The Cheeky Monkey Café
14 Perry Mill Wharf
Newport
by Bob Mariani
I always applaud when a restaurant goes beyond the tried and true formula and comes up with its very own take on things. Hank Kates’s wonderfully eccentric café at the top of Thames St. in Newport is a perfect example. Every since it opened over 10 years ago now, the food here (like the décor) has been fresh and wonderfully surprising. The original wall murals of monkeys in oddly human costumes, the faux leopard skin drapes and the busy open kitchen all blend to create a relaxed, fun, energized atmosphere that’s hard not to be seduced by.
The place was jumping early on a Tuesday evening in busy, tourist-filled Newport. Sommelier, Brian Goyette, talked us enthusiastically through some of the wine choices and steered us towards two of his favorites— a really interesting 2003 Sauvignon Blanc from Groenekloof Ward (don’t try saying that after a couple of glasses), by Neil Ellis Wines of South Africa. Its pale color gave no inkling of its strongly concentrated flavors of citrus and lime and its elegant finish. This was a great white that would stand up to just about anything, but an especially good choice with fresh fish and seafood.
Brian also introduced us to another South African beauty, a muscular, spicy Shiraz/Viognier 2002 from the Fairview Vineyards. This wine is described by Brian as "the big brother of ‘Goats d Roam’," one of this year’s most wildly successful imports. If you’re going to eat hardy, this is the wine.
And then there’s Executive Chef, Jeffery Cruff’s food. At first glance, you see dishes that seem fairly conventional by today’s standards. But a closer inspection of the menu descriptions reveal that the "Peal-n-Eat" shrimp are tossed in a spice orange chili oil; the Cheeky Monkey calamari are transformed with a spicy prosciutto-stuffed cherry pepper sauce; and the steamed mussels, which I ordered, are cooked in an incredibly fragrant coconut and red curry sauce. Drizzled with African peanut oil and laced with a julienne of fresh vegetables and cilantro, the tiny mussels take on a whole new level of flavor. Very original but not just for the sake of being odd-ball.
Our other appetizer was a special of the evening, a garden salad made with lettuce and real beefsteak tomatoes bursting with flavor and doused with a sauce that incorporated sweet melon and pineapple flavors. For punctuation, a scattering of fresh corn kernels did the trick.
My entrée was another special of the evening, the grilled striped bass. It came cooked crispy on the outside and beautifully moist and white on the inside. The fish was accompanied exquisitely by thin strips of fresh summer squash and baby string beans in an unusual tropical-tasting dressing. What I loved about the entire dish was that a lot was done to bring out and enhance the subtle taste of the fresh bass but nothing overwhelmed it.
We also ordered the other special of the night, which was quite simply the best paella I have ever tasted. Every ingredient-- the spicy sausage chunks, the tender scallops, the shrimp, the baby steamed mussels, and the tender lobster meat— was cooked to its own level of perfection. When added to the rich, spicy red sauce and rice, each mouthful became like its own little meal.
A look at the rest of the menu reveals items like: Five-Spice Seared Free Range Chicken served with Cheeky lo mein, Canton duck sauce, and steamed snow peas ($19.95): Grilled Moroccan BBQ Salmon Filet on a bed of curried home fries and sautéed smoky spinach ($23.95); Mesquite Smoked Pork Tenderloin topped with banana BBQ sauce and accompanied by smothered greens and mashed potatoes ($24.95); and a hefty Grilled Black Angus Filet covered with oven-dried tomato and roasted garlic butter with a side of chive mashed potatoes ($32.95).
Desserts, most of which are made in house, include Bananas Foster; Butterscotch crème brulee; and Chocolate Passion Cake. I tried their sorbet sampler— little jiggers of coconut, raspberry, blood orange, lemon and mango–- and found it to be a perfect, light finish to what was perhaps my most superb meal of the summer.
I came away from the Cheeky Monkey completely satisfied without that heavy "full" feeling, and utterly convinced that this Café is truly one of Newport’s most special places. They’re open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30pm, on Sunday for brunch from 10am to 2pm; and for lunch, Friday and Saturday from noon to 2pm. On Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 9:30 there’s delightful music by singer, Clay Osbourne and his duo. For more information call 845-9494 or visit their
website.Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Table for Two" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
