Fried chicken comes & goes but is pumpkin forever?

Hello dear readers. I'm Gail Ciampa, Journal food and dining editor.

The irony didn't escape me on Monday that as I was writing about a new fried chicken restaurant, I was also detailing the closing of another.

Providence, and Rhode Island restaurants, have surely suffered since COVID reared its ugly virus in March, 2020. But compared to other cities and states, the losses have been less.

That doesn't diminish the closing of Bucktown, a comfort food restaurant in Providence that burst on the scene six years ago with excellent fried chicken and banana pudding and Po boys. It had a fast casual concept with counter ordering.

More than most other restaurants, Bucktown's popularity was a suprise. It didn't have a lot of inside seating and it was tucked away on the West Side of Providence. But the concept struck a chord with young and old alike. Good fried chicken is special, and they had some unique fish offerings, too.

Business was so good that owner Adam Mir told me of his plans to open a Boston outpost in 2020. But none of it was to be.

A hard-working staff is out of work and a restaurant is gone. RIP Bucktown.

Dinners have other options for Southern comfort food in Providence, including Kin PVD on Washington Street.

Now there is also Honeybird Kitchen + Cocktails. For a short trip to East Providence, get off at the Henderson Bridge and you are there, you can enjoy modern Southern cuisine. I visited Tracy and Nick Rabar there last week and talked to their talented staff. Chef Rabar and his team tested out a hundred recipes for perfect fried chicken before finding several for different cuts of the bird.

With the Rabars' Avenue N success in Rumford and Providence, you can expect diners to flock to the coop. I chatted with the Rabars and their staff last week. You can read my story here.

More: What you need to know about the new Honeybird fried chicken restaurant in East Providence

Last night I dined at Honeybird and everything was delicious and as described in my story.

The Blue Plate Special was just perfect with a fried thigh and drumstick. I had the original flavor which offered great crunch and seasoning and moist chicken. I loved the HB sauce for dipping my sweet potato tater tots. The pimento mac and cheese was rich and creamy.

My husbands wings were huge and crunchy and he loved his garlic parmesan season that was finger-licking good.

We started with appetizers and they were as stellar as the fried chicken.

The North Carolina Pulled Pork Pierogies were served with chow chow. The filling was tender and the seasonings blended beautifully.

The Roasted Sweet Corn Soup tasted like summer. It was a puree that had some tasty pork cracklins and green onions added. A ring of Louisiana hot sauce added some heat that contrast with the creaminess.

We got there at 5 and when we left just after 7, the bar was full and the place was hopping.

How do you feel about Labor Day being here already? I'd find it downright depressing if there weren't so many fun things to do coming in September.

The huge Cranston Greek Festival is the weekend of Sept. 9-11. It's the 36th annual  Festival at the Church of the Annunciation parish grounds at 175 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston.

More: Dig into some classic Greek food, and culture, as this weekend festival

That's not all. Here are more events to put on your calendar.

The Rhode Island Seafood Festival will be held at India Point Park in Providence, 263 India St., on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 11 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets currently cost $10 a day or both days for $15. It's at the foot of the Providence Pedestrian Bridge with tons of food and drink available for purchase. The ticket cost covers admission and music.

The Narragansett Chamber of Commerce hosts the sixth annual Rhode Island Calamari Festival on Sept. 10 after a 2-year hiatus. It will be held from noon to 6 p.m. at Veteran Park, which is adjacent to The Towers in Narragansett. General admission tickets cost $15 while children under 12 attend for free. There are a limited number of $30 tickets which include a sampling of calamari appetizers from participating restaurants. The Calamari Cook-off runs from noon to 4 p.m. with restaurants competing for top honors with their calamari dishes. There will be alternative food choices from food trucks. Find more information and buy tickets in advance, at narragansettcoc.com and link to Eventbrite. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Rhode Island Latino Arts hosts a night filled with food, music, art, dancing and more at the SouthLight Pavilion of the Southside Cultural Center of Rhode Island, 393 Broad St., Providence, on Sunday, Sept. 18 from 4-6:30 p.m. Sabor Latino (A Taste of Latino) will include food trucks offering selected samplings: Casa Azúl Taquería will serve Mexican aguas frescas (natural fruit drinks). There will be food from MatildaRI Handmade Empanadas, TrapBox PVD, One2Taco & More, La Artesa Bakery and Nolee’s Custom Cakes. Advance tickets cost $25 at rilatinoarts.org/SaborLatino.html or $35 at the door. There are also family rates.

And you know the 2022 Big E is set for Sept. 16 to Oct. 2 in West Springfield, Massachusetts. The New England country fair always adds new foods to their lineup of fair foods.

New items include flame grilled vegan options, sweet apple fries, bubble tea, noodle bowls, traditional Indian ice cream, brunch options such as Fruity Pebbles and cream pancakes, bakery items of pumpkin fritters and cream puffs and more.

It's still Central Falls Restaurant Week through Sept. 4. I checked out Sharks Peruvian Cuisine and liked what I ate and drank. A lot.

Here is my story.

More: Delicious bold flavors and a fantastic worldly experience: Sharks Peruvian Cuisine

 You know what else is back? Pumpkin spice everything. Maybe you are happy or perhaps you don't care. But there is no denying it is a thing.

I read a fun report that analyzed Google search data to determine which states are most excited about the return of the pumpkin spice lattes. The biggest obsessed states are Washington, California and Colorado.

The least interested states are, in order, Mississippi, Maine, Louisiana, Vermont, Alabama, West Virginia, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Wyoming and Rhode Island.

On average, Americans buy three PSLs each season, but 27% say they buy them weekly when available. More than one in four (28%) think PSLs should be sold year-round. More than two-thirds of Americans think August is too early to launch the drinks.

I need a coffee right now so I'll end our talk right here.

But I will tease you with the fact I visited a bunch of new restaurants, bars and cafes and I'll be reporting on them throughout September. We are so lucky to have such a vibrant restaurant community. It makes life so much more fun.

If you like our time here each week, please tell a friend to sign up here to receive my weekly newsletter, Gail's Food Feed.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bucktown closes in Providence while Honeybird opens in East Providence