Andino's

171 Atwells Ave., Providence, RI - (401) 453-3164

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Posted By Michael Stern on 11/19/2009 8:42:00 AM

Although I managed to find my own (rare) parking space on Atwells Avenue, I had a chat with the valet in front Andino's who, when I asked him what was good, exclaimed without hesitation, "Snails!"

It's hard to pick which Italian restaurant to visit among the dozen or more in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence, but the snail factor had me in the door at Andino's and on the way to a table. The waiter beamed when I ordered snails without his prompting and when they arrived, he pointed out what a connoisseur of this unique Rhode Island specialty will recognize immediately: Andino's snails are different. Typical Ocean State snails are sliced pepperoni-thin and marinated in garlicky dressing. Andino's are cut into bite-size chunks and served on a bed of lettuce with no adornment other than a couple of lemon wedges. Cruets of oil and vinegar come alongside and hot sauce is available, but these snails need to be tasted with nothing more than a drop or two of fresh lemon juice. They have a gentle marine sweetness (they are ocean snails, not like in the garden!) and their dense meat provides just enough tooth resistance to make chewing fun. One appetizer-size serving is enough for at least two people.

As familiar as snail salad is strange, linguine aglio e olio is another Andino's winner. Hefty al dente noodles arrive swimming in oil with a judicious measure of garlic. It's a comfort-food meal unless you pay a few dollars extra to add the salty kick of anchovies. The good linguine also is available with clams or clam sauce (red or white), meatballs or sausage. Beyond pasta (which includes manicotti, ravioli, lasagna and even fried ravioli appetizers), Andino's menu covers a full spectrum of Italian-American food from chicken parm to veal saltimbocca.

Ambience is pure Providence, decor a scrapbook of Rat Pack posters and the sort of Italian-American pop culture stereotypes that the Sons of Italy don't like, including pictures from The Godfather and Frank Sinatra's famous Bergen County mug shot. We ate our snails to the tune of "That's Amore" on the house sound system and leftovers were packaged and put in black bags that had the sheen of a Tony Soprano dress shirt.

Note: although credit cards are accepted, the menu asks that gratuities be paid in cash. Also, it should be noted that whereas most lunch entrees are under $10, dinner is closer to $20 or more.

Scorecard

Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour

Snail Salad	Linguine with Meatball or Sausage
Linguine Aglio E Olio

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"A lovely plate of linguine alio e olio, roughly translated as 'swimming in garlicky olive oil,' is given extra snap by the inclusion of tangy bits of anchovy. The noodles are long and strong, making the big spoon a handy socket for twirling them on a fork."
Michael Stern

"Snail salad is popular throughout Rhode Island, but I've never seen the dense, sweet meat of the ocean snail (aka whelk) so honored as it is in this simple preparation."
Michael Stern

"Unable to choose between meatballs and sausage on the linguine, we asked for both. The meatball was moist and beefy; the sausage was strangely dry but vividly spiced."
Michael Stern

"Atwells Avenue is lined with Italian restaurants. Andino's is a good one -- polite but not too fancy and moderately priced (especially at lunch)."
Michael Stern

"You likely will want to take advantage of the valet parking. It's rare to find a good spot on the street."
Michael Stern

"Chairs are lined up on the sidewalk in front of Andino's, where smokers are welcome to light up using house matchbooks."
Michael Stern

"The walls of Andino's are a collection of Italian-American pop-culture iconography. If you are a fan of the Sopranos TV show, you might remember that Tony had this mug shot of Sinatra on the wall in his office."
Michael Stern