The Restaurant The Locals Wish You Didn't Know About

It's famous for its open kitchen, chalk menu board, taking only cash up until a few years ago (Nowadays you can use plastic, no AMEX tho.), and some of the freshest seafood around. Yeah, I'm talking about Scales & Shells on Thames, and if you don't want to wait an hour (or longer) for a table, then this is the pefect time of year to go have dinner there. Before all the in and out of staters start making beelines for downtown Newport

We uber'ed over from the Gilded.* It took less than 5 minutes. We would have walked - It's that close to Thames! - but there was a high probability of rain, and we were not jazzed about possibly getting caught in a downpour. Speaking of which, someone just shaded me the other day for relying on the weather app that comes standard with I-Phone. Don't remember her preferred app for predicting unpleasant weather, but whatever it was, that's what I should apparently be using. 

We started with some drinkies (Co-opted that from Grace & Frankie over on Netflix.), including the martini above. (I mean, have you seen a prettier martini pic?) But you're probably wondering about the food. For apps, we went with oysters which were oyyy-standing. For mains, we had the John Dory special, grilled salmon, and a grilled John Dory, a completely boneless white fish that apparently hails from Europe. And the verdict on all of our dishes was a resounding DELICIOUSO! (Found out later they are also known for wood grilling and a decidedly Italian inspired menu.)

*For more about our stay at the Gilded, click here.

**All photos courtesy of Stacey Doyle Photography

Ciao for Now,

Patty J