The Revolving Door

We ate at the Revolving Door last season and had a wonderful experience. Last week we were not as happy. We ordered scallops and lobster. Both were lackluster and we didn’t receive our vegetables or potatoes or bread. 3 scallops does not make a meal. A lobster tail, is also not a full dinner. Thankfully we’d each had an app so didn’t have to go somewhere to eat after dinner. We emailed the management through their website but didn’t get a response, hence this poor review. The changing chef concept is a great way to keep a restaurant fresh, but if you don’t tend to the basics, it won’t last.

Overhyped and passable.
The chef’s cv literally occupies a quarter of the one page menu. I thought this was revving up your expectations for the chef d’oeuvres that follows. What a disappointment…
The service was pompous. Drinks were good. The ambiance was hip. I had to beg multiple times for water as we sat at the bar to eat. I had to ask again for every refill.
Then the long-​awaited food came. The ceviche was an insult to the taste buds, bland and tasteless, inedible even after adding lime (from a sad dried up wedge that I had to ask for). Next up, the steak was severely undercooked and chewy. The flavors of the steak were completely unpaired with a sort of a crunchy undercooked ratatouille that was overpowered with rosemary.
Overall, disappointed and maybe will wait until the next chef comes around.

Sat down, 15 minutes before someone came by. Ordered drinks, 20 minutes before they brought them. Only reason it’s 2 stars instead of 1 is because the drink was actually very good. We left after this and didn’t even order food.

The service was great. The concept is great. The food was great. The drinks were amazing. The portions were small.

The guest chef idea is very cool. We enjoyed a tasty dinner & if you’re in town until May 31 go get the lettuce wrap beef appy! Delicious!

The Cauliflower 65 is to die for! Each every item that we had from the menu was super flavorful and yummy! The cocktails were strong, delicious and worth every penny! Love the huge ice cube in their cocktails. Although Chocolate lava cake did not match the expectation that was set by the food. But would definitely go back!

Innovative place– we had one of the visiting chef specials-​tandoor spiced chicken — it was fabulous!!! Server Nikolay was very good too–

Very nice. Food and cocktails are spot on. Chef changes monthly ish. Hence the name revolving door. New and chic inside.

I’m writing because I want this place to get the business it deserves. It was very very quiet when we were there this week for dinner. Yes, It’s April, but other restaurants were near full. I don’t know why. We dine out a lot and we both loved our dinners. I had the shrimp scampi which is on the house menu and it was wonderful, light, flavorful. My husband has the beef brisket off the chef’s menu, and he is a chef himself, and he loved it. As good as the brisket he makes. Great ambiance, staff, cocktails. Do stop by.

This past weekend, while visiting Newport, my wife and I had dinner at The Revolving Door. Jason, the bar guy did a great job serving us and giving us info on how the chefs change about every six weeks. I had the steak frites, done up by the house chef. It was excellent. my wife had the grilled swordfish, cooked by the {revolving} chef Thomas. She said it was one of the best she has ever had.

So darn good. I love that they have a rotating chef periodically. It allows us to try new things! If you’re ordering from the regular menu, get the steak. You won’t be disappointed!

This is our favorite place in Newport. Revolving chefs, great food, drinks and service. We like to sit right at the bar and watch them cook and talk to the staff. It’s a great place to be adventurous.

The best cocktails in all of Newport. Ask for Jason or Melissa and they’ll take care of you. Didn’t get to try the food here this time, but with a rotating chef and menu, its a really cool concept.

I visited several times while Marcellus Coleman was in the kitchen and it was enjoyable each and every time. The menu was thoughtful and delicious (the mussels and short rib can’t be beat). If you can make it before the end of October it’s worth the trip!!!

My husband and I had an amazing meal here on a Saturday night. We had to sit at the bar because of earlier reservations, but it meant we could sit at the bar with Melissa, who was a chill and great bartender.
The guest chef was Marcellus Coleman from Chicago, and we thoroughly enjoyed his short rib and fontina tortellini. The short rib just fell off the bone, and the parsnip purée with coconut flavor were divine. The tortellini, while a little small as a portion, did some great things with mushrooms.
The Malt Whitman was a great whiskey drink. In addition, their house conch chowder had a great kick while being true to the snail. I could have eaten three more portions.
I love the open kitchen while still having the dark wood paneling and parlor feel.

We had dinner there once and it was great! Their Malt Whitman drink is one of the best drinks in town. The staff is amazing and always so nice and helpful. Its not the place for a romantic dinner as the inside can get pretty loud… but if you want a great meal with a fantastic drink menu and top notch customer service… this is the place!

What a great concept! Rotating chefs (revolving door) every few weeks, each bringing their own unique menus, and preparing the food right in front of you! It can never get stale.
The night we went had two chefs working. We had a Tuna Tar-​Tar appetizer that was awesome. We had a Duck Two Ways entrée with Creamed Polenta and a Buttered Lobster and Broccoli Rabe plate. Both were phenomenal! All the food was great.
The layout of the dining area is really cool. The tables are set up around two good sized bars. One of the bars is open to a full cooking line where the chefs work right in front of you! It was great just to watch them at their craft!
The service was excellent as well. Our server Sam was knowledgable and attentive. Every course was well timed and the house specialty cocktails were great!
No complaints here, hence the 5-​Star review. I will definitely be going back to meet a new chef!

Guest chef during the week of 7÷5÷2015 was absolutely incredible. Such a creative idea to have rotating guest chefs. This is a place for true foodies who appreciate fine culinary art.

Revolving door should evolve their apps…
We came here with a good friend of ours as a recommendation and sat at the bar! Bartender Tricia was a doll… very sweet pretty and funny. Have no complaints about the staff… they were all friendly and had good customer service. Drinks are delicious… I had the margarita. We ordered every appetizer on the menu. When they came out we were all shocked at how little there was on each plate… literally enough for 2 maybe 3 bites. All apps were $ 9+ dollars… one app we got was the calamari and there were maybe enough for 4 bites. The spring roll was 1 roll cut in half! I couldn’t believe it… we left starving after paying alot for what we got. They all tasted ok… but nothing to rave about and there just wasnt enough. The atmosphere is nice and they do have an outdoor patio. I hear the dinner entrees are very good… maybe we will skip the apps, go for meals and then sit outside and chill at the outdoor fire table next time. I will update my review when I try the dinner or dessert options.

Ok, so I looked at some of the other reviews and I will need to come back here to make sure my experience was just a fluke… as it doesn’t match match what others are saying. I also love the revolving door concept. We had a mix of things from the guest chef and the house chef. The best thing we had was a bbq pizza. Very, very yummy. The problem was, I didn’t really care for much else… it was bland. I was so disappointing… and out about $ 100. I will go back and try again.