Phantom Gourmet: Eli's Kitchen In Warren, RI
WARREN, RI - This is a story about a guy named Eli, and his family, and how their love of food has led to a restaurant you simply must visit.
Eli's Kitchen in Warren, Rhode Island, is a small, 30-something seat restaurant with an open kitchen, family photos on the walls, and nautical touches around the dining room. Technically, Eli Dunn is the Chef and Owner, but he really just considers himself a guy who loves to cook for people.
"I love people. I'm a people person, I always have been. I just wanted to open a small restaurant where I could basically just feed people delicious food."
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The seeds for serving others were planted early in Eli, because he was practically born into the restaurant business.
"My mom owned a restaurant for 30 years. I was literally born upstairs from a restaurant, with a midwife, in the house. And so like when I was 12 years old, I was washing dishes at my mom's restaurant."
That restaurant was Phoebe's Fish and Chips, a beloved seafood spot in Seekonk, Massachusetts, where Eli's mom Phoebe was a chef ahead of her time.
"She was cooking locally sourced seafood and vegetables before that was, like, a thing," Eli boasted. "It was a really small, 30-something seat restaurant with an open kitchen. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
It's fitting the restaurant is named Eli's Kitchen, because a meal here is a lot like having dinner in Eli's home, with a menu of stuff Eli likes to eat.
"It's just a collection of all interpretations of my favorite meals, my favorite things to eat, and so that happens to be a lot of ethnic food, a lot of southern food, definitely an emphasis on New Orleans food and culture, and then coastal New England seafood."
There are small plates like classic Rhode Island style Clam Chowder with golden Clam Cakes for dunking; Crab and Dill Beignets with homemade tartar sauce; and Sweet Chili Cauliflower with fried garlic, shallots, and herbs.
"You've got the heartiness of the cauliflower, the little crunch from the tapioca starch, and the sweet chili sauce is sweet and spicy; and then you get this sort of herbaceous zing of the fresh mint and the cilantro; and then the kind of savory crunch of the fried garlic and fried shallots," Eli described. "It's really, really good."
The herbs on the cauliflower and many of the other dishes in the kitchen come from just feet away, thanks to Eli's mom, who tends the herb garden right behind the restaurant. As much as Eli appreciates having his mom help out, some spots are off limits.
"As long as she's not in the back of the house telling me that I'm putting too much food on the plate… or salt in the soup," he said. "I love having my mom here. It kind of brings everything full circle for me."
While mom may not be allowed back in the kitchen, some of her recipes certainly are, especially her classic Fish and Chips, fried up every Friday.
"It's her basic fish batter recipe, fresh locally caught codfish, just a really simple cole slaw with honey and mayonnaise, just classic fish and chip flavor. It's a really special thing, I think, to be able to serve the fish and chips as a sort of homage to Phoebe's."
Another Mom inspired meal is Eli's Meatloaf, with mashed potatoes, bacon, and plenty of mushroom gravy.
"I basically took my mom's meatloaf recipe and I wanted to make it a little more special. So it's grass fed beef, ground up Applewood smoked bacon, Italian sausage, and then we put more bacon over it and roast it. It's completely over the top."
For something only slightly smaller, there's a grass fed bacon and Swiss burger on brioche, Carnitas Tacos with tomatillo salsa and pickled red onions, and a Meatball Panini on grilled flatbread.
"We literally just take the meatballs, throw them on the grill, chop them up a little bit, throw them in a panini with some fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and basil to make it healthy," Eli laughed. "I wanted have that perfect bite of Italian food."
On the weekends, Eli's Kitchen offers up an awesome brunch with Buttermilk Pancakes, Banana French Toast, and Southern Biscuits and Gravy. But the best way to start your day, or end any meal, is with one of the restaurant's ever changing Brioche Donuts, topped with anything from Maple and Bacon, to Blueberry and Graham Cracker, to Coffee Ice Cream and Chocolate Ganache.
"We fry them off ahead of time and then we kind of reheat them in the oven, which gives them like a really nice crispiness," Eli explained. "Basically it just becomes a vehicle for whatever ridiculous thing we want to put on top."
A visit to Eli's Kitchen will be one of the best meals you'll ever eat, made by a man who loves for food and family is evident on every plate.
"I think that Eli's Kitchen is really successful because the food's good, but also because I think that there's a story there, and then having my mom be a part of that makes it even more special."
You can find Eli's at 40 Market Street in Warren, RI, and online at eliskitchenwarren.com.
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