Mary's Restaurant

Parting has never been sweeter

by Johnette Rodriguez

Haversham Corners, (Rt. 1), Westerly
322-0444
Open for lunch Tues.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.;
for dinner 4-10 p.m., Sun. 1-9 p.m.
Major credit cards
Not handicapped accessible

The menu dates Mary's Restaurant back to 1946, but I first discovered the place in the late '70s at a more modest location than its present one in Westerly. The pies are what hooked me. For me, there's something archetypically American about pie -- and not just apple. Mary's offers almost every fruit pie you can think of in the summer, plus the standard cream pies (banana, coconut, and chocolate).

But I'm starting at the end of the book. Flip back to the front, which features such old favorites as calamari, mozzarella sticks and stuffed mushrooms and such specialties as tripe sautéed with garlic and jalapenos, chicken soup with tiny meatballs, and Cajun smelts.

To begin our culinary read, we chose a whole roasted garlic bulb ($2.25) and Caesar salads ($3.25 with entree, $5.25 à la carte).

The soft flesh of the garlic garnished with roasted red peppers and sliced pepperoncini spread easily onto the Italian bread. The Caesar salads were "loaded with garlic," as the menu promised, and the Romaine had been conveniently cut into strips.

For his entrée, my partner chose the shrimp scampi ($16.95) with homemade fettuccini and faced a veritable platterful of food. Because of the way the dish was described on the menu -- shrimp sauteed in garlic butter; splashed with wine, fresh lemon, and pernod; and herbed with shallots, crushed red pepper, and fresh basil -- we expected more drama.

Nevertheless, I loved the taste and texture of the fresh noodles and suspected that our garlic sensors had been overwhelmed by our appetizers -- a suspicion we confirmed the next day in tasting our leftovers. Overall, a bit more lemon and red pepper would have helped.

My choice, the fresh broiled flounder ($11.95) from nearby Stonington, fared better. The lemon-wine butter sauce was just light enough for this delicate fish, while the fillets were sprinkled with seasoned breadcrumbs. Rather than the usual pasta, I had roasted red bliss potatoes garnished with a cheery sprig of fresh rosemary.

Mary's menu also offers a range of Southern Italian entrees, including homemade manicotti, rabbit with tomatoes and olives, veal or eggplant parmigiana, steak, pork chops, and rack of lamb. (The day we went, the special was blackwing ostrich!)

There are also sandwiches, pizzas, a children's menu, and, of course, the desserts. In addition to the pies, the kitchen serves tiramisu, cheesecake with strawberries, fruit sorbet, chocolate cake and brownies, but only the tiramisu and pies are homemade.

The tiramisu is a huge portion of chocolate-laced mascarpone on a layer of espresso-soaked sponge cake ($5.25). My companion loved it.

Since someone nearby had ordered the last piece of coconut cream, I settled for the apple pie à la mode ($3.50). The crust was flaky and the apples (Granny Smiths) still had crunch.

As for the service at Mary's, it was uneven, in attention to details and specific requests. With one dining room closed for the winter, the restaurant had no non-smoking area, and we were led to a dias with two small tables a few yards from the bar.

Mary's usually has a very welcoming feel to it, but this was the evening of the April Fool's blizzard. Maybe everyone was just worn out.

Lunch is now being served on the southeastern porch of the Haversham Inn just up the hill from the restaurant, with a great view of Block Island Sound. Give it a try, and save room for the pie!