THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Pier Restaurant

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Pier Restaurant Restaurant Review:

Seaside restaurants in a town like Newport inevitably must cater to the tourist crowds, which is a mixed blessing for The Pier. The views of the harbor and Newport bridge may not be the best in town as claimed, but there are some exceptional vistas through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A starter of lobster bisque was first-rate, with a lightly sherried tomato cream sauce and a generous hunk of claw meat on top. The chopped salad was mildly adventurous with an antipasti that included marinated hearts of palm and capers. Chef Kevin Geaudreau's previous station was as executive chef at Ruth’s Chris in Providence, so sure enough the filet was properly cooked to order and nicely presented atop green beans and baby carrots. But it arrived just lukewarm, and the vegetables were nothing special. A side of rock shrimp hash with zucchini, potatoes and asparagus was more interesting. The mahi mahi entrée---randomly topped with crispy onions that perhaps were meant for someone's steak---was plated with two sauces: teriyaki and a beurre blanc. One or the other would have sufficed. Overall, we felt like The Pier would be a fine place to get a meal in a pretty setting if we were on vacation, but didn't bring enough to the table to warrant a special drive to Newport.