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Published: February 13th 2018
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Block Island
Lobster cage Christmas tree We took a couple trips up to neighboring Rhode Island. It was a cold dreary December month so we decided to enjoy beautiful Block Island. A very, very popular destination with the East coasters - it's popular with the "non-Martha's Vineyard" type or the "Martha's-Vineyard-is-getting-too crowded-so-we-need-to-get-out" type. Unfortunately this was not summer, but we figured we'd give it a shot and get out of dodge (in this case Stamford) for a night.
We left really early in the morning, figured out parking, caught the ferry, and sat back as the ferry chugged its way through the waters. We hit land and well... this is Block Island. We could have brought the car but why bother. I made a reservation the previous day at the 1661 INN. Luckily it was just a short walk to get there from the ferry (little uphill). We waited quite a while to check in because we were early. The room was nice and had a nice view of the ocean. The island was pretty deserted. I figured there'd be one shop open renting bikes or something to get around the island. Nope. So we walked down to the water. We were the only ones on
Block Island
All by our lonesome selves the beach. Not another soul in sight. We took in the scenery and serenity. A really nice beach.
Our stomachs were growling so the Channel Marker was just around the corner. We sat down, had a couple really good beers, shared the clams and mussels (really good) and had the shrimp poboy (too much bread and dough on the shrimp) and the fish and chips (too much batter, but the fries were good). We walked around a little longer and ended up at the local grocery store where we stocked up on goodies for the night. It was starting to get cold and we were not really going to go out that night so we decided to just spend the afternoon and night in our room and get some much needed rest.
The next morning we got up and had the famous BREAKFAST AT 1661 INN. It's better and bigger in the summer. It was still a good breakfast. We had to catch the early ferry. Overall a good time. The island is great for exploring, but obviously it was not the best time of year for it. We actually found a car late Saturday afternoon to rent
Block Island
How can you not love a face like that for like $60 for half a day, but decided to just take it easy.
Needless to say it would not be a Coetzee blog if it does not involve food. We have been known to do crazy things for food. AL FORNO in Providence is on one of our lists. It was a lazy Saturday and we asked ourselves - why not cross state lines and go and eat? And so 90 minutes later we were in front of Al Forno. Well - they do not take reservations so we started to wait. And we waited. And we waited. And we waited. Normal people would have left when the maƮtre de told them it would be an hour and a half wait minimum. Well we are not normal. We eventually made our way up to the bar area and had a couple drinks. They eventually seated us. We came to AL FORNO FOR GRILLED PIZZA. A margarita grilled pizza w/ pomodoro, fresh herbs, two cheeses, and extra virgin olive oil. I think it was our first grilled pizza and it was worth the wait. I came for the DIRTY STEAK. A nice piece of meat cooked directly on the
Block Island
Long shadows even early in the day coals/ embers. Sounds interesting. Best piece of meat I've had? Well it is right up there. It was delicious. Nikkie got the beef short rib ravioli w/ brown butter, sage, sauteed mushrooms, and Parmigiano-Reggiano which was equally good. It was getting really late, but they are also known for their desserts so we ended with the pear and walnut crisp tart. A perfect dish to end a perfect night of food. Highly recommended and totally worth the wait for us.
Likes - Block island has it's own charms in the winter where you pretty much have the entire place to yourself, but summer is probably a better bet
- Al Forno was a great meal. Do yourself a favor, prepare for a wait, and enjoy the food.
Dislikes - not much really
Advice - if you go to Block Island in the off-season take bikes or some form of transportation
And that concludes another state blog. Crossing off one thing - Al Forno so 292 down and 5,489 to go.
Til' next time from a neighboring state
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