Eating Gets My Vote

I’ve never liked dressing up, but I love Halloween because it’s the last neighborly thing, really. There’s no other occasion you might spend opening the door to families who come a-calling, the air filled with sweet exchanges both edible and spoken. Every time I heard the pounding of elephants on the porch, then opened the door to find one tiny Spiderman or winged bug staring up at me in a winter coat, I was so charmed.

Today, I was supposed to make up for all that Halloween candy with a nice, fresh salad — until I spotted the prosciutto-apple-brie panini on the menu at Olga’s. Ever since I moved to this state, I’ve been fighting a losing battle with a nice, fresh salad. Top four dishes from this weekend:

1. The sugared ginger scone at Seven Stars. I hate the taste of ginger, but these scones are so weirdly good, I make an exception.

2. Fried artichoke salad at Broadway Bistro. Technically a salad.

3. Bloody Mary at the Sunnyside in Warren. Plus, the crew there was all decked out as Alice in Wonderland characters, which officially made it The Most Adorable Breakfast Spot in the United States of America. Not to mention it was a perfect autumn morning, so we sat on the patio and watched the sailboats sliding by. Come on.

4. Take-and-bake from the Pizza Gourmet in Providence. I’ve never take-and-baked, and I wasn’t too skilled at getting the thing into the oven in one fell swoop, but it was so tasty. Even with a whole wheat crust. Also, you get that little packet of fresh herbs to sprinkle on top, which makes you feel like a star.

All this reminds me that on Sunday, the Visiting Nurse Services of Newport and Bristol is hosting the first-ever Chocolate Brunch in the state. (Oh, Rhode Island, you have been missing out.) They’re going with a traditional brunch and chocolate sides — think Mexican hot chocolate shooters and White Russian chocolate cigars. Tickets are $75, and it happens from 12-3 p.m. at the Easton’s Beach rotunda.  

Voting Day! Go get ’em.