Downtown Newport may be small, but there are plenty of choices for eating out.  Our B&B was located a block off of Thames Street, which is filled with shops and restaurants.  Our first night in Newport we walked down brick-laden Thames Street to the Red Parrot.  We shared Mediterranean and Lobster pizzas – both surprisingly good — along with some local ale. 

The following day we had a light dinner at the Black Pearl on Bannister’s Wharf.  They serve excellent clam chowder and it’s a great place to go if you want to see some authentic Newport sailboats.

We also had dinner at Pronto during our stay.  This restaurant has great Italian food, very good service and is perfect for good dinner conversation. 

Scales and Shells is a local Newport favorite and popular enough to take only cash (no chance it will be in a Visa commercial any time soon).  It’s a fun, boisterous place for seafood, but can be a little loud. We had to yell, to hear each other speak.

On our last day in Newport we had Sunday brunch at Castle Hill Inn where lodging ranges from $700 – $1500 per night.  This is a beautiful oceanfront resort with rolling lawns to the water, dotted with adirondack chairs.  Brunch was very nice, and this is also a great place for drinks at sunset, with its western facing views of the water.  If you do go for brunch, make sure and check-out adjoining Brenton Point State Park, where locals love to fly kites on the weekends.