any good restaurants in newport? do they allow byob? tia

In Newport, only unlicensed establishments can offer BYOB. There is one Italian place that does so, but off hand I can't remember the name as it was closed the day I wanted to go and that was over a year ago.

I highly recommend the Spiced Pear.

Here's the website:

http://www.spicedpear.com/

This place looks nice. I keep intending to try it every time I go down there, but never make it.

Ah, it is still open. That was what came to my mind. I went there once when I was in college at Brown. One of my friend's dad took us. This was about 14 years ago and I did not recall the name. I remember there was no electricity in the dining room, just candle light.

WHT was fantastic about 17 or 18 yrs. ago. Not sure if it stilll is, but I would give it a look on Zagats, maybe. Excellent food and atmosphere. Very New England.

My wife and I will be celebrating our anniversary (21st) in Newport in early Oct. I'd love recommendations on places to eat, things to see (I have 4 days so I figure I can see all of RI) etc. I figure on one really fancy meal, and a couple of other really good ones. I'm not just looking for Newport, but all of RI since we will be doing a lot of driving around. Appreciate any advice you folks may have.

Providence has (or at least it used to) a great Italian section. If someone is in the know, they should be able to recommend something great.

Area called Federal Hill - Unfortunately, all my info is quite dated.

Unbelievable deep dish pizza at Sicilias. Unquestionably a front, but great great pizza.

There was a place called Cassertas or something like that we liked and Cassarinos.

Al Forno's was always the most renowned place in town.

Al Forno's is famous for their grilled pizza. If you go there, you must try it - ask for a Pizza Margarita as a special order. Once you eat one you will probably order a second one. They also made a "dirty" steak which was great - you might be able to special order it. Bad news is they don't take reservations, and there can be a very long wait.

Capital Grill in Providence is the place for steak - lots of power-dinners going on there. An "in" place to be.

Cafe Nuovo is nice also - in Providence.

Capriccio's (I think that's how you spell it - it's in Providence) is very Old World in flavor - waiters in tuxes, cooking steak Diane at tableside, that sort of thing.

Camille's on Federal Hill was outstanding, but I think that it has declined somewhat in recent years. Ever since the FBI cleaned out the Providence mafia the restaurants haven't been as good up on the Hill.

Ah, forgot about your Rhode Island connections

Yeah, I've got my sources...

at castle hill inn10/14.

We had a great time, and I thought I'd report back on the dining.

We did not go to any of the places recommended, unfortunately. But we did have a couple of nice meals anyway.

Our big dinner to celebrate our anniversary was Sunday night at 22 Bowens Wine Bar and Restaurant. They have a WS rated wine list, heavy in the Chards and Cabs, not so great for Pinot Noir. They are a classic steak house, read sides are extra unless you order one of their signature dishes, but the service was excellent and the food great for the steak, not so great for the rest. I had the Grilled Filet Mignon over Roasted Shallot Mashed Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Demi-Glace and Whipped Maytag Blue Cheese. The filet was an 8 oz., I declined upping it to 12 and I'm glad I did as I was full by the time I finished the potatoes and mushrooms along with the steak. Perfectly cooked (med-rare) and very tender and flavorful. My wife had the Sesame Crusted Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Crisp Snow Peas, Jasmine Rice, Sweet Soy Sauce, Fried Rice Noodles, Pickled Ginger and Wasabi. Since she doesn't particularly want her fish to be rare, she asked for it medium. However, it came way overcooked. I would have sent it back, but she just ate it the way it was. She did like the accompanyments. For dessert I ordered the bread pudding (one of my all time favorites) with chocolate sauce. It was only fair, dry and not that flavorful.

We ordered a bottle of the 2001 Charles Melton "Nine Popes", Grenache/Shiraz, Barossa. It was quite good, but then I like GSMs. Lots of red berrys, a little menthol, and very easy to drink.

On Columbus Day, we ate Italian (hey how can you not) at a place called Puerini's. In a word, excellent. The wine list, while not huge, was very good, and well priced. I ordered a 2004 Banfi Rosso that went very well with the Pasta Bolegnaisse (I didn't spell that right but you know what I mean) and the Pasta sur la mer my wife had. Service was excellent and friendly and it was well priced considering it is in Newport. The desserts were huge and I loved strawberry ice cream. Great coffee too.

Tuesday was a disappointment. We ate at a French place on Bowens wharf called La Bistro. The wine list was heavy in Chards and Cabs, but had nothing that was exciting or interesting in any category. What it did have going for it was that it was relatively cheap (lots of wines in the mid $20s to 40s) but considering that there were three white zins, and BV Coastal on the list, what do you expect. However, I would call it a "resort list" that caters to folks who don't normally order wine but will when on vacation. I had the signature boullebaise that was heavy on mussels, but weak in the flavor department (thin and bland). My wife's chicken was so uninspired that I can't even recall what it was. The bread pudding Creole (I did say bread pudding was my favorite) was really good however, and the Bourbon sauce was really strong. Service was friendly, but slow, but to be fair, it was a Tuesday night, they only had two servers as they did not expect much business (season is over) and they were having to turn folks away because they couldn't handle the huge number of walk-ins that showed up. If I lived there I might give them another chance, but I don't and if I go back, I will try other places first.

Lunches were a different matter. All were good. Annies the first day, where the clam and crab chowder was to die for. The lobster roll was perfect, not too much mayo, and lots of flavor. Nothing was cheap, but we were in Newport. The next day we drove to Watch Hill where we ordered Clam Chowder and lobster rolls from a small place called the Bay Street Deli to eat while sitting on the seawall watching the boats in the harbor. The chowder was great, lots of it, and lots of flavor. Again, a great lobster roll.

Finally, we ate at Poor Richards on Thames St. I had chowder again and a very good club sandwich, and my wife the corn and crab chowder (turns out they are the same owners and menu as Annie's)and fried clams. It was the first time I ever say her not be able to finish her fried clams. What a pile, and they were soooo good.

All in all, not bad, we had a great time, weather was great, and the B and B (Newport Blues on Pelham St.) we stayed in was very nice and it was fun.

Glad to hear that you had some (if not all) great meals.

You can't beat a good lobster roll for lunch. Especially if you get to sit by the water and watch the boats cruise by.