Cheers to Memorial Day weekend.

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

We made it through winter storms, flooding rains, crazy winds and bone-chilling spring days to reach this early Memorial Day. Hope springs eternal but I'm not putting away my cozy, warm sweaters yet.

Still, there is a new mindset that comes to many of us with this May holiday. We start planning our favorite summer things to do because we know how short the season can be.

I kick-started the holiday with visit to Block Island last weekend. You'll read more about that in coming weeks. But let me remind you to set aside at least a day to visit the island. The fresh air, the big sky and the crashing waves make it worth the ferry ride. My system is no fan of ferry boats but with a Dramamine, I can do it. And everything tastes better in the summer air.

Here's one photo, of the best clam chowder I've had since I last had the Newport Chowder Company's.

Make mine Limoncello

I've not sipped Limoncello in Italy. It's still on my list of things to do. But I think it tastes like summer. So I've tried this easy drinking can of spiked lemonade from Fabrizia. It's made with their Limoncello, freshly squeezed lemonade from Sicilian lemons and vodka. They call it “summer in a can.”

Fabrizia Spirits was founded in 2008 by brothers, Phil and Nick Mastroianni in their parent's garage. With a family recipe, they made their Fabrizia Limoncello. They import lemons from their own lemon grove in Sicily to their facility in New Hampshire.

Fabrizia also makes a new ready-to-serve Limoncello Spritz. It's blended with three ingredients: Italian sparkling wine, Fabrizia's Limoncello and soda water. Each bottle comes with dehydrated Sicilian lemons for garnishing. Spritzes are having a moment for their lightness.

Also new is a blueberry spiked lemonade that adds Maine fruit to the mix. Click here to learn more at fabriziaspirits.com.

I just finished reading four books I can recommend for your beach reading. One is food-themed and another about family. One is a murder mystery with a side of football and the last is a true beach read but with a surprise mystery.

"Family Reservations" by Liza Palmer is about a trailblazing woman chef in Northern California. Maybe she's inspired by Alice Waters professionally. But the book's lead character, Maren Winters, is a disaster as a mother. That matters because she's approached retirement age and has three talented daughters ready to take the reigns of the culinary empire. The story is fast-paced, poignant and offers a lot of food for thought about ruthless ambition. I just read it's been optioned as a movie.

I was late to "The Guncle" but darn it was funny and so darn sad, too. Steven Rowley writes expertly about loss and grief. But he's a comic genius, too. I think this book got a lot of attention three years after it was published because the sequel was released yesterday, "The Guncle Abroad." It's on my weekend to read list. A "guncle" is a gay uncle. He brings love and reconciliation to his extended family. Rowley performs the audio book and is great, too.

I found it hard to put down "The House of Wolves" which I was reading on Kindle before I went to sleep each night. It's co-written by James Patterson and Mike Lupica. Everyone knows the prolific Patterson and his classic characters like Alex Cross. But I read it because of Mike Lupica, one of my favorite national sportswriters. This book came out a year ago. It features a family that owns a San Francisco football team. They have issues with each other and a murder sets more problems in motion.

Mary Kay Andrews produces many books and I think I've read them all. Some are Christmas-themed and she has a series on a retired detective. But I always cherish her summer reads. They transport me to summer communities and all the fun and conflict they bring. "Summers at the Saint" was just released and it's one of her best. There are many characters, all working at a historic summer resort on an island in Georgia. There are some shocking, unexpected parts that made it especially poignant.

New in Providence

Everything about Frankie & Laurie's is fresh. The new restaurant opened three weeks ago at 110 Doyle Ave. in Providence. It comes from a vibrant young husband and wife, chef Eric Brown and Sarah Watts.

They have created the restaurant they would want to eat at. That seems so simple but it is unusual. I think this is how the newest generation of chefs and restaurant owners should think. Embracing their differences will make them stand out. And why not. They own the future.

What's so different? Take the hours. They open at 10 a.m. and close at 3 p.m. Those are the hours their colleagues in the hospitality business like to go out for brunch or lunch, either on days off or before work. They know their crowd isn't looking for 7 a.m. breakfast.

They also add a gratuity to every check. It goes right to their staff, both front and back of the house. I like that equality. I'm sure their cooks do, too. I found their service stellar and had no issue with their 20% gratuity. I don't tip less than that. You may disagree and that is your right. I remember well working in restaurants and bars how much that money meant to a college student.

Many of the dishes are unique though have a tradition in French bistros - think quiche and jambon beurre.

You can read my story here.

Brown went to Johnson & Wales University and coincidentally, I judged one of his course meals almost a decade ago. He is in this photo that was published back then.

Red Lobster

Thechain that had 700 restaurants across America and Canada at one point has fallen on hard times. They are in bankruptcy and closing 87 restaurants in 27 states.

Even though we have no Red Lobster in Rhode Island, I was asked if i wanted to write about the news. I did. I remember well how many people in Rhode Island wanted this restaurant to come to the state. There were endless commercials on network TV showing their shrimp and lobsters and their great prices. People couldn't believe there wasn't one closer than Hartford.

Of course, it never lived up to the hype when it finally arrived in 1991. Rhode Island just has such a strong tradition of great local restaurants and such great local seafood, how could it compete. That it did for 10 years is amazing to me, even now.

That's it for now dear readers. Enjoy your long weekend and welcome sun in style.