The best in new and classic food spots in the greater RI area

B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill

Stock up for Thanksgiving or get your last autumn kicks at the oldest steam-powered cider mill in the countrySub Head:

Part historic tour, part winery, part bakery and part country store, Clyde’s has been a destination for foliage junkies and apple lovers alike since 1881. Located right out of Mystic Village in Connecticut, the mill exemplifies the town’s old-world New England charm.

Sip on fresh (as in left-the-apple-a-half-hour-prior, fresh) cider or an apple slushie, munch on warm-from-the-oven apple cinnamon donuts or grab a picnic table outside and listen to live bands on a crisp autumn day. Clyde’s is a New England tradition for those looking to get a taste of simpler times. Tours and demonstrations of the steam-powered mill are weekends at 11 am and 1 pm.

In recent years, Clyde’s established a winery, specializing in apple wines, hard ciders and “moonshine,” a (legal) hard cider that tastes more like a whiskey. Each of their 10-plus varieties is available at free weekend samplings and for sale, in true rustic fashion, in the mill cellar.

Stop in the country store and pick up some holiday party hostess gifts or Thanksgiving appetizers like honey, goat cheeses, jams and salsas, all fresh and locally made, and of course, all available to sample.

129 North Stonington Rd., Old Mystic, Connecticut

bfclydescidermill.com

West Side Diner

The West End of Providence has become a niche neighborhood for foodie breakfasts. It’s the place to be for the type of gourmet and swanky atmosphere that a Providentian has come to know for a night on the town – except in the morning.

Spots like Nick’s on Broadway, Julian’s, Kitchen, and Classic Cafe helped create this breakfast mecca. Now joining the team is a spot for those looking for a no-frills, inexpensive, reliable breakfast joint without forfeiting the West End style – the West Side Diner.

Opened in the abandoned ‘50s railcar style diner on Westminster Street by the folks who brought you Seaplane on Allens Ave., West Side Diner offers breakfast seven days a week and lunch Monday through Friday.

This isn’t the spot to find an herb-crusted tofu, baby spinach and cloumage breakfast wrap. This is strictly a bacon-and-eggs type of joint. In a neighborhood of five-star breakfast chefs, a spot that serves simple, honest, filling food by a cheerful counter-queen with coffee stains on her apron is a refreshing change of pace.

This is not to say, however, that the diner is completely honkey-tonk. Their current breakfast special is a plate of pumpkin pancakes with puree from real pumpkin folded into the batter to create a fluffy orange cloud that is rumored to not even need maple syrup (gasp).

1380 Westminster St., Providence