Subsequently, while the decor reads gracious and intimate, the evening din is notable. The mood of the space never gets lost— as evidenced by a lanky influencer moving languidly around the room to pose in front of every dreamy backdrop— but the frenetic hotel vibe does occasionally infringe on it.
It’ s entirely possible that the Littleneck group knew this space was never going to be sedate and did what they do best, which is simply to craft a theme for the party. In this case, it’ s“ resort town,” which comes with everything you’ d need to give up your day
FROM TOP: Tomato carpaccio is served with burnt honey, sherry and bonito furikake; the chocolate bunet dessert, a silky chocolate custard laced with amaro and topped with espresso granita.
job for an evening of escapism. The drinks are aperitif-driven and sometimes tropical, often with a base of rum or brandy. They run the gamut from circus-like( a French 75 served martini-style with a frothy foam hat) to classically sedate( the deconstructed Ti Punch has drinkers mix their own rum and cane sugar syrup), but nearly every cocktail comes out with a blazing ABV. If you’ re drinking more for looks than a brain purge, add a spirit to the juicy mocktails which will put you as close to a beach bar as possible.
If the bar program is a slice of the Riviera, the menu reaches wider, both in scope and form. There are several raw bar dishes, all of which are refined and often subtle. Raw scallops are served with Meyer lemon and espelette, while littlenecks get a mild punch from green strawberries.
There are quite a few appetizers that eat like elegant bar food: that is, they’ re bitesize and fried. They’ re also very good. Short rib croquettes with spicy pepper sauce are barely fried, somewhat similar to meatballs. Calamari is tempura-fried with vegetables and served with a saffron aioli: a version of a Rhode Island staple that’ s floatingly light and refined. But the best small plate may be barbajuans, the national dish of Monaco. It’ s technically a fritter, but more closely resembles a ravioli or, if you’ re speaking Club Frills vernacular, a Totino’ s pizza roll. Stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta, they arrive unadorned and, as it turns out, need nothing more because they manage to hit every right note.( They come six to an order— do not share them with more than one other person.)
Entrees fall into two groups: meat and pasta. Somewhat unexpectedly, the meat dishes have more panache— though the pasta is made in house and the pappardelle with ground lamb merguez is a thoroughly lovely dish. It’ s these larger plates, however, that make a definitive mark. Steak is modernized by a side of herby chickpea fries and peppercorn aioli, while chicken tagine is deeply soulful and, with its fragrant flavors, feels right at home in this picturesque room.
The signature dish at Pescadou is bouillabaisse, and aptly so. It’ s advertised as a portion for two but the kitchen will oblige if you’ re solo. You might expect a cozy bowl of seafood stew— or a collection of assorted shellfish— but that is not what’ s happening here in this high-brow version. It’ s a plate of sea jewels— halibut, swordfish, lobster— that arrive unadorned until a server drizzles the tomato-based broth on top of the fish and coin-sized potatoes. More a sauce than a soup, it’ s intensely rich and, while its pristine presentation may look like a page out of the Vanderbilt life, it also manages to be both comforting and downright delicious.
There is a curious transition between dinner and dessert, though. Until this point, drinks and food are equally aware of image and taste. Desserts are decidedly less formal and, given that this is the final bite of what can be a sparkling meal, one wishes that some formality might stay intact. On the page, everything is traditionally French: croustillant au citron, chocolate bunet, tarte Tropézienne.
But the dishes are very pudding and cream heavy, with shards of tuile or moistened cake. It’ s almost impossible to think of a French dessert— especially one in St. Tropez— without dreaming of a proper pastry and the dining room itself, so exuberantly coiffed and manicured, deserves a proper tart or brioche that belongs to the same aesthetic. It is, after all, part of the reason that a party in Newport manages a vibe like nothing else. 🆁
122 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I OCTOBER 2026