Food & Drink EXPERIENCE
By Chuck Staton
Picnic and Polo Feeling fancy enjoying a fresh take on an upscale al fresco to-go experience with Newport’s Stoneacre Picnics Stoneacre Picnics, who hosted this upscale experience, is a concept from the same team who found success with Stoneacre Brasserie, Stoneacre Garden, and Stoneacre Wine & Spirits. This latest project curates picturesque picnics for custom events all over Newport and Aquidneck Island, including local beaches, the
A Stoneacre Picnics experience at Newport Polo
Newport Mansions, and many public parks. They even offer a grab-and-go option, so you can bring your fancy al fresco set up wherever you please. Walking up to Newport Polo already feels a little bit like crossing the living room while my mom is watching Downton Abbey: the British announcer, the flowery dresses, the horses. But today an upscale, scenic picnic set-up is added to the mix, complete with pillow seats, perfectly plated dishes, and an Instagram-chic aesthetic. I truly feel like an impostor on this gorgeous not-toosunny summer afternoon. The Stoneacre Picnics arrangements are lavish and striking. We’re seated at one of several beige mini picnic tables, on varied pastel pillows. Transparent blue cloth is draped over each table, with wicker placemats, floral arrangements, bronze cups, and wine buckets galore. Among these elaborate accoutrements is the main event – the food. The two menus Stoneacre offers paired well with the decor and were perfect for a New England late-summer afternoon outside. The fitting Polo Picnic menu featured La Brujula canned tuna in olive oil, marinated olives, spiced nuts, and a delicious baguette with housemade apricot and blueberry jams. It’s accompanied by cheese and charcuterie selections including Nettle Meadow Farms Kunik (a rich triple crème cheese), Jasper Hill Farm Bayley Hazen Blue, and Olympia Provisions’ Chorizo Rioja and Saucisson Sec salami, all washed down with Fever-Tree sodas and followed by decadent fall-apart brownies. The second menu was the Parisien Lunch. This came with a crudite; a surprisingly tasty kale salad with miso Caesar dressing, marinated mushrooms, and parmesan cheese; a ham and gruyere baguette
CUISINE: Upscale, luxury picnic fare PRICES: $325 for two guests ATMOSPHERE: Lavish, relaxed, outdoorsy luncheon
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The Bay • October 2021
Photos by Gina Mastrostefano
It’s not every day you get invited to a luxury picnic experience – or a polo match. Being new to both, and with attempts to look presentable underway, my drive to Newport Polo was filled with questions: Are my socks the right length for my “fanciest” shoes ($14.99 on clearance at TJ Maxx)? And what is polo? Is it…horse-croquet?
