The next seven weeks in Newport are the most magical of the year. The light breezes and cooler, drier air harkens autumn days ahead. But hold onto your sweater, pumpkin; don’t rush it. There will be time for apple pies, roasted Brussels, and candied yams, but we will not be talking about any of that until after September 22.
These next 14 days usher in the final bounty of summer’s harvest. Bursting-ripe, juicy tomatoes and berries, sweet, crunchy white corn, and the most magnificent swordfish you’ve ever grilled (get it from The Local Catch out of Narragansett and thank me later) are still on the menu.
You might want to hustle to savor a few of the following summer must-haves before we turn the page on the season, starting with with lobstah, the sublime bisque at The Newport Lobster Shack on Long Wharf is among the best in New England. It’s a smooth and rich elixir studded with bits of lobster throughout, topped with a generous pile of sweet meat, made from the catch that comes in every morning.
There’s a blueberry tart of the Gods at Le Bec Sucre through the end of September that will make all your French pastry dreams come true. It’s a flaky, crispy, croissant-like base, topped with pastry cream and mounded with sweet and tart fresh blueberries and if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: Belinda’s confections are the best I’ve had outside of Paris and no wonder. The City of Lights was her classroom.
Summer sushi at The Clarke Cooke House is winding down and its annual farewell feels like watching a good friend leave town. Have yourself an Abi roll before it does, a mouthful of salmon, avocado, tuna, shrimp, and tobiko, or go with the super simple, umami bomb Hamachi Jalapeno – thin slices of sweet Hamachi topped with delicate, crunchy jalapeno rings and served with tangy Ponzu sauce. Equally mandatory is Cooke’s summer tomato salad, comprised of thick slices of heirlooms, cucumber, crumbled French goat cheese, toasted pignoli nuts, basil, corn, balsamic reduction and an obvious drizzle of some sort of divine sorcery. I don’t say this lightly: Don’t balk at the price until you’ve tried it.
If you haven’t hit The Quencher on Long Wharf yet, any season will do, but while the weather is fine, you absolutely cannot beat the view from the rooftop patio and bar, which overlooks the boats at the Newport Yacht Club. The Italian menu is solid, and there’s a burger here that will absolutely knock your socks off, but I’m obsessed with the Funghi pasta, and for those who can’t wait another moment, it’s got that fall flair. House made tagliatelle is tossed with a variety of roasted mushrooms, bits of butternut squash that add viscosity rather than sweetness to the dish, sage truffle cream, and pecorino
cheese. Heavenly.
New to the patio scene is the gorgeous outdoor space at Flora, the new restaurant at The Gardiner House Hotel. Within a city that boasts a view a block, this view might be the most enchanting of all. Looking out over the marinas and harbor from this vantage point makes you feel like you could be at any riviera town anywhere in the world. Get the amazing tuna carpaccio and an aperitif at the bar and take it all in, or reserve a table.
For some people, ice cream season has neither beginning nor end, but for the gang that reserves it for summer, I highly recommend hitting Get the Scoop on Broadway for a cone of creamy-dreamy amazingness, made with the purest of ingredients and fresh fruit and flavors. When fall hits, they adapt, with the seasonal options (imagine whole, homemade apple pies mixed into vanilla ice cream). More on those after the 22nd.
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