What's the best RI food? We put classic RI dishes head to head in a bracket. Vote now

Katie Landeck, Providence Journal
·6 min read

Rhode Island has a thing for let's say unusual foods.

We like Awful Awful drinks and coffee in our milk. We routinely confuse people on social media with our love of pizza strips that don't even have cheese. We promote giant stuffed clams in airports and calamari at the Democratic National Convention.

We could keep going, and in fact, we did rounding up 16 iconic Rhode Island foods, and now we want you to help us determine which regional dish is Little Rhody's favorite. Welcome to the Providence Journal's Iconic Rhode Island food bracket.

Below we've compiled 16 foods, with a little bio on each of them and plenty of links if you want to do more research. We paired them off, and now are eagerly awaiting to see how the Ocean State votes.

Voting will take place over the next four weeks, with each round opening on Thursdays for one week until a winner is declared. May the best food (whatever that means) win.

We're asking readers which iconic Rhode Island dish is the best.
We're asking readers which iconic Rhode Island dish is the best.

Awful Awful vs. Coffee Milk

Awful Awful

An assortment of Awful Awful treats at Newport Creamery.
An assortment of Awful Awful treats at Newport Creamery.

Awful big and awful good, this drink, which combines flavored syrups with ice milk instead of the ice cream one would find in a classic milkshake, was originally a New Jersey thing. But, today Newport Creamery has the rights to it, and it's officially a Rhode Island thing.

History of Awful Awfuls: The Awful Awful is a classic Rhode Island treat. Here's how it got its name.

Coffee Milk

For those who didn’t grow up drinking coffee milk from cartons in elementary school, coffee milk is exactly what it sounds like: milk mixed with a sweet coffee syrup.  The drink was invented in Rhode Island, sometime in the 1930s.

History of Coffee Milk: Why are Rhode Islanders the only ones who are obsessed with coffee milk?

Del's Lemonade vs. Doughboys

Del's Lemonade

It's been 75 years for Del's Lemonade, the frozen treat that came from Naples to Rhode Island.
It's been 75 years for Del's Lemonade, the frozen treat that came from Naples to Rhode Island.

Never drink it with a straw! Del's Lemonade is a frozen lemonade with roots in European fruit ices. Perfectly refreshing on a summer beach day, lemon is the classic flavor but the brand offers many others.

History of Del's: Del's Lemonade turns 75 this year. How will they be celebrating, and what's ahead?

Doughboys

Mini doughboys with cinnamon butter, caramel and chocolate dips at Iggy's.
Mini doughboys with cinnamon butter, caramel and chocolate dips at Iggy's.

Awfully close to the fried dough you might find at any old state fair, but better because of their smaller, more manageable pillow shape. Cover these in sugar and cinnamon for maximum happiness.

Experience a doughboy: Amy Russo tries some RI foods

Stuffies vs. Clam Cakes

Stuffies

Stuffies are on the menu at fine dining restaurants such as The Coast Guard House in Narragansett. They are served as an appetizer.
Stuffies are on the menu at fine dining restaurants such as The Coast Guard House in Narragansett. They are served as an appetizer.

Served in the shell, stuffies are baked stuffed clams with lots of breading and butter. This Rhode Island food is so iconic that a seven-foot version of it is being placed in airports around the country to attract visitors to the Ocean State.

All about stuffies: Where to get them, recipes, and controversies

Clam Cakes

If you want to know where the clams are in clam cakes, look at the dark marks on the crusty exterior. Those are clams fried hot by the oil.
If you want to know where the clams are in clam cakes, look at the dark marks on the crusty exterior. Those are clams fried hot by the oil.

A deep-fried fritter made with chopped clams, clam juice and a flour base. They have a similar consistency to a hush puppy after they're fried and are more cakey than say a crab cake.

More: Everything you wanted to know about clam cakes. Book takes a deep dive into a RI favorite

RI-style calamari vs. RI clam chowder

RI-style Calamari

Dan Rinaldi's Rhode Island-Style Fried Calamari
Dan Rinaldi's Rhode Island-Style Fried Calamari

Take a basic calamari appetizer (batter and fried squid) and toss it in butter, garlic and hot peppers, and you get Rhode Island-style calamari. The dish is the official state appetizer.

Calamari: If not just the sea, where did R.I. calamari come from?

RI Clam Chowder

Clear broth clam chowder, with quahogs, red potatoes and spices can be made with this archive recipe from 2002.
Clear broth clam chowder, with quahogs, red potatoes and spices can be made with this archive recipe from 2002.

A lighter take on clam chowder than the New England or Manhattan versions, Rhode Island clam chowder skips the cream and the tomatoes giving it a clear broth.

How to make it: Clear clam chowder from Roger's kitchen

Lobster Roll vs. New York System Wiener

Lobster Roll

The lobster roll at Matunuck Oyster Bar, in South Kingstown, includes larger-than-average chunks of lobster, artfully arranged in a hefty split-top roll warmed with lots of butter.
The lobster roll at Matunuck Oyster Bar, in South Kingstown, includes larger-than-average chunks of lobster, artfully arranged in a hefty split-top roll warmed with lots of butter.

Sure, Maine gets a lot of credit for their lobster rolls, but Rhode Island's are every bit as good. As a state, we're not picky about if they're warm or cold. We just like them with an ocean view.

Try a lobster roll: 7 reader-favorite lobster roll spots to try in Rhode Island

New York System Wiener

The celery salt is the last ingredient to go on the "all the way" weiners at the New York System, Olneyville, named a James Beard American Classic. [The Providence Journal, file / Frieda Squires]
The celery salt is the last ingredient to go on the "all the way" weiners at the New York System, Olneyville, named a James Beard American Classic. [The Providence Journal, file / Frieda Squires]

We know, it says New York in the name, but we promise this is a Rhode Island thing. The weiners – which are a mix of beef, pork and veal – come in a natural casing that makes a 20-foot rope that the restaurants has to cut to size by hand. Once in the bun, it's covered in a spicy sauce that includes onions and ground meat.

More: Hot wiener wedding fulfills a Rhode Island bride's dream

Grinder vs. Dynamite

Grinder

The grinders are big and fresh at Sandwich Hut.
The grinders are big and fresh at Sandwich Hut.

If you're really from Rhode Island, you'll pronounce it "grindah" and forget about the r. This Rhode Island favorite is a sandwich made with Italian cold cuts, pickles and other vegetables put on a grinder roll. You can mix up the cold cuts, but they have to stay in the salumi family.

All about the grinder: Rhode Islanders are in the minority that say grinder. Here's the story behind the sandwich

Dynamite

Dynamites have been described as a sloppy Joe sandwich in a torpedo roll.
Dynamites have been described as a sloppy Joe sandwich in a torpedo roll.

A Woonsocket classic, the dynamite sandwich is a type of sloppy joe-like sandwich served in a torpedo roll with a spicy sauce often made in batches large enough to feed a crowd.

Recipe: ROSIE THIBEAULT'S FRENCH-CANADIAN DYNAMITE

Pizza Strips vs. Johnnycakes

Pizza Strips

Also called a party pizza, red strips or a bakery pizza, a pizza strip is a rectangular strip of pizza, served on a crust that would be best described as focaccia, topped with tomato sauce and often a dusting of grated Romano cheese. It’s served at room temperature.

More: Explaining the Rhode Island pizza strip: What is it and why does it exist?

Johnnycakes

Johnnycakes are a staple Rhode Island food.
Johnnycakes are a staple Rhode Island food.

Similar to a pancake, the main difference is Johnnycakes are made with stone-ground cornmeal. A staple at May Breakfasts across the state, they're very easy to make.

Recipe: You don't have to wait for May Breakfast. Make your own jonnycakes

Pepper Biscuits vs. Zeppole

Pepper biscuits

A bag of Catanzaro's pepper biscuits.
A bag of Catanzaro's pepper biscuits.

An Italian treat, a pepper biscuit is a simple biscuit flavored with fennel and pepper rolled out into a log before being twisted into a round. The crunchy snack pairs well with a glass of wine.

Recipe: Make pepper biscuits for a snack

Zeppole

Traditional zeppole at Wright's Dairy Farm and Bakery in North Smithfield, have a blend of house-made creamy custard, ricotta cheese and rum flavoring. They are topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
Traditional zeppole at Wright's Dairy Farm and Bakery in North Smithfield, have a blend of house-made creamy custard, ricotta cheese and rum flavoring. They are topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

A treat traditionally served on St. Joseph's Day, zeppole resembles a flattened cream puff, filled with cream and topped with more cream and a cherry. Traditional ones are filled with pastry cream. Others are made with ricotta cheese, chocolate cream or whipped cream and fruit.

Where to get a zeppole: Try these 10 Rhode Island bakeries

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: We're ranking classic RI foods. Vote now in round 1 of our bracket