The World is My Lobster: 22 Bowens, Newport, Rhode Island

“A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and Champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands.”


While attending a wedding in Newport, Rhode Island, my friends and I spent the day doing touristy activities. One of them included walking along the water near all the shops and restaurants. We all became hungry even though we knew it was only a few hours before the wedding and we would be eating a feast at the wedding. The picturesque setting of 22 Bowens drew us in. It also helped that we saw a woman eating an amazing looking lobster roll at an outside table. 


In general, this restaurant had an upscale fancy pub feel. It was also the largest restaurant I have ever seen that close to the water. It had outside seating, inside and upstairs. It was the type of place that is more casual during the day, and dressier at night.


Because of my obsession with lobster rolls, I didn't even need to look at the menu. I knew exactly what I was ordering before I set foot inside the restaurant. The lobster salad duo that I ordered arrived at my table and I couldn't wait to take the first bite. I was glad that this wasn't a creamy lobster roll, and that it was more on the lighter side. One thing that I wasn't totally in love with was that the rolls it was served on weren't buttery like the usual lobster rolls I am used to. Because they weren't buttery, I actually didn't bother eating the bread and just ate the lobster to be "carb free". It was delicious anyhow! MMMM Also, traditionally, this dish is served with fries, but I substituted it with salad! 

Lobster Salad Duo 

My friends, on the other hand ordered a type of lobster sandwich that I have never even heard of. They ordered the Chef's EZ Lobster Grilled Cheese, which had brioche bread, brie cheese, local vine ripened tomatoes, tarragon mayo and served with housemade old bay potato chips. This sandwich is definitely one that I would like to try sometime, however that day I was more in the mood for something lighter. Although, the sandwich sounds like something to make for a party! 

Lobster Grilled Cheese 

The Wedding of Comfort Food : A Foodies Dream

I recently went to one of my good friend's weddings in Newport, Rhode Island. First of all, this town was beautiful! It puts the "r" in romance. Definitely a town I'd love to go to on a long weekend in my future. It apparently is known for weddings and had 700 weddings the weekend we were there. It has many mansions that house these weddings.

It is set right on the water and is a very beachy town with cute stores, lobster rolls, lobster pounds, and beautiful cliff walk views. Also, it has the Tennis Hall of Fame for all you tennis players out there! It also happens to be the place where the first US Open was held.

My friend's wedding definitely had a very creative and cute menu! Some of the things that were served, I would have never even thought of creating, but are extremely easy to prepare and serve at a party. I thought I would share some of the ideas with you all so you can host and entertain!

Friday Night Clam Bake - Beautiful Bride and Groom

The Friday night dinner was a New England Style Clam Bake,which first of all, I have never even heard of anyone having at a wedding. It was ingenious! It was held outside in a tent with cute beachy table decorations. Every guest had the choice of having lobster or steak. I, of course chose the lobster.

Dinner started off with clam fritters, which were fried deliciousness! They looked like hush puppies, but had clam inside of them, and had a nice sweet and buttery taste! Definitely an artery clogger, but so so good! After the clam fritters, clam chowder was served. I haven't had clam chowder in ages, so this was quite the treat for me! I am definitely a fan of the creamy New England style clam chowder, versus the Manhattan clam chowder.

After we finished our chowder, it was dinner time! Now, this is where the food choices got extremely interesting. The lobster was served on top of a fishing style net that was filled with potatoes, mussels, 3 different types of sausages, and corn.

Lobster on top of netted mussels, corn, potatoes, and sausage

 I have never seen lobster served that way. I am used to the standard baked potato and corn. The additional muscles were quite the treat! The sausage I probably could have done without, but it was fun to taste each kind and compare and contrast them. 

Now, onto the wedding night fare.... 

The food was no only delicious food, but every dish was served in a themed container that pertained to the dish. I unfortunately did not get pictures of most of the dishes because I was too busy eating the food..

Menu for cocktail hour: 

- pulled pork served on a sweet potato slice 

- mini grilled cheese served in a shot glass with tomato soup at the bottom

- shrimp served in a shot glass with dipping sauce at the bottom (3 choices: cocktail sauce, a tartar    sauce, and a chili sauce) 

- calamari in a paper cone 

- beef wellington puff pastries 

- a cheese table with an amazing cheese souffle with mushrooms  

After cocktail hour, all the guests went into the main room. This wedding didn't have a traditional sit down dinner with waiter service. It had comfort foods that were hand passed and also stationed around the room. Guests could choose anything they wanted to eat at their leisure and at their own pace. It was definitely a great way to celebrate! 

Menu for Dinner Time:

- Sushi Bar (cute bento boxes were placed on the table for each guest to choose their selection) 

- Lobster Mac and Cheese ( served in a martini glass with a side of salad) 

- Gorgonzola and pear salad - absolutely scrumptious 

- Pumpkin Soup served in a miniature pumpkin- completely ingenious and adorable! 

- Slider served in a brown paper bag with fries and gravy - simply delicious 

- Pizza bar

- Pumpkin Ravioli 

- Dumpling with pesto

- Short ribs served in a mason jar

- Pad thai served in a chinese container 

 Lobster Mac & Cheese Served in Martini Glass

Pumpkin Soup Served in a Pumpkin - totally cute!

Dumplings with Pesto

The other amazing thing about this wedding was the martini bar. You could go outside and order from 4 choices of speciality martinis! Definitely a great idea! 

After that weekend, the dieting began! Hopefully I have filled you in on some good party throwing food ideas for all you hosts and hostesses! 

Uva: Yes, I went back again!

So sometimes good restaurants are hard to stay away from, and you have to frequent them more often than others! The ambiance of this place makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It also helps that the waiters have italian accents that make it feel very authentically italian. Although, the night I went, I had 3 different servers in the matter of 4 hours because each of them had ending shifts. That made the night a little interesting.

This time around, I ordered off the regular menu rather than the meatball night menu. My date and I decided to try to appetizer on the daily special list. It was definitely worth a try! We ordered the tuna tartare that was topped with avocado and peppers. Let's just say, we both were so overly excited to eat the appetizer that I didn't have time to take a picture without a bite or two missing! 

Tuna Tartare with Avocado and peppers, very delicious!!!

This appetizer is not one to be missed! Yes, it wasn't hard to make, but it tasted very fresh and the blend of the avocado and fish made a very great blend of flavors in my mouth. It also helped to have the side of salad included in the plate, so I could have my veggies for the night! 

For dinner, I had a very hard time making a decision on what to order. There were so many entrees that sounded so delectable that I had to ask the waiter for his recommendation. I gave him the choice between a gnocchi that was on the menu, and a gnocchi that was on the specials list. He definitely steered me the right direction by suggesting to order the one that is regularly on the menu because of its rich truffle oil. However, I did want my entree to have some type of protein, since it was just gnocchi, so he was willing to add mushrooms to my dish. What a sensation of flavor the mushrooms added! 

Gnocchi di Ricotta

The gnocchi arrived at the table and looked so luscious and full of flavor! I couldn't wait to dive right in. The truffle oil flavor is one that is always a welcome addition to any dish for me because of its ambrosial quality. The dish was the perfect level of creamy, since I am not one to like thick creamy fettuccine alfredo sauce. Each bite just melted in my mouth, and every bite was better than the last. The mushrooms added a succulent texture to the already amazing flavor. 

My date ordered the Papperdelle al Ragu di Vitello, which I didn't think was as good as mine of course, but it definitely would be worth ordering, since I do love red sauce! Also, the soft texture of the wide, thin noodles was definitely a nice addition to this meal. I could tell the noodles were definitely freshly made at the restaurant. There were also touches of fresh pesto added to the dish for color and flavor. 

Papperdelle al Ragu di Vitello

For dessert we ordered the Salame del Papa. This dish was definitely named salame for a reason, (kind of phallic in a way) It was in the shape of a salame, and was sliced like a salame. On the other hand, it was chocolaty, creamy, and sweet.  The creamy chocolate coated pieces of delicious cake and was sprinkled in powdered sugar. Also, a side of cream accompanied the dish, and made each dip into it worth the sugar high. The waiter highly recommended this dish, and he was right! 

Salame del Papa - Yuuuuuummmm

Macaroni, Not Just a Childhood Treat! - S'Mac, Sarita's Macaroni and Cheese

After hearing about this place for several years now, I decided I had to see for myself what was so great about it! First of all, the ambiance isn't one to write home about, but the food definitely makes up for it. Also, they offer regular, multi-grain, or gluten-free macaroni noodle choices, so everyone can be happy! You have the option to order one of the pre-designed creations, the sampler platter of 8 pre-selected flavors from the pre-designed creations menu, or create your own macaroni and cheese with your choices in types of cheese, veggies, meat, and condiments added to create your own signature flavor.

Pre-Designed Macaroni Choices - How do you choose just one????

For my first experience here, the sampler platter was the best choice so that I could sample more than one type of macaroni. Even though the pre-designed choices sounded amazing by themselves, I knew I needed to sample more than one type! 

Sampler Platter Cheat Sheet - yum yum yum!

The sampler platter included the following flavors:
All-American- a tasty blend of American & Cheddar cheeses. 
4 Cheese-  Cheddar, Muenster, Gruyere and a touch of Pecorino. 
Cheeseburger- Cheddar and American cheeses combined with seasoned Ground Beef
La Mancha- Flavorful Manchego cheese accented by fresh fennel and onions
Cajun- Cheddar & Pepper Jack cheeses, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, garlic and, of course, some genuine Cajun seasoning. 
Napoletana- Fresh Mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, and fresh basil
Alpine- Gruyere coupled with its partner in crime, slab bacon
Parisienne- Creamy Brie, roasted figs, roasted shiitake mushrooms & fresh rosemary

Sampler Platter 

I have to say, most of my macaroni and cheese experiences have been with the standard american and cheddar cheeses. I did once have "fancy" macaroni and cheese at Cafeteria, where I had ordered the sampler of 3, which included one that had truffle oil in it! So coming to S'Mac was definitely my first ultimate macaroni and cheese outing because I felt like a princess in a castle of macaroni! 


I learned that I am more of a fan of the white cheeses because of the rich, caustic flavors. During my whole dinner, I kept going back and forth between deciding on my favorite combination. My top three are definitely La Mancha, Parisienne, and La Mancha. If I had to pick one, it definitely would be Parisienne, because, when in doubt, pick mushrooms! I also don't even like figs, and I didn't even notice them in this one, even though they were part of the mix. The rosemary added a very distinct flavor that I loved!

All Gone! 

I would definitely go back, but probably order my own Parisienne, or create my own combination :) 

Candle-Lit Romance - Sofia Wine Bar, NYC

Located in the heart of the midtown- after work fratty bars, is this little hidden gem. Sofia Wine Bar  is extremely adorable and romantic. It is dimly lit with candles and chandeliers and offers a vast wine menu, along with a sharing food menu with an italian flavor.

I went here on a very rainy Friday night, and this place was still packed despite the very soggy air outside. To lift our spirits from the crappy weather, we ordered the margherita pizza, since it was suggested in all of the yelp reviews I had read earlier. I must say, there are many pizza joints in the city known for their pizza, but this little hideaway has great pizza! It not only looks delicious, but it tastes amazing too.

It came out piping hot and was covered in sauce! I am one who loves a very saucy pizza, so the more sauce the better. Also, it wasn't overly cheesy, which I loved! The crust was the perfect level of crunch.  Many pizza places tend to burn their crust or leave it too doughy. This crust was just right!

I would definitely go back to Sofia to enjoy their romantic ambiance, and sample more of the food on their menu while enjoying another glass of pinot noir!