Veronica and I are terrible about making NYE plans— usually, it’s a conversation like “any thoughts for New Years Eve?” followed by “No- did we get the Cornish Game Hens for Christmas dinner?”
In other words, it falls to below priority status. Almost all of our friends stay in— in fact I had several tell me they’d be turning in by 9— not one to care about the clock turning over— I can sympathize. This year #1 son gave me a gift card to the Restaurant Group which covers 111 Chophouse, VIA’s Italian Grill and The Sole Proprietor (Liam Neeson’s favorite restaurant when he’s in town, by the way). We just had Italian when we were in Newport and we’ve eaten at The Sole several times this year so we decided to go to 111.
Calling two days before NYE all we could get for reservations was 9:30— that’s sort of a tradition— I think last year we got 10pm reservations at an Irish place and a few years earlier we got 9:30 at a different Italian place.
We pulled into the lot at 9:30 and found a spot right away— the hostess table was well manned and the place was really jumping— there was even a guy in a red sequined jacket and top hat walking around with 2024 on the back. They seated us in a private-ish room which was very nice. The restaurant itself is very warm and cozy despite being large— I love the leather and wood trim and bright carpets.
We were given two waitresses both of them were exceptional, Veronica, looking spectacular, ordered a cocktail and I got a Diet Pepsi. We didn’t want to overeat so we skipped the appetizers and ordered our entrees which each came with a side— in my case a terrific bacon tomato bisque with grilled cheese croutons and Veronica got a green leafy salad. We did take advantage of the bread— boy was that good— someday I’m going to come down here and just eat 40 plates of those amazing rolls with the slightly crisp exterior and soft buttery interior. I know there’s no justice in this world since a plate of broccoli is good for you but a plate of warm buttery rolls is not.
Veronica got the Japanese Wagu steak cooked medium rare— the only way to ever order steak and I got the tenderloins because they were served on a bead of whipped potatoes— the only thing better than mashed potats are whipped potats.
The service was exceptional— each plate followed perfectly a we finished the one in front of us, and she kept my Diet Coke’s coming. We had some great conversation and more than a few laughs and an excellent meal.
We drove over to the Shrewsbury Bridge to contemplate the years change and then went home to watch The Three Stooges as the calendar flipped from 2023 to 2024.