I visited Newport, Rhode Island yesterday and had dinner at H2O at Christie's Landing off Thames St right next to 41o North. It offers an unobstructed though small view of Newport Harbor. We were lucky enough to have seats in the front porch area which held nice views and a cool breeze.
The restaurant porch is a little too cramped. I understand the desire to fit as many tables in the front viewing area as possible but if you took out just one table per row, sitting would be comfortable. There is nothing I hate more than sitting back to back with someone and being afraid to move because you can feel every move.
We started with a tuna tartar, a bowl of clam chowder, and an order of calamari. The tuna tartar was fantastic, melt in your mouth, and flavorful. Nice portion size as well. The chowder was OK but there were some hot spots and some cold spots suggesting that this was nothing more than a microwaved dish. Very disappointing given that we are sitting ocean view with lots of local seafood available. The calamari was well cooked and well seasoned but the portion size was on the smaller end.
Dinners ordered were swordfish, blue fin tuna, rare, grilled rib-eye steak and a shrimp scampi. Again, disappointment for 3 of the 4 dishes. The swordfish was dry and the roasted potatoes lacked seasoning. The tuna was cooked right but the overall plate was lacking. The grilled rib eye was perfect but it was a small steak, 6-8oz with 5 asparagus and a small mound of bland potatoes. At $32 for the plate, it took away from the appeal of the dish. The shrimp scampi was the biggest failure of the night. They used three colossal shrimp with chewy wheat pasta. Most colossal shrimp are fairly bland in taste. These were overcooked and tough in addition to having no flavor at all. All portions were relatively small for the big prices.
Service was another disappointment. You'd think that being an upscale restaurant right on the water at a huge summer destination, they'd at least offer to fill your water glass. No. We had to ask. A water server might be a nice addition! I get that at low end restaurant...c'mon! No salt or pepper on the table. No pepper service offered. Nothing. Even empty glasses sat for some time even after refills were brought to the table. No one working there was dynamic or looked like they wanted to be there.
In the end, with the addition of a two glasses of wine, two glasses of champagne, one beer, and one cocktail, no desserts...A little over $200 was spent. Absolutely outrageous for the lack of service and the lack of selections, lack of flavor, lack of inspiring cuisine, and lack of portion sizes. I expect to pay more for a waterfront restaurant. I expect to pay more for being in Newport. I do not expect to walk away feeling like I was robbed of my money. Half the price would have been right for this restaurant.
I do not recommend this restaurant. One fork out of five rating.
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