Beet Salad and Gazpacho shots at Stoneacre Brasserie.
On our recent trip to Newport, Rhode Island, we were invited by Rhode Island RED Food Tours to join them on their Newport Neighborhood Tasting And Cultural Walking Tour. Over the course of about three hours we walked the city on a beautiful day and stopped for tastes and sips at five different restaurants.
We began at Mission, a casual place featuring their own house made hot dogs. Across the street from an actual historical mission church and meeting hall, it's owned and operated by a family well-known in Newport. We liked the casual, artsy feel and the food was great.
There were about a dozen friendly people on our tour, a perfect size, with visitors from as far away as Omaha and Shanghai. The walking is not at all strenuous and our guide, Leah, provided lots of historical facts and local, colorful insight.
Next up was a a stop at Tavern On Broadway for a flight of local beers and a delicious Fried Calamari, which was not the slightest bit rubbery. Our favorite sip was the Lemon Sandy. This end of Broadway is the funkier part of town which we had never visited before. Here are the vape shops, cool art galleries, small, locally-owned businesses and sports bars overflowing with avid soccer fans watching the games. It's a very fun place you should explore when in Newport.
A doorman greets every guest personally at The Grace Vanderbilt.
Our next stop was the exact opposite, the former mansion of the Vanderbilt family, now a refurbished hotel known as the Grace Vanderbilt.
We sampled the Blueberry Sorbet with a glass of sparkling white wine at the veddy, veddy elegant bar. The banquettes are plush, tufted velvet and original family portraits still hang on the walls.
We were then treated to a visit to the rooftop lounge with a stunning, sweeping 360 degree view of all of Newport. This is the highest point in the city. Just spectacular on a gorgeous, clear day as it was.
Next up was Stoneacre Brasserie, a place we'd walked by the night before with great interest. Open from 7AM to midnight with a classic long bar, separate dining area and their own in-house bakery and cheese shop, it features traditional French plates with a new twist. The light, airy and impressive design, meticulous service, attention to detail and overall ambiance makes one feel as though you are actually in France. We loved this spot so much that there will be a more lengthy review to follow. Suffice to say, they have the best frites ever!
And last was the very cool bodega style haunt: Perro Solado. This festive place serves up locally inspired Mexican dishes from gourmet tacos to moles alongside terrific craft cocktails.
The Cucumber and Strawberry Margaritas are not to be missed.
Delicious Avocado Fries are served with a creamy, cool dipping sauce. Loved these!
We didn't want the tour to end. As avid foodies we could not have planned a better afternoon with weeks of research. We just can't recommend Rhode Island RED Food Tours enough. In fact, we plan to explore the thriving Providence dining scene with them soon. And if you don't believe us, check out the rave reviews on TripAdvisor.
Socials:
@TheBostonFoodie
@riredfoodtours
@missionnpt
@perrosoladonewport
@stoneacrebrasserie
@tavernonbroadway
@gracehotels
We attended this tour as a media guest of the tour company with no promise of any editorial consideration. As always, we call 'em as we see 'em, folks.
