So many people are focusing on dinner for Newport Restaurant Week that I don’t want anyone to forget about lunch. The girls from the CVB and I tried two places we’ve never been to before-Diego’s and Gas Lamp Grille.

Diego’s is on Bowens Wharf right next to the Cookie Jar. With outdoor seating in the summer and open kitchen inside the food is fresh and has a Baja theme-which is basically build your own taco from sauce to chicken, beef or fish and all the fun ingredients that goes with!

The best information I found was that they deliver year-round! Their pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkin seeds was perfect for a cold day. And they were very flexible about making me a chicken taco instead of the fish tacos they had for the special. For dessert was an empanada with chocolate and bananas wrapped in dough and deep fried-drizzled with chocolate and caramel-in a word-YUM.

Today we tried the Gas Lamp Grille-right next to Starbucks. First of all, if you are a sports fan there are plenty of room and flat screens to enjoy any sport at any time! The 3-course meal came with soup, salad and sandwich or pizza of choice. Great chowder, good classic Caesar salad and I had a great Black Angus burger. Others had a tuna sandwich (prepared rare but able to have it any way you want it) and cordon bleu chicken sandwich which could feed a family of four.

This Saturday between 5 and 7 they are hosting a Pizza and Beer Tasting. And it’s not your standard pizza-Thai peanut and chicken; Tuscan chicken; roasted veggie and Jamaican Jerk shrimp-and maybe that will tantalize your taste buds to stay for dinner!

Happy dining…I might make it to one more dinner. Stay tuned!

I’ve got to say after a spectacular dinner at Bouchards last night it truly leaves you wanting this week to go on for much longer. There are so many fabulous restaurants who are serving wonderful food-many choices in those 3 courses-that if you haven’t been out this week-you have got to go!

Not only does it give you a chance to try a new restaurant or one you thought you couldn’t afford but it is thrilling to be sitting in a restaurant that fills up so fast you’d think it was summer and it is so many folks you know.

Chef Albert Bouchard’s menu last night along with a bottle of La Crema Pinot Noir was like being in a Parisian restaurant. From my “light as a feather” lobster mousseline to the hanger steak with béarnaise (a sauce few restaurants get right any more) and the luscious chocolate soufflé I was in culinary heaven. The French classics are in safe hands with Chef Bouchard!

My friends had delicious pumpkin soup or foie gras; there was salmon, chicken and pork in addition to my steak choice and for dessert-baked Alaska (sounds like there should be a Sarah Palin joke there!) and a glossy apple tart. If this doesn’t make you hungry there is a restaurant for any palate. Happy dining!

For more information on Newport, RI visit www.GoNewport.com

Hi all! A few girls from the NCCVB and I went to Jamestown last night and were transported to the islands. Tricia’s Tropi-Grille known in the summer for its outdoor dining has just as much to offer indoors. The menu was a stunner as there was quite a bit to choose for Newport Restaurant Week-their first time participating and clearly wanting to make a great impression.

I started off with a Lobster-Crab Cake served with a panko fried tomato and Dijon sauce. The texture of the “cake” was almost creamy loaded with lobster and crabmeat-the tomato was a fun accent to the seafood-no need for tartar sauce here.

I opted for the Thai Curry Sea Scallops with jasmine rice for my second course, tasty treat. Also served were Hawaii Five O-a surf and turf-grilled Calypso steak and a skewer of jerk seasoned shrimp along with Cedar Baked Salmon, Island Stir Fry and Vegetable Risotto (I am  told it is cooked to order).

Dessert lovers beware-there are homemade desserts here too! Key Lime pie was outrageous, vanilla bean cheesecake-anyone who knows me will tell you I will always order cheesecake-and a Mississippi Mud Pie for the chocoholics.

I’m off to Tuckers Bistro tonight. Get out there-with so many places to dine-have some fun and get out of the kitchen at these prices it is cheaper to eat out!

Greetings! Newport Restaurant Week is in its third day and already I’ve heard that Bouchards is the place to be. I attended (as many know I also write for the Newport Daily News) the American Institute of Wine and Food’s “smackdown” last night at the Viking Hotel-where 5 chefs from Newport went head-to-head against some of Providence’s best chefs. I am not sure of the outcome yet but it was 10 courses-yikes!

I am dining at Trish’s Tropical Grille tonight and can’t wait to cross the bridge. Don’t forget to think about dining in Jamestown and Little Compton’s Tap Room at the Stone House. I’ll be reporting to you tomorrow-until then bon apetit!

Whether you are local or out-of-towners visiting Newport you have to take advantage of Newport Restaurant Week! Starting this Sunday-November 1^st to November 8^th over 35 participating restaurants are running an incredible deal of 3-course lunches for $16 and 3-course dinners for $30.

And this is Newport County-meaning Jamestown, Middletown, Portsmouth and Tiverton!  I am going to be reporting for you-tell me where I should go by joining in on the blog. I’d love to have your feedback.

Newport Restaurant Week is a week from Sunday. November 1^st through the 8^th over 35 restaurants on Aquidneck Island are laying down a tablecloth for you! You can’t beat the price-$16 for a 3-course lunch and $30 for a 3-course dinner.

And we’ve got some new restaurants participating so check the list on the website. I am the official taste-tester for the Newport County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. I have the awesome task of dining that week reporting to you about the sensational food our incredible restaurants have to offer.

You might consider making an over-night getaway and stay in one of our fine hotels, inns and B&B’s-many of which have special packages in conjunction with the festive week. So mangiare!!!!!

http://gonewportrestaurantweek.com/

This month the Taste of Rhode Island is October 2 and 3rd-followed by Oktoberfest and Italiana Festivals on the 10 and 11^th. Many of our restaurants pay tribute to the heritage of these groups so come out and enjoy!

As much as we hate to say goodbye to our summer-shortened by bad weather-we have had glorious sunshine through September and hopefully through the month of October. Whether you come for the day or a few days there is still much to do as all the shops and restaurants would love you to drop by.

Mark your calendars-Newport Restaurant Week-where 3 course lunches are $16 and dinners are $30 kick-off the holiday season November 1^st through the 8th. It’s a bargain you cannot pass up and yours truly will be reporting to you throughout the week! It’s only a month away.

As we go into September-so hopeful for the Indian summer we deserve-it is time once again to think of Newport Restaurant Week. I am the official blogger for the week so you have plenty of time to request a restaurant for me to dine-let me know what restaurants you like and would like to see on the list!

September and October are Newport’s “best kept secret” as the there are many events going on through these months-check out the CVB website (www.gonewport.com) for info. And you will always need a place for lunch or dinner-try to eat outside as much as you can right now! Many restaurants had a banner Labor Day weekend and I am sure they would like the trend to continue so eat, drink and be merry!

Let’s hope we will be rain-free through the month of August! Eating outside on the Black Pearl Patio or by the open windows of the Clarke Cooke House having a summer refreshment while “people watching” on Bannister’s Wharf will keep you cool. Walking down the length of the wharves can make for a lot of fun as you ponder how people can still travel in their power yachts.

It’s never too late for chowder-found at almost every restaurant in our city-by-the-sea. Be it thick and creamy or clear and full of clams “chowda” is what every visitor is looking for! And every restaurant puts its own “spin” on their version.

August can be a time where you remember all the things you forgot to do this summer-especially with all the rain-so get out there! Take a sunset sail or an informative boat cruise, hit the beach with a Del’s lemonade and you are good to go!

Well in a day and a half it will be summer-officially as I really think summer begins the first of July-and someone tell whoever is messing with our weather to cut it out! We’re drenched…and longing for those hazy, lazy days of summer where we can walk without dodging showers and having to pack that umbrella in your pocket…sun and fun is what makes summer in Newport so special so bring it on!

My guests (I run an inn on Kay Street) have given me some great feedback for restaurants-H2O and the Landing where the “twenty-something’s” go for cocktails and fun. If jazz or blues is your thing the Newport Blues Club is a happening scene.

I just had a fabulous dinner at the Smokehouse Café.  With Newport Storm beers-I recommend the BBQ hog wings-they are to die for. Another spot that’s hot right now is Fluke. They’ve got a new chef (he worked with a famous chef in NYC for a long time-but he doesn’t want to focus on that-he wants to do his own thing!) and I had one of the best dinners in a while the other night-especially the “hanger steak and frites”-the menu changes daily so try it out you are guaranteed it’s fresh as can be!

Locals, visitors-we love you! Get out there and have some fun. Take one of those new rick-shaws home-they are more fun than a cab!