The Castro

Pizza stands out at this Fox Point cafe

by Dawn Keable

77 Ives Street, Providence, 421-1144
Open Mon-Thurs, 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri and Sat, until midnight, Sun, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
Major credit cards
No access

Probably the only way you'll be disappointed at the Castro is if you drop by expecting to find Cuban cuisine on the menu. Sorry, but there's no Fidel connection here. Instead, this San Francisco neighborhood namesake and gay-friendly restaurant has brought a bit of the free-spirited West Coast to Providence.

The Castro, located at 77 Ives Street, is one of the newest players in the revitalization of Fox Point. The coffeehouse/pizzeria is housed at the juncture of Wickenden Street, but is pleasantly separated from the congestion of the crowded gallery district just down the block. (Translation: you can actually find on-street parking here on the first pass.)

Inside, the cafe is cozy and warm. Bright sunlight filters through the expanse of windows, giving a panoramic view of the street scene outside. Wide plank wood floors, original artwork, background jazz and a collection of very healthy hanging plants add to the intimate atmosphere. In true Cheers style, it's a place where everyone it seems, including those patrolling the sidewalk tables, knows the name of the regulars, or at least how they prefer their iced coffee.

The cafe's offerings, posted deli-style behind a glass encased counter, include a listing of hearty sandwiches, homemade calzones, salads, and specialty pizzas. After convincing my husband, Andre, that even at 34, his eyes are still bigger than his belly, we narrowed our choice to one deluxe veggie pizza ($15.50).

This main course was made to order, so to prevent Andre from nibbling on the many potted arrangements, we decided to share a tossed salad ($3.50) while we waited. In contrast to the attention that went into creating the pizza, the salad was prepackaged in a plastic to-go container. While one worker obsessed about whether he should serve it to us as-is, a second handed it off to us with an attitude that said, "Of course, I'm not going to arrange it on a plate for you." As we meekly retreated to a table, we quickly learned that the Castro offers few frills.

Thankfully, there were plastic utensils at a side station so we didn't have to risk requesting those. We shared our appetizer without spilling too much of the mixed greens, coated with a light Italian dressing, on the tile-covered tabletop. The salad was extremely fresh and crunchy. With sliced tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms and red peppers, the bountiful harvest of produce and large enough that we were both satisfied with our individual portions. To wash it down, I opted for a bottled water ($1), while Andre went the non-traditional route with an exotic ginkgo mango bottled juice drink ($1.50). The Castro features a large cooler stocked with such unusual alternative beverages.

Our pizza was delivered to our table by the chef, who not only set his masterpiece on a rack to give us more space, but offered to retrieve both the red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan from the self-serve island. Maybe this guy should work the front of the room more often! In addition to his courtesy, our new friend has the talent to make an unbelievable pizza.

The pie was sprinkled with mozzarella cheese, eggplant, chopped zucchini, broccoli, spinach and artichoke hearts. Other than the breaded eggplant, all of the other vegetables were prepared with a simple, natural, non-greasy taste, leaving more of an emphasis on the thin crust. With an old-world taste, the multi-grained crust was absolutely phenomenal. It was also extremely filling; we were stuffed after only two pieces each.

But that didn't stop us from ordering dessert. Andre opted for a slice of rich, creamy strawberry cheesecake ($3.50). In addition to the berries swirled into the cake, the guy behind the counter finally warmed up and offered to add extra strawberries to the top. With this peace offering, he was redeemed.

I chose the tiramisu ($3.95) and a small iced coffee ($1.50). The dessert, which substituted angel food cake for lady fingers, made for a distinctive light twist on this traditional favorite. The robust coffee flavors carried over to my beverage, which was packed with enough ice to maintain its refreshing temperature.

We departed for home with our precious cargo -- a cardboard box with enough leftovers for two lunches. Confession time: the slices didn't even make it to the next day. We microwaved them that night as a midnight snack. Seems like we should have gone with the second pizza after all.