Mike’s Kitchen | Rhode Island Italian Seafood in the VFW Hall

Where the Cognoscenti Go

If you happen to drive by Mike’s Kitchen, you might not notice it’s a restaurant. Only one little sign, other than the VFW Post Number, says what it is. Mike’s does not need to advertise. To those who seek out masterful Rhode Island Italian food at surprisingly reasonable prices, it has been an appetite-stirring magnet for years.

Taste of Italy & Portugal … Via Rhode Island

The menu, posted on the wall, piques a Roadfood appetite at first glance. It lists a catalog of dishes that are mostly Italian, a little Portuguese, and very Rhode Island. You can begin a meal with a stuffie (a stuffed quohog clam). Or fork into the unique Ocean State appetizer known as snail salad. Then move on to expertly broiled swordfish or scallops. Or bypass seafood altogether. Indulge in such old-world favorites as sautéed broccoli rabe (or a rabe and provolone sandwich), gnocchi Sorrentino, sole Florentine, or chicken with cannellini beans. On the side of anything, you want polenta. There is none better. The kitchen pairs this cream-soft block of steamy cooked cornmeal with fennel-spiked sausage, meatballs, or a blanket of thick marinara sauce.

Essential Italian

Many of the Italian dishes are familiar. Veal cutlets come in a variety of sauces. The extensive menu offers Parmesans galore, scampis, and even spaghetti with meatballs. A purist may enjoy pasta with nothing but oil and garlic. Seafood pastas, offered with a choice of red or white sauce, deserve special attention. Best of them all is a preparation called Diablo. It dazzles the palate and challenges the most voracious appetite. An abundant array of lobster, scallops, and shrimp come spread out across a bed of noodles.

To drink with your Rhode Island Italian meal, wine and cocktails are available from a bar at one side of the dining room. You will pay for these separately, as the bar is run by the veterans who own the building.