Phantom Gourmet: Statesman Tavern In Bristol, Rhode Island

BRISTOL, RI - At Statesman Tavern, the reviews are in, and this fresh take on the classic American tavern is a big hit. Located in historic Bristol, Rhode Island, right by the beautiful harbor, Statesman Tavern is the brainchild of owner Sam Glynn, who looked to the past, to create something new.

"Statesman Tavern is a modern interpretation of the classic American Tavern, places that resided in towns, just like this, hundreds of year ago. We wanted to bring back a lot of the past but have a modern influence with the food and the cocktails and the atmosphere."

So Sam used traditional tavern fixtures, dark tones, and nautical touches to decorate the dining room, and he hired Chef Chris Kleyla to command the busy kitchen, where the emphasis is on what's seasonal, local, and of course, delicious.

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"The fish is swimming in the bay behind us. The plants are growing a few miles away from us. So what you do with those ingredients is inherently going to be fantastic," Chef Chris said.

Customers seem to agree. They've penned hundreds of great reviews about the restaurant, but they're not posted anonymously on some website. They're written right in the dining room, with pen and paper.

"We actually have this cool little thing where the check presenter is actually a little journal, and people can write little notes in the back of the journal," Sam explained. "People have been writing incredibly gracious things in there about our food, our cocktails, our atmosphere, our hospitality, and it's really rewarding at the end of the night to flip through those things. It motivates myself, it motivates our staff to keep doing what we're doing at a really high level."

Familiar comfort foods fill the menu at Statesman Tavern, and there are portions and prices for all palates and pockets, whether you want a simple snack or a special occasion splurge.

"This is totally a place where you can come in and get a nice bottle of wine and eat some fantastic higher end stuff, but we also have popcorn on the menu, and we have pimento cheese, and we have pickles," Chris said. "You can come in here numerous times a week if you wanted to, and we do have people who do that. Then we have groups of people that come in and do special occasions. That is what the tavern is."

If you are in a snacking kind of mood, those pickles or popcorn are awesome, but the housemade pimento cheese is a dish that's really not to be missed.

"Pimento Cheese is the caviar of the South," according to Sam. "We use Vermont sharp cheddar cheese. We make our own aioli here, roasted red peppers, scallions. It's a spreadable cheese. We serve it with a really great baguette, and it's somewhat gluttonous because you're dipping bread in cheese, but it's super refined in flavor and technique."

Ready for something a bit more substantial? Then check out the Rhode Island Clams and Mussels, with bacon, garlic, and miso.

"That is a dish that has quickly become the number one seller," Sam said. "The clams and mussels that we get are growing right out in Narragansett Bay, not too far from where we are right now. So it's about as close as you can get to the restaurant without being in it."

For a Southern spin on seafood, the Shrimp and Grits are about as authentic as you can get.

"Our chef Chris spent a lot of time down in Texas. I spent a lot of time down in the southern part of the country, and shrimp and grits is the ultimate Southern comfort food," Sam said. "We wanted to do it as authentic as we could up here, so we use Gulf shrimp. We also use Anson Mills grits, which is the only grit that people use down south. You can really notice a difference in the flavor, and it's certainly made with love."

In fact, everyone at Statesman Tavern lends a hand to make sure the grits always come out great.

"The rule in the kitchen is when you walk by the grit pot, you got to stir the grit pot. Everybody's got to stir the grit pot. Respect the grits. Don't be a jerk. Don't burn the grits," said Chef Chris.

There's plenty of hearty tavern fare, like a Bacon Double Cheeseburger with malt and vinegar potato chips, Roasted Chicken Breast served over farro, and a perfectly cooked steak with addictive black pepper sauce. They have what might be the best Fried Chicken Sandwich you'll ever have, piled high with juicy chicken thighs, housemade pickles, red cabbage slaw, garlic aioli, and fried jalapeno hot sauce.

"We're kind of just like go big or go home in that regard," Chef Chris said. "I mean everybody loves a fried chicken sandwich. A guy could come in here, have a Ganset, have a fried chicken sandwich, and leave. So that dish was designed for that kind of guy. It's pretty epic."

Finish your meal with a slice of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake, or an ever-changing assortment of Statesman Tavern's homemade ice creams.

You can find Statesman Tavern at 31 State Street in Bristol, Rhode Island, and online at statesmantavern.com.

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