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Upcoming Schedule of Events
| Date |
Time |
Event |
| Friday March 21 |
7:30pm-10:30pm |
Celtic with Huey Purcell |
Friday |
7:30pm-10:30pm |
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SAMPLE MENU / BEER & WINE LIST
Lunch & Dinner - Call ( 401) 245 - 0072 for information or reservations.
NEWS
Basically British Tea Room Re-Opens in Cutler Mills
Warren, RI - Basically British Tea Room has re-opened at its new location in Cutler Mills. The historic mill has undergone a major renovation to house the restaurant and antique business which has been in the East Bay for over eleven years.
"Basically British continues to offer homemade soups, scones and an expanded lunch menu," said Basically British owner Fab Goldberg. " But we also expanded our weekend hours to include live music, select beer and wines and a dinner menu on Friday & Saturday nights."
Additionally, Basically British now offers an expanded antique center with offerings from several area antique dealers selling their goods under one roof. " It's a unique partnership of some of the best antique dealers in the region all gathered in one beautiful place," says Goldberg.
Basically British has grown from its original Bristol location on High Street in the 1990's to become one of Rhode Island's premier antique and restaurant destinations. Its new Cutler Mills location is centrally located in historic Warren, Rhode Island and also offers soup, tea and scones "to go."
East Bay Newspapers
The Inspired Table: There's more to Basically British than high tea
Date September 26, 2006
Amidst a sea of treasures in a former utility room of an old mill building is Warren's new tea room, Basically British. Originally on High Street in Bristol, it relocated this past summer to its cozy new home in the Cutler Mills Complex.
Owner Fariba "Fab" Goldberg has designed and refurbished this enchanting hideaway and has created a unique nook out of her love of antiques and delicacies from her English homeland. Fab's keen eye for decor and knack for whipping up simple yet elegant food lends an opulent charm to this historic old space.
Join Fab for lunch with an ever-changing menu of freshly made soups, salads and grilled flatbread sandwiches. During high tea, served daily from 3:30-5 p.m., you can enjoy a pot of your favorite tea with a sampling of handmade yummies including scones with clotted cream, delicate finger sandwiches spread with cucumbers or smoked salmon or a slice of sumptuous cake. Beer and wine are also offered for your refreshment with Guinness Stout on tap and various wines by the glass.
Weekend dinner is now being offered with live Celtic, jazz or reggae music on Friday evenings where you can enjoy a "civilized meal" from Fab's daily specials, including but not limited to, chicken curry with potatoes, shrimp quesadillas and Marsala burgers with melted Cotswold cheese from 7-10 p.m.
During colder months take home frozen banger sausages, bacon or meat pies and be sure to peruse the selection of imported British candies, biscuits and loose tea from around the world. Basically British can also accommodate small groups in a quaint and private room perfect for a low-key celebration or get together. Just call ahead to reserve a spot.
Basically British brings new life to old mill
Date July 27, 2006
WARREN - A space that once housed the heating units for a former mill complex has been recreated into the new home of Basically British Tea Room. A spacious dining area offering a menu including high tea, sandwiches, and Guinness beer on tap has now replaced ancient boiler equipment.
The shop's owner, Fab Goldberg, saw the potential of the space in its duckling state six months ago. The new home of Basically British was used at one time as a large boiler room.
It took a good deal of vision to imagine a restaurant and antique sales area at a former industrial mill site. The one time boiler room needed the most work of any space the mill's owner, David Westcott, had shown Ms. Goldberg.
"David had shown me a couple of other spaces that only needed a little tweaking, but I walked into this one and said, 'Okay'," Ms. Goldberg said.
"This had a dirt floor, huge boilers, pipes and wires... It's nice we could use it, it hasn't been used in years. I keep saying the space is happy now."
Basically British in Warren opened its doors just a couple of weeks ago, on July 10. Ms. Goldberg, who lived in England for most of her formative years, does all the cooking for the tea room. She had operated a similar shop on State Street in Bristol for 13 years until late February, when she began major renovations to the Warren site.
The new space features arched entryways, a stained glass door which once was part of a hotel, a "wall" of glass windows rescued from a trash pile, and white painted brick walls. Jazz nights are planned beginning this weekend, which will extend the shop's hours on Friday and Saturday nights.
What's inside For about five months, Ms. Goldberg, some employees of Basically British and hired contractors cleaned, painted, installed tile, grouted and transformed the old mill space into a large center room with a high ceiling and several smaller rooms. The central room holds a number of square tables with cushioned wooden chairs, while the smaller rooms house antiques for sale or space for meetings or casual gatherings.
Judging from the reaction of patrons, the space works.
Becky Borges was one of a number of people having lunch at the shop on Wednesday, along with her daughter and mother.
"I'm totally impressed with this space, it's absolutely wonderful. I've been to the one in Bristol, the other one was much smaller and closed in," Ms. Borges said.
Ms. Borges dined on roasted red pepper soup while her mom, Rose Nunes, and daughter, Amanda Borges, tried out the chipolte chicken vegetable soup with flatbread.
Besides an eclectic breakfast and lunch menu, Basically British sells beer and wine, a number of varieties of tea, and European style accessories and antiques.
"There's a mix with the old and the new, and it works," Ms. Goldberg said the whole process of recreating the mill space was made easier with her own dedicated staff and Warren town employees, especially Fire Chief Al Galinelli and Town Clerk Rita Galinelli, who both took the time to answer many questions. She was also glad to open a shop in Warren, which she calls home.
It sometimes took some convincing, she said, but it eventually all came together.
"The carpenter we had was amazing, and Dave Westcott. They thought some of my ideas were a little crazy, but then they went along," Ms. Goldberg said.
Where to find it
Basically British Tea Room is located at 16 Cutler St., in Warren. The shop's entrance is behind the Market at Cutler Mills, off Child Street. The shop offers a frequently changing breakfast and lunch menu, as well as many varieties of tea sold by the cup or to take home. An eclectic mix of decorative European style antiques and accessories are also sold at the shop. Beginning this Friday and Saturday, live jazz music will be offered each weekend from 7 to 10 p.m.
By Cindy VanSchalkwyk
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