News

Whole Foods Market opens today at 10 a.m. on Sockanosset Cross Road, Cranston, (401) 942-7600. The 44,000-square-foot store has a full-service gelato bar featuring Cold Fusion Gelato from Newport; both handmade pasta and pizza by the pound stations; a sit-down cafe; and products from local vendors, including sauces from Cafe Luna next door in Garden City., herbal skin care products from Portsmouth-based Farmaesthetics, Rhody Fresh milk and Big Picture sodas from the company founded in 2006 by students at Met High School in Providence to fund college scholarships.

A coffee bar features a variety of beans that can be custom-roasted you while you shop. Dry-aged beef is available in the meat department. An antipasto bar with 40 products includes goat cheese rolled in ganache and mozzarella hand-made while you watch. They’ll have a farmers’ market from May through October, one day a week. For Thanksgiving, they’ll be taking orders for anything from the turkey alone to entire dinners. You can order from a set menu, or they can do custom orders. Whole Foods worked with the Cranston Historical Society and other sources to make the store feel local, including images from Rocky Point. They’ll have recycling stations. (For more on the new store, see Business, Page F1.)

Chef Wayne Gibson has been appointed executive chef at Temple Downtown, 120 Francis St., Providence. Previously, Gibson led the kitchen of the Rhode Island Country Club and several other establishments and he chaired the Chef’s Collaborative 2000.

Robin Haas of Cranston is a first-prize winner in the Prize Test Recipes Contest sponsored by Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Her Coconut Salmon Curry recipe will be published in the magazine’s January 2008 issue. Haas received a $400 cash prize and a framed certificate of achievement.

This week and weekend

Opera Providence will put on a production of Bon Appetit and The Italian Lesson on Friday at 8 p.m. with a pre-show five-course dinner at 5:30 p.m. There will be a special appearance by Nancy Verde Barr, who will do an introduction to the opera and talk about her times with Julia Child. A book signing for Backstage with Julia: My years with Julia Child will be held at intermission. The cost is $65. There will be another show without dinner on Sunday at 3 p.m. with Fred Plotkin, who will do an introduction and talk about his travels with Child. He will also do a book signing for Opera 101 and Italy for the Gourmet Traveler.

The International Special Events Society will hold a Halloween Bash at Belcourt Castle on Friday from 8 p.m. to midnight. Catering by Russell Morin will supply the Halloween delights. Music will be by World Premier Band. The cost is $75. For information, go to www.regonline.com/isesrihalloween.

Smith-Appleby House, 220 Stillwater Rd., Smithfield, (401) 231-7363, will hold an All Hallow’s Eve on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. with ghoulies and ghosties. This is a historical, educational, silly, slightly scary family event. Light refreshments will be served. The cost is $5 for adults and children attend for free.

Blessed Trinity Church, 1340 Plymouth Ave., Fall River, (508) 672-4854, www.blessedtrinitychurch.org, holds its Harvest Festival on Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Their kitchen will be serving up homemade Polish food featuring cheese pierogi made with farmer’s cheese, cabbage pierogi made with sauerkraut, golabki, stuffed cabbage rolls, and kapusta. All the food is available for dine-in or take-out. At the festival, there will be a Sweet Shop with homemade pastries and various desserts.

Carpenter’s Grist Mill, Moonstone Beach Road, South Kingstown, (401) 783-5483, will celebrate the Flint Corn Harvest Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be a demonstration by the millers operating the water-powered grist mill, grinding flint corn for jonnycakes which will be served.

Gallery Z, 259 Atwells Ave., Providence, will feature a sampling of food from Venda Ravioli tomorrow from 5:30 to 8 p.m. while showcasing the artistic talents of Latino artists as part of its Food, Art & Wine nights.

Food For Thought, a benefit for the Genesis Fund, is set for tomorrow from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Botanical Center of Roger Williams Park, Providence. Guests sample international cuisine while being entertained by musicians. Eat Indian while listening to a sitar; enjoy Italian food while listening to an Italian folk singer. The lineup includes Apsara, Blaze, Caffe Dolce Vita, CAV, Efendi’s, El Chapincinto, El Rancho Grande, Geppetto’s, Farmstead, Gracie’s, Julian’s, La Prima Caffe, Mediterraneo, Mr. Peabody’s CafÉ, Newport Vineyards, Rasoi, Ruth’s Chris, Trinity Brewhouse and Waterplace Restaurant.Tickets cost $50 and are available at the door. Game 2 of the World Series will be on a big screen so Red Sox fans won’t miss a pitch.

Whole Foods Market, University Heights, 601 North Main St., Providence, hosts a Taste It! Event on Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. welcoming chef Eythor Runarsson from Iceland for a lamb tasting. Eythor is the head chef at Siggi Hall in Iceland. Eythor has spent time in the USA to study and has worked in Marcel’s and Ceiba in Washington, D.C. He is also a participant in Food & Fun as a member of the Icelandic Culinary Team.

On the menu

Eleven Forty Nine Restaurant, 1149 Division St., Warwick, will celebrate its grand opening this week. Today is Wine Down Wednesday with free hors d’oeuvres served from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tomorrow there will be live music in the bar. Friday there will be a martini ice luge on the patio with live music. Saturday will be dessert and dinner specials with live music and Sunday complimentary treats from pastry chef Jason Vieira.

The Edge, 199 Wayland Ave., Providence, (401) 490-2227, www.theedgecoffee.com, is now open until 9 p.m. daily. Soups, salads and sandwiches are available.

Walter’s Ristorante d’Italia, 286 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 273-2652, has expanded its dining room to include seating on the first floor. The second floor dining rooms can now be reserved for private functions. The new autumn menu is filled with traditional terracotta cooking, true regional Italian specialties, and historic dishes from the Jewish Italian ghettos in Italy. The first wine dinner, Tour of Italy Dinner, will be held tonight. For information, click on: www.chefwalter.com/WP-special-event-info.html. The menu will represent six regions of Italy.

Abbey Grill, 100 Rock St., Fall River, (508) 679-9108, now has meals to go. All orders must be in by 3:30 p.m. and include freshly baked French bread, creamery butter, entrÉe of the day for two, starch of the day, vegetable of the day, fresh baked mini-pastry, and a free cheese pizza. They are available Tuesday through Friday evenings. Some items on the menu are Newburg Pot Pie, India Curry Trio, Classic Norwegian Meatballs and Gravy, and Chicken Kiev. The cost is $30.

Ristorante Pizzico, 762 Hope St., Providence, offers free delivery service to offices in and around Providence. Order from the lunch menu or from the corporate menu featuring half and full pans for buffet type service. For menus e-mail your fax number to pizzico1@aol.com. To order, call (401) 421-4114.

Persimmon, 31 State St., Bristol, 254-7474, www.persimmonbristol.com, is celebrating fall with new dishes such as seared Taylor bay scallops with sweet potato agnolotti, smoked bacon and red wine sauce; white wine braised rabbit with house made potato gnocchi, rabbit sausage and native sage; and a warm walnut tart with poached cranberries and crème fraîche ice cream. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday starting at 5 p.m.

Dine Downtown Providence guides are now available with information about restaurants, cafes, and pubs in downtown Providence. The eight-page guides feature nearly 70 establishments, ranging from formal to casual. The businesses are categorized alphabetically by restaurant type, and each listing provides an address, phone number, brief description, price range, hours of operation, credit cards accepted, and Web site, if available. All listings also show grid locations on a downtown map, featured in the back of the guides. They can be found in downtown hotels, the Rhode Island Convention Center’s information desk, ArtTix, and City Hall, as well as in the restaurants listed in the guides. For more information, call (401) 421-4450 or visit www.providencedowntown.com.

Boucher’s Wood River Inn, 1139 Main St., Richmond, (401)539-9800, is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have 2 for Tuesday’s with two salads, two entrÉes off of select menu, and a bottle of wine for $30.

Castle Hill Inn & Resort, 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, (401) 849-3800, www.castlehillinn.com, has new tasting menus for the fall offering three-course menu for $69, a five-course tasting menu for $79 or $125 with wine pairings, and an eight-course degustation menu for $95 or $160 with wine pairings. Fixed price menus are available during dinner only, while traditional À la carte menus are available for lunch and a menu of small plates is available at the bar from 3 to 5:45 p.m.

The Inside Scoop, 30 Ten Rod Rd., North Kingstown, (401) 294-0091, is offering a new line of signature ice cream cakes. There are six varieties to choose from including Oreo Cookie, Cookie Dough, and Pumpkin Pie. Custom cakes are available and all of the ice cream and cakes are made on the premises.

N-Joi, 39 Phenix Ave., Cranston, (401) 944-7770, has open with a full bar and serves dinner under the direction of chef Todd Lesakowski Tuesdays through Saturdays 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Hosts are Po Chiu and John and Paula DeRuosi.

One Hundred Eighty Degrees, 8 Broadway St., Newport, (401) 849-6676, has new wine flights. They are a tasting of 1 1/2 ounce glasses of three different wines. This month, there are six different wines to choose from, including Rose, Sauvignon Blanc and Rioja. The wine flights will change monthly.

Redlefsen’s Rotisserie and Grill, 444 Thames St., Bristol, (401) 254-1188, www.redlefsens.com, will be hosting the annual Oktoberfest celebration every Wednesday and Thursday evening through Nov. 1. There will be two seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. with an all German menu, a selection of Oktoberfest beers and wines, and singing and dancing performed.

Coming up

Big Fish, 370 Richmond St., Providence, (401) 751-3474, will host a Halloween celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Big Fish Halloween Bash will feature Bacardi cocktail specials, a menu of ghoulish bar bites, and a contest for the most creative costume with a cash prize of $500. Guests must be 21 or older.

Mary Mother of Mankind, 25 Fourth St., North Providence, (401) 231-3542, holds its Snowflake bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a luncheon of sausage and pepper and meatball sandwiches for lunch and a macaroni dinner for $5 for adults and $3 for children from 5 to 7 p.m.

Bristol Community College Culinary Art Department will hold a family Halloween party Friday at 5 p.m. in the Commonwealth College Center. The reception will feature kid-friendly snacks of vegetables and dips, fruit, cheese and crackers. The buffet dinner will include baked ziti, meatballs, Italian sausage, BBQ chicken thighs, and more. Dessert will be brownies with ice cream, chocolate fountain, and cookies. There will be pumpkin carving and a performance by storyteller David Mello. Tickets are $8.50 for adults, $6 for children 7 to 12, and $3.50 for children 3 to 6. Reservations can be made by calling (508) 678-2811 ext. 2111 or visit www.bristol.mass.edu.

Faial Restaurant, 970 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, (401) 231-1100, will hold a Halloween Costume party on Wednesday, Oct. 31, beginning at 7 p.m. There will be free appetizers and costume awards.

The First Baptist Old Stone Church, 7 Old Stone Church Rd., Tiverton, will host a Harvest Dinner/Theater on Saturday, Nov. 3, with seatings at 5 and 7 p.m. The dinner menu includes roast turkey and gravy, stuffing, potatoes, turnip and carrots, squash, onions, peas, cranberry sauce, homemade breads, pies and hot and cold beverages. The short play, The Ladies of the Mop, a comedy, will begin at 6 p.m. in the church. A free-will offering will be taken.

Tailgate for A Wish will be held Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. at Snookers’ Pool Lounge, 145 Clifford St., Providence. There will tailgate-style food and beverages, and then the Patriots against the Colts game on the big screens. The ticket costs $10 and includes all-you-can-eat tailgate food. There will be a sports-themed silent auction. Ticket sales will benefit A Wish Come True. Advance tickets can be purchased at Snookers, (401) 351- 7665 or at the Wish House, 1010 Warwick Ave., Warwick, (401) 781-9199, or purchased at the door.

El Rancho Grande, 311 Plainfield Ave, Providence, (401) 275-0808, participates in the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from Friday through Saturday, Nov. 2. It’s a tradition of placing “ofrendas” (special offerings) on an altar containing pictures, favorite foods, flowers, candles and personal items to honor the memory of the deceased. Co-owner Maria Meza (with son Joaquin Jr.) will be sharing her ofrendas for her deceased parents by offering their two favorite meals to patrons as Dia de los Muertos specials. They are Pollo al Guajillo, boneless chicken breast slowly simmered in an avocado leaf-guajillo sauce ($8); Pollo de Pipian with Tamale de Frijol, boneless chicken breast cooked in a green pumpkin seed sauce and served with a rolled up tamale of maza and specially seasoned refried beans ($9). Churros (fried dough pastry) and CafÉ de Olla (coffee drink made with chocolate and cloves) will be offered to all patrons free of charge during the time frame.

Wine events

Sogno, 961 Dyer Ave Cranston, will be hosting its monthly Start the Week with Wine tasting on Monday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. The wine selection this month will focus on the wines of California and will be accompanied by hors d’oeuvres. The cost is $25. For reservations, call Heather at (401) 946-3335.

Castle Hill Inn & Resort, 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, (401) 849-3800, hosts a Benziger Family Winery wine dinner on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 6:30 p.m. as part of the property’s Benziger Wine Weekend. Kathy Benziger, central region sales manager, will lead guests through each selection of wine as they are paired with executive chef Jonathan Cambra’s four-course menu, and discuss the benefits of their biodynamic wine growing practices.

Town Wine & Spirits will hold a Wines of Italy tasting on Sunday, Nov. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Wannamoisett Country Club, Hoyt Avenue, Rumford. Admission is $30.

Legal Sea Foods, 2099 Post Rd., Warwick, will hold a Flavors of Fall Wine Dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. Among the items on the menu are Pumpkin Ravioli, Roast Stuffed Pork Loin, Alaskan Salmon Wellington, and Crisp Apple Wonton. Tickets are $75. For reservations, call (401) 739-8727.

Classes

Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts Chef’s Choice classes are ready to begin for the fall. There’s a kids’ menu of classes, too. Classes are designed for specific age ranges, including 8-12 year-olds and teens ages 13-16. The interactive one-day classes are designed for people on the go and combine hands-on experience with demonstrations. Some of the main courses and desserts offered include Portuguese Cuisine, Sushi Made Easy, and an All-American Thanksgiving Dinner. Desserts include Pies, Pies, Pies and Holiday Desserts. Classes are $80. For information or a brochure, call (401) 598-2336, (800) 342-5598, or email admissionsce@jwu.edu. The university is offering continuing education courses in which participants will earn .5 Continuing Education unit (CEU) credits. The choice of classes include Beyond Basics, What the Top Chefs Learn-Level 2, and Classical Breads and Rolls-Level 2. These classes are five hours long and consist of lectures, demos, menu production, meal, and sanitation. The cost is $225.

George Germon and Johanne Killeen of Al Forno Restaurant, Providence, will be teaching a week-long course April 10-17 at the cooking school La Combe in PÉrigord Noir, France. PÉrigord Noir is known for its truffles, walnuts, wild mushrooms, and foie gras. There will be guided tours of markets and farms, gourmet meals at local restaurants and at La Combe, and tastings of local wines and delicacies. The cost of weekly programs includes all meals and wines in restaurants and at La Combe. For more information, visit www.lacombe-perigord.com/code/mailing.html and fill out the reply form.

Eastside Marketplace, 165 Pitman St, www.eastsidemarket.com, kicks off Mexican Week at the market with a Chef’s Club hosted by chef Bill Andrews, director of food services, Monday at 3 p.m. He will prepare a traditional chimichurri sauce to accompany an assortment of meats and demonstrate how to make fresh salsa, guacamole and tortilla chips.

The Capital Grille, Union Square, Providence, will hold a cooking class with executive chef Matt Haist on Sunday, Nov. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. On the menu are salad, veal osso bucco, rosemary sourdough stuffed turkey, butternut squash, twice baked truffle mashed potatoes, and pumpkin cheesecake with wild turkey crème anglaise. The cost is $95 with free parking. For information or registration, call (401) 338-5976.

On TV

Jean Restivo and Gilda Colannino bake holiday pies on their cooking show on Cox Cable Channel 13 each Wednesday at 3 p.m. The show runs for the next four weeks. October marks the 10th anniversary of the Tutto Bene cookbook co-authored by Restivo, Colannino and Alice Altruda, Rose Mesolella, Carol Restivo and Marie Gianfrancesco. Proceeds from the book go to charities for children with special needs. For a copy, send a check, $20 for the cookbook and $5 for postage and handling, made out to Salvatore Mancini Lodge OSIA Cookbook Fund and mail it to Jean Restivo, 66 Hunters Run, North Providence, RI 02904.

Attention restaurateurs

It’s time to send in your holiday hours of operation for Thanksgiving to food notes. The deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 31. They will run on Nov. 7.

gciampa@projo.com