If you’re headed to Newport for a delicious meal in a scenic setting, you’ll pass by one of the best spots around long before you hit the water. Brix Restaurant in Middletown may not have ocean views, but it does have Newport Vineyards’ 60 acres of grapes in its backyard. It’s a serene, almost rural place (“almost” because it is on East Main Road/Rt. 138) that has always been great for sampling local wine, shopping and hangingout. With the recent opening of Brix in October, it’s now great for food too.
Newport Vineyards owners John and Paul Nunes are in the midst of a 30,000 square foot, multi-million dollar renovation and expansion that includes not only Brix, but a new Tank Room and winery patio, Tasting Room, three-season Vineyard Porch, marketplace and store. According to John, the vision is “to create a multi-faceted destination within the destination of Aquidneck Island.” Completion is expected during 2015, the 20th anniversary of the Nunes’ ownership.
Brix is the first restaurant venture under the Newport Vineyards organization,but the team includes General Manager Michael Harris and Executive Chef Ron Aguiar, who each bring over 30 years of restaurant experience to the table. After decades in the wine business, Nunesex plains the harmonious extension to food: “The culinary philosophy behind Brix is to bring the truth in food. From our vineyards we bring the philosophy that our wine should highlight the taste of the grapes themselves, and therefore our food should highlight the flavors and ingredients that make it come to life. The menu is planned to change seasonally, in order to source as much as possible the freshest ingredients.
”Our recent dinner experience was on a bitterly cold evening, but we quickly forgot the chill upon arrival as we scoped the impressive space. Two walls of windows overlook the Tank Room, Barrel Room and vineyard and the restaurant itself is large with high ceilings, wood beams and an original stone fireplace. I looked for the brick oven that was the likely namesake, but I was completely wrong – “brix” is actually a winemaking term that refers to the preproduction estimate of a wine’s potential alcohol content by measuring the sugar level in the grapes.
We started with the appetizer special of the evening, Lobster Eggrolls ($13). I was skeptical that there would be a meaningful amount of lobster included, but I was wrong again. The eggrolls had bona fide lobster chunks in them that ensured sweet meat in every bite. These were followed by the Vineyard Flambee Pizza ($12), a thin crust topped with Mornay (a white sauce with cheese), caramelized onion, smoked bacon and gruyere cheese. The menu describes the dish as “inspired by the Alsace region of France.” While I don’t get the French connection, I was sufficiently inspired to eat all the leftovers for breakfast the very next morning.
The only reason we had leftover pizza is that servers continually passed by with hearty-sized entrees and we thought it best to save room. Of our three entrees, the only mis-step was the pan-roasted Sole Meuniere ($18) with French green beans, baby carrots, caramelized onion, petite potatoes and lemon butter sauce. The fish and vegetables were undercooked, which put a damper on an otherwise well-composed dish. The Portuguese Seafood Stew ($21) was chock full of chourico, littlenecks, mussels, shrimp, octopus, calamari, cod and tomato broth over rice. This version didn’t have the kick of a spicy Fra Diavolo sauce or even garlic as is often found in this dish, but it allowed the seafood to take center stage. As a fun nod to another Portuguese dish that’s popular locally, the food was topped with a crispy, fried egg.
The dish that will have us running back is the Brie and Pears sandwich ($9) – brie and pears are layered with arugula and fig jam between two pieces of warm, crusty grilled ciabatta. The bread alone was fantastic, but the ingredients combined for bold, sweet flavor and varied textures. The sandwich was accompanied by large, hand-cut fries that looked the way French fries look in commercials but never seem to look when you get them in real life.
Nunes points out that “wining and dining” takes on new meaning at a place like Brix: “We strive to offer a unique experience unlike any other in New England. You can visit the winery for a tour or tasting, then dine at Brix and enjoy those same wines paired with your meal, or celebrate with friends or family in front of our original stone fireplace… or look out to the activity in the winery and the vineyard beyond.” You just might not make it into Newport.
Brix Restaurant
909 East Main Road
Middletown
848-5161
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