Tag Archives: cocktails

It’s a walking town.

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After unpacking and making a grocery run for the week, it was early evening so we headed out on foot to search for food.

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Our resort was right on the harbor… but technically its address and check in office (white turret) is Thames Street, the busiest part of Newport, Rhode Island. One way streets, little to no parking and a constant flow of tourists make navigating the area by car challenging . On our last trip we weren’t able to explore, this time we were staying right in the heart of it.

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Right next to the Sailing Hall of Fame.

Did you know there was a Sailing Hall of Fame? Neither did I, but it was an interesting building.

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At the corner of Thames Street and Americas Cup Avenue (notice a trend?), we found the Red Parrot.

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The Red Parrot building is listed on the National Register of Historical Places in Newport. It was built in 1898 by John Alton Barker as a meat packing house where it employed hundreds of people during the era known as “The Gilded Age”.

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Through the years this building has housed a variety of eating establishments serving heads of state, diplomats, royalty, movie stars, the thousands of people visiting Newport each year and now you.

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Nearly empty when we arrived, I dove straight in to their lengthy cocktail list.

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Tempting as a rubber duck margarita was, 48 ounces seemed a bit much… even for me.

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I chose the Luxe Berry instead.

Citrus vodka, Chambord, pink lemonade and a splash of raspberry puree, served on the rocks with fresh lemon.

I wish I could copy and print the whole menu for you because it was large and extensive.

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As well as humorous.

(If you’ve never seen the Godfather? Never mind.)

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For appetizers…. husband had a wonderful and almost overwhelmingly cheesy French onion soup while I struggled to eat half of my amazingly rich ‘Shroom flatbread.

(Fire grilled dough, with caramelized onions, Portobello mushrooms. Topped with garlic herb Boursin and mozzarella cheese). That was a meal in itself… but we had to move on.

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Cocktail #2?

The Refresher… Prairie Cucumber vodka, raspberry puree, fresh lime over ice splashed with club soda.

Dinner was a tropical grilled Mahi Mahi with asparagus and mashed potatoes for the husband, pan seared scallops with spicy plum sauce, jasmine rice and sautéed spinach for me. Both meals were fabulous with generous portions and though I was honestly stuffed…

I decided to put myself in a sugar coma and drank my dessert.

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THIS DRINK IS BANANAS…B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

Rum Chata, Banana liqueur, White Crème de Cacao, fresh banana, vanilla ice cream and a splash of honey simple syrup blended frozen and topped with whipped cream.

By the time we waddled out of the restaurant there wasn’t an empty seat to be seen …

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(Vacant table on the left was the one we just vacated). And yes, that’s my husband on the far right chatting with someone at the bar.

The man loves to talk.

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Back at the resort, we relaxed on balcony #1 and enjoyed the end of our first day on Newport vacation Part Two.

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Ahhh…

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😊

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An experiment, a nice lunch and a few laughs.

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We bought a new car last September. A fully loaded 2025 Subaru Forester Touring. I love Pearl… and with the current trade policies am extremely glad we didn’t wait to purchase her.

As an experiment, I checked the price before Trump implemented his moronic tariffs.

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Two weeks after the tariffs took effect?

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I’ll continue to check.

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A few days ago we popped into the Foreside Tavern in Falmouth.

(Summer Dreaming cocktail. Vodka, elderflower, lemon and pineapple.)

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Which used to be a Howard Johnson’s when I was young. I still miss their chicken croquettes…

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But the tavern’s bbq chicken flatbread appetizer was tasty.

(Winter spiced margarita. Cinnamon Infused Tequila, Cranberry, Orange, Cointreau, Agave, Lime)

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As was the ribeye steak spring salad with blue cheese, apples, red onions and candied pecans.

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That’s me.

Highly flavorful.

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Canadians.

Ya gotta love them.

🤣

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Can you hear my husband groaning from there?

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The search has begun.

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Yes, we’re finally breaking down and shopping to replace our…. are you ready for a shock?…. 39 year old mattress.

We bought a seriously high end Stearns and Foster mattress in … gulp! … 1986 and it has served us faithfully for a very long time. We’ve flipped and rotated for decades but it’s finally gasped its last breath and needs to go.

Have you shopped for mattresses lately?

It’s a whole new world.

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Aireloom… handmade, beloved by Ronald Reagan who put them in all White House bedrooms, and firm enough to make me happy.

The prices however, did not.

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Stearns and Foster firm? My second choice but about the same price.

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Serta firm? Not firm enough and I was beginning to feel like Goldilocks. Please note the husband’s thrilled expression that we were making the rounds of furniture stores again.

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And speaking of furniture, if we’re replacing the mattress…

Perhaps it’s time to replace the 39 year old bedroom set as well. Problem is our old set is solid mahogany and, well… solid. Today’s bedrooms? Not so much.

Unless you buy Amish.

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If they can hold a horse…

(PS… that bureau wasn’t $750, just the mirror which is sold separately)

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What’s that strange pillow on the sectional couch we walked by?

A pet bed of course.

🤣

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After a full day of shopping with no decisions made, my husband was ready for alcohol… and to be honest so was I. Lying down on mattresses that cost $6,000 plus will do that to a girl.

Spiced pear margarita and calamari to start.

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Grilled chicken harvest salad with goat cheese, apples and butternut squash for the husband.

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Haddock sandwich and seasoned fries washed down by a cranberry Paloma for me.

The search continues..

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Miscellaneous missives.

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Are you a leftover person?

My husband was the second of 9 children in a home where food was never wasted. He loves them all. I was a picky only child and am a bit more selective.

There are meals I will happily eat the next day and others I’ll only eat when freshly cooked… but in our house? I’m not allowed to scrape plates into the trash.

Unfortunately, saving does not always translate to eating.

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My husband doesn’t want me to throw anything out, but he also doesn’t want to eat nonstop leftovers which means our refrigerator often looks like this.

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Three chicken and rice casseroles, a stewed pork chop with onion gravy, a Caesar salad from a recent restaurant lunch and two spaghettis.

Have you ever eaten leftover Caesar salad? It’s basically wilted slimey lettuce with soggy croutons. It’s not the least bit appetizing and even my husband won’t eat it the next day… but he brings it home.

Every. Single. Time.

And then throws it out.

🥴

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Remember my girlfriend who was hospitalized with pneumonia? Just when we thought she was improving…. her kidneys shut down, her blood pressure skyrocketed to 200/120 and she had a mini stroke. Multiple visits to the hospital and a week of worry filled days later… she’s home and on the path to recovery.

You just never know when life will throw you a curve. Hence the much needed mistletoe margarita.

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2025 is not starting off well.

I’m going with #1.

🥴

And one more thing…

I’m not the least bit religious, but for his sake?

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I hope so.

❤️

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I am all about the butter board.

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It is said man cannot live on bread alone.

I beg to differ.

We dropped in to one of our favorite restaurants the other day for a quick lunch.

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Royal River Grill House rarely disappoints.

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One cranberry margarita in…

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We enjoyed the views and the virtually empty space.

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It was a beautiful autumn day, everyone must have had outdoor plans.

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A new item had been added to the menu recently and we took full advantage.

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You can have your charcuterie boards filled with meat…

I’m all about the bread and butter.

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With a cup of creamy herbed clam chowder?

Damn near perfect.

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I’m not a prude… but are these really necessary?

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It probably won’t surprise you to learn my algorithms often give me cocktail recipes… which spellcheck just changed to ‘road pies’ for some inexplicable reason… and while I’m always up for new cocktail combos?

Things have taken a decidedly blue turn lately.

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I dislike cutesy… not to mention raunchy… names and won’t be ordering those anytime soon.

😒

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Miscellaneous nonsense.

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I love finding new cocktail recipes but sometimes I wonder where the names come from.

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This is one of those times.

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And since I’m always posting photos of sunrises and sunsets, here’s a different spin.

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Moonset.

🌜

The mosquito is often referred to as the Maine state bird since our state has ample wooded areas and lakes for it to breed. They can get pretty large up north, but I have to admit the one we saw on someone’s front lawn the other day takes the prize.

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I’d hate to be bitten by that bastard.

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Go for the beer, stay for the cocktails.

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On a beautiful autumn day we went beer hopping.

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Heading north to Brewer…

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To visit a brewery about which we’d heard good things.

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The space is large and funky…

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With windows behind the bar that look directly into the brewery.

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After sampling a few beers… the current tap selection was too IPA heavy for my taste… I snagged the cocktail list, and Oh. My. God!

I set to work.

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A true artisan was at work here and luckily he was our bartender.

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I started with the Black Seeds which was a fabulous twist on a margarita.

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We could have sat outside on the patio… but it was too far away from the cocktails.

😉

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The menu had a sense of humor.

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And the Truffle Pig pizza was amazing.

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But my second (and yes, okay… my third) drink was a masterpiece.

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Lilith’s Last Kiss was a complex, multi layered flavor extravaganza that I would happily drive the hour and a half for again.

👍

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Random rambling…

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A few sunset photos for your viewing pleasure.

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No real reason for the next one, it just made me laugh.

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Fall in Maine means apples and pumpkins and above all… turning leaves.

This is our backyard, complete with deer.

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I suffered a major loss recently when I discovered my absolutely favorite cocktail bar had gone belly up. The Blind Pig… with their amazing 10 page menu of creative alcoholic delights… has morphed into an Italian restaurant. Same owners, yes.

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The decor is similar…

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But the cocktail list pales in comparison.

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The food was good…

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The atmosphere pleasant…

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But even the funky silver fish wine decanter can’t make up the loss of my beloved artisan cocktails.

😫

Speaking of food, I’m including this crab cake recipe so I don’t lose it.

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If you try it before me, let me know.

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