Canfield House

At an old Newport casino, dinner is anything but a gamble

by Johnette Rodriguez

5 Memorial Blvd., Newport, 847-0416
Open Sun-Fri, 4:30-10 or 11 p.m., Sat, 5-11 p.m.
Major credit cards
No sidewalk access

New Bedford native Richard Canfield ran his first gambling operation in Providence at the tender age of 18 -- a vocation that eventually led to a fortune of $12 million from casinos in Saratoga, Manhattan and Newport. By the time of his death in 1914, his estate had dwindled to $900,000, but his legacy lives on in the card game of solitaire, which he supposedly invented, and in the former Newport casino-turned-restaurant that still carries his name, the Canfield House.

Canfield never stinted on the interiors of his houses, and this one is no exception. The walls, with their mahogany wainscotting, reach at least 10 feet up before the rounded mahogany ceiling, with its elaborately carved corner panels and decorative finials, carries that height even higher. The pineapple, that ubiquitous colonial motif in Newport, appears in the ceiling and is repeated in brass above the large windows and in the pattern of the damask tablecloths.

We were, to say the least, surrounded by the trappings of those bygone millions. And the luxury continued with the menu, with its escargot among the appetizers, its antelope steak as one of the entrée specials that evening ($41.95!), and its champagne basket standing at the ready near our table.

But despite the implied permission to splurge, our appetites were modest on the evening we visited, so we chose accordingly, beginning with a baked portobello and a sundried tomato polenta ($8.50). The mushroom had been marinated in a 50-year-old balsamic vinegar (with deliciously sweet drizzles on the plate for the accompanying greens) and topped with a thin spread of goat cheese. Wonderfully appetizing!

Bill's entrée, from the "lighter side" of the menu, was a veal paillard with fresh sage and thinly sliced prosciutto, finished in a shiitake Marsala sauce ($16.95). Served over mashed potatoes, with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots on the side, this dish was hearty fare for a raw winter's eve.

I guess I was still yearning for summer, though, because all I could think of was lobster. Canfield offered a special that evening -- a pound-and-a-half lobster stuffed with rock shrimp ($33.95) -- along with their regular menu items: pan-seared lobster meat from a pound-and-a-quarter lobster tossed with angel hair and pink vodka sauce; boiled lobster; lobster in bouillabaisse; or a penne rigate with lobster, shrimp and other friends ($21.95). I reined myself in from the richness of too much lobster and opted for the latter.

A generous portion of penne arrived in a delicious garlic, shallot and white wine sauce, with the flavors of the lobster chunks and shrimp carefully preserved. The strips of sundried tomatoes and shiitakes were a nice complement to the seafood. The smoked mozzarella that also mingled in this dish made it a bit heavier than I expected, but it didn't take away from the lobster.

For dessert, we split a chocolate ribbon ($6.95) and Bill sipped a tawny port ($8). The ribbon was a crisp cylindrical shell of white and dark chocolate which held a thick chocolate mousse topped with a darker chocolate sauce and a caramelized sugar sculpture. The combination of textures among the chocolates was a treat.

Canfield is currently offering five shrimp entrées on Wednesdays for $19.95 each, which include pasta or vegetables, salad and a carafe of wine, and "beefeaters specials" for the same price on Fridays, with an Angus rib-eye and a choice of shrimp or crab legs/ a martini, Manhattan or wine.

Once you've made your menu decisions at the Canfield House, ask your waiter for a copy of the Canfield history -- it makes great reading as you soak up the atmosphere.