L'Attitude

A hidden gem in Pawtuxet Village

by Bill Rodriguez

2190 Broad St., Cranston, (401) 780-8700
Open daily, 12-10 p.m.
Major credit cards
Sidewalk access

We got turned onto the place by our mailman. Try it -- you'll like it, he declared, perhaps to make up for handing Johnnie a stack of bills. I love this place. You find good food in every corner these days. The other week we came across a decent New Orleans muffuletta at the sandwich counter of a Harmony gift shop, and definitive Belgian waffles can be had in the shadow of a service station in Westerly.

L'Attitude is in the Pawtuxet Village section of Cranston, not in the western wilds of the state. There's enough street traffic to keep it open seven days a week, especially with its loyal neighborhood regulars. Getting there early is a good idea, especially on weekends, since they don't take reservations. It's a small place -- only nine tables, six of them for couples. The bar fills up most of the space, crowding out not only the coat rack, which is outside the entrance, but also the restroom, which is down the entryway hall.

Smoke-mutterers be advised: since cigarettes are permitted at the bar, there's no escape. But don't think cheek-to-jowl; the attitude of opportunity is intimate. The place is concerned about details: unusually, mills with pepper and earthy cardamom-infused salt are on each table.

Gourmet preparations mingle on the menu with Joe six-pack items, such as beer-batter onion rings and calzones, like a Queens/Hamptons wedding reception. The place bills itself as a "modern eatery," so an ecumenical approach seems in order. Although the appetizers -- sorry, they're listed as "snacks" -- include smoked salmon with lemon aioli and grilled portobello, the ur-Rhode Island ambience caused Johnnie and my eyes to dart to the fried calamari ($5.50/ $7.50) as first choice. We usually avoid the dish, especially when it's the traditional preparation as here, as pedestrian and unadventurous.

But just as corn flakes sometimes hit the spot at breakfast, this pile of not-too-greasy, not-too-tentacled batter-fried squid, with banana pepper slices and black olives, shows why the Italian-style version is so well appreciated. The smaller size was plenty for the two of us. We also enjoyed their broiled pear salad ($4.25), with its sherry vinaigrette and pecans sweetened by being caramelized. Our waitress served it on two plates, unasked, when I said we would share it (yes, a test).

L'Attitude's pizzas sound like good alternative meal openers, with versions that combine roasted garlic and spinach, and black bean puree and grilled chicken. They run $6.50 to $7.50, half-price Sundays and Mondays after 6. (We ordered the veggie calzone [$6.50] to go, curious about how cream cheese, instead of the usual ricotta on their Italian version, would work. It does, and adds much less moisture than ricotta.)

Our letter carrier recommended the bouillabaisse. It isn't on the regular menu and wasn't a special that night, but the suggestion made me trust a special that was: grilled tuna ($14.50). Fresh and medium-rare as requested, it flattened a mound of skin-on red bliss mashed potatoes that was flavorful even without the soy-based gravy. The "Asian-style" vegetables on top -- carrots, zucchini and such -- were so described since most were matchstick-size, not because they included bok choy or bamboo shoots, but the pile of shaved scallions on top was an apt taste complement.

My tablemate chose the "kitchen sink" veggie penne ($9) from among the half-dozen pastas, none more than $13. It was good, with portobello slices and sun-dried tomatoes joining the garden in the light white wine sauce. Johnnie liked how the roasted red peppers controlled the taste, but she was disappointed by a lack of greater variety among the vegetables. Grilled bread comes with the pastas -- time-consuming for the kitchen, but nice for us. If you ask for bread while you're waiting for your appetizer, this is what you get.

There were two kitchen-made desserts that night, chocolate cream pie and a raspberry-swirl cheesecake ($4.95). Although a very small wedge, the latter was moister and creamier than most versions, and all the more scrumptious for the variation.

Dean Scanlon, the executive chef and co-owner here, wasn't in the kitchen on the night we came -- a situation that happily shows how it was left in more than competent hands. If l'ambience matters to you as much as l'attitude, you might want to try Scanlon's similar menu while over-looking the water, at Rhode Island Yacht Club's Regatta Grille, in Cranston on Friday nights.