Feeding Frenzy: Newport Rhode Island, Part II

Moving onto Part II of the Wilsons' feeding frenzy in Newport, RI (and yes, we both gained 3 lbs to prove it!)

The Coffee Grinder
So, to get a jump start on our day, we headed over to the Coffee Grinder down on the piers. All of the tasty treats, brownies, scones, muffins, are made from scratch by the really buff owner! I suppose if I ran a busy coffee shop and then baked all night, I'd be buff from stirring (and not eating) batter myself! I got an iced mocha that was made using hot chocolate mix, it was delish.

From there, we moved onto our morning breakfast spot, as recommended by our waiter from the night before.

Franklin Spa

*hole in the wall
*quality grub
*locals joint
*great prices

Franklin Spa is an unassuming little hole in the wall just a few blocks from all the action at the piers. The wait staff is incredibly friendly, and the prices are fabulous. There is a wide variety of comfort food, scrambles, omelets, and so on. The food isn't over the moon good, but it's worth the visit to get some tasty grub before heading out for the day.

After Franklin Spa, we walked up to the Tennis Hall of Fame, which hosts the only public grass courts in the US. We like to dabble in tennis, so this was a fun and worthwhile tour, and I picked up some gifts for my tennis fanatic family too.

International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum & Club
* Do the tour
* Eat at the restaurant
* Order the Lobster roll!

After the tour of the grounds and museum, we ventured to the attached restaurant. We had heard from our pretend friend Giada de Laurentis (Food Network) that the the Lobster Rolls here were the way to go.

Giada. You might not eat all that food you cook, and I both love and hate you (love your food, jealous of your rad life), but damn lady, that was a GREAT call! Meanwhile, let's be honest. I ate the entire roll, and Giada probably took one bite but whatever! (photo above)

Sailing & Liquor
We signed up for the "Dark & Stormy" (named after a ginger beer and rum concoction that sailors drink) sailing trip for an hour & a half starting at 5 pm.

This was a highlight of the trip. There are lots of options on times and types of sails, but our crew was particularly helpful pointing out great stuff including where Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis grew up and the 1800 square foot play house that she designed and her father built!

**(I think Jackie O's parent's home was 30,000 sq. feet, enormous, some dude from Goldman Sachs owns it now. Jackie's play house is for sale for about 1.7 million, but even if you bought it, you'd have no right to cross over the Goldman Sachs guy's property to get to it, you'd need an easement!) (Also, according to our guide, Jackie & JFK got married and had their reception at this house, I had no idea!!!) (Don't worry, I have not given away the entire tour, plus the guy on the boat has that wicked smaht nor eastern accent, it just sounds better coming from him than me!)

You can see it all from the water. Also, Our guide told us about the Newport music festival early in August, apparently because it is a "dry" venue (what is that about?) The best way to check it out is to find a pal with a boat, or pay for a ride, and cruise around in the water just off the grounds to hear the music, and drink your own cocktails.

This is a must do event.
Don't miss this: www.sail-newport.com

The Mooring Restaurant
Super popular spot at the piers.

This spot is a little fuzzy after a couple of martinis (it was my birthday, I have a great excuse!), but it's right on the water and a definite "must."

Don't Miss: The Bag of Doughnuts (really a fried ball of yummy seafood with some sugar involved, it's wildly good, comes in a brown bag like some donuts might.
Don't Miss: The Mac n Cheese side.
www.mooringrestaurant.com

I'm sure there is more that I have missed, if so I have a feeling the husband will weigh in with his two cents!

Happy Eating.
Please share your best Food Coma Story or Recipe with us here by clicking "comment" below this post!

Coming soon, our interview with a Yacht Chef!

Cheers,
The Wilsons