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Rhode Island Dining 2009

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Best Fresh Seafood:
JIM'S DOCK, East Matunuck
For three generations it's been much the same at this family-run business. From Jim's front deck, you can watch the Block Island ferry glide by or count the fishing boats going into the port of Galilee. The freshness of the menu is undisputed. Prime evidence: A fishing boat stops almost daily here, offering the best of its catch--cod, flounder, swordfish, or scallops. Entrées: from $8.95. 109 Succotash Road. 401-783-2050; jims-dock.com

Best Excuse to Go (Italian) Vegetarian:
MAMMA LUISA, Newport
Of course, cheese often replaces meat in many pasta dishes, but the offerings at Mamma Luisa include a meatlike Bolognese sauce (owner Marco Trazzi hails from Bologna) "beefed" up with fava beans and seitan (a wheat gluten product). The spinach gnocchi and butternut squash ravioli are also unforgettable. Entrées: from $12.50. 673 Thames St. 401-848-5257; mammaluisa.com

Best Hot Dog:
HEWTIN HOT DOG CART, Providence
The Hewtin Hot Dog Cart offers devotees spicy or smoked wieners (from $2.50), with gourmet toppings prepared by Matthew and Kristin Gennuso, owners of the French restaurant Chez Pascal, just across the street. Don't miss the sweet pepper and cucumber relishes, sauerkraut, chili, or pork 'n' beans. Each one of them is homemade. Lippitt Park, Hope St.

Best Local Flavor:
NEW RIVERS, Providence
Over the course of two decades, this award-winning restaurant has set the mark that others try to reach, using local and organic ingredients to venture into new culinary territory, all the while offering warm, welcoming service. Chef/owner Bruce Tillinghast's background in art and his interest in world cuisines are reflected in the cosmopolitan ambience and the menu, from the homemade ravioli filled with goat cheese and mint, to the lemon-and-thyme-marinated grilled brook trout. Entrées: from $16. 7 Steeple St. 401-751-0350; newriversrestaurant.com

Best Art Nouveau Re-do
LOIE FULLER'S, Providence
Form meets content, where everything old is new again, at Loie Fuller's bistro. The dining room walls are muraled with Art Nouveau lovelies, surrounded by freeform mirrors and swirls of carved wood. Designer Kyla Coburn had free rein to match the delicious country French and Cajun cuisine of chef Eric Wolf. The Kurobuta pork cheeks are fork-tender; the duck confit falls off the bone; unusual veggies, such as celery root and Brussels sprouts, are treated with respect. All with Belgian beer on the side. Entrées: from $13. 1455 Westminster St. 401-273-4375; loiefullers.com

Best Homemade Ice Cream:
BRICKLEY'S, Wakefield/Narragansett
Owner Steve Brophy loves making small-batch ice cream, and he's devoted to the true flavors of fruit purees, real vanilla extract, real nuts, and no imitation coloring. Some flavors mix in bits of cookies or candies (Heath Bar and Almond Joy), but the all-time winner is ginger, which comes chockfull of crystallized chunks of the stuff. 322 Main St., Wakefield, 401-782-8864; 921 Boston Neck Road, Narragansett, 401-789-1784

Best After-Beach Refresher:
DEL'S LEMONADE, Statewide
The DeLucia family knows a little something about staying cool. Their famous frozen lemonade is virtually the same family recipe that they started with in Naples, Italy, in 1840. What distinguishes Del's from other frozen lemonades is that it's just barely sweet. The secret: It's made with real lemon juice, with real chunks of real lemon to prove it. In recent years, Del's has introduced new flavors, including watermelon, but lemon still rules. 20 locations, plus trucks and stands; 401-463-6190; dels.com