Dante’s Kitchen
"It's delicious. Best food I've ever had."
"The food is finger licking good.
"It's not like anything you'd ever get anywhere else. "
"Its amazing. It's bomb. It's really good."
"Phenomenal food. Great people. Fantastic atmosphere. I love coming to Dante's Kitchen."
At Dante's Kitchen in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, words cannot do the dishes justice.
"Outstanding. You're going to get sick of seeing me here."
According to owner, Lisa Altieri, it's the customers' reactions that let her know she's doing things right.
"They start eating and then all you see is this. So, that's a really good sign for me. I don't even need to ask anybody if they don't like it. As long as I see their head nodding up and down, we're all good."
And with just once bite you'll be all good at Dante's Kitchen.
Named after Lisa's adorable dog, Dante's Kitchen is a small but spirited spot serving southern inspired breakfast and lunch in a festive friendly dining room. Lisa grew up in Rhode Island, so when she decided to open her own restaurant, she wanted it to stand out, so her inspiration came from down South.
"My previous job, I traveled pretty extensively in the South and I was able to experience the culture of the South, which I really fell in love with. I wanted it to be a different take on breakfast and lunch with just a little twist. They're getting a lot of Creole flavors. A lot of flavors from the South. A lot of different flavors that you don't typically see in New England or especially in Rhode Island."
At breakfast, there's a line up of ways to kick of your day with a kick to the taste buds. There are southern staples like biscuits and gravy topped with two eggs and creamy Shrimp and Cheddar Grits spiked with roasted red peppers and caramelized onions. But a southern restaurant is only as good as their chicken and waffles, and at Dante's, it's a must have.
"It's really flavorful. It's juicy. It's not dry and it pairs so well with our buttermilk waffles. And the best part at the end you get your house made, Bourbon real maple syrup to put on it. It's like a match made in your mouth.
Even hash gets a southern spin here, when it's made with pulled pork. Served over a buttermilk biscuit with two poached eggs and topped with a tangy bbq sauce, you'll fall in love with this dish after just one bite.
"Most people that come in and they start off with the Pulled Pork Hash, they never change. They never say I wanna try something different. And that happens a lot with our dishes."
The same can be said for the Hot Pastrami Benedict- an amped up version of the classic topped with seared pastrami and fennel slaw with a banana pepper hollandaise. And if you're looking for a sugar rush to rush into your day, look no further than the Banana Nutella French Toast- topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
“It's so good that you do not need syrup on it. You do not need butter. It literally melts in your mouth because the Nutella oozes out of the French toast. It's amazing."
The flavor is kicked up at lunch time, with options like Mac and Cheese piled up with pulled pork and Lisa's favorite, the Jambalaya.
"Jambalaya is my favorite. It's my absolute favorite dish. It's the richest dish here. Most people do not serve it with the andouille, the shrimp and chicken. We do. And I think that combination of flavors is what sets us apart. And then our Creole sauce. Secret, but amazing."
And Dante's BLTs are made with fried green tomatoes for a different take on this lunchtime favorite.
"They taste much different than a regular tomato, but when they fry up they stay really nice and hot. So, they match well with the bread and we do it with a Cajun aioli mayonnaise. So, we do a little bit of a twist to a regular BLT and then our smoked pecan bacon. You pretty much can't find anywhere. Oh, it's great."
But if you really want to get your bacon on, go for the Crispy Pork Belly Po' Boy.
"What's there not to like about thick cut bacon? It's so good and then you put some pickled onions on it and some of our special sauce on a PoBoy roll, with our hand cut fries. You can't go wrong."
At Dante's, there's NOTHING wrong with having something sweet after breakfast or lunch, and the desserts here do not disappoint. There's Strawberry Shortcake featuring a house made biscuit topped with macerated strawberries, vanilla bean ice cream and fresh whipped cream and addictive New Orleans Style Beignets- that are good before and after a meal at Dante's.
"Everybody either orders beignets before dessert as their appetizer or they order it as dessert. They're very light and airy and you feel like you could eat more because they are so light."
And from the food, to the mood, it's all about Southern hospitality- something Lisa is bringing to Rhode Island once customer at a time.
"A lot of people have reservations about something different, especially when it comes to Southern food in Rhode Island, and I want them to leave and say, "That was an awesome experience." Right from walking in the door to seeing the atmosphere. To the food presentation, the way it comes out on the plate. The flavors of the food and then, the service. I want them to come back and say, "Oh, I wanna see that waitress again," or "I wanna see the owner again. I had such a great experience with them."
