Too Much at Red Stripe

The Red Stripe American Brasserie in Narragansett, one of two in Rhode Island, is described in their website as:

Red Stripe is a traditional brasserie with an edge. Classic, and unique. Red Stripe has the distinction of being upscale yet relaxed, where you will find people from all walks of life enjoying their dining experience. Red Stripe serves comfort food with a French influence – simple in context, yet refined in taste. Food that is reasonably priced and made with passion!

This is far from the dinner experience I had. Inside the decor is a bit confusing. Like in other brasseries, they have wine bottle displayed, round white lamps above the tables, warm colored walls, and large art prints. In the dinning room, some tables have large red and black banquets, which made me feel like I was at a diner. The bar has a free floating display of liquor bottles inside of it; more fitting for a trendy city bar, not a restaurant that gives crayons to children to draw on the table.

The menu was extensive; comparable to the Cheesecake Factory, with somewhat diverse selections worth mentioning: burgers, pizzas, appetizers, salads, seafood,fried seafood, sandwiches pork, chicken, Jamaican selection, and Italian selection. I guess the large portions can be interpreted as comforting, but the French influence is weak and with dishes like taco fritos de la playa negra and veal parmesan they should not make such a distinct claim.

We ordered the Red Strip mussels cooked with shallots, Red Stripe beer, garlic, tomato, pesto and cream, while we took our time to read the entire menu. We decided to order several things to share. When the mussels arrived, in mini iron pans, we did not have plates, and our server was m.i.a. We started eating them, since we did not want them to get cold, and we realized that they were sandy. When our server finally came around, we told her, and she took them away and said she would put in a new order. I would have preferred to order something else, since if there was sand the whole batch is still sandy, but she rushed off.

The rest of our food all arrived soon after, although we had requested they get sent out when ready. A pizza does not take the same amount of time as a soup! The "New Heaven" clam pizza, with garlic, parmesan cheese, chopped clams, and green onion was disappointing. First, it did not have green onion and there was an excessive amount of cheese (a common denominator at Red Strip) which made the thin crust very soggy. The baked French onion soup was extremely weak, as if it had been made with vegetable or chicken stock, and it was very greasy. The Jamaican jerk chicken wings, served with banana guava ketchup, was probably the best part of our meal. They were sweet and a bit spicy, although traditional Jamaican jerk spice is more spicy than sweet. My beau suggested it needed acidity, so we ordered limes, and the squirt of juice did make an amazing difference. It masked the sweetness, which was so predominant, and brought out the spiciness. The banana guava ketchup was as unappealing as it sounds. It was a thick paste made of browned bananas and its sweetness made no sense with the already sweet wings. The second mussels arrived, and to no ones surprise, they still had sand, and we sent them back. Worked out well since the rest of the food was ample. We finished full with food left on the plate.

Red Stripe is a place of excess, which is to their detriment. If they limited their menu, they could be more successful with the execution of dishes. They should also assess the actual approach to the dishes in terms of ingredients and preparation. Narrowing down their focus could be beneficial to them. Too many ideas are in place but their is little harmony among the different concepts. I hope they take a step back and reflect; they have potential.