Continuing the tour of Rhode Island I gave my parents, we now land in Newport. Both my bosses are familiar with Newport so I asked them for a recommendation. They both said, without much thinking, The Black Pearl. I looked up the restaurant online and was excited about the menu. So we piled in my little car and, even though it was a very dreary and rainy day, headed to Newport. We arrived at Bannister's Wharf hungry and ready for seafood. And just as I was telling them that The Black Pearl is known for its clam chowder, we see the sign on the door of the restaurant "Closed for seasonal renovations" until February! I was so sad!
Black Pearl or not, we were hungry. So we decided to travel next door to The Candy Store. Probably not the best idea.
We all started out with a cup of clam chowder:
Served with a big stale oyster cracker, the only good thing about the chowder was that it was filled with an abundance of fresh clams. Other than that, I thought the broth was too watery and flavorless. But that may be a difference of preference- both my parents seemed to enjoy it. I prefer my clam chowder much thicker and creamier, like at Joe's American Grill or Legal's Seafood.
Then my mom and I both had the lobster roll:
Once again, the only good thing about this dish was the fact that there was lots of the fresh seafood. But it was much too drenched in mayonnaise, and I found a hair in my lobster. My dad had the cod cakes, which he thought were too breaded, and Andy had a not-worth-mentioning sesame tuna salad.
The meal was so unimpressive that I am still disappointed that we wasted our time in Newport eating it. I'll have to go back after February and try The Black Pearl, so my food-review of Newport can be improved.
Comments