Purple Poulet — Restaurant in Newport

This place has such potential but was an utter let down.

I heard many rave reviews about this place, but they all centered around the quality of the fried chicken in its various forms (with white gravy or on a waffle). I was looking for something other than chicken, so I asked about the most popular non-chicken dishes and was advised to consider the smoked bourbon brisket or the shrimp and grits. The brisket was described as being served with a bourbon peach sauce along with pot roast style vegetables and bacon mashed potatoes.

I ordered the brisket and was served a pale, cold, unappetizing plate that was swimming in a sauce that was the consistency of broth. In fact, the meal was served on a deep pasta-style plate and a lukewarm, watery, sweet substance was ladled over everything, filling the well of the plate. The brisket was tender but did not taste like it was smoked. The mashed potatoes were runny and were separating because of the amount of liquid they were swimming in, and the vegetables were not roasted at all--the carrots and celery were pale, cold, and still very crunchy. As we were leaving I saw someone else in the restaurant receive the same swimming brisket so I don't think my plate was an anomaly. My advice--definitely don't order it, it should not be on the menu the way it was served.

As for the overall visit and atmosphere, it is clear that a lot of attention was paid to the atmosphere and furnishings of the restaurant. They had great bourbon offerings and the entire place was decorated with that theme -- barrel heads mounted on the wall, barrel high-top tables, bourbon and horse racing themed paintings. They appeared to have seating for 50-55 people excluding the bar, and they had 6 people working in the front of the house with only 8 parties seated at the time I was there. I called the day before for a reservation and got a prompt reply and was able to get a reservation for early service at a high top.

The bread (cornbread and chef's peanut butter chocolate chip bread) served was good, the coconut cake we had for dessert was delicious, and the palate cleansing sorbet before the meal was a nice touch. I tasted the fried chicken and mashed potatoes served to my brother, and they were delicious.

However, I was also disappointed in the overall hospitality of the place. When ordering the dessert, I asked if it could be split and brought out on two plates. The server informed me that the kitchen was too busy to do that. I don't know what it's like in the kitchen or how busy they were with 8 tables/ groups seated, but that was ridiculous. Also, when the server and hostess inquired about our meal, while I did not complain, I clearly expressed that I was displeased and both moved right on as if it were a pleasantry and they didn't care what the answer was. I know my comment was not a direct or aggressive complaint (it shouldn't have to be), but the other person at my table raised his eyebrows and clearly caught on to my dissatisfaction from my response. Either way, this place fell short on offering true southern hospitality.

So, if you want to be served fried chicken at a place that's more upscale/fine dining, definitely make a reservation in advance to have a chance. If you want something else,...

A friend and I visited this establishment recently and were sorely disappointed. We arrived at 5:10 for 5:30 p.m. reservation and rather than a generous welcome we were met with an attitude that said we had arrived early and that was inconvenient. We were seated in a nice booth and ordered drinks. I had the house BlackBerry old fashioned and it was delicious. Our server came to the table and seem to be anxious to take our order. We told her we would like to start with an appetizer and take it from there. We ordered the sweet potato beignets. She quickly gave us a review of the evenings specials as well. As soon as she sat the beignets down on our table she asked if she could take our dinner order. We asked if we could enjoy our appetizer and have a look at the menu. After less than 5 minutes she returned to our table again requesting to take our order. At that point we ordered a caesar salad which was brought to us on plates smaller than bread plates and without all the toppings. When we asked about the missing toppings we were brought a small metal ramekin so that we could include them in our salad ourselves. Again she asked if she could take our dinner order. We ask again if we could just enjoy our salad and then let her know. She then told us that the table had a reservation for 7:15 p.m. . We said that's not a problem it's currently 5:50 and we felt like that was plenty of time. She then went to the hostess, the same person who engaged us when we arrived, she then came to our table and again told us they would need the table by 7:15 for another reservation. We said we understood but did not want to be rushed that we were certain we had enough time.

The experience was very disappointing to say the least. After feeling scolded an unwelcomed. We elected to pay for our appetizer, salad and drinks and leave. Two drinks a salad and 1appetizer was $60. That's not a problem when I can enjoy what I am paying for by having in a true dining experience.

At no time did anyone say I'm sorry or even seem to care why we, as guests of the restaurant, might have been frustrated and departing before dining. They seemed happy to see us go.

I had heard rumors about the hostess and wife of the owner who I truly believe I encountered this last Saturday night. I try not to listen to rumors and develop my own opinion. Unfortunately everything I had heard previously seemed to be true. There is a common denominator in any bad review this restaurant has received and it is her behavior towards guests and even employees. I will not return to this establishment simply because of the way that I was treated.

We walked up the street to York Street Cafe and had a very enjoyable dinner...

TLDR: go here, order everything, have no regrets!

We hadn't been since they moved to Newport. The building is an adorable converted home with fun and beautiful decor. The staff is all friendly and attentive. Our server Kelly was fantastic! Everything is priced reasonably, especially considering what a unique and high-quality experience you get.

Our food was phenomenal: Eggplant Napoleon, Classic Buttermilk Biscuits, Angry Orchard Cider Onion Soup, Fried Chicken & Waffle, and Voodoo Salmon with Safron Purloo.

I went there with my spouse and we ended up taking home 2 biscuits, half of each entree (chicken and salmon), and the table bread. So come hungry and plan to take home lunch for the next day!

Biscuits: 4 biscuits. Came with honey, butter, and jam. A southern staple perfectly executed.

Eggplant: I will dream about this for years to come. If you have never tried eggplant, this is the fish that will make you a believer. Eggplant was thinly sliced and breaded. Not slimy (if you eat eggpant you know this is always a risk at restaurants). The cheese in between laters tasted like soft seasoned cream cheese. The red sauce was also well seasoned and full of veggies. Mmmmmm.

Soup: kind of like a BBQ French onion. These ppl know how to layer flavors so well. Every bite you can identify something new.

Chicken & Waffles: the breading on the chicken is devine! There's a reason they're famous for Chicken. Sweet potato Waffle, bacon, pecan butter- what's not to love?

Voodoo salmon: nice crispiness on the outside of salmon, but still fell apart wonderfully (how perfectly cooked fish should). Sauce, rice, andouille, crawfish- fancy southern at its finest.

Thank you to all the Purple Poulet staff- you are part of something...