Besos Tea House Opens At The Elms

The Elms has a bar again, and a stylish restaurant to boot: Besos Tea House opened last weekend at 378 Main St.

According to co-owner Kristin Dellagrotta, there was a pub at the Elms for a hundred years. The pub closed many years ago (details are vague), as did the hotel that occupied the upstairs. The building has been used for office space in recent years.

But Dellagrotta, who does marketing and advertising for Kendell Seafood, an East Greenwich importing business, wanted to try her hand at restaurant design. She teamed up with longtime chef Tony Morales and the result is Besos Tea House.

The decor is a mix of baroque - mirrors in gilded frames - and modern - an onyx bar that’s lit from below. The menu is decidely NOT Italian (but don’t worry, calamari is on the menu). Entrees include braised Chilean sea bass, Spanish carne adobaba and several Asian noodle dishes. There are also soups, salads and “tapas” - a Spanish term for appetizer.

Besos (pronounced bay-sos) means “kisses” in Spanish. The Tea House part of the establishment will come later. According to Dellagrotta, the idea was to have an upscale restaurant at night with a tea house in the afternoons.

For now, the restaurant is only open for dinner, but they plan to open for lunch, tea and brunch in the future. In fact, the signs that hang from the porch have “Besos” on one side and “Tea House” on the other. They will be turned around depending on what is being served. The signs read “Besos” now.

Besos Tea House, 378 Main St., East Greenwich, R.I.; (401) 398-8855. Open nightly at 5.