Looking for both updscale and casual dining in Newport

My husband and I are arriving in Newport in August for the Jazz Festival and will be extending our vacation throughout the following week. I%26#39;d like some recommendations as where to make reservations for a fabulous, upscale seafood restaurant, a great steakhouse and also good, auhentic seafood restaurants to go to for lunch. No chains please. For lunch I could care less if I dine in a shack as long as the food is great. For dinner, I am looking for quality food in a nice atmosphere. Can anyone help?

Looking for both updscale and casual dining in Newport

for shacks, i recommend Flo%26#39;s Clam Shack on Easton%26#39;s Beach. Great fried clams. Folks line up around the place on the weekends.

Again, I love the White Horse Tavern...the history. It%26#39;s upscale but sooo interesting.

Looking for both updscale and casual dining in Newport

Best upscale seafood restaurant in Newport is The Mooring Seafood Kitchen and Bar, right on the waterfront in downtown. Another, more casual place is Scales and Shells, but I don%26#39;t believe they are open for dinner. Flo%26#39;s in Middletown is a fried seafood place, if you don%26#39;t mind the cooking oil. The Black Pearl has a nice outdoor patio on the water, and a good, not great, chowder for lunch.

Best, and only, authentic steakhouse is 22 Bowen%26#39;s, also on the waterfront near the Black Pearl. They also have a more casual outdoor waterfront patio, 22 Portside with some good seafood selections for lunch. The White Horse Tavern is a nice place, but neither a seafood or steak specialist; they do have good seafood and beef entree choices however. Bouchard%26#39;s is a very good classic French dining experience, with the chef as the owner. Really worth trying.

The Rhumbline, a bit away from the waterfront is also a really nice smaller chef owned location worth trying, with seafood and meat choices, as is Pronto%26#39;s--another chef-owned establishment.

Best overall dining experience in Newport is Castle Hill Inn %26amp; Resort, probably one of the best restaurants in the country. They have some great seafood entrees, as well as a nice steak.

The Mooring, 22 Bowen%26#39;s and Castle Hill are all owned by the same local company, and they have some other locations in Tiverton and Providence I%26#39;m told.

Newport has some really good dining options if you are into fine dining. They are expensive, but you get what you are paying for. There are some good more casual places as well, but be careful, since there are also a number of marginal places to trap the unwary or undiscriminating.

Good luck, hope you enjoy yourself in Newport.

Whoops, I meant that Scales and Shells may not be open for LUNCH.

very upscale:

Bouchards, Spiced Pear, or Castle Hill

upscale:

Mooring, 22 Bowens, Black Pearl in the Commodore Room,

Clarke Cook House, West Deck, Mama Luisa%26#39;s

casual:

Yesterdays, Scales %26amp; Shells, Zelda%26#39;s, Pronto, Black Pearl%26#39;s Tavern or patio, West Deck patio, Sardella%26#39;s, Puerini%26#39;s

very casual:

Brick Alley Pub, Wharf Pub, O%26#39;Briens, Red Parrott, Gas Lamp, Quahog Company

REALLY casual:

Salas%26#39;s for pasta by the weight (1/4 or 1/2 pound). Great family place with great oriental pasta.

Flo%26#39;s Clam Shack right across from 1st Beach

lots of places to choose from. check out www.GoNewport.com

Breakfast at Corner Cafe, Gary%26#39;s handy lunch or Franklin Spa.

I agree that the Inn at Castle Hill is the best overall dining experience in Newport because you get a 5 star view along with a five star atmosphere and a five star meal.

I%26#39;m not a fan of Flo%26#39;s for seafood. If you want good seafood at a casual place you need to venture to Middletown to Anthony%26#39;s Seafood and either eat there or take it out to the beach perhaps. You%26#39;ll get the BEST clamcakes and chowder there (three kinds of chowder) . They have great steamers and just about anything you could possibly want in terms of fresh seafood Rhode Island style.

Unfortunately there are lots of over-rated over-priced mediocre restaurants in Newport and surprisingly I see them recommended to people all the time.

Yesterdays and Zelda%26#39;s and Pronto I think are fairly consistent and mid priced.

Oh I forgot, to add to the BEST restaurants, there is also THE PLACE which is right next door to Yesterday%26#39;s in Washington Square. It used to be my absolute favorite restaurant. They used to have a lobster entree with mango papaya sauce over black angel hair pasta which was INCREDIBLE but I%26#39;ve noticed they%26#39;ve taken it off the menu. I still would go there if you want interesting delicious gourmet food. It isn%26#39;t cheap but it was always well worth it! It%26#39;s very upscale but not stuffy like the Black Pearl or the White Horse Tavern or Bouchard%26#39;s tend towards.

Agree with Castle Hill for a fine dining experience. Overall, it is the best in Newport. The view, the service, the atmosphere, the food, the wine list. White Horse Tavern is also a great place for fine dining. Other fine dining recommendations would be Brochards and although the atmosphere is more casual West Deck and Asterisks are excellent choices. For a more casual experience without compromising food quality I would recommend Scales and Shells and Black Pearl for lunch. Spiced Pear is overpriced and overrated as is 22 Bowens. I gave 22 Bowens several opportunities to redeem themselves and they never failed to disappoint. I would not recommend Brick Alley to anyone. Had a few failed experiences here and would not return. Perhaps The Mooring would do for lunch. I would not consider it the caliber of the aforementioned fine dining establishments but the atmosphere is pleasing and if you choose wisely you can have a descent meal. Have fun!

I posted this a few moments ago to Mamma Luisa%26#39;s comment page:

OK, I admit that I%26#39;m a tough audience. I admit, too, that this is the best meal that we%26#39;ve had in Newport albeit that we have never eaten at Castlehill. The service was excellent but I didn%26#39;t particularly enjoy the German headwaiter staring at my Wife as he seated us. She%26#39;s beautiful but that kind of ';consumption'; is inappropriate and classless.

My Wife had a simple salad that was clearly not of the packaged variety; it consisted of really fresh greens and a very nice dressing. I had zuppa di frutti di mare that was delicious.

For our entrees, she had cotoletto di pollo that was delicious and I had carbonare that hardly had any taste and I%26#39;m sure that the pasta was packaged.

The restaurant gets a high rating from me mostly because of the atmosphere -- quiet and somewhat elegant. It%26#39;s modest prices result from the fact that the restaurant is at the lower-rent end of Thames, after the intersection with Narragansett, where Thames becomes a two-way street.

The restaurant%26#39;s up-to-date menu is on the web.

Absolutely go to Canfield House for dinner. It is up the hill a bit from the Tennis Museum, and is fabulous.. less expensive than White Horse but could easily be more expensive based on the food, presentation, staff, and atmosphere. It was once the casino in Newport, and it has the most beautiful woodwork...ceilings and all! Very relaxing and the wait staff know how to wait tables...no rushing or plopping down a cocktail as the salads are arriving. enjoy!