Restaurant Review by DON FOWLER

It is time for me to let you in on Rhode Island’s best kept secret for fresh fried seafood.

Anthony’s Seafood at 963 Aquidneck Rd. (Rt.138A) in Middletown is the place where Aquidneck Island natives go for their fresh seafood.

The inconspicuous location, on the way to the beaches and Cliff Walk, offers perfectly cooked meals and sandwiches at competitive prices, with no fringes.

On weekends, the lines spill out into the overflowing parking lot. A sign tells you that there are two lines, one for the market and one for the restaurant. For the dining area, place your order with the cashier, pay for it, take a number and find a table. If there are two or four in the party, don’t sit at the tables for six. An employee will bring your food to the table and clean up after you.

Ice cold water is available as you enter the dining room.

Anthony’s menu is limited to the seafood basics: Lobster, shrimp, calamari, whole belly clams, scallops and cod, with salmon and swordfish sandwiches also available.

They do have hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken fingers for the fussy kids and that rare adult who doesn’t eat fish.

Joyce and I don’t have to look at the menu. We know what we want.

We start off with Kung Po Calamari ($14), a generous plate of tender squid with a sweet plum chili sauce, peanuts, scallions and hot peppers. We know of no other place that has calamari prepared in that manner.

We share the Fisherman’s Platter ($39), which is listed as enough for two people, and it is.

The fried clams are the highlight. Tasty and tender, the whole belly clams are without a doubt, the best in Rhode Island.

Added to the platter are large sea scallops, calamari, shrimp, a huge piece of fried cod (or flounder) and fries, accompanied by tartar sauce, shrimp sauce and cole slaw.

Believe us, it’s as good as it gets.

Anthony’s hasn’t changed since our early days of attending the music festivals every summer in Newport.

Ocean Drive is a short distance from the restaurant. A relaxing trip from Bellevue Ave. to Fort Adams, with a stop overlooking the ocean, is a must.

Take the trip east on Route 195 to Exit 14 (MA 24S) to Exit 1 (Rt. 138S), right on Turnpike Ave Rt. 138) and left on Rt. 138. You avoid all tolls and are in for a pleasant ride. It is worth the stop-and-go traffic on the Washington Bridge.

Anthony’s phone number is 846-9620. They are open every day from 11:00 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. (closed Wednesday). Go around 4 p.m. to avoid the crowds.

230 Briarwood Lane, Portsmouth, RI
Price: $5,990,000
Size: 4,924 square feet
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 6 (5 full, 1 partial)

If you were to construct the ideal countryside estate for life, what might it entail? Secluded acres of lush greenery, trees, gardens, and an orchard? Maybe beautiful views of a landscape that includes breathtaking river vistas? Ah…we can almost feel the warmth of the natural light on our skin and smell the fresh air entering our lungs as we inhale. While this quick meditative journey is a dreamy exercise, it also doubles as our introduction to a listing that will make your pastoral dwelling reverie into a Rhode Island reality. Because 230 Briarwood Lane in the Newport County enclave of Portsmouth provides everything you’ve pictured, and much more.

At just under $6 million, 230 Briarwood Lane resides on 9.64 verdant acres, boasts 4,924 square feet of space, and includes four bedrooms, six bathrooms (five full, one partial), and south-facing, floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. Constructed in 1999, this three-story, contemporary home is situated next to the Aquidneck Land Trust property overlooking the stunning Sakonnet River. Its grounds, which are delineated by stone walls, contain raised-bed gardens, an orchard, a potting shed, a putting green, and an in-ground, saltwater pool.

While outdoor enthusiasts can live their best lives in this scenic environment, indoor home cooks and foodies are satiated by the chef’s kitchen, which comes complete with a butler’s pantry, quartz countertops, Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, and wine refrigerator. Meanwhile, everyone can enjoy the Solisysteme pergola, which is situated right off the kitchen, and leads to a lavishly landscaped 2,000-square-feet granite and bluestone patio with cozy fire pit.

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The second-floor accommodations are just as enviable, with two primary en suite bedrooms that include walk-in closets and marble and glass-enclose showers, as well as a third en suite bedroom. The top floor can be used two ways: either as vast post-and-beam living area perfect for socializing, or as an office with a deck that overlooks the property’s views. This space also has an additional bedroom and a full bath with a serene soaking tub. But of course, that’s not all. There’s also a four-car garage that connects to an air-conditioned (and heated) artist studio with a half bathroom; it can be used as you choose for an office, gym, or guest suite.

Convenient to local beaches, wildlife preserves, downtown Newport and Newport Harbor, 230 Briarwood Lane includes an additional buildable lot with frontage on Black Point Lane as part of its sale.

For more information, contact Joe Costa, Coldwell Banker Realty, www.coldwellbankerhomes.com.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A Warwick woman has been charged in a direct-mail sweepstakes scheme that defrauded seniors and other vulnerable individuals in Rhode Island and multiple states out of a total of $10 million.

Megan E. Shine, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury and arraigned on conspiracy and fraud charges, according to United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Shine allegedly used the U.S. Mail to carry out a fraud scheme using mailings that suggested to recipients that they were entitled to cash prizes or valuable items.

Victims were duped into sending payments, usually between $20 and $30, to businesses Shine created and operated in Rhode Island.

Mailings were personalized with the recipient’s name, along with other markings to bolster apparent authenticity, and instructed the recipient to send money by a deadline to a PO Box in Providence.

An investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that these mailings were sent to recipients in 41 states.

The conservative estimate of responses and payments received totaled 50,000 per year.