Select your meal with care

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

Happy graduation season to all! Isn't it great to see all those young people with the wonderful blush of youth setting off on their adult lives in college or work? They have lost so much these past years.

I went to an award dinner last week. You know the kind. You buy a ticket, sit at big tables and get a dinner. If you are lucky, you get your choice of entree, chosen ahead.

For this dinner, the choice was Chicken Francaise, Baked Stuffed Shrimp or Pasta Primavera. I chose the Primavera.

When I checked in with those running the event, someone who knows what I do for a living said "I would have thought you were a fish."

It took me aback for a moment. By the time I showed my vaccination card, I recovered enough to explain.

As I always do at these kind of events, I chose the vegetarian option, I said.

I find that it's always the freshest and most appetizing dish. It's hard to deliver perfect chicken or fish to a crowd of more than 75 or 100 at the exact same time. Don't you agree?

Maybe because fewer people choose the vegetarian option, it just comes out better. (Only two of eight at my table had the Primavera.) Or perhaps, veggies on pasta last longer.

Either way, I find this strategy always works. Even my "fish" husband said he will follow my lead next time.

That's because my dish last week was delicious with rotini pasta, plus fresh green beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, artichoke and my favorite, spinach. It was perfect and the best at the table.

There is one time in recent memory I didn't follow the strategy. It was at a wedding at Castle Hill in Newport in 2019. I somehow just knew that the filet mignon would be flawless coming from that kitchen. It was.

If you haven't been to The Tilted Barn Brewery in Exeter, this is a great time of year to go. And now there is another reason beyond beer.

Their Farmers Market will be open every Wednesday night from 4-7 p.m. from tonight, June 8, through Oct. 12. The market will feature a variety of local vendors selling homegrown foods and locally made products. The ButterHead FoodTruck will be there selling sandwiches and handcut fries.

Don't you always love finding a fun design surprise in a restaurant? Extra points when it's in the water closet. (I'm feeling very British today.)

There was a restaurant near the theater district in Boston called Mantra that had what I can only describe as almost two way mirrors in their bathrooms. When you were in a stall, you could see out. But those at the sinks only saw a mirror. It was pretty cool.

When my husband told me to check out the john at the new restaurant in Jamestown, Our Table, I knew I was in for something fun.

I laughed out loud when I saw the artsy, maybe creepy dolls, sitting on chairs. And they stare at you. With their forehead eyes.

Co-owner Marla Romash told me her designer advised her not to put dolls in the two bathrooms. But they made her laugh and she has a great sense of humor.

It offers some good table talk.

I'll have a story coming soon on Romash, her husband Chef Marc, and the new restaurant.

Speaking of water closets, I made a proposal to my husband after we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary Memorial Day weekend. I'd like to go on the Venice Simplon Orient Express again next year, as we did on our honeymoon.

We took the 24-hour ride on the luxury train. We took a dining car from London to Folkestone where we boarded a ferry to France. There, we boarded the sleeper for dinner and the night, until we reached Venice at noon.

It was quite the gift from my groom. But, it wasn't a surprise as he is a rail fan, or train fanatic, as I like to call him. In 1983, it cost $1,000 for the one night. It was quite the splurge.

The thing is, we have never taken a second honeymoon. So it's time for a second splurge.

Our cabin back then was bunk beds with a sink. The bathroom was down the hall. That is still the standard on the train, they are antique after all. But now, there are showers down the hall, too.

There are a few suites with private water closets, showers, robes and free-flowing Champagne. If that was offered last time, my groom clearly didn't consider it. And I get it. It costs a lot of cash.

But now we are older and we've raised our family and put them through college. So we are in negotiation, high level, for a second ride on the Orient Express. But that top bunk I slept in back then? Not this time. I'll admit to not being as nimble as I was when I was 24.

I'll keep you posted.

I'm thrilled to have two interesting stories in the Food section this week.

I'm a huge audio book fan. I just love having someone read to me, especially the talented actors who perform on audio books.

Imagine my suprise when I saw an Audible Original, one of the benefits of my Audible subscription, had a book set in Providence in 1985 called "Young, Rich Widows."

I downloaded immediately and started listening.

It is so great, a story told by four writers, each penning one of four widows. Four actors perform as the widows as they struggle with so very much drama after the deaths of their husbands in a plane crash.

I had to know how this novel came to be and called on Vanessa Lillie, one of the authors and a Providence resident for 11 years.

Here's her story.

More: Murder, mystery and the mafia: Audible hit uses 1980's Providence to tell thrilling story

You can buy the audio book on Amazon if you don't have an Audible subscription.

And the good news is, Amazon might greenlight a series of three more books based on the characters and that means more nostalgia and Providence settings to star.

The other story is a recipe one but such an important one for those trying to eat less meat.

It's all about how to cook Beyond Burgers, Impossible Burgers and other plant-based meats. There are so many helpful tips. I'm a better cook for having read the cookbook and written this story.

More: What's the best way to cook Impossible Burgers and other plant-based meats?

That's all for now dear readers. I'm so glad you join me here each week. If you enjoy our time together, please tell a friend, or an enemy for that matter, to sign up here to receive my weekly newsletter, Gail's Food Feed.

Thanks for that support.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What do you select when you have a choice at an function event