Why restaurant prices are so high, and what’s next
A perfect storm of rising food prices and labor rates has hit restaurants the past two years, forcing menu price hikes. We speak with two owners about what may happen next. (Scripps News)
Scripps News
Looking for the perfect date night spot? OpenTable has a suggestion.
Advertisement
OpenTable recently released its ranking of the top 100 romantic restaurants of 2025 just in time for Valentine’s Day, and two places in Connecticut made the list.
The online booking service bases its annual ranking on over 10 million verified diner reviews, assessing metrics like diner ratings, the percentage of five star reviews, the percentage of reservations made in advance and the number of direct searches. In the list of 100 ranked restaurants, both White Horse Tavern in Newport and Boat House Waterfront Dining in Tiverton made the list.
Here’s how to dine at OpenTable’s most romantic restaurants in the state for Valentine’s Day.
White Horse Tavern
Newport’s White Horse Tavern is not just a romantic restaurant, but also a historic one filled with cozy 17th-century achitecture. In fact, White Horse is the oldest standing restaurant in the country, originally opening its doors in 1673.
Advertisement
White Horse Tavern embraces its identity as a classic New England destination, serving sophisticated local fare sourced from Rhode Island’s farms and waters since its opening. While the tavern might be old, the culinary team strives to create a fresh, contemporary experience.
Menu items include New England classics like bacon wrapped scallops, clam chowder and lobster ravioli, in addition to a full raw bar and fresh catch of the day. To accompany the food, White Horse has an extensive wine list with options from all over the world.
The tavern is open for dinner from 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 4-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Reservations are recommended to be made two to four weeks in advance. Valentine’s Day is already fully booked, but there is still availability in the surrounding days.
Location: 26 Marlborough St., Newport
Advertisement
Best One Bite Pizza Reviews in 2024: Top 4 spots Dave Portnoy ranked in RI
Boat House Waterfront Dining
Located on a cliff over Mt. Hope Bay, Boat House Waterfront Dining is a scenic waterfront restaurant serving up locally-inspired cuisine and creative craft cocktails. The seafood-focused menu includes local favorites like fish and chips, crab cakes and lobster rolls.
With a view of the water from almost every seat in the restaurant, guests at Boat House can enjoy a view of the sinking sunset and passing sailboats with their meal, making the location perfect for a romantic dinner.
Boat House Waterfront Dining is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Reservations for sometime near Valentine’s Day can be made on OpenTable.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at June 5, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from June 5 drawing
01-14-19-28-41, Lucky Ball: 07
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from June 5 drawing
Midday: 6-2-7-1
Advertisement
Evening: 6-5-0-2
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from June 5 drawing
05-10-11-17-37, Extra: 20
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Advertisement
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Basking sharks, despite their size, pose no threat to humans. They have tiny teeth, no interest in … More large prey, and spend most of their time following plankton blooms.
HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Just in time for the 50th anniversary of “Jaws,” a real-life shark sighting had New Englanders channeling their best “shahk in the pawnd” impressions this week. The moment unfolded at the end of last month near Block Island, Rhode Island; it was here, in the calm waters of the Great Salt Pond, that diners enjoying a seafood meal at Dead Eye Dick’s spotted something unusual slicing through the surface.
A pair of unmistakable dorsal fins.
Advertisement
Phones came out, videos were taken, and soon even the NGO Atlantic Shark Institute was sharing the footage of the sizable animal online. The organization, which monitors shark activity throughout the region, joked about the parallel to the infamous movie and invited the public to guess what kind of shark had found its way into the sheltered saltwater lagoon.
Speculation quickly flooded the comments. Guesses ranged from great whites to sand tigers to makos. But the truth was far less dramatic and dangerous. In the video, the silhouette looked imposing, and anyone unfamiliar with shark species could understandably assume it was something dangerous. The shark, as confirmed later by the institute’s executive director Jon Dodd, was a basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Enormous, yes, as they are the second largest fish in the ocean after the whale shark. But dangerous? Not quite. They’re filter-feeders, cruising through the ocean with mouths wide open to scoop up plankton, not people.
A 20-foot basking shark made an unexpected appearance in Rhode Island’s Great Salt Pond, stirring … More memories of Jaws but posing no danger.
The Atlantic Shark Institute Facebook Page
The one in the Great Salt Pond was around 20 feet long (just over 6 meters), making it relatively modest for its species, which can grow over 40 feet (12 meters) in length. Still, seeing an animal that size in a place where people typically kayak, swim, and anchor boats is enough to give anyone pause. “The size of these sharks, the height of the dorsal fin, and how they move can be a real attention getter!” said Dodd to a local outlet. “They can look quite a bit like a great white shark at a glance, or from distance, and that can put people into a panic and justifiably so based on where you might be at the time (think in the water!)” Basking sharks, despite their size, pose no threat to humans. They have tiny teeth, no interest in large prey, and spend most of their time following plankton blooms. And yes, they can look eerily similar to great white sharks, especially if your only reference is the iconic 1975 Spielberg film. “The good news? They’ve never been implicated in any bite on a human being, as noted in the International Shark Attack File. They are endangered in some parts of the world and considered “vulnerable” here in the U.S.,” ASI explained.
Advertisement
While the scene may have triggered some instinctive unease, experts were quick to clarify there was no cause for concern. “Sharks are arriving in Rhode Island daily,” the Atlantic Shark Institute continued in a Facebook post, “as water temperatures continue to rise and more and more species of shark find them suitable to their liking.” This is part of a larger trend tied to climate change and warming ocean temperatures, which are shifting where marine animals spend their time during the summer months. It’s no surprise then that basking sharks, which are normally seen off the coast in deeper waters, are making occasional detours into shallower inlets like Great Salt Pond. Fortunately for any nervous swimmers, the shark didn’t linger. By the next day, it had likely found its way back out to open water, leaving only ripples (and viral footage) in its wake.
As we mark the anniversary of “Jaws,”it’s worth recognizing how far we have come as a society. Fifty years ago, a scene like this might have ended in alarm and calls for the removal of the individual (likely leading to a grim end for the shark in question). Today, it ends with a Facebook post, a science lesson, and a bit of local pride. After all, not every summer hotspot gets a visit from one of the ocean’s true giants.