Ocean Mist

Flavorful Mexican and a beachfront view

by Bill Rodriguez

145 Matunuck Beach Road, South Kingstown, 782-3740
Open Mon-Fri., 4 p.m.-1 a.m.; Sat. and Sun., 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
No credit cards or checks
Sidewalk access

From the outside it looks like just another tourist-town dive. Cases of beer stacked in the tiny parking lot, an entrance ramp as weather-beaten as the salt-sprayed shingle siding. But come inside Matunuck's Ocean Mist, open a menu, and you'll be tantalized to dive into a surprisingly successful menu, heavy on Mexican food, from a kitchen that doesn't rely on alcohol-addled taste buds to impress.

Our first recent visit was on a weekend morning, when breakfast is available. Get there early and you can grab a window view that seems to be inches from the surf (By Memorial Day they'll be opening at noon for lunch and serving on the deck). We hit Ocean Mist on a crystal clear day, the cliffs of Block Island post card picturesque, the bobbing ducks occasionally diving for our entertainment. We discovered they could stay down for more than a minute. Bar bets, anyone?

The jukebox had a rollicking assortment, from Barenaked Ladies to Ol' Blue Eyes, a reminder of the dance floor at the other end of the room and the bands that play many nights. Band and radio station stickers festoon the overhead heating duct. After a few rollicking R&B tunes, our appetites were at full attention.

All of the nine listed "Dawn Patrol Specials" are $6.50 and come served with nicely browned home fries. Choose one of these specials and you can get a mimosa or bloody Mary for $2. This place is big on omelets, but Johnnie was up for eggs Benedict, which came out cooked just right and with the Hollandaise sauce nice and snappy. She forgot to ask for it without ham -- they offer the option of veggies -- so I got the thick slabs of sweet, smoky meat.

The "Something On a Bagel" looked appealing -- a grilled spinach bagel, topped with vegetable cream cheese and a mixture of cheese and veggies. It's popular at the Ocean Mist, but I had a heftier appetite, so I chose the breakfast burrito. Good move. It was filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar, salsa and both black and pinto beans, then topped with enchilada sauce. It was as bountiful as it was delicious. A third of the breakfast special choices are Mexican-influenced, from chimichanga to quesadilla.

Although sandwiches, omelets and the usual bar appetizers (nachos, wings, mozzarella sticks) are served every night, Thursday evening is the best time to show up. That's when Linda Wadensten, of the nearby Seahorse Grille, shows off her south of the border flair. It's two-fer night on the Mexican portion of the menu, with the lesser priced meal free. Again, you can have an optional $2 drink, this time a tall margarita, not too tart and salt-rimmed, if you like. There are nine main courses among the "Border Favorites," all $7.75, except for the $6.50 bean burrito and the two chalkboard specials.

Of the regular items, two unusual seafood offerings stood out. The fish tacos contain fresh cod, sautéed in white wine with lime juice, herbs, cilantro and garlic, and served with a fresh tomato salsa. Scrod flauta has a similar filling in a tightly wrapped flour tortilla that is pan-fried and which resembles the flute of its namesake.

But both specials during our visit on a Thursday night sounded so appealing that we had to try them instead. My burrito this time was "Moroccan-style" ($8.95), containing savory beef, stewed with chilies, onions, peppers, and garlic. In the tortilla wrapper, salsa topped the black beans and Monterey Jack mellowed out the cheddar. Raw red onions asserted themselves alongside jalapeño slices. Even tastier was the delicately flavored Cuervo mango chicken ($8.25). Tequila-marinated chicken was grilled and placed atop corn bread with fresh mango slices. What a wonderful combination. Like most of the Mexican items, it was served with beans and Ocean Mist's version of Spanish rice, which was colorful, but the blandest item on our plates.

Don't forget to ask for the hot sauce basket, if only to check out Blair's Death Sauce and Hot & Horny as reading material. Even more importantly, don't neglect dessert. The night we were there, a delectable chocolate torte ($3.50), topped with caramel, couldn't have been richer if it had a trust fund.

The Ocean Mist menu brags, "More than just a beach bar!!" I'll drink to that, even when the margaritas are more than two bucks.