DESTINATION
Small but mighty Rhode Island wows with iconic foods, stone walls and mansions
L STORY
KEVIN WARNEKE
et me tell you about an Awful Awful. It’s similar to a milkshake — only better — because
before fried clams (which we tried and
everywhere. Coffee milk, the state’s official
which require no explanation).
beverage, was provided by the Maroneys at
While the trip turned into a quest to check off the 10 must-eats, we enjoyed
their Airbnb in Pascoag. We also had hot wieners as appetizers
Providence, Newport and Block Island.
at George’s Pizza and Pub in Pascoag. I
Three things stood out: the Cliff Walk in
learned that some Rhode Islanders spell
the combination of ice milk and sugar
Newport, the Mohegan Bluffs on Block
wiener with an “ei” and serve theirs “all the
blended with syrup gives it a sweeter,
Island and Newport National Golf Club
way” with meat sauce, mustard and onions.
more powerful taste. Awful Awful stands
in Middleton.
for Awful Big Awful Good and it’s a Rhode Island tradition. While prepping for a 2020 trip to
First things first: I managed seven
That left only three: Johnnycakes (cornmeal pancakes), stuffies (stuffed clams
of the 10 iconic foods designated by
flavored with, for example, onion, celery
onlyinyourstate.com. We knocked off clam
and green pepper) and donut cake for my
Rhode Island with my extended family,
cakes at Rebecca’s Lunch & Dinner on
return visit.
I stumbled across a list of 10 iconic foods
Block Island and clam chowder and clam
to try while visiting the Ocean State. The
cakes (a second time) at Iggy’s Doughboys
to explore the state, walk its beaches and
Awful Awful, found at Newport Creamery
& Chowder House in Narragansett. We
marvel at its mansions. We also golfed.
restaurants, was ninth on the list, right
tried Del’s Lemonade, which can be found
40 M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 1
But enough about food. Our intent was
We set a slow pace along Newport’s 3.5-
