Great Escape: Newport Restaurant Week

Going to Newport can easily feel like a great escape. Plus, as a local Rhode Islander, you can save money by not having to stay overnight like most tourists. Not sure where to go in Newport? Newport Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try out a variety of restaurants and events in and around Newport. Of course, if you do want to stay overnight, the Newport Restaurant Week website also shares a list of local accommodations with some deals that week.  

So for this week’s Great Escape I’m not just going to tell you about just one fun thing to do, but rather a variety of places to escape too. “Newport Restaurant Week” will be held From March 25 through April 3, 2011. Yes, while “week” is in the title, it actually lasts 10 days. That means even more special deals in and around Newport.  Per the Newport Restaurant Week website,

“Diners will enjoy three course prix-fixe meals at exceptional values…lunch for $16 and dinner for $30”.

The website conveniently lists the special prix fixe menus of over 40 participating restaurants. So you can know ahead of time what you want to order! 

Newport Restaurant Week  is organized by the  Newport & Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau. According to their press release,

“Restaurant Weeks are celebrated all over the country as an avenue to attract new clientele to dining establishments throughout the community, to have patrons sample new seasonal menu items, to promote local food purveyors, and to highlight the talented chefs that create these unforgettable dishes. Many participating restaurants offer vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives as well.”

Most of the restaurants are in Newport but a few are even more local to our readers. Dewolf Tavern, Persimmon and Leo’s Restorante  are in Bristol and 15 Point Restaurant is in Portsmouth. There is also a restaurant included in the list that is local to Tiverton, The Boat House. Each restaurant lists a menu for lunch and/or dinner. For example, here are the prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner at The Boat House.

In addition to restaurant deals there are also special events that week which include a chocolate and wine pairing, a pizza beer pairing, a winemaker for a day activity, a cooking class, a wine and art event and a wine class along with other special events. Actually, one of the events mentioned above I had previously highlighted as part of my .  Gas Lampe Grille held a chocolate and wine tasting that I went to with my husband in February. We had a lot of fun enjoying  wonderful wine along with some chocolate covered treats.

The Gas Lamp Grille is having the same event on April from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. I would definitely recommend this event to other chocolate and wine lovers for a fun couples or girls night out. For $20 a person (tax and tip not included), you get 4 glasses of wine and chocolate treats to pair with them. You can learn a little about the wine and meet some other wine and chocolate lovers. The Gas Lampe Grille is also having a prix fixe meal deal that week as part of Newport Restaurant Week. So you could actually have your dessert and wine first on 4/2 and then follow up with a prix fixe meal. Dessert before dinner, that sounds like a great escape!

While Newport has so many fun things to do, one thing that sometimes deters people from going there is finding parking. We want to get away for a "great" escape, not a "stressful" one.  So this is where I come to the rescue! 

There are actually a lot of places to park. You just have to know where to find them. Here is a parking map of Newport by citimaps.com that you can print out to make life easier for you. They also have a variety other helpful maps listed on their website. Also, according to the Newport Visitors Center’s website,

"You can park your car all day at the Visitor Information Center parking garage for only $2 when you purchase a ticket or  day pass to ride the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA).”

Even if you don’t purchase a public transit ticket, I have found that if you get your parking ticket validated at the Visitors Center you can get a discount on parking there. While you are at the Visitors Center you can also pick up some great info on venues and deals for your next visit to Newport.

The website  www.destinationnewport.com also has a great write up about parking options including  the free parking locations, paid parking lots and meters. They also indicate that.

“The meters are operational from May 1 through October 31st, from 9am and 9 p.m. in most areas."

So you may have a greater opportunity finding free parking now then you would during the summer. That is yet another reason to head to Newport this coming week! But whether you head out to Newport or try out a restaurant closer to home, checking out Newport Restaurant Week's restaurants and events can be a fun local escape.