What a Girl Wants -- at a B&B Breakfast

As a hostess you want to make your guests feel special.  I think that's what the guests want too, to feel a little special.  Not the same old boring breakfast.  As a hostess at a B&B or home you also want to make something which can feed a group, not be too time consuming and hopefully can be made ahead.  Optimally use local ingredients.  In Newport and along the New England Coast, Lobster comes to mind when you think of local and special.  Why not make either of these two dishes as your main entre for breakfast, along with fresh fruit, scones and clotted cream.http://www.lobsterfrommaine.com/savory-maine-lobster-asparagus-strata-11873.aspx. http://www.lobsterfrommaine.com/my-maine-lobster-quiche-11883.aspx Your guests will want to come back again and again. Don't forget the coffee. It really is a basic and should ideally be made first for those early risers. I like to grind a good quality coffee, just before making. Keep it coming. If you plan on self serve, get a commercial size pot or several carafes.  A selection of teas and several carafs of hot water is another good idea.

As for decor, A fresh white table cloth and napkins, fresh flowers or a bowl of fresh inseason fruit down the center of the table, and good stoneware dishes are understated and just fine.

What are some of your go to meals to serve a breakfast crowd?

The Inns of Newport -- Cleveland House

Well what's not to like about Newport, Rhode Island?  It's hard to be critical of anything when you've had such a great weekend of sailing, dining and entertainment among good friends.  The Inns of Newport, however, has inspired me to finally start this blog.  Their web site is beautiful, the managers talk of luxury and yet there was so much lacking that I can not recommend it.  First the good news; The Inns of Newport are convenient to downtown.  You can walk everywhere and yet it is still quiet. The beds are comfortable and the bedding of a good quality.  Rooms are small as you would expect in many B&Bs and showing wear and there is the feeling an update is in order. That alone would not inspire my negativity. Lack of care might be the best way to put it.  Switched to a room with the promise that it would fit four easily and be fitted with luxury bedding, I now realize they needed the third room that I gave up for other guests. The room was not set up for four until late in the evening with complaint, and much scuring around to find a rollaway bed and mismatched sheets.  There were not towels for four and the next day bathrooms in either of the rooms were not cleaned or given towels and toiletries. Breakfast, although the cook and waitress struggled to keep up, because two large groups had been assigned the same dining time was chaotic. Guests ended up dragging tables and chairs together, clearing dishes and going next door repeatedly for coffee. The coffee situation did not improve the second day. The managers promise, apologize and then ridicule staff. The food, made to order was good, but a simpler menu or more wait staff would alleviate the disjointed service.

This could be such a pleasant place, but lack of coordination of staff and lack of enough seasoned staff is the problem.  The managers talk about guests and staff to guests. Not cool! A few extras like a bowl of warm cookies to return to at the end of the day wouldn't hurt either. Okay, maybe we should not push our luck.

Any one have suggestions of B&B's in Newport? Beautiful town. Great food.  Lots to do.

Tomorrows Blog will concentrate on possible simple menues and measures to streamline breakfast whether for a B&B or weekend guests.

Welcome to Mamie's B&B review

If you are like me all anyone has to say is "Road Trip" and you begin checking out travel sites online and planning outfits. The plotting and planning of various aspects of where to stay and what to do when we arrive can occupy me happily for hours.  I revel in scheduling the best  that a town has to offer in only three days of a long weekend. Quality of places to stay, to eat and enjoy are much more important to me than quantity.

After transportation considerations, I turn my attention to where to stay. Though hotels can vary in quality from place to place, a person knows to expect a certain level of quality from a Marriot or a Hampton Inn.  Quality of Bed and breakfasts, though researched, are much harder to assess until you arrive and find the room is tiny and has one too many dirty lace doilies to match the dusty lace curtains.

So this site will  critique  the B&Bs  and Inns I've been to and will go to, and if you want to assess places you've been, feel free.  Hopefully, we can help each other out and be able to select our home away from home with confidence.