, we ordered the omelet, crab cake, and French toast, all to share. The omelet was prepared with fresh, sauteed spinach, balsamic caramelized onions, goat cheese, and tomatoes. On the side was herb-roasted, red bliss potatoes and French bread. For two people with a craving for sweet and salty, this was the perfect dish. The sweetness of the caramelized onion and goat cheese popped alongside the savory eggs and potatoes.

While crab isn’t my typical go-to for brunch, it’s the dish that’s been on my mind since we left. The Maryland jumbo super lump crab cake was encrusted with pistachio and served alongside a perfectly poached egg. The kicker? The zesty sriracha aioli. The dish was full of flavor and texture.

Last, but certainly not least, was the brioche French toast “a la CAV,” which was a classic French toast topped with sauteed apples, raisins, and walnuts. There was no need to add butter or syrup, as it was paired with a perfectly sweet and complementary butterscotch maple sauce.

As we closed our meal, Vinny, who has been working at CAV for 22 years, shared a few memories about Sylvia, who he said always made people feel welcome and at home. After just a few hours of dining, it’s obvious Sylvia’s legacy lives on.

Must-Try Items

Brioche French Toast a la CAV ($14)

Thick slices of brioche bread French toast with sauteed apples, raisins, and walnuts in a butterscotch maple sauce

Pistachio Encrusted Maryland ($19)

Jumbo super lump blue crab cake, poached egg, zesty sriracha aioli, and grilled brioche bread

14 Imperial Place • 751-9164

CAVRestaurant.com

From Cranston Cucina to Celebrity Status

A TV appearance put this small-town chef and his Italian eatery on the map

Back in January, Cranston-based chef Brian Nadeau made his national TV debut as a competitor on the Netflix reality cooking show Pressure Cooker. “I never thought I would do anything like this,” Nadeau says on the first of eight episodes. “I’m a street chef. I didn’t go to school for any cooking whatsoever.”

Nadeau filmed the show, during which he competed with 10 other chefs for a $100,000 prize, in Los Angeles last winter. Looking back on the experience now, Nadeau says he probably fit the producers’ desire to cast a tattooed, self-taught chef. “When I first got there, I admit, I was intimidated,” Nadeau says. “I was like, what did I sign up for?’ I started seeing these young chefs, fresh out of school, and some of them had worked for superstar chefs. I was worried about having a challenge I had not trained for.”

Starting in high school with a job at a now-closed pizza restaurant in Pawtucket, Nadeau, 42, learned how to cook through various front- and back-of-house jobs. For the past seven years, he has owned Italian-American restaurant Cucina Rustica in Cranston with his wife, Gina. He describes his menu as “comfort food-forward” and “feeling like you’re at grandma’s house on a Sunday.” Dishes include classics like linguine alle vongole, escarole and beans, and veal marsala. He also offers a popular takeout-only, three-course chicken parmesan meal called Bomb Chicken Parm”

Now that Pressure Cooker has been streaming for a few months, Nadeau has been pleasantly surprised to see the positive reaction to his participation on the show, which he had to keep a secret for almost a year. “We have been so busy,” he says. “Since the show dropped my business has increased by 35 percent, and the winter is normally our slow time. I’m flattered and humbled to have people driving far distances just to meet me.”

He adds that people now often recognize him around Rhode Island, including at the gym and supermarket, which is a new experience. “It’s a bizarre and surreal feeling,” he says. “I’m just a kid from Cranston.”

Nadeau never sought out the type of fame that comes with appearing on a popular TV program. In fact, when producers first reached out to him about the opportunity through Instagram, he thought it was a joke or a scam. “To make a long story short, direct messages turned to emails, emails turned to phone calls, phone calls turned to Zoom meetings, and eventually I’m in the

Zoom meetings with producers from Netflix,” he says. “But I didn’t even know it was for Netflix at first.”

Nadeau says he’s happy with how he performed in the competition, which involves the chefs judging each other’s cooking, but he wishes he “wasn’t so nervous. At some points I was really in my head,” he says. “My nerves got the best of me.”

He adds that the experience, including becoming friends with talented chefs from all over the country, has “lit a fire” in him. “It gave me an extra boost of motivation,” Nadeau says. “I came home and ripped up my menu. Now, I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Cucina Rustica

Passersby have long been speculating on the fate of the former Grange, which will soon be home to the second iteration of East Greenwich eatery The Patio on Main. “We’ve been thinking about expanding our brand and when we saw this opportunity in a historic urban neighborhood, we were eager to pursue it,” says Patio owner Jason Winpenny.

Known for outdoor dining in EG, Winpenny expects to open the new Patio on Broadway up to the surrounding neighborhood. “People enjoy dining al fresco more than ever before,” he says. “We are excited to be located in an area with natural surroundings, the perfect way to enjoy everything the city o ers. We’re working to provide a unique ambiance with expanding windows to get an outdoor feel while dining inside and enjoying an innovative and exciting culinary experience.” Expect a similar menu at the Broadway location, with tasty salads, sandwiches, burgers, and bowls leading the way, plus craft beers and cocktails. Providence, ThePatioRI.com –

By Ken Abrams

Known for slinging some of the best burgers in Warren, Chomp is moving to a new location at 279 Water Street. Co-owner Tanner Larkin, who promises water views from every seat, envisions Chomp becoming part of an emerging bar crawl scene in the town. “We’re really excited to be able to move into the heart of Warren. There are so many awesome small businesses from one end of Water Street to the other. Between us and The Guild, it’s going to be a great strip.”

With Easter just around the corner, bakeshop display cases are turning pastel-hued with festive treats, and also beloved sweet bread, a soft brioche delicacy with whole eggs nestled in the middle. Though it’s often a Portuguese tradition, Scialo’s County Bakery in Riverside and Seekonk, MA crafts the Italian version.

“We add an interesting twist by braiding this slightly sweet and flavorful bread and then we finish it o with a few hardboiled eggs,” explains Ethan Scialo.

By Ken Abrams

Chomp’s menu won’t be a ected much by the move. “Right now our menu changes seasonally and we run weekend specials,” says Larkin. “We can kind of do whatever we want as long as it fits between two buns or some sort of sandwich concept.” Chomp o ers an extensive selection of craft beers, including favorites from local brewers Buttonwoods and Proclamation. Larkin expects to o er more bar snacks and shared plates. “Sometimes people just want to come in for a beer and a snack, rather than having to sit down for a full tray of wings or a whole burger.” Warren, ChompRI.com –

The family-owned and -operated bakery has been around since 1974, so they’re no stranger to being a part of traditions big and small. “Our goal is to be a bakery customers can trust and rely on for any holiday, event, or just a simple breakfast. We do our best to ensure that every product is as fresh and delicious as possible when it is in our customers’ hands,” says Scialo. For April, Scialo’s County Bakery will also be offering their signature Ricotta Pie and may still have zeppole available. Riverside, ScialosCountyBakery.com – By

Abbie Lahmers