“I would love for Pescadou to be known for its raw bar,” said Rietzel, who prepares a rosé and pink peppercorn granita, which is served on top of the fresh oysters instead of the usual lemons and mignonette. This combination brings floral notes and a subtle, fruity spice to the salty oysters.
“People tend to play it safe, tend to do what sells. That’s not here.”
A sampling of the raw bar (left), with the “pissaladiére” appetizer (right), at the new French Riviera-inspired restaurant Pescadou in Newport.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The “pissaladiére,” white anchovies and caramelized onion appetizer, at Pescadou in Newport.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Once a Newport institution, for years the century-old Hotel Viking had lost its cool factor. The hotel once hosted celebrities and big-name guests like Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan. But the rooms grew outdated, the food became forgettable, and the service lost its polish.
Its new owners, real estate private equity firm KHP Capital Partners, knew the property needed a major reset. They shut down operations for eight months and pumped millions of dollars into a renovation they say was designed to reawaken a storied landmark that long served as a cultural anchor for the city.
In May, the hotel reopened alongside four new food and beverage concepts that are the brainchildren of Littleneck Hospitality Group, which was founded by restaurateur and chef Robert Andreozzi and his business partner and beverage head Jesse Hedberg, owners of Pizza Marvin, Club Frills, and Rollers Sports Bar & Grill in Providence. The duo has built a reputation regionally for their local sourcing of ingredients and ambitious beverage programs.
The dining room at Pescadou inside Hotel Viking.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The patio at Pescadou outside of Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Pescadou, the hotel’s signature restaurant, looks like it belongs in Palm Beach but takes its culinary cues from the French Riviera. Rietzel, 35, is the right fit. His resumé includes a bistro in Paris, running the kitchen alongside chef Kevin O’Donnell at nearby Giusto, serving as the chef de cuisine at COAST at the Ocean House in Westerly’s Watch Hill, among other stops. He first caught the French cooking bug while working briefly under chef Rick Allaire at the now-shuttered Tucker’s Bistro in Newport. Today, Rietzel’s cooking style is distinct, blending precision and technique from the French, and the light, bright, acidic flavors of southern Italy. Young, versatile, and full of talent, he’s a chef to watch closely.
What to eat: Whatever you do, get the bouillabaisse.
The Americanized version of this classic French dish that you’ll see on menus across the United States is like a seafood stew, of all the fish that a restaurant has left over. It becomes a light, brothy soup. Rietzel rejects that version, and wanted to create a composed entrée that focuses on gently-cooked seafood that always includes lobster, with a rotating selection of fish – depending on what’s available – like fluke, monkfish, Maine halibut, hake, and cod. They cook down their lobster stock and concentrate it with a bit of tomato paste and Calabrian chili to create a bit of a jus.
“It’s a lot thicker and more of a coating sauce for all of the fish instead of a soupy broth,” said Rietzel, who serves the dish with a cheesy bread and potatoes.
The bouillabaisse, a heavier dish, is in stark contrast to some of the lighter fare he has across the menu: the raw bar, hors d’oeuvres like tomato carpaccio with bonito furikake, sherry, and burnt honey. Their pastas are made in house, such as the fazzoletti with Jonah crab from Maine and pesto stracciatella. The conchigliette currently has lobster, corn, and tarragon.
The fazzoletti pasta, with crab, pesto and stracciatella, at Pescadou in Newport.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The risotto “á la bourguignonne,” with escargots, green garlic and asparagus, at Pescadou in Newport.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
For the next month, they’ll be using up the end of the summer’s produce, like corn and tomatoes, and will be rolling out a fall menu in early October that leans further into different squashes and apples. In the winter, expect more celery root and parsnips.
In the fall and winter “the food screams traditional French dining and heavier, warmer dishes,” said Rietzel. But like Pescadou does in the warmer months, they’ll be “olive oil forward, with a brighter approach to root vegetables, squash and gourds.”
Don’t forget dessert: At Pescadou, there’s an ever rotating selection of ice creams and sorbets, so grab a few. But their croustillant au citron is a real star. A golden and crispy puff pastry with lemon pastry cream, this French dessert usually comes in a presentation that layers thin, almost cracker-like crêpes dentelles (shortbread bits) with the cream stacked between each. Instead, Pescadou sticks imperfectly-shaped bits into the mousse. You can eat it with your hands, almost like crackers with a dip.
Breakfast dishes at Pescadou in Newport: Sourdough crepes with candied oranges, maple, and mascarpone (far right); smoked salmon Benedict with poached eggs, trout roe, and Béarnaise (left); and a side of seasonal fruit.Alexa Gagosz
The morning after: And then there’s breakfast – a staple at most hotel restaurants, that usually plays it safe with eggs and some sad pancakes. That’s not the case at Pescadou. They have sourdough crepes with candied oranges, maple, and mascarpone. And then a smoked salmon Benedict with perfectly poached eggs, trout roe, and a Béarnaise. Even the fresh seasonal fruit – elsewhere typically sliced pieces jumbled in a bowl – is arranged on the plate like blooming flowers. For breakfast, you’re sitting in a bright and airy back sunroom that feels part greenhouse and part Newport castle: greenery in between tables and in the corners, white-painted brick walls that look purposefully worn; flowery wallpaper on the ceilings.
A corner of the sunroom at Pescadou, where breakfast is typically served.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Final say: This hotel had lost the shine that long defined it. With Pescadou at the forefront, Hotel Viking has an opportunity to redefine itself. It feels less like a hotel restaurant that guests just happen to eat in, and more like a restaurant worth a visit on its own. Now it’s about whether the area’s diners embrace it that way. And while Rietzel said the restaurant’s service is still being sharpened, within a few months, his early menus make the argument on their own: seafood doesn’t have to be predictable. And a hotel restaurant doesn’t have to feel like one.
Pescadou, 1 Bellevue Ave., Newport, R.I., pescadou.com. Hors d’oeuvres $6-$85; raw bar $16-$24; pastas $28-$42; main dishes $28-$42; bouillabaisse $90.
This story first appeared in The Food Club, a free weekly email newsletter about dining out around New England, and beyond. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail each Thursday, you can sign up here.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
Dining and Cooking