The Village Haven

Published Jan. 26, 2010 at 9:40 p.m.
Traditional (and bountiful) fare in Forestdale
...We were headed to a concert in Cumberland and we thought we'd make a slight detour to North Smithfield — the village of Forestdale, to be precise...

We were headed to a concert in Cumberland and we thought we'd make a slight detour to North Smithfield — the village of Forestdale, to be precise. Unfortunately for us, or for any newcomer to the Village Haven, there's a bridge out and a detour, but at the bottom of the curvy School Street, a large sign glowed and beckoned. The parking lot was packed, the restaurant's capacity was maxed out, and folks from miles around were waiting, in a small lobby and a larger lounge, for their name to be called.

We'd come there, as had most customers, primarily for the all-you-can-eat "chicken dinner, family style," a Blackstone Valley tradition that started in the early 20th century, when the region's mill workers gathered to eat together on Sunday afternoons. Mounds of starches, a bit of salad, falling-off-the-bone roasted chicken — it's all still there and in one of its best incarnations at the Village Haven.

In the spacious dining room, we noticed several family groups of five or six; two older couples, hands clasped in pre-dinner grace; balloons bobbing past, for a child's birthday celebration — that kind of place. Our own party of three was immediately fascinated by the bargains on the menu. In addition to the chicken dinners (adults, $10.25; children 5-12, $6.25; below age 4, $0), the Haven offers a variety of chicken, beef, and seafood meals.

And there's another regular special: "two for two," half-orders of dinners with pasta and dessert for $12.95. Bill's eyes got even more pinwheely than the cinnamon rolls of which the Haven is justly proud when he took in that bargain. He had his choice of a half-dozen dinners, including chicken pot pie, baked scrod, Memphis chicken, and bourbon sirloin tips.

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