Little Rhody

Little Rhody

June 18-25, 2021


Oh my lordy, Little Rhody was the chosen destination for our first vacation in 18 long and boring months. If you were paying attention in your high school geography class rather than squeezing your pimples, you likely will remember that Rhode Island (RI), officially nicknamed the Ocean State, is the smallest state in the union.

Those of an inquisitive mind might inquire how small? The answer my friend is 37 miles wide and a mere 48 miles long with a shoreline that measures 400 miles give or take a sand dune or two. In fact, regardless of where you happen to find your self in RI at any given moment you will be less than an hour, excluding construction delays and rush hour, from some of the best beaches in the USA, much of it free for you though not for your car.

June 18

Our first stop on the trip was Groomin N Roomin Kennels where Brody, our dog, would be roomin’ until his groomin’ on the last day of our vacation.


Our intermediate destination was Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingston where we walked to Osprey Point only to discover the ospreys were vacationing this week as well. It was a lovely walk through fields and forest to the last remaining undeveloped salt pond in the state.



Shortly after exiting and before much traction was gained we spotted a food truck appropriately named Frank’s Franks and More. Herself ordered a chili cheese dog while himself chose an Olneyville style wiener. For those not of the RI persuasion a wiener, as opposed to a weenie, is a small, thin hot dog served in a steamed bun and according to state regulations is ordered “all the way” which includes celery salt, yellow mustard, chopped onions and a seasoned meat sauce. 2.5 Forks out of a possible 5



We then made our way over highways and byways through traffic periodically thick then thin and then back again to the Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Providence where we had reserved accommodations for 3 nights. The hotel is a repurposed bank building perfectly situated for our purposes. I know you are likely wondering, as did family and friends, why would anyone choose Providence as a vacation destination? Read on!




The area immediately east of our hotel was once covered with water known as the Great Salt Pond, but over time it was drained, land filled with a railroad built in order to support the many industries operating in the downtown area. Back in the days of my youth the times they were a changin’ and not for the better so the area languished until the River Relocation Project of the 1980s and ‘90s re-imagined the water that once ran through it. Today, Waterplace Park and the surrounding area are home to walking paths, pedestrian bridges, parks, restaurants and WaterFire.

Speaking of restaurants, with the Johnson and Wales campus within easy walking distance is it no wonder that there were so many outstanding restaurants to choose from. My selection of just 3 proved to be a difficult though rewarding task.

After a prolonged vino centered happy hour in our room, we followed the river to The River Social Mediterranean restaurant for dinner where we shared a total of 4 dishes: roasted eggplant, roasted beet salad, shrimp and polenta, and seafood peperonata. Each dish offered an interesting flavor profile.
4 Forks








On our way back to the room via the canal walk we heard music emanating from Burnside Park so we made a short detour and ended up attending a small though boisterous Black Lives Matter rally.




June 19

Himself typically wakes up hours before both the roosters and herself so himself usually accompanies Brody, our dog, on an extended morning walk, but since our fur baby was roomin’ elsewhere, this week’s walks were solo affairs. This morning’s trek of approximately 2+ miles included the Turk’s Head Building, Old State House, Prospect Terrace, Roger Williams Memorial and Rhode Island State House.








On my way back to the hotel I saw a note posted on the window of the adjacent parking facility. The very same one currently housing our car, warning patrons that the garage was not staffed and would be closed from 9PM on Friday through the weekend. Fortunately we were not planning on driving anywhere, but had an emergency arisen we would have been up that well known creek without a paddle or, in this case, a car.

Breakfast at our hotel this morning included OJ, a ham and sweet pepper omelet, sausage patty and a coffee for herself. 2 Forks

Our mid morning/early afternoon agenda included a visit to the Rhode Island Irish famine memorial before continuing on to and over the pedestrian bridge. We stopped at Plant City for a (wholesome) beverage before returning via South Water Street.






Following another it’s 5 o’clock somewhere in-room happy hour, we embarked on a short walk to Hemenway’s, a restaurant noted for its seafood. We decided to share an order of Point Judith calamari, fried squid with hot cherry peppers, that would have put a smile on James Beard’s face as it did ours.


For an entree herself chose fresh swordfish accompanied by grilled ratatouille vegetables and a lemon garlic anchovy sauce. Himself opted for Georges Bank scallops with spring garlic-onion puree, peas, asparagus, baby carrots, and roasted marble potatoes. Hers proved to be amazing while mine came up a fraction short of perfection due to the scallops being slightly overcooked. 4.75 Forks



On exiting we walked around Memorial Park which includes numerous sculptures paying homage to those who have given their lives during wars and conflicts around the world. Included are the RI Holocaust memorial, the Korean War Memorial and others honoring veterans of the World Wars I and II.



June 21

My mission on this morning’s early stroll was to view a number of murals.

Still Here


Misty Blue



Breakfast at the hotel included OJ, a cheese omelet and link sausage. 2.5 Forks

Next on our agenda was a visit to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum that houses over 100,000 pieces of art across a wide variety of collections such as textiles, ancient Egyptian clothing, Asian and Contemporary art.

These collections are spread across a number of floors each housing several galleries causing me to get misplaced numerous times. I finally stumbled on the European gallery, but could not find my way back to show Ann so I had to employ the services of a docent to take us there. Works in the European gallery that I particularly enjoyed were by the likes of Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Rodin, Matisse and Vinny Van Gogh. 4 Claps

On The Banks of a River - Cezanne


View of Auvers-sur-oise - Vinny



A Walk in the Meadow - Monet


We took a short detour on our way to dinner to visit the First Baptist Church in America. It was founded in 1638 by none other than Roger Williams with the present church building erected in 1774-75.


Dinner was at Palo, a tapas restaurant where we ordered, drum roll, a variety of tapas that included grilled shrimp (head-on grilled shrimp/chickpea-chili crisp/charred lime), corn ribs (paprika salt/roast lime alioli/queso blanco), palo salad (frisée & radicchio/manchego cheese/sangria pears/grapes /marcona almonds), grilled eggplant (herbed yogurt/pine nuts/honey) and pan-seared hake (manila clams/potatoes/parsley white wine sauce). Each dish was unique and delicious though the shrimp might have been a tad bit overdone. 4.5 Forks






Following dinner we followed the canal walk to the scenic pedestrian bridge where a large number of locals and a dozen great blue herons had gathered to watch the sun set over the water.



Narragansett Electric


June 21

The sky was overcast and our plans called for a lot of walking later in the day so this morning’s walk was limited to seeking out a few additional murals.







We could not handle another hotel provided breakfast so I made the short, 305 feet, walk to the Coffee Connection to pick up a blueberry muffin for Ann and an almond croissant for myself which were enjoyed with OJ in the hotel’s dining room. 3 Forks


After exchanging $66 for our car, we exited the garage and made the short drive to Roger Williams Park Zoo. This 40 acre zoo hosts over 100 species and is one of the nation’s oldest having opened in 1872. It is an excellent example of modern zoo design and is largely cage-free.









The zoo is currently hosting an Asian Lantern Spectacular that must be amazing when the lanterns are lit each night. After spending a few hours at the zoo we departed for Newport. 4.5 Claps




Our plan was to visit Beavertail State Park in Jamestown on Conanicut Island, but the area was shrouded in a dense fog so we continued on to the Pell Bridge and attempted to make our way to the Wayfinder Hotel. I managed to become disoriented in the heavy fog and we soon found ourselves heading back across the bridge netting the state of RI an additional $8.

We arrived at the hotel well before the 4PM check-in time and found no rooms currently available so we drove to the tourist area and visited a few shops including Sheldon Fine Art before returning to the hotel.



I had scored a Travelzoo deal for our hotel that included not only a sizable discount from the rack rates, but also a $100 Nomi Park, the in-house bar and restaurant, gift card. In addition, the hotel provides a daily wine/beer social that we took advantage of each evening.




I had planned on us enjoying a $6 Moscow mule at nearby Anthony’s Pizza by the Slice, but discovered on entering that while the restaurant was open, the bar was not. Not to be denied, we found our way to the Smoke House on Scott Wharf where Ann enjoyed a Chardonnay and I a Newport Craft Brewery IPA. 3 Sips

The dinner bell was still ringing as we exited the outhouse at the Smoke House so we continued on past the Wave to the Midtown Oyster Bar. Ann ordered the seared yellow fin tuna and I the pan roasted halibut. Each entree included couscous, tabbouleh, grilled vegetables and haricot verts. The lady’s fish was cooked to a desirable degree of rareness while mine, once again, was on the wrong side of medium. 3 Forks







June 22

My early morning travels involved less walking than usual and more time behind the steering wheel as I attempted to reacquaint myself with the Aquidneck Island communities of Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth.

I stopped in the Provencal Bakery for breakfast pastries before returning to the room only to discover it was closed. My back-up plan was Bishop’s 4th Street Diner which graciously accepted our patronage. Ann ordered 2 eggs easy over, hash browns, raisin toast and home fries. I did her one better by adding corned beef hash – burp. 3 Forks



Later in the day we visited the 240 acre Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge that occupies a peninsula between the Sakonnet River and Rhode Island Sound. We probably walked 2 of the 3 miles of trails that meander through the refuge with most following the coastline.




We arrived in the lobby for our complimentary glasses of wine at 5 bells. These were closely followed by additional glasses of wine at Nomi Park bar courtesy of our gift card.

Dinner this night was at Trio in the town of Narraganset requiring us to once again to travel across the Pell Bridge as a light rain commenced to fall. We shared an excellent baby arugula, radicchio, frisse, radish, red onion, grana padano and lemon vinaigrette salad.



Ann ordered sea scallops with local mushrooms, asparagus, fingerling potatoes and roasted garlic-pea puree. My choice of pan roasted cod over saffron-crab risotto, fennel, spring peas and chorizo butter proved to be a little less successful primarily due to the soupy consistency and blah taste of the risotto. 2.5 Forks




Our return via the Pell Bridge proved to be far less stressful than the one(s) 2 days prior.

June 23

The skies had cleared this morning so I set my sails for Goat Island where I enjoyed the view of the Newport Harbor Light, more commonly known as the Goat Island Lighthouse, along with the ever present Pell Bridge in the background.



I continued on to King Park where I enjoyed another magnificent view of Newport Harbor and reconnected with my buddy General Rochambeau. It was back in 1780 when the good general arrived in Newport with around 6,000 French soldiers, signaling to many the beginning to the end of the Revolutionary War. The old boy remained in Newport until 1781 when he joined forces with George Washington’s troops at the Battle of Yorktown.


Later in the morning the Queen and I departed for Le Bec Secure to secure a pair of breakfast pastries only to discover they had sold out for the day. Our back-up plan was the very popular Cru Cafe where we enjoyed egg sandwiches with bacon on Portuguese bolo rolls. 3.5 Forks



We then walked the eastern section of the Cliff Walk which combines the rugged beauty of the shoreline with the architectural history of Newport’s gilded age.

Ochre Court - now part of Salve Regina University






40 Steps


On our return to the car we followed the signs for 10 mile drive stopping at King Park and Fort Adams for the unobstructed views of the harbor.

King Park



Speaking of Fort Adams and who may I ask hasn’t? It was the second largest bastioned fort in the United States, originally designed to be the most heavily armed fort in America and garrison up to 2,400 troops. Today it is most notable for its views of the bay and as home to both the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. It is also the home to the flagship SSV Oliver Hazard Perry as well as a Del’s Frozen Lemonade truck.




After a prolonged rest in the room, we enjoyed complimentary adult beverages in the hotel before making our way to the Mooring for dinner. Once again we shared a salad, this one included arugula, shaved fennel, orange segments, strawberries, pistachios, ricotta and basil-white balsamic vinaigrette.







Ann chose the evening special of swordfish over Parmesan risotto while I settled on the spicy seafood linguine that included both scallops and shrimp in a (less than) robust lobster-tomato sauce. Hers was very good while mine will be avoided in the future. 3.5 Forks




We then drove to Goat Island for the view of the lighthouse/bay as the sun began to settle over the distant horizon.



June 24

My early morning activities included another segment of the cliff walk plus about ½ of 10 mile drive. Prior to returning to the room I picked up a pair of breakfast pastries at a local supermarket that we almost enjoyed along with OJ in our room.

The Breakers




Portuguese memorial in Brenton Point State Park




This day’s major activity was a visit to Colt State Park in Bristol where we enjoyed the shoreline walk.


Having burned off most of the calories from this morning’s breakfast, we went for lunch at nearby Quito’s Seafood Restaurant & Bar. We each settled on clam cakes, don’t you dare call them fritters, and RI (clear) clam chowder. There was very little clam in the fritters, oops cakes. 2.5 Forks




Once again we settled in our room in the late afternoon conserving our strength for the night’s happy hour that was celebrated in the hotel with complimentary adult beverages.

The last dinner of the trip was at Gulf Stream Bar & Grille, located in a shipyard in Portsmouth. We started off by sharing their eponymous calamari (flash fried rings tossed in a light cream sauce with hot cherry peppers and chorizo). Ann wisely chose fish & chips while I went a tiny bit rogue by ordering the Bermuda fish chowder. Mine included both a shot of rum and a sherry peppers sauce that I judiciously added to the otherwise mediocre hake based chowder. 2.5 Forks









For those of you who have not been keeping track, our beloved Queen managed to choose the better of 2 entrees at each of our dinner fests with the sole exception being our tapas meal where we shared everything. The final score was 6-0-1.

June 25

I woke up late and since we planned on a relatively early start my post dawn activities were limited to filling our vehicle’s gas tank and purchasing a bottle of Eclipse coffee syrup (the official drink of RI).



We had our first and final breakfast at Nomi Park where Ann ordered French toast custard with almond crumble and whipped cream. I chose a soft omelette (their spelling) with bousin cheese and chives plus a token amount of breakfast potatoes and toast. Service may have been with a smile, but our server went missing for an extended period of time so our meals were barely warm when delivered by a kitchen employee. 2 Forks




We then successfully navigated our way to Roomin N Groomin to retrieve Brody before continuing on to our home base.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read our trip report. Hopefully it will encourage a few of you to consider Little Rhody for future vacation destination.


“Be simple. Be honest. Don't overcook and don't undercook, but it's better to undercook than overcook.”
― James Beard ---

 

What a wonderful trip! Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing. Hope Brody enjoyed his vacation too.

5

 

Thanks for reading. Brody was a little hyper when we picked him, but he has settled down now that he's home.

 

So happy to see you traveling again. This seemed to be a less than spectacular trip which probably is in direct relation to the staffing problems everywhere! At least you got away and breathed different air. Las Vegas soon?

 

Westie, I have always admired how you and Ann vacation, whether in Vegas or elsewhere. Your pics are beautiful and inspires me to travel more than I do now to places I don't. Thank you for sharing!

 

Nice trip Westie, thanks for sharing, great photos as always. Glad you were able to get out, and as my Mom would say "get the stink blown off you." Haven't been up that way in a long time, its a beautiful part of the country.

 

Probably not this year mainly due to Southwest's miserable flight schedule from Hartford.

 

Glad you enjoyed our little state

That picture you took of the Turk's Head building: the center first floor window facing your camera used to be my desk from ~2000-2005. I miss that spot. Also Hemenway's may be my favorite restaurant in RI, certainly top 3.

If you come back this way, try Los Andes, in... not the greatest neighborhood of Providence, but a very nice restaurant, with valet so you don't need to worry about the neighborhood, and incredible South America (largely Peruvian and Brazilian) food with exceedingly generous portions.

 

@Basil - I had Los Andes on my initial list of restaurants, but fortunately decided that there were more than enough things to do and excellent restaurants that I could go car free for the short time we were in Providence. The city has changed so much since I frequented it back in the 50's and 60's. My father owned
a rigging business on South Water Street worked summers during undergraduate years.

 

Lovely report as always, thanks.

Thoughts and a question:

• I am reminded that seafood is often overcooked. Even though I don't think anyone ever asked me how I like my seafood prepared, perhaps I should heed Mr. Beard's implied suggestion and try ordering it rare or medium rare.
• Given General Rochambeau's presumed challenges in playing paper or scissors, it probably would not be too hard to beat him at his own game.
• What on God's earth is Eclipse Coffee Syrup? Does it bear any resemblance to, say, vegemite? Did you enjoy it?

 

Definitely plenty of options in the "downtown" area (sorry, I refuse to say downcity). And yes, the city hit a pretty darn rough patch in the 80's when I was growing up- we basically never went there unless there was a specific show at the civic center. But then Buddy Cianci came along, and despite the many, many legal issues he had and caused, he revitalized the city ad set it up for a Renaissance that's still going strong.

And @azlefty Eclipse from my childhood is why I drink a pot and a half of coffee a day as an adult Think chocolate milk, but coffee flavored instead.

 

@azlefty The only time on this trip that I thought to request the seafood be cooked just past medium rare was when Ann ordered the
swordfish @ Hemenways. Eclipse and Aristrocrat are the two brands of coffee syrup that I grew up with and both are domiciled in Lincoln, RI.
I most often stirred the syrup into milk though you could use it as an ice cream topping as well. I hadn't had it for maybe past 40 years or more,
but I have been enjoying at home since we returned. It is a RI thing along with crab cakes, Del's lemonade, Olyneyville hot weiners, stuffies,
pizza strips and Point Judith calamari.

 

Nice report as always @westie , thanks for sharing.

 

@Basil Back in the 50's and 60's when we went to the city we would often meet friends at the Shepherd clock.

 

I do admit that I have not been to Rhode Island in decades, except to drive through.

However, back in my college days, a friend (actually, probably more like a FOAF) had a family estate waayyyyy out in the boonies somewhere north of Scituate, and they would have two big annual parties, intergenerational things, where everybody was invited.

The drive out there went through some gorgeous country, especially in the fall!

 

I live 15 miles from the RI border so we spend at lot of time there-----Newport is barely an hour so we enjoy their shoreline and just looking at the mansions and Providence, rather than Boston, is our city of choice for eating out at a "good" restaurant on Saturday night any time of the year.

Sorry that you had such bad luck with your seafood choices.

 

I love your reports - they're always more like stories with lots of local flavor I always appreciate. Despite the food, it sounds like you had a good time.

 

We found Providence to be a very walkable and safe city. I tend to be a tough critic when it comes to food, but overall I was reasonably happy with the seafood. We eat a lot of seafood at home and I tend to prepare all of it on the border of medium and should have specified my preferences.

 

Thanks. I know I bitch about my entrees, but they were generally good. Anything rated 2.5 or above is worthy of ordering again.

 

Never heard of coffee syrup and had to try. Ordered from Amazon and it's already here now what do I do with it?