Wiley's at Middlebridge is a little out-of-the-way place that, fortunately, is a bit hard to find unless you know the area. I say fortunately because unless a good percentage of those unfamiliar with South County drive around unable to find Wiley's, it would be even more crowded than it already is. Dinner nights, Friday and Saturday, are much anticipated by regulars, and the place is usually packed for weekend breakfasts.

The little white cottage of a place is situated on the Narragansett side of the bridge over a river (locals call it the Narrow River, but, in one of those baffling Rhode Island signage confusions, it's labeled the Pettaquamscutt on maps). If there's a wait for a table, you can watch the kayaks putting in across the road, stare at speedboats bobbing at a tiny marina, or just lean back and inhale the fresh air.

Since there were six of us, and only nine or 10 tables -- plus seven stools at the counter -- we had more than a half-hour wait when we assembled at 6 on a Saturday night. We were beckoned inside to a cheery, brightly lit space. White, horizontal tongue-in-groove walls and rose-colored window frames. The decor is Southwestern, complete with a steer skull and chili lights. Dozens of bottles of various hot sauces arrayed behind the counter glow promisingly like so many votive candles at a shrine.

Wiley's is hot in more than its popularity. Peruse the breakfast menu and be tempted not merely by the breakfast burrito, or spinach and scrambled eggs enchilada, but also by chipotle cream cheese on a bagel. Other offerings are imaginative, such as blue cornmeal pancakes and a fried banana as a substitution for home fries. Lunch, which I've indulged in here more frequently, also strays from the obvious, with Cajun salmon burgers and -- my favorite -- yellowfin tuna steak sandwiches (each a reasonable $5.75).

The "Night Shift Menu" was supplemented by an item-crammed white-board list that included such interesting sounding items as crispy whole Szechuan sea bass ($16.95), and mako shark with crayfish butter ($14.95).

In addition to New England clam chowder, there's a Manhattan-style version (both $1.95/$2.95), with less pronounced herb seasoning than the popular red Rhode Island style. Even I liked my sample, and I'm not usually a fan of that variation. Two skinny Hungarian peppers stuffed with mozzarella, breadcrumbs, and anchovies ($5.95) were swimming in oil, and the appetizer was too hot for most of the group. Regular appetizers include Buffalo chicken wings (10 for $4.95 or 20 for $6.95), and if that's appealing, a more rewarding choice might be the calamari ($5.95), which is tossed with the same hot sauce. Our table polished off the lightly battered squid rings with ease, but the Cajun blackened shrimp ($6.95) weren't such a hit. The dish consisted of a meager four medium-sized crustaceans, and their size pretty much assured that they'd be overcooked.

This was also the problem with the rather dry Cajun blackened tuna ($14.95), which wasn't thick enough to remain medium under the charring process. That contrasted with my superbly moist swordfish with pistachio sauce ($16.95), huge and thick, and perhaps the most succulent I've ever been served. The others around the table also fared well. Johnnie, whose Louisiana relatives have fed her more okra than you can shake a Tabasco bottle over, enjoyed the nicely balanced spices of the shrimp Creole ($13.95), even though it didn't contain any of the signature vegetable.

I was glad someone ordered my recommended fried flounder Santa Fe ($10.95), because fish and chips don't come any better. Unlike the all-too-common thickly battered, greasy versions, these two large filets were rolled in a mixture of blue and yellow corn chip crumbs and looked greaseless enough to have been baked. Delicious. The dining mate next to me loved the coconut shrimp ($13.95), although the Jamaican jerk sauce was tame to my taste. All the entrées came with coleslaw and choice of curly fries or a tasty pilaf.

One precaution: be sure to order your dessert early, since they keep getting rubbed off the specials board as the evening progresses. The peach cobbler ($3.95) ordered by two of us, basically a peach upside-down cake, was as much of a hit as the visit as a whole.

But you know, on second thought, maybe I'd better take back some of my enthusiasm about Wiley's. They don't take reservations, after all, and I want to get back and check out that mako with crayfish butter -- and I don't want to find you sitting down to the last portion.

Did I say Wiley's was in Narragansett? No, no, no, no, no. I meant Quonset. I always get them confused.

Issue Date: August 31 - September 6, 2001