Barking Crab, Newport, RI

 After the sumptuous dose of luxury that we were drenched in at the Marble House, we headed out to feast on some seafood.

Earlier, we had planned to amble at the Cliffwalk by the sea. We have treaded that route many times before. It was beautiful and sunny. However, chilling winds, freezing temperatures that threatened to melt flesh off our skeleton made us change our plans in a hurry. East Coast sun is deceptive. The blinding clear light has no heat whatsoever.We hunted for a good seafood joint and came across Barking Crab. The red crab beckoned and we went in.

The place is designed like a high-end dive. It’s inviting and has a homely feeling. Handwritten chalkboard menus punctuate the walls.Chritmas light chandeliers hanging from the wooden ceiling boards gave a party like atmosphere.It’s not one of the cleanest around and the tables felt like they had not been given a proper cleaning in a while, though I can’t really say they were dirty. Just lack luster.  We were seated promptly. Service was quick and our server was a funny bone.

The menu has a lot of variety, but the food is pricey.For starters, we ordered Clam Chowder, Fried Calamari and barking crab cakes.

Barking crab cakes amazing. Meaty, wholesome and delicious, the crab cakes were perfect. The texture was soft but fibrous and cooked to perfection. The spiced up mustard sauce was delightfully light.

Clam Chowder had perfect consistency and had lots of clams. But it was borderline bland.

Fried Rhode Island calamari also was a big hit. Perfectly made, succulent, served with roasted lemon to cut the grease.

As seafood lovers, we pretty much love everything. At East Coast seafood shacks, we love devouring eating fresh caught lobsters with butter. This time we chose to go with Fire grilled lobsters, King Crab legs, Crab pizza and 10 lbs stuffed lobster.

Unfortunately, we were in for a big disappointment. Bland, with not much meat to them either, the king Crab legs were particularly mediocre. Considering they were out of the world expensive, it was a shame.

The fire grilled lobster did not fare much better. Meaty and big, the lobster was overcooked where the meat had acquired a rubbery texture. Moreover, there was no smoky flavor to indicate that the lobster had been grilled at all. Tasted steamed and well, chewy.

The Maine 10 lbs Stuffed lobster was better. I am not too fond of stuffing, so I skipped it, but the rest of the family enjoyed it.

The lobster flatbread pizza was nothing fancy, but value for money. My kids definitely enjoyed it. The flatbread was crispy, the lobster meat was delicious (and had more texture to it than our expensive plate of Fire grilled lobster) and flaked with parsley, it was enjoyable.

We were hungry, so pretty much polished off everything. However, we would not be as keen to go back in a hurry, especially for a full lunch. Our bill for four was around $250, without any drinks. It is a good place for appetizer plates. For sumptuous seafood feast, Newport has much better, and less expensive options.NEWPORT, RI | 401.846.2722
Brick Marketplace
Newport, RI 02840Sunday – Wednesday
Hours: 11:30 AM – 9:00 PMThursday – Saturday
Hours: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM