Dining review: Rosalina is a new Italian classic in Providence

By Jenna Pelletier
Journal Staff Writer
Posted Dec. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am

The last thing Rhode Island needed was another Italian-American restaurant, I thought.

All angles seemed to be covered, from the classic Federal Hill restaurants to upscale Al Forno to no-frills Mike’s Kitchen in Cranston. What more could another one offer?

Come to find out, the relatively new Rosalina, in downtown Providence, brings a lot to the state’s dining scene.

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The restaurant’s Pizzette Frite alone is a sizeable contribution. A mash-up between a doughboy and pizza, it’s a light and airy pillow of fried pizza dough slathered with tomato sauce, dusted with Pecorino Romano cheese, and sprinkled with scallions. It is every bit as heavenly as it sounds.

Rosalina gets creative with another classic Rhody appetizer, calamari. In a play on snail salad, tender rounds of squid are tossed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, hot peppers and celery. The dish is chilled instead of breaded and fried. Full of clean, bright flavors, it transported me to a seaside restaurant on the Mediterranean.

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