New Wave Kitchen introduces students to an eclectic menu of dishes using local agriculture. PHOTO CREDIT: Melissa Marchese
The Kingston Emporium recently welcomed New Wave Kitchen (NWK), a restaurant with “eclectic comfort foods made with local ingredients,” to its list of eateries at the beginning of this school year.
Located next to the Rhode House, NWK offers a fresh perspective on food that is completely different from its neighbors.
“New Wave Kitchen is a seasonably eclectic, farm-to-table restaurant,” said owner Matt Reagan, a URI alum. “We offer a variety of food choices that are approachable to anyone.”
When opening New Wave, Reagan’s goal was to stand out from the other food options available to students and faculty.
“We wanted to be something that wasn’t already in the Emporium,” he said. “We didn’t want to be another fast food place. Everything here is made from scratch.”
New Wave Kitchen prides itself in being a farm-fresh restaurant. Their menu spans from burgers to ramen, an array of comfort foods and they even offer vegan-friendly plates.
Reagan said that most ingredients are made in Rhode Island, and that the rest are made elsewhere in New England, making it a locally-sourced restaurant.
Local sourcing does not come without its challenges though. Reagan said that the menu will have to change according to what crops are in and out of season.
“It’s challenging because sometimes farmers won’t always have what you need,” he said. “We’re going to have to change toppings or items on our menu to match what’s currently in stock.”
Looking ahead to the fall and winter months Reagan is looking to include more ramen options for warm meals, but he expects the menu to change as the season changes.
New Wave Kitchen is a community-focused business, according to Reagan. He said that he is happy with the location of the restaurant and looks forward to continuing business locally.
“We have been looking for a space [to open New Wave] for a while,” Reagan said. “This area has a decent amount of foot traffic, including from students and faculty.”
So far, the restaurant has gotten positive feedback from the URI community.
“It hasn’t been super busy yet since the school year just started, but everyone has been really positive,” Reagan said. “One of my old professors from when I attended URI stopped by to eat one day. He sent out an email to his colleagues and sent a lot of people our way.”
Aidan Farrell, a current sophomore at URI, had high praise for New Wave. He said that the menu at NWK was more than he would expect from a farm-fresh venue.
Jared Hewitt, another sophomore at URI, was also impressed with the food at New Wave.
“Their prices were reasonable and the food was definitely a different experience than anywhere else in the Emporium,” Hewitt said. “The biscuits and gravy are a must-try on the menu.”
Farrell ordered chicken and waffles during his first trip to New Wave, and he approved of it.
“Chicken and waffles seemed like a safe bet for the first time around,” Farrell said. “The food was a worthwhile investment and I can’t wait to go back.”
New Wave Kitchen is open Tuesday through Saturday, from noon to 8:00 p.m. Their menu can be accessed at newwavekitchenri.com, or you can order over the phone at 401-515-7628.