United States Bartenders’ Guild

Four current news releases—Eat Drink RI is not the source for these items—please follow any links for more information.

The Blount Clam Shack

The Blount Clam Shack and Soup Bar has opened its doors in the “Knowledge District” of Providence, RI.

With a hot soup bar, guests can enjoy unlimited soup & fresh bread, giving them the option to try all of Blount Fine Food’s delicious and creative soups. The menu will cater to seafood lovers as well as those not fond of seafood; offering fresh salads, sandwiches and more. A retail area will offer a variety of fresh chowders, soups & dips to bring home and serve yourself. Delivery and catering is also in the works and will be incorporated into the Providence location, reaching out to all of the local businesses, hospitals and merchants, as well as the local colleges and universities.

The Blount Clam Shack is a local favorite where customers can count on the freshest seafood and an authentic New England feel. A year round location in Fall River, MA as well as seasonal locations in Warren, RI on Water Street, and also at the Crescent Park Carousel in Riverside, RI, customers in the area wait anxiously all year long until summer when they can go get their favorite New England seafood treats. Blount offers their own delicious New England Clam Chowder & Lobster Bisque, as well as their famous Clam Cakes, Fish & Chips, Whole Belly Clams, Lobster Rolls and the more non-traditional seafood specialties like the Fish Reubens and Fish Tacos.

The Providence location began serving on Wednesday, April 4 and is open Mondays 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Tuesdays – Saturdays 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

XO Café

XO Café, located at 125 North Main Street in Providence, is pleased to present a selection of new menu items for dinner and Sunday brunch, inspired by the flavors of spring. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 401-273- 9090 or visit www.xocafe.com.

Chef Simon Keating’s new additions to the dinner menu include such appetizers as Maine Lobster Risotto with dill crème fraiche and sesame crackers; Local Asparagus & Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Baffoni Farm poached egg, crispy bacon, and edible flowers; a Spring Salad of Narragansett Sea Salty feta, toasted almonds, haricot vert, local baby lettuce, and Wishing Stone Farm honey vinaigrette; and Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli with Narragansett ricotta and chervil cream.

Entrees feature Roasted Free Range Chicken with Farming Turtles shiitake mushroom risotto, local asparagus, and pan juices; Grilled Spring Leg of Lamb with beluga lentils, rosemary jus, and garlic chips; Seared Bomster Scallops with crispy pork belly, Asian slaw, and spicy miso; and sautéed locally-caught Fluke with spring vegetables, udon noodles, lemongrass nage, and tempura Beach Blonde oyster from Charlestown.

Dessert additions include Strawberry & Rhubarb Polenta Crisp with vanilla custard cream and Deconstructed Carrot Cake: carrot sorbet, cream cheese panna cotta, and sponge cubes.

XO’s brunch specialties begin with the Dirty Red Snapper Bloody Mary, featuring house made Bloody Mary mix with gin and olive juice; the Vong Mimosa with sparkling wine, Malibu, and mango puree; and the Sunrise Mimosa featuring sparkling wine, fresh grapefruit, and St. Germain.

Brunch dishes for the season include French Toast with Silver Star sweet bread, crème brulee custard, sliced strawberries, and warm maple syrup; Florentine Benedict with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, English muffin, home fries, and lemon Hollandaise; and Omelets composed of Baffoni Farm eggs and Maine smoked salmon, spinach, and Narragansett ricotta or pecan-smoked bacon, mushroom, and Cabot Cheddar.

As always, guests who enjoy Sunday brunch in their pajamas will receive a complimentary classic mimosa or Bloody Mary featuring XO’s proprietary blend of tomato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, and hot peppers garnished with pickled green beans.

XO Café serves dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Sunday brunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 401-273- 9090 or visit www.xocafe.com.

Iron Tender

Join us for the Iron Tender 2012 Bar War Challenge! Monday, April 9th – May 21st at the Lighthouse Bar @ Twin River Casino at 7:30 p.m. 5 weeks of competitions! 1st place winners each week & the 2 highest scoring overall teams after 5 weeks will advance to the finals! 7 teams will compete in the finals, Win over $5,000 in cash & prizes! To enter, contact Frank Martucci at 401-475-8495 or Scott Burchfield at 401-475-8392. 100 Twin River Road, Lincoln RI 02921 ~ www.twinriver.com

For more information about the event see the Iron Tender Facebook page.

ISES EXPOsed

Internation Special Events Society (ISES) Rhode Island Presents: ISES RI EXPOsed, showcasing the best of the special events industry in Southern New England. This event will introduce you to the best and brightest of the Special Events Industry and will give you access to resources and new ideas. This is NOT your traditional trade show. Wednesday, April 11, 4 – 9 p.m. at Twin River Casino Event Center, 100 Twin River Rd., Lincoln, RI 02865. Phone: 401-465-5177, Email: info@isesri.org.

Eat Drink RI‘s David Dadekian is moderating and judging food & drink events as part of the ISES-RI Test Kitchen at the Expo. The first is a 5 p.m. panel discussion Culinary Trends and Dietary Requirements in Menu Planning with Chef Zach Tenen from The Dorrance, Pastry Chef Jill Puleo from Sugarbird Bakery and Chef Kaitlyn Roberts from Easy Entertaining Inc.

At 6:30 p.m. the Rhode Island chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild is holding Mixology Lab Demonstrations with Frank Martucci, Michael Lester and Brendan Chipley Roane.

At 7:30 p.m. the ISES-RI Test Kitchen turns into a kitchen stadium as Chefs Mark Garofalo of Fire Works Catering and Dean Dassler of Twin River go head-to-head in a Cooking Competition to prepare one appetizer and one entree with a secret ingredient.

The Expo is free to the public. Register in advance online.