Cherrystones
898 Warwick Beach Avenue
Warwick
by Bob Mariani
The days when restaurants could get by with a spectacular water view and a ho-hum menu are just about over. Cherrystones in Warwick, which offers a marvelously expansive, unobstructed vista of Narragansett Bay, is a good example.
For years Cherrystones was a kind of destination eatery situated on a point of land looking out over the water, where people came for your basic surf ‘n’ turf, fried clams and broiled lobster. Today, under new management by John Waterman, the menu is as expansive as the view with a meticulous attention to flavors and fresh ingredients.
We arrived just at sunset and watched the surface of the Bay go from blue to purple. There is a view from just about every table at Cherrystones, as well as an upper deck opens once the warmer weather arrives.
We began with a cup of creamy lobster bisque ($3.95) that mingled the seafood/lobster flavors with a touch of sherry for maximum effect. We also got to sample the crunchy Coconut Shrimp ($9.95) appetizer, made with tender tiger prawns, dusted with shaved coconut, and accompanied by piquant mango-cilantro chutney.
The Captain’s Calamari ($7.95), another appetizer which, it would seem, is a given on every menu in the Ocean State, were cooked golden brown and tender and seasoned with a nicely balanced combination of banana peppers and hot peppers.
My entrée was a hefty Double Cut Pork Chop on the bone ($19.95). Fire-grilled and finished in the oven with a wonderful creamy apple and caramelized onion sauce, this was a really interesting take on pork chops and one that deserves special praise for its successful blending of flavors and textures.
Our other entrée was a taste-y Chicken Saltimbocca ($14.95) with a classic Marsala wine sauce. The chicken breast, kept moist with a demi-glaze, was accented with bits of prosciutto and melted mozzarella cheese. It was served on a bed of al dente linguini.
The rest of the entrée menu at Cherrystones is divided into the "If it swims" segment, which offers seafood classics like Shrimp Scampi ($16.95); Baked Scrod with a Ritz cracker crust ($12.95); Sweet Potato Encrusted Salmon ($17.95); Mussels Sullivan ($16.95) with a Guiness-garlic sauce; Crawfish Voodoo ($18.95), spicy crawfish tails in a Creole sauce; and Broiled Sea Scallops ($15.95). Then there’s the "If it flies…" segment featuring items like Chicken Cordon Bleu ($14.95); Half-Roasted Chicken ($13.95); and Char-Grilled Duck Breast with polenta ($17.95). And finally the "And if it doesn’t …" menu with dishes like Veal Picatta ($16.95); and Veal Marsala ($25.95).
There aren’t a lot of red sauces on these three entrée menus but there is a separate pasta menu with linguini with clams in a red or white sauce ($12.95), along with Lobster Penne in a pink cream sauce, and a Red Pepper Pesto Pasta ($10.95). If you’re just in the mood for pizza, Cherrystones has that too—hand-stretched and fired or grilled.
Of course there’s lobster in just about every iteration imaginable— from El Diablo or boiled to baked stuffed, to sautéed out-of-the-shell, or with 4oz. tournedos of char-grilled beef.
I can’t think of a classic seafood or meat dish that’s been left off Cherrystones’ menu. And for such a broad-ranging list, the focus on flavors and freshness is surprisingly good.
For dessert we sampled the Peanut Butter Mud Pie, a light mixture of chocolate cake and chocolate mousse topped with crushed peanut butter cups—chocolate lovers, take note. We also had the Chambord Rasamisu, an interesting and irresistible take on Tiramisu made with lady fingers and raspberries soaked in Chambord and finished with a vanilla mascarpone cream.
As we finished our meal, the sky over the Bay had gone to midnight blue with pinpoints of stars and you could see the lights on the little fishing boats heading in for shore. We left completely satisfied with hopes of returning for yet another beautiful-meal-by-the-beautiful-sea at Cherrystones.
They’re open every day for lunch and dinner. There’s ample parking behind the restaurant and reservations are accepted at 732-2532. Or you can visit their
website.
