My first impression of that last dish was that the marinara sauce tasted fishy — and it turns out that the red sauce is made with the broth of lobster bodies. Vegetarians beware! The waitress, however, did assure me that there was another completely veggie sauce, upon request. My second and third impressions were that the squid rings were fairly chewy, slightly greasy, and that the oil didn’t taste fresh. Bill agreed.
Nonetheless, his tuna was extremely tasty, and though the veggies on his kabob (it came with his order) seemed a bit underdone, I adapted. There was a small potato, two large chunks of zucchini and summer squash, a piece of green pepper, a wedge of red onion, and a corn cob piece, all with respectable grill marks on them.
The linguini was as very al dente, as Bill loves it, though I might like it a bit more done. (I’m truly not a fan of mushy food, just carefully cooked veggies and pasta). The clams were delicious, with tons of garlic in the sauce, along with a smidgen of anchovies and Romano cheese. The linguine dish was served in a long-handled skillet, so it stayed nice and hot through the dinner.
Dessert options include house-made tiramisu and crème brulée, but what really caught our eye were the gelatos and sorbets, from Newport’s Cold Fusion, the best in the state. Choosing the blood orange sorbet and the chocolate-hazelnut gelato, we tried to be civilized about sharing.
Since there’s a no-reservation policy at Scales and Shells, the off-season is definitely the time to go — plus you won’t have so much competition for viewing the blackboard.
Johnette Rodriguez can be reached atjohnette.rodriguez@cox.net.
