Feast or Famine
495 Main Street
Warren
by Bob Mariani
Looks like the quaint little village of Warren is on the way to becoming almost trendy. It’s got a handsome Indian restaurant named India, with indoor/outdoor dining; a charming old colonial inn on Water St. (The Nathanial Porter Inn) with a lovely hearth-side dining room; an excellent seafood restaurant (The Wharf Tavern) right on the water; more and more interesting antique and craft shops— and now, a very fine but unpretentious new restaurant dedicated to Italian wood grilled cuisine.
Chef/owner David Sepulveda explains the name of his seven-month-old establishment this way: "When it comes to all aspects of food, whether cooking or eating, I think it should be done right, or not done at all— hence our name, ‘Feast of Famine’."
The interior of this former storefront establishment is painted in warm Mediterranean earth tones with copper lettering spelling out the name on the eaves. The bar looks inward to the open kitchen where Chef Sepulveda works with fresh, high quality ingredients and a smoked hickory chip grill. There are no tablecloths and the napkins are paper. The walls are sparsely decorated with a few old European café posters.
The menu is the same for lunch and dinner. On my first visit to Feast of Famine, I ordered their Smoke House Ziti ($13), a very ample plate of flat ziti pasta in a rich, smoky gouda cream sauce flavored with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and chunks of grilled chicken. When this combination of ingredients is fresh, it’s hard to go wrong with this entrée.
On a second visit, we preceded our grilled pizza order with an excellent Gorgonzola Salad ($6.50). More than enough for two, it was a mixture of garden fresh greens, smoky wild mushrooms, red onion and crumbled gorgonzola cheese, tossed with the house dressing.
The grilled pizza we chose to share as an entrée was Feast or Famine’s delicious Pink Pizza ($11). The crust was paper thin and grilled not quite to crispy-ness— perhaps al dente’ is the best description. The toppings were a rich mingling of parmesan and asiago cheeses all runny and melted over fresh sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. The finish was a smooth pink vodka sauce. All in all, a beautifully blended dish that’s a far more elegant version of pizza than your neighborhood Domino’s.
The list of appetizers includes things like a simple wood grilled garlic bread and cheese ($4); a wild mushroom brushetta with roasted red peppers ($8); fried calamari ($8); rolled eggplant ($5); and assorted crostini.
There are sandwiches such as a wild mushroom cheeseburger; grilled chicken breast with roasted red peppers; and a caprese panini of grilled foccia bread with prosciutto and mozzarella ($8).
Other pastas I’m looking forward to trying here are the classic potato gnocci with lamb ragu ($10); the lobster ravioli ($14); and the lasagna style ziti with ground beef and fresh herbs.
Feast or Famine is obviously popular with the locals. Its relaxed ambiance and its very easy-to-love menu are already an integral part of Warren’s rapidly-renewing Main Street. Feast or Famine is open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. For more information call 289-0422.
