Two new plant-based restaurants offer comfort food and much more for vegans and skeptics
BRISTOL — It's been a very good year for diners in this East Bay town.
Food and drink businesses moved into the fabulous Unity Park in the Bristol Industrial Park. Originally home to the National Rubber Company which launched in 1865, the property became Kaiser Aluminum in 1957. After years sitting vacant, developer Joe Brito created a new food destination that includes restaurants, a coffee shop, a brewery, shops, and soon, a distillery.
Now, plant-based bistro Basil & Bunny has moved into Unity Park with a casual dining concept. Foglia, a second plant-based restaurant, has opened in downtown Bristol, less than a mile away.
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This is great news not only for those who live a vegan lifestyle but also for those who want to experiment with plant-based cuisine. At both restaurants, you'll find unique dishes, created with well-developed palates in mind. Going vegan doesn't mean giving up flavors.
That's not all they have in common. Both are passion projects and second careers for their owners.
Foglia means plant in Italian
Foglia has moved into the space that was most recently The Statesman, and previously Persimmon and The Hotpoint, whose antique neon sign remains on the building.
The restaurant is the first from chef Pete Carvelli who has been doing pop-ups for several years under the Twelve Plants moniker. His passion for plant-based cuisine is based on vegetables, greens, vegan cheeses and housemade pasta. He even makes his own focaccia.
"No one is doing the kind of food I am," he said.
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He's been open in Bristol less than two months and business is robust.
Leaf design in the restaurant, which has been newly renovated, is the only signal of what Foglia serves. Carvelli said that is because at the heart of it Foglia is a restaurant, serving a unique menu just as any restaurant would.
His concept is casual, fine dining. Reservations are encouraged but you can also come in and sit at the bar and enjoy a piece of vegan cheesecake or an entire meal.
The menu is seasonal. Already gone are his fried squash blossoms but his local tomato salad could extend a bit into September, as will his Summer Harvest Salad which is gluten-free, too. As we head into fall, you might find eggplant on the menu, Agnolotti handmade pasta with mushroom-tofu ricotta or sausage, made with farro and fennel.
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He also offers gluten-free pasta and items are marked nut-free and gluten-free on the menu.
Beet Roses are chef Pete Carvelli's signature dish. They take two days to make.
“The beets are thinly sliced, rolled and then shaped to look like roses," he said. "They sit atop beet-pistachio crumble and are paired with vegan feta, beet emulsion and pickled red onions.”
Carvelli started out as a photojournalist before going to law school at Roger Williams University Law while he was a stay-at-home dad. That's when he started to cook more and experimented with recipes. He took an online course to advance his skills.
In the summer of 2019, he began holding fixed-price dinners at Vinya, the tiny Westminster Street kitchen in Providence. He developed a fan base just in time for COVID to hit. He moved to pop-ups in Newport at Roots on Broadway, which, as a daytime cafe serving breakfast and lunch, could share their space in the evenings. They too are plant-based.
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Carvelli's been a vegetarian most of his adult life not just for his health but also for the environment and the animals.
"Today, you sacrifice very little, if nothing, by eating a plant-based diet," he said. Naming cashew-based cheese as one of many game changers.
His pastry chef is Piper McAloon, a teen with a passion for vegan desserts that diners can't identify as dairy free.
"For me, it's still like a dream when I'm in the kitchen and I hear the laughter and joy in the dining room," Carvelli said.
Details: Foglia, 1 State St, Bristol, (401) 253-1195, fogliabristol.com.
Basil & Bunny began with a food truck
Lyslie and Matt Madeiros are the co-founders and chefs of Basil & Bunny. Just five years ago, she was a trainer in the cosmetics industry. He was in marketing, working for Narragansett Beer and Revival Brewing.
"We had just gone vegan," said Lyslie. As they experimented with cooking new dishes, she began blogging about their food.
Credit their career change to friends who loved their cooking and kept asking when are you two going to open a restaurant. Her travel for work also brought her around the country where she saw restaurants that helped her figure out what she wanted to do.
They joined Hope & Main in 2019 and developed at the culinary business incubator in Warren, doing a lot of research and development. After some experimentation, they bought a food truck from which they would sell their food.
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They had their coming out as Basil & Bunny at the inaugural RI Vegfest in Providence, in February 2020. Their table at the event was a big hit.
"It was a huge success for us," she said. It was also just a few weeks before the COVID pandemic struck.
"We were booked for the rest of the year," she said.
With events on hold, they quickly pivoted to online ordering with pickup in Warren and at collaboration events such as Proclamation Ale's brewery in Warwick. She credits their great social media following with keeping their business going.
Their recent opening at Unity Park has been much anticipated. Having a brick and mortar restaurant will introduce new diners to their food.
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Libby Slader Design worked with Lyslie to create a warm and inviting space with a bistro vibe. There are 32 seats and outside tables on a patio for 20 more. There are bunny coat hooks to capture the theme.
Service starts at the counter for a fast-casual style.
Lyslie said she turned to a plant-based diet for health reasons. She feels better eating no meat or dairy. "Food is very personal to people," she said.
She wants people to know that what they love about a burger, chicken sandwich or even lasagna, is on their menu.
"You can enjoy the same foods, made with alternatives, by being more conscious of how it makes you feel."
At the heart of it is a menu full of the best sellers from their food truck. There are grab and go choices of their chili (chipotle sweet potato topped with nacho cashew cheeze and green onions) and chickpea sandwiches. There are giant cookies and other desserts, plus drinks at the counter.
Out of the kitchen come house-made "burgers" which are made with beans and mushrooms like the Bunny Max. There are Impossible patties that are paired with vegan cheese and "Bunny Sauce." Other burgers are paired with maple tempeh bacon, pickled jalapenos and cashew nacho cheese.
Chicken seitan and Buffalo chicken sandwiches and wraps are on the menu as well as salads and hand-cut French fries.
They have applied for a beer and wine license. They will also continue to bring their truck to food festivals and brewery collabs.
As for the name, Lyslie had the idea to make use of bunny because it is the symbol of cruelty-free products. Then she needed to pair it with a food word and basil just came into her head.
What diners find at Basil & Bunny is "Comfort food for vegans and skeptics," said Lyslie.
Details: Basil & Bunny, 500 Wood St. in Unit 214, Bristol, (401) 490-1918, basilandbunny.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Basil & Bunny and Foglia open in Bristol RI serving vegan fare
