The lighthouse by the Newport toll bridge has solar panels on the roof. A beautiful marriage of past and future!
Once we finally arrived at The (real) Breakers (the Vanderbilt family’s “summer cottage,” now a historic site), we took an $18 audio tour (the only way in). Photos were not allowed inside the mansion, but I couldn’t resist when I saw the kitchen.
This is all I want in life.
And then on to The Breakers!
Nora: “Here we are. The Breakers! Ah yes, it looks just like it does on the website.”
Jane: “Beautiful!”
Nora: “Sir, will you take our photo in front of The Breakers?”
Julie: “Where do we buy tour tickets?”
Nora: “Let’s just walk around to the front.”
(We arrive at the front courtyard, which is deserted except for a limo and a statue of the Virgin Mary.)
Julie: “Strange that there’s no one around.”
Jane: “Um … I don’t think this is The Breakers.”
Moving right along then….
Our excitement and hunger got the better of us. We went a bit nuts, ordering just about everything in sight: fried clams, three “fiery” Portuguese-style stuffed quahogs (prized local clams, which we still don’t know how to pronounce), a dozen clam cakes, a lobster roll, french fries, and coleslaw.
Julie was practically staggering up the stairs under the weight of all that fried goodness. We dug in and ate way too fast. By the time we were done, it looked like a pack of rabid seagulls attacked our food:
If you ever go to Newport, make a pilgrimage to Flo’s — and eat all the fried clams you can fit in your belly. They are AMAZING. Everything else was so-so.
The so-called clam “cakes” were really deep-fried, clam-flavored dough balls. The menu boasts that they’ve sold over 30 million of them. I wonder how many have been dumped in the garbage when inexperienced appetites give out (we threw out at least a half a dozen).
And the stuffed quahogs just tasted like spicy Thanksgiving stuffing. I’m no expert, but it seemed like a waste of the noble quahog (kwa-hog? key-hog? ka-hog? quo-hog?).
On Friday, I hopped a ride with Jane and Julie to Newport, RI. (They were spending the day there before heading up to the Cape.) At the recommendation of a foodie friend, we drove straight to the famous Flo’s Clam Shack. The queue was formidable, even at 2 pm….
*((Gotta put First Things First))*
Direct quote from Governor Palin’s executive column announcing her resignation.
(Via “Sarah Palin Turns Pro” & AZSpot.)
Uncle Winston’s Jamaican Sensation
The mai tai Churchill might have sipped on imperial jaunts to the West Indies. (With thanks to Chris & M.)
1 large jigger dark rum
1 small jigger gin
1 small jigger freshly squeezed lime juice
1 small jigger orgeat (almond syrup)
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Serve in a rocks glass over crushed ice.
Dom’t kall it a staykatiom
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The Great American Cooking Project
