The Spiced Pear is The Chanler hotel's signature restaurant in Newport, R.I. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I visited the Chanler with my mum. She is lactose intolerant and therefore has trouble finding too many options on restaurant menus...not this time! In fact, her dinner was just as delicious as mine and occasionally some of her courses may even have surpassed my own!
Executive Chef Thomas Duffy makes poetry out of food...like any true genius he can take the simplest ingredients and make magic. First of all, let's talk about the quality of the produce...tomatoes that tasted heavenly, herbs straight from the garden that had been picked that day and fish that just melts in your mouth. What a difference it makes when the ingredients are confident enough to speak for themselves with only the perfect amount of interference from the culinary team.
We had the Ahi Tuna on a bed of cucumbers and soy pearls to start...it was like an explosion of Summertime on one's palette: fresh, light and oh so perfect. Then I had the butter poached lobster with truffled leeks...divine! I only wish I could have more room in my stomach to finish my plate: I was so full.
Throughout the dinner service was exceptional: no request was too trivial and nothing was impossible. The Spiced Pear overlooks the water, you can literally hear the crash of the waves from your table but all the while the French chandeliers and molded ceilings contribute to an air of Newport grandeur. There are a lot of very fine restaurants in Newport...but if you want a grand experience overlooking the ocean, the romance of the Spiced Pear coupled with the delicacy of the cuisine is well, nothing short of exceptional.
Executive Chef Thomas Duffy makes poetry out of food...like any true genius he can take the simplest ingredients and make magic. First of all, let's talk about the quality of the produce...tomatoes that tasted heavenly, herbs straight from the garden that had been picked that day and fish that just melts in your mouth. What a difference it makes when the ingredients are confident enough to speak for themselves with only the perfect amount of interference from the culinary team.
We had the Ahi Tuna on a bed of cucumbers and soy pearls to start...it was like an explosion of Summertime on one's palette: fresh, light and oh so perfect. Then I had the butter poached lobster with truffled leeks...divine! I only wish I could have more room in my stomach to finish my plate: I was so full.
Throughout the dinner service was exceptional: no request was too trivial and nothing was impossible. The Spiced Pear overlooks the water, you can literally hear the crash of the waves from your table but all the while the French chandeliers and molded ceilings contribute to an air of Newport grandeur. There are a lot of very fine restaurants in Newport...but if you want a grand experience overlooking the ocean, the romance of the Spiced Pear coupled with the delicacy of the cuisine is well, nothing short of exceptional.
Chef Thomas Duffy (Below)
