This week and weekend

Southside Community Land Trust will hold a Rare and Unusual Plant Sale Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the City Farm, corner of Dudley and West Clifford streets, Providence. Plants will include culinary and medicinal herbs for kitchen windowsill gardens, vegetables for backyard and container gardens and flowering annual and perennials. There will be plant experts on hand and local musicians to entertain.

Deborah Moxham and John Schenck, authors of The Providence Guide: 91 Best Restaurants and More, will be at Venda Ravioli, 275 Atwells Ave., Providence, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will autograph copies of their guide book. While supplies last, free copies of the book will be given to customers who spend a minimum of $10 in the store on that day. The paperback book, in a pocket-size edition, is available at local bookstores, newsstands, and markets for $15.95. It can be ordered through www.providencerestaurantguide.net as well.

Laurel Grange, Snake Hill and Saw Mill roads, Harmony, will host a May Breakfast Sunday from 7 a.m. to noon. The cost is $6.50, children under 6, free. For tickets, call (401) 934-0507 or (401) 934-1561.

Chocolate Sunday will be held Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Pocasset Bay Manor, 12 Old Pocasset Lane, Johnston. There will be samples from bakeries and businesses. The cost is $10. For information, call Jennifer Cipalone at (401) 421-6610.

The Baptist Church in Warren will present the annual Fancy Feast dinner on Saturday in the church hall, 407 Main St. The event will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from church members or from the church office at (401) 245-3669. Children under 5 dine free.

Coming up

Pane e Vino Ristorante, 365 Atwells Ave., Providence, and Gasbarro Wines on Federal Hill, will co-sponsor a Tuscan dinner to complement the Marchesi de Frescobaldi wines with guest of honor Ferdinando Frescobaldi on Tuesday, May 27. Frescobaldi will speak between wine servings on Tuscan viticulture and his family’s wine-producing history. A Tuscan menu will be paired with 2006 Attems Pinot Grigio, followed by several of the Frescobaldi’s “Super Tuscans” ending with the outstanding 2003 Marchese de’ Frescobaldi Castle Giocondo Lamaione. The reception begins at 6 p.m. at Gasbarro Wines and is followed by dinner at the restaurant. The cost is $85. Reserve at (401) 223-2230.

The Smith Hill Branch of the Providence Public Library will hold a meeting of the Cook Book Club on Wednesday, May 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the library, 31 Candace St. This month’s book selection is Children’s Quick & Easy Cookbook by Angela Wilkes. Children and adults are invited to participate. Participants read the cookbook, try a recipe, and bring a dish in to share with the group. The group samples each recipe and discusses the book and their cooking experiences. For information, call Alan Gunther at (401) 455-8104.

On the menu

Parkside Rotisserie & Bar, 76 South Main St., Providence, (401) 331-0003, will be open early Sunday at 2 p.m. to accommodate the numerous graduations in the area. Call or e-mail parksideinfo@yahoo.com for reservations.

Capriccio, 2 Pine St., Providence, (401) 421-1320, has added a new fixed-priced menu to its daily luncheon offerings. The Capri-Fixe is a three-course luncheon priced at $19.95 with choices of a half-dozen different antipasti, main course and beverage offerings with an emphasis on fresh, light and seasonal resort cuisine. Among those offerings are salmon tartare with organic greens and Vitello tonnato, chilled sliced veal with fresh tuna sauce.

Crave Seafood Steak, 33 Main St., Wakefield, (401) 789-0914, will now be open on Sundays from 4 to 8 p.m. with a new summer menu. New items will include barbecue duck with sweet potato gnocchi, Moroccan spiced Australian lamb chops with coconut basmati rice and curry tomato sauce and Portuguese pork and clams. The entire menu will feature ingredients from local farms and will be paired with organic and biodynamic wines.

Chez Pascal’s Hewtin’s Dog, a hot dog cart, is open and located in the park across the street from the restaurant at 960 Hope St., Providence. The hot dog cart will be out Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. Homemade relishes like Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish, Spiced Tomato Preserve and Sweet and Spicy Golden Mustard will be available. Also offering chili, pork baked beans and sauerkraut to dress your dog. Prices range from $2.50 to $3.50.

Industry news

The Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association (RIHTA) Allied Council will hold a meeting on Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon, 52 Pine St., Providence. To register, call RIHTA at (401) 223-1120.

The Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame will hold its first induction ceremony and dinner Thursday, May 22, at 6 p.m. at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston. Tickets are $50 to benefit A Wish Come True. For tickets, call Wish House at (401) 781-9199.

The American Culinary Federation Rhode Island Chapter will be hosting its annual golf tournament at the Jamestown Country Club on Monday with 7:30 and 10 a.m. for a shotgun start scramble. For information, call Dan Knerr (401) 339-3498.

Class

The Celiac Sprue Support Group of Southeast New England is holding a hands-on pizza cooking class on Sunday in Tiverton. Registration is at 1:30 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 2. For further information or to make reservations, call Kathi Thiboutot at (402) 624-8888. Reservations are required.

Contests

Nordic Ware is hosting its national recipe contest inviting bakers to submit their most creative, best-tasting Bundt creations with a holiday theme from now until Friday, Aug. 1. They want recipes that celebrate popular American holidays. Each entry will be judged on originality, taste, texture, visual appearance, use of ingredients and an essay describing how the entry represents in its own special way one of America’s popular holidays, and no elaborate use of frostings. For an entry form and a list of rules and guideline, visit www.nordicware.com.

Cooking Light magazine is looking for submissions for its Cooking Light Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest with a grand prize of $20,000. Submissions are due Saturday, May 31. For contest rules and the 2007 CLURRC winners, visit www.cookinglight.com/ cooking/perks.

In the news

Last week, USA Today published a list of 10 Great Places to Make a Meal of Salad and Rhode Island’s own 84 High Street in Westerly was right there along with the likes of Chez Panisse in Berkley, Calif. Don’t be fooled by the generic name of the mesclun salad, it said. It’s piled with caramelized walnut pieces and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

On TV

In May on Stir It Up, host Nick Rabar prepares foods for Memorial Day cookouts, seared Porterhouse steak with Béarnaise sauce, summer orzo salad and the perfect lemon margarita. The show airs Mondays at 9:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 6 p.m., and Mondays through Fridays at 11 a.m. on Cox Channel 3.

Cooking with Class features chef Frank Terranova, an associate instructor at Johnson & Wales University, cooking up salad next week during the noon and 5:30 p.m. newscasts on Channel 10.