July 22, 2004

WINFIELD'S

Menu for all season at Winfield's on Block Island

By KATHERINE IMBRIE
Journal Staff Writer

BLOCK ISLAND -- There's no such thing as fashionably late dining on this wave-washed isle off the Rhode Island coast -- not unless you're planning to spend the night at one of the island's dozens of charming bed-and-breakfast inns.

The last daily ferry leaves at 8:30 p.m. sharp from New Harbor, so a 6 o'clock seating in an Old Harbor restaurant gives you just enough time to dine and then pedal, walk briskly, or take a cab the mile or so over to the New Harbor ferry dock.

The good news is that after a day of biking, swimming and browsing the shops on Water Street, you're pretty much guaranteed to be good and hungry by late afternoon. Certainly my friend and I were ready to eat when we parked our bikes in front of Winfield's soon after they opened for dinner promptly at 6.

After a day filled with sunshine and water views, it felt good to sit down at a table beside a window framed by flowers and overlooking the busy intersection of Dodge Street and the beginning of Corn Neck Road. A low dark-beamed ceiling and wide-board wood floors give a pleasant feeling of age to the room, which is brightened by touches of French lace curtains, white tablecloths, and beach-scene artwork on the celery-colored walls.

There are more prominent elegant-dining restaurants on the island, but this one was highly recommended by several locals. It turns out that it is particularly favored by people who don't have to worry about meeting any ferry because they stay on the island all summer long.

Little has changed through the years

Block Island tends to attract a mix of extremes: On the one hand, people who just came over for the day to catch some rays and to hear a band at Ballard's or on the Spring House lawn; on the other, people who've vacationed on the island for decades and who remember when Winfield's, briefly, in the '80s, was Cat 'n' the Fiddle. (The restaurant shares a building with the long-famous Yellow Kittens nightclub.)

Over the last dozen years or more, though, Winfield's has changed little. It serves dinner only, every night from June to September and weekends into October. It is not the stereotypical summer-place restaurant, heavy on baked stuffed lobster, steamers and Key lime pie. Instead, it offers a sophisticated and seasonless menu influenced by French, Italian, New American and Asian cuisines.

The chef this year is a young Johnson & Wales graduate, 24-year-old Evan Turenne. Contacted by phone a few days after my meal there, Turenne said that though he's worked at Winfield's for three years, this is his first year as chef. He worked closely with sous chef Rich Torino (21 and a fellow Johnson & Wales man) in designing some new elements for this year's menu that reflect the restaurant's longstanding dedication to tradition laced with international modern style.

"I'm big on the salads, the goat cheese appetizer and especially the Cedar Salmon (salmon roasted on a red cedar plank)," said Turenne. "Rich came up with Land, Air and Sea (pan-seared duck breast and local sea scallops in a pancetta-tomato pan sauce served over mashed potatoes) and the Tuna-Lobster Duo (candied ginger and tuna spring roll with a teriyaki-glazed lobster tail and warm soba noodle salad)."

Certain dishes on the menu were left alone, having achieved the status of popular standards. Among these are the daily risotto (ingredients change based on what's available and fresh) and the tuna sashimi appetizer (thinly sliced coriander-encrusted tuna).

Duck confit, lobster cakes

On the evening we visited, a Sunday, we were among the first diners to be seated, so the restaurant was quiet. Later on, we thought, as the bar lounge filled up and a band might be playing at the Kittens next door, the noise level might be higher.

A basket of Winfield's own bread started us off on just the right note: Still-warm slices of black olive loaf and an asiago cheese loaf were delicious, and they came with a roasted whole garlic head served in olive oil with shreds of Parmesan -- a nice touch.

Throughout the meal, our waitress was knowledgeable and helpful. Service was adept without ever being officious. This is Block Island, after all, a place that doesn't stand on ceremony and likes to make its guests feel at home.

Both of our appetizers were superb renditions of classics, with novel twists that showed the chefs' skills off well.

The duck confit was a generous-size leg that had been slow-roasted in fat in the traditional manner. It was enhanced by an array of grilled endive leaves and a quartered perfectly fresh fig, the whole sauced with pale green sage oil and a balsamic glaze.

A pair of pan-fried crusty lobster cakes held large chunks of lobster and were served beside a nest of field greens. The interesting enhancement here was a summery gazpacho made with fresh tomato, blood orange and purple onion bits, served in a ramekin with a dollop of tart creme fraiche.

The salads that come with every entree were a light and inspired creation of Turenne's featuring, on that night, crisp leaves of Bibb lettuce dressed with a light balsamic vinaigrette and a sprinkling of roasted pistachio nuts, softened dried cranberries and bits of blue cheese.

Taste of Thai, beef tournedos

A special entree on the night we visited was coconut-crusted mahi mahi served with jasmine rice in a coconut milk broth. A generous portion of this mild white fish -- perhaps 10 or 12 ounces -- had been roasted with a sweet coconut-shred crust and was served atop soft white jasmine rice brightened with bits of green bok choy and lemongrass. Mildly spiced and sweet with coconut-milk broth, the dish was a tasty nod in the Thai direction.

The entree I chose was as different from the first as day to night: Beef tournedos were a pair of spice-blackened medallions of tender aged filet, served with a creamy sauce made with Maytag blue cheese. Except for being over-salty for me (and I do like salt), the meat was perfectly cooked and of excellent quality.

Accompanying it was a stunning side dish: an upended wedge of what the menu describes as a savory mushroom bread pudding. This was indeed a savory and original creation, the earthiness of the mushrooms captured in the moist denseness of the bread pudding. A second side dish was also well beyond the ordinary: thin spears of fresh asparagus roasted and tied with a belt of prosciutto.

The wine list is well chosen, with many good bottles in the $25 to $35 range, and good representation from France and Australia as well as the West Coast. We were happy with our by-the-glass selections: Bin 888 Cabernet-Merlot and La Joya Merlot.

Desserts are house-made and change nightly. We very much liked a not-overly-sweet vanilla bean cheesecake presented with squiggles of caramel sauce, and a lemon panna cotta that was deliciously creamy but might have been better had it had a little more tartness.

All in all, we were well satisfied by the time we rose from our table to mount our bicycles for the quick ride over to New Harbor.

Oh, and we did make the 8:30 boat, with nearly a half-hour to spare.

*****

Winfield's, Corn Neck Road, Block Island. (401) 466-5855 or (401) 466-5856. Open for dinner 6 to 10 nightly through Labor Day, then weekends only through Columbus Day. No smoking. Reservations only for parties of eight or more. Wheelchair accessible. Street parking. V, MC. High chairs available.

Entrees from $24 to $30; appetizers from $7 to $13. Wines mostly from $22 to $60 for a bottle.

*****

If you like the Black Pearl in Newport, New Rivers in Providence, and the Back Eddy in Westport, you'll like Winfield's.