Over the past few months we’ve been trying to squeeze in a bunch of trips that we’ve been meaning to do since the pandemic hit – and this one was our latest.  For a hot summer weekend this August we traveled by train and then ferry to Newport, Rhode Island.  This town is very popular in the summer because it sits on the Atlantic Ocean – in fact, it’s been a seasonal resort town for almost two hundred years, and there’s a section of Newport that’s lined with huge, historic mansions overlooking the coast.  So we went up to visit the beach, check out the town, and of course try some food.  We’ll highlight here some of the places we liked, but be aware that we will show some images of meat here.

One of the things we were excited about when we went to Newport was taking a food tour, which was offered through Rhode Island Red Food Tours.  Our awesome guide, Morgan, took us to six different spots, all within walking distance of each other, where we got to sample a very interesting variety of foods and restaurants.  Our favorite was The Nitro Bar, where we got a simple and tasty sourdough toast topped with mozzarella, tomato, balsamic vinegar, and homemade pesto.

We also got to visit the Vanderbilt Hotel, which is housed in one of Newport’s most famous mansions, and there Miriam sampled a mini samosa …

… and Cyril got an oyster, served with homemade cocktail sauce.

Then we stopped by Perro Salado, where Miriam was able to try the famous avocado fries, with a chipotle mayo on the side.

And Cyril had some sticky ribs.

Next up were two restaurants that showcase the diversity of food on offer in Newport:  at Humming Bird, which serves up Carribbean fare, Miriam got a plantain with cabbage salad.

And Cyril tried a jerk chicken wing, also with some plantains.

We also got to check out Leo’s Market, which is a convenience store in the front and a Salvadoran quick-service restaurant in the back.  Miriam had their bean taco …

… and Cyril got a steak taco.

And for a sweet ending, we had these mini coconut cake shooters at Stoneacre Garden.

Since Newport is a summer town, Cyril also wanted to get his hands on some seafood, so he searched out some good spots that also had vegetarian options.  One such place was Flo’s Clam Shack, which is near Easton’s Beach (one of the most popular beaches in town) and has been around for almost 90 years.  Here’s what we got there:  for Cyril it was a platter of clam cakes (on the top middle), clam strips (on the bottom left), and a stuffed quahog (on the top right).  Miriam had some Jersey shore onion rings, made with red onions, and a lunch hot cheese (on the top left), which is a Rhode Island specialty of American cheese melted inside a hamburger bun.

We also stopped by Benjamin’s Raw Bar so Cyril could get a lobster roll – specifically, their lobster salad roll, which also comes with fries.

And Miriam snacked on their huge plate of nachos.

We also couldn’t resist stopping at The Cookie Jar, where we tried three of their cookies:  an oatmeal raisin (on the right), an oatmeal butterscotch (on the bottom left), and a ginger snap (on the top left).

But we’re also going to add in some food we got not in Newport but in Providence, Rhode Island’s largest city.  We got to Newport via a boat from Providence, and then we had to go back to Providence in order to come home, so we figured we’d try a few things while we were there.  Specifically, we’d heard about two good pizza places in the city – the first was Providence Coal Fired Pizza, where we got the Rocket – a pie topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pecorino, and arugula.

And the second was Caserta, an old-school pizzeria that sells just a few types of square pizzas, cut into strips – this one is a plain with cheese.

Cyril also tried their Wimpy Skippy, which is a baked dough pocket stuffed with spinach, olives, pepperoni and cheese.

This was really a great variety of food we got to sample in one weekend:  seafood, of course, plus we got to continue on our journey to try a bunch of different pizzas, but we also had the chance to get several small bites from different places around Newport.  We enjoyed all this food – plus the chance to get out to the beach and sail around the state of Rhode Island – and we would recommend Newport to anyone who wants to sample some regional fare.  We had fun, and if you’re looking to travel we hope we inspire you.

Where We Ate: The Best Food in Rhode Island

Recently we decided to go to Rhode Island for a weekend because it’s just a few hours away by train or bus, and we realized that despite living in the the New York-New Jersey area for most of our lives, neither of us had ever really visited the state.  At first we thought we’d just check out Providence, Rhode Island’s capital, but since it’s a pretty tiny state (the tiniest state, in fact), once we got there we thought we’d just rent a car and drive all around – and of course check out some food from all over the area.  So we’re going to show you what we discovered and everything we ate – just be warned that there will be some meat featured here.

On our first night we decided to try out Ogie’s Trailer Park, a late-night spot that serves food and drinks in a kitten-themed interior plus front and back decks that have mobile homes strewn about.  Ogie’s is in Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood, so we were able to walk there from our hotel downtown to sip on some drinks and eat some of their interesting bar fare – like this grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with mozzarella sticks:

We also enjoyed some tater tots topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and truffle oil.

Also in Providence is Olneyville New York System, a long-standing lunch counter that serves their own version of hot dogs made from long ropes of beef, pork and veal cut into individual servings.  Cyril had two of these “all the way”, topped with chili and onions.

Luckily for Miriam, they also have a grilled cheese sandwich on the menu, which she had with some fries.

Once we got our hands on a rental car we headed over to Jigger’s Diner in East Greenwich for Rhode Island’s version of johnnycakes, which some believe originated in the state.  They’re basically pancakes made with cornmeal instead of flour, and here’s Jigger’s version, plus some bacon, eggs, and fruit that we got as part of the johnnycake combo.

We also tried the sweet potato hash, which is made with black beans and served with salsa.

And the diner also gives you mini muffins with every meal – these ones are corn (on the left), blueberry (on the right), and banana chocolate chip in the middle.

But what we were really looking forward to on this trip was some of Rhode Island’s signature Italian food.  The state has a large Italian-American population that formed a community which took their traditional foods and put their own spin on things.  One place that makes excellent examples of this cuisine is The Original Italian Bakery in Johnston.  There you can get some pizza strips, which are unique to the area – they’re baked crust topped with red sauce or with garlic and Parmesan cheese.

Pizza chips are another food item you can only get in Rhode Island, and which The Original Italian Bakery claims to have invented.  They’re rounds of baked dough topped with either red sauce, red sauce and jalapeños, or garlic and Parmesan.

We also walked away with a few other baked goods once the people behind the counter heard we were visiting from out of state:  a few spinach pies …

… and a huge loaf of Italian bread.

Another example of the Italian influence in Rhode Island is its pizza, which is made from dough formed into an irregular shape and then grilled.  The inventor of this type of pizza is Al Forno in Providence, so of course we had to visit to get to the source.  We waited for over an hour there, as Al Forno is an insanely popular restaurant, but it was worth it to try the margarita pizza.  Ours – topped with sauce, cheese, and strips of scallions – came out shaped like a kickboard, or maybe an arrowhead.

We also tried a couple of other dishes at Al Forno:  here is the fried calamari, made with both tentacles and whole squid and served with arrabbiata sauce.

Miriam tried the baked pasta, with a creamy tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese on top.

And Cyril got some gnocchi in a wild boar and sausage ragu.

There are other things we didn’t get to sample – namely some of the state’s seafood, since Miriam doesn’t eat any animals – but we think we got a good variety of what Rhode Island has to offer.  We had some breakfast food, some quick lunch counter fare, some bar bites, and plenty of unique Italian offerings.  We’re glad we took the chance to visit one of our nearby states, and if you ever find yourself in New England let this serve as a handy guide of what you should get in our nation’s smallest territory.