RI Dining Deals: Newport Restaurant Week adds a side
As if the dining deals aren't enough to entice participation in the upcoming Fall Newport Restaurant Week, there's a new lineup of films focused on food that will be screened in tandem with the event at the Jane Pickens Theater.
From Nov. 4 to Nov. 13, restaurants in Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Jamestown, Warren and Bristol will offer special fixed-price menus, free appetizers and bargain wines and beers.
The Foodie Film Festival is in partnership with JPT Film + Event Center. Film lovers can enjoy pop-up wine and beer tastings, food trucks, complimentary treats and live jazz in the lobby along with food focused films.
Here are some of the films showing during the Foodie Film Festival
The lineup of films includes the rom-com "Mystic Pizza," the animated "Ratatouille" and classics "Babette's Feast" and "Big Night." But the film festival also offers an exclusive chance to view "The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher," a documentary that will premiere in Newport. It's about the life and impact of mid-century California food writer M.F.K. Fisher who is remembered for elevating cooking from a domestic chore to a study of life. The screenings are Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m.
A second documentary to be shown is the 2021 "Love Charlie: The Rise & Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter." The Chicago chef is a compelling subject. He died in 2013 of a stroke at age 54. His restaurant was ground-breaking in every way.
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As for the pop-ups at the theater, Taproot Brewery will be offering a tasting in the lobby at the JPT Film and Event Center at 49 Touro St. from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10. That's the night "Mystic Pizza" will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Beer and pizza are a classic combo. The A Mano Food Truck will also be at the theater that night serving from 6 to 8 p.m.
The French Confection, a local bakery, will be offering complimentary treats on Nov. 11 at the theater. That is when two films will be screened. "Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?" at 4:30 p.m. and "Chocolat" at 7:30 p.m.
Theater owner Kathy Staab is proud to have cooked up something special to complement Newport Restaurant Week. Find the rest of the movies and their showtimes and pop-ups online.
Some of the deals offered during Newport Restaurant Week
The Restaurant at Newport Harbor Island Resort, which is new on Goat Island, replacing the hotel Gurneys, offers a three-course Foodie Film Festival Menu for $49.
As for the rest of the dining deals, there are more than 70 participating restaurants. In addition to the menu specials, some are offering gift card promotions, buy one get one free deals and complimentary add-ons.
For example, at Gulf Stream Bar & Grille in Portsmouth, you get a free appetizer (excluding the raw bar or calamari) when you buy any two entrees or sandwiches at lunch or dinner. You can add a bottle of J. Lohr Cabernet or Ruffino Pinot Grigio for $25. The restaurant serves outdoors as well as indoors.
There's a 5-course tasting menu at Giusto Newport in the Hammett's hotel. The dishes include some from the menu and other exclusive treats. Served family style, everyone at the table must participate in the special menu for $45.
Pour Judgement on Broadway is launching a new giant beer can with partner Grey Sail Brewing this week. The 19.2-ounce Pour Judgement IPA will be on the Restaurant Week menu as a special $20 Big Ol' Can of Beer and a Burger.
Wally's Wieners, the new spot on Thames serving Saugy Franks, has a gift card offer. If you spend $50, you get a $10 restaurant gift card.
New Newport restaurants participating for the first time include Cabana, La Vecina Taqueria, Lucy's Kitchen, Maho Poke Bar, Mozz and Parlour. Also new are Basil & Bunny in Bristol; The Food Shack in Middletown; JB's on the Water and Our Table, both in Jamestown; RI Public House in Portsmouth; and Richardson’s Kitchen & Bar in Warren.
The elegant Bouchard Restaurant, on Thames Street, offers a 3-course, fixed-price menu for $50.
Mamma Luisa, the romantic Italian restaurant on Thames Street, offers 50% off wine bottles for their special.
Midtown Oyster Bar has a 2-course fixed-price lunch for $25 and a 3-course dinner for $45. Buskers Irish Pub and Restaurant has a 2-course fixed-price lunch for $25 and a 3-course dinner for $40.
The Living Room at Brenton Hotel has a Grilled Short Rib Burger, served with bacon, Cheddy Topper cheese, frizzle onions and a sunny-side egg on special for $24.
In Bristol, The Lobster Pot offers a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees.
Sponsored by Discover Newport, the restaurant deals can be found online at DiscoverNewportRestaurantWeek.org.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport Restaurant Week: 70 reasons to visit in the off season
