More than 45 restaurants throughout Newport and Bristol Counties are expected to participate in the upcoming spring edition of Newport Restaurant Week, April 5 to 14, 2019. The event will have a focus on the symbiotic relationship between local chefs and their circle of nearby farmers, growers, foragers and fishmongers. Celebrate the cuisine of the Classic Coast by savoring two-course prix fixe lunches for $20, three-course prix fixe dinners for $35, and a selection of three-course “premier menu” prix fixe dinners for $50.
Rhode Island is home to more than 1200 farms which comprise 10% of the state’s land. With the abundance of farmers markets, initiatives like the Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative and its Rhode Island Seafood brand, and programs like Farm Fresh Rhode Island, which all champion the local food system, chefs and growers are connected more than ever.
Chef Andy Teixeira at Brix, located at Newport Vineyards in Middletown, has been cultivating relationships with local farmers for years with diners reaping the rewards on their plates. “At its core, Newport Vineyards is an agriculture business. We grow our own grapes over 100 acres of preserved farmland and make estate-grown wines, so it only makes sense for the culinary program to follow that philosophy,” explains Teixeira. “We are 100% made-from-scratch in our kitchens here. We brine, we bake, we smoke, we pickle, we preserve everything from scratch – right down to the ketchup, spices and sauces. It’s no small task, but it’s just the way food is meant to be. Our ingredients are also 100% farm to table and I’ve become friends with all our farmers. Simmons Farm chevre, Aquidneck Farms beef, greens from Wishing Stone Farm, Garman Farm beans and their bounty, and the list goes on, they’re all part of our extended vineyard community. Using local ingredients and doing things from scratch is my passion and it goes hand in hand with the heart that Newport Vineyards was built on.”
Throughout its Newport Restaurant Week outreach, Discover Newport will be encouraging participating restaurants to include the names of Rhode Island farms they source from on their menus or in a public viewing space if they are not doing so already. Discover Newport will also ask restaurants share which local farms they are sourcing from so that the organization can include this information on each restaurant’s respective listing on DiscoverNewportRestaurantWeek.org.
“A few restaurants in our destination already publicize the local farms they source from, but far too many source locally as part of their regular practice and don’t necessarily share this with their customer as they are busy with everyday operations,” says Brittany Lauro, Discover Newport’s social media and content manager who organizes Newport Restaurant Week. “It’s a missed opportunity as more and more consumers want to know where their food comes from, how it was made, where it was grown and by whom. Local flavor is what gives each destination its sense of place. Our goal is to expand the positive social impact communities experience with food transparency.”
Diners, chefs and restaurateurs can interact with one another throughout the event by using the hashtag #NPTRestaurantWeek on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For an ongoing, real-time observations and images throughout the destination, users can include the hashtag #TheClassicCoast in their posts.
Newport Restaurant Week is proudly sponsored by Discover Newport, OpenTable and the Rhode Island Seafood Initiative.
ABOUT NEWPORT RESTAURANT WEEK
Newport Restaurant Week was established in 2006 as an annual event to encourage both residents and visitors to Newport and Bristol counties to experience the vast culinary talent in our destination at an affordable price. The event’s mission is to stimulate local business not only at restaurants but at retail and lodging partners as well. In 2008, Newport Restaurant Week expanded to a bi-annual event; one taking place in early spring and the other in late fall. Restaurateurs often create menus that showcase seasonal ingredients and promote local artisan food and wine purveyors. Many offer vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives to patrons with food allergies or special dietary requirements.
ABOUT DISCOVER NEWPORT
Discover Newport is the official destination management organization (DMO) dedicated to promoting the City of Newport and the eight surrounding coastal townships in Newport and Bristol counties, Rhode Island. These include Barrington, Bristol, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Warren. As a non-profit organization, Discover Newport partners with stakeholders throughout our tourism and hospitality industry to market the region as a premier destination for business and leisure travel. Learn more at DiscoverNewport.org.
