Locale Profiles: The Revolving Door

Newport is known for its history; there are establishments that have been around since the 17th century, and the White Horse Tavern is known as the oldest tavern in America. Many restaurants in the area may be trying to preserve the essence of past centuries, but the Revolving Door, opened this winter, is built around a concept that guarantees to keep the cuisine original and exciting. The Revolving Door is the newest addition to the Bouchard restaurant/hotel group, conveniently located next to the water on Thames Street.

The restaurant employs visiting chefs, and each one brings a brand new menu of their own invention. The chefs are given residencies that last between two weeks and a month. Currently at the helm is Ezra Lewis, a Trinidadian and Tobogian chef whose resume includes positions cooking at the world-famous Augusta National Golf Club and the 41 North resort in Newport. Lewis’ creations for the current Revolving Door menu offer the finest in seafood, including tuna tartar black sesame toast, roasted Cornish hen and lobster, pan roasted scallops and salad, and king crab. To end the meal, Lewis makes a chocolate tart (“chocolate passion”) and a vanilla bean cheesecake with roasted nectarines.

Not everything at the restaurant is unpredictable; house chef Josh Berman, who previously worked in Mario Batali’s restaurant Del Posto, created a menu that’s always available including New York strip steak and shrimp scampi provincial, both with salad.

The Revolving Door will be a refreshing change from the usual old-world steakhouses, and the only thing you can guarantee cuisine-wise is that your meal will probably be awesome. The format of the Revolving Door will give foodies an irrefutable excuse to dine out every month, sometimes even more!

The Revolving Door is located at 509 Thames Street in Newport. If you’re a chef who is interested in participating, visit their website.