Savoring Pawtuxet Village with guided tours

Don Fowler
Posted 7/24/14

Chef Cindy Salvato has developed quite a following with her “Savoring Federal Hill” food and wine tours.

Recently, while having lunch with her friend, Phyllis Blanchette, they talked about the …

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Savoring Pawtuxet Village with guided tours

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Chef Cindy Salvato has developed quite a following with her “Savoring Federal Hill” food and wine tours.

Recently, while having lunch with her friend, Phyllis Blanchette, they talked about the diversity of the specialty shops and eateries in Blanchette’s hometown village of Pawtuxet. Who better than the Warwick native and former Convention and Visitors Bureau executive to expand Salvato’s tour concept than Blanchette. The Pawtuxet Village Food Tour was born, with Blanchette bringing her passion for the village, its history and its unique combination of eateries to the three-hour tour.

Nine of us met under the gazebo in Pawtuxet Park at 10 a.m. last Saturday, where we met Phyllis, who provided us with a goody bag of maps, recipes, a bottle of water and information and coupons from businesses in the area.

There are currently over 16 places in the compact village to “eat, drink and be merry,” plus over two dozen other small businesses. Of the 16 eateries, Phyllis had to narrow them down to six for the tour.

“I talked to the owners and the dedicated people from their very active Merchants’ Association and selected six outstanding locations,” she said. “We will be adding more to the list in the future, and the tour may change on different days.”

We began the tour at Innisfree Body Works, former site of the Custom House (1760), where we learned how to make healthy smoothies, blended with kale, parsley, cucumber, mango, banana and orange. I looked at the dark green concoction and had my doubts…until I tasted it.

Now that we had started off on a healthy note, it was time to sample delicious cupcakes at Sweet Indulgence, where we watched Johnson & Wales graduates decorate the tasty treats in their spotless kitchen.

Back to O’Rourke’s, the popular Irish pub/restaurant on the Warwick side of the bridge, where we met John, the bartender who provided us with one of the restaurant’s signature dishes: Irish nachos. You may not find the dish in Ireland, or anyplace else for that matter, but it is the most popular item on the menu. With a base of crispy potato chips, the chef has added bacon, cheese, tomato and scallions. We’ve enjoyed the fish and chips, stuffies and corned beef at O’Rourke’s, and now had a new favorite.

Back over the bridge that separates Warwick and Cranston to the Elephant Room, one of the newer establishments in Pawtuxet with a fast growing clientele who have discovered their crepes, along with the largest assortment of teas in the area. We were treated to a presentation of three teas, plus a history of how they were made.

After a period of relaxation in the upstairs meeting room, while luncheon customers were filling the tables downstairs, we moved on to Betty’s Candies for a tasting of their superb homemade treats.

Our tour ended at Cork and Brew, where we enjoyed a wine tasting, a popular event for the locals.

The three-hour walking tours are scheduled for every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Prior registration is needed, as the tours are limited to 14 people. Our tour had people from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Private tours can also be arranged. Phyllis led a group from Brown University earlier in the week.

Whether you are from out of town or live in the area (as we do), you will learn little known facts about historic Pawtuxet Village, plus the many events help there year round. Did you know that Pawtuxet is the oldest village in Rhode Island? And, of course, you are familiar with the burning of the Gaspee.

For more information about these unique tours, call 934-2149. Cost of the tour is $50 per person. Check them out on www.savoringrhodeisland.com.

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