Hubby and I got out of town today and headed South to Rhode Island!  

It was one of those perfect summer weather  “don’t waste it!” days. 

It’s an easy drive from Boston down Rte 93 to Rte 24.  Take exit 2 toward 

Bristol, then Rte 114 and go over the spectacular Mount Hope Bridge.  

You can see for MILES in every direction!  Go up Rte 114 into Bristol. 

DELICIOUS LUNCH

We started with lunch on the Bristol Harbor front at Quito’s.  Get there 

early – the deck fills up by a little after 12 noon.

They have a covered deck so we ate looking out at the boats and the water
of Bristol Harbor.  

I had a cup of the best New England clam chowder  – creamy and 

seasoned just right  I also had a quahog – yummy stuffing.  Hubby had the 

fish and chips which he declared fresh and delicious.  I had a warm

 lobster roll.  I snarfed the lobster and skipped the roll.  Their cole slaw 

is excellent, too.  We shared big crunchy onion rings with remoulade.  

We strolled along the haborfront walk in the sunshine.  It was in the

 mid-70’s today.  There are cute little shops like “Luna Sea” (get it?) 

and a fun jewelry, clothes, bath products place. 

BEAUTIFUL BEACH

We drove down to Little Compton.  A shop owner told me about a 

“secret beach” and gave me directions, which is good because our phones

 had no signal and the GPS sent us the oddest way.  There are no signs 

but we managed to find this gorgeous place called South Shore Beach! 

 It is miles of rocks and sand.   They were charging for parking today – $12. 

We strolled down to see the peaceful freshwater pond across the way.

Incredible scenery!   A nice man from MA took our photo!  

He’s a diver and told us about other fun beaches he frequents. 

ICE CREAM 

We stopped at a classic roadside ice cream parlour and general store in 

Tiverton.  I had a creamy butter pecan sugar cone.  

ANOTHER BEACH

I needed another beach so we pulled in to a small beach called Grinnell.  

It has a gorgeous view of an inlet with a little island.  And real bathrooms!  

And a phone signal!   We sat in their lot plotting our next move.  We
checked Yelp and they sent us about a mile up the road to an incredible spot.  

DINNER with a VIEW

We considered going to Evelyn’s Drive-in in Tiverton or driving back to

 Bristol to Redlefson’s (the German place) but ended up at The Boat House 

Waterfront Dining with a stunning view of Great Hope Bay at sunset.

This may be the best restaurant I have ever experienced!  The combination
of the spectacular view, friendly service and the innovative locally sourced
food with reasonable prices make it stand out in my memory.  It has two
decks, two bars and a fine restaurant situated about 100 ft above the bay.
It’s a popular spot for summer weddings.  

We were brave and sat outside.  The sun was a bit much but we shifted my 

chair around and enjoyed the breeze.  We started with warm sourdough rolls

 and whipped butter – always the sign of a classy place.  We had a very chatty

 helpful waitress who pointed our their local sourcing and talked up the 

highest-priced entrees, but we weren’t that hungry after the big lunch and 

ice cream so we made our own way through an eclectic selection of 

– their unique “Hall of Fame Chowder” with Baby Maine shrimp,

 chourico, and corn

– NEW ENGLAND KIELBASA

Golden oyster mushrooms, green onion puree, asparagus, grain 

mustard-Banyuls sauce

– LOBSTER FRITTERS with Sweet corn, chipotle aioli 

– MIXED FIELD GREENS 

Pecans, goat cheese, radish, onion, tomato, cucumber, 

Champagne-honey dressing

– BUTTERSCOTCH BANANA CAKE

Warmed, maple walnut ice cream, butterscotch, walnuts and toffee crunch

Contrary to the conventional wisdom that a restaurant with a view 

doesn’t have very good food, each dish proclaimed “This place has 

a real CHEF” and was a delicious combination of ingredients.  I will 

say that I could not taste any lobster in the fritters but they are okay 

on the hush puppy-like end of things.   It would be great to go back 

when the foliage is in season or for a warm dinner by the water in 

the colder months. 

What a day!  It is only an hour home, but felt like a real vacation!