The Grille On Main
50 Main Street
East Greenwich
by Bob Mariani
If you’d like to know how to start and run a successful restaurant, ask the guys at the Pinelli-Marra Restaurant Group. They’ve got eight thriving eateries all over Rhode Island and they’ve devised the formula that works. I’ve not been to all their places but the other night we dined at the Grille on Main in East Greenwich and I saw first-hand why they are successful. Their menu is eclectic and sprawling with items that range from your basic steaks, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and pastas to a few items that border on the more unusual like Cajun Jambalaya and Tuscan Seafood Risotto. Their prices are reasonable and their portions are always more than ample. Add to that an enthusiastic, well-trained kitchen and wait staff, at good locations and you’re home-free.
On the night I went, from a long list of starters that went from roasted pepper/goat cheese hummus to crispy coconut shrimp skewers, to a chicken quesadilla, calamari in a white wine and garlic and butter sauce, Buffalo wings with blue cheese and celery, to Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls. I chose the Saffron Mussel Chowder. It arrived in a large white plate brimming with half-open black mussel shells and topped with two hefty slices of grilled Italian bread. At first I couldn’t see the broth but as I began to ream out the mussels and discard the shells it appeared in the well of the dish. It was a nicely blended, mild tasting, milky soup with a lovely subtle Saffron flavor. I suspect that the mussels themselves were not cooked in the broth but added afterwards, but I’m not positive of that.
My wife had the soup of the evening— a blue crab chowder that was creamy and quietly flavorful with just enough chunks of sweet crab meat. Appetizer prices are all between $6 and $8 and many people will find them large enough for a meal.
Knowing that the portion sizes here are always very generous, my wife ordered a salad for her entrée. It was called "New Asian Style Pulled Duck Confite Crepes," ($10), a very successful fusion of well-cooked, shredded duck meat wrapped in two good-size green onion and ginger crepes. The duck meat was very tasty and the crepes added their own quieter flavor note. The crepes were accompanied by a fresh slaw of Napa cabbage and friseé greens with a tangy sesame vinaigrette.
Reluctantly passing over the ten grilled pizza offerings and the seven different pastas, I opted for one of the night’s entrée specials— a Jamaican jerk style pork loin with crawfish-sweet potatoes. The pork was cooked perfectly medium rare and as tender as it gets. The jerk sauce added just the right mostly-sweet-slightly-tangy touch. But crawfish in a sweet potato!!! It sounded weird, but believe it or not, it worked quite well. Somehow the crawfish added a very light, fluffy texture to the excellent sweet potato puree without any hint of "fishy-ness."
When I asked Chef Russell Kerman (who, by the way is on-call as one of actor, Robert DeNero’s personal chefs) where he came up with this combo, he shrugged modestly and said, "Out of thin air."
Other jumbo-sized entrées include things like a 14-oz. NY Sirloin finished with a savory pancetta/smoked mushroom sauce; Chili-rubbed NY Sirloin; Ancho Chili/Honey-Glazed Grilled Salmon; a rack of BBQ Ribs; Ginger-Crusted Tuna Steak; Chicken Roulade stuffed with goat cheese and garnished with bean sprouts; and Tuscan Seafood Risotto with shrimps, mussels, calamari and fish. Prices go from $14 to $18.
For dessert we shared a light-as-a-feather, three-layer piece of carrot cake with a creamy white icing. We vowed not to finish it but were unable to keep our vow.
The ambiance at the Grille On Main is definitely that of the neighborhood pub. There are a lot of regulars, especially at the bar watching the ballgame, and several families with kids, all of whom seemed to be having a good time. The décor is very informal, with paper napkins and no tablecloths. And as I’ve said, the food here can satisfy virtually anyone but the fussiest of eaters. And I can’t imagine that anyone’s ever left there feeling the least bit hungry.
The Grille On Main is open for lunch and dinner every day and is now also offering catering services to homes and businesses. For more information call 885-2200.
Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Your Table is Ready" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
