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Sick of turkey on Thanksgiving? Break tradition. Here’s some Rhode Island restaurants to pre-order from. – The Boston Globe

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Sick of turkey on Thanksgiving? Break tradition. Here’s some Rhode Island restaurants to pre-order from. – The Boston Globe


Try literally any other protein this year.

Pat’s Pastured is selling pounds of sweet Italian and savory pork and chicken sausage. You’ll be able to pick up your order at their East Greenwich Farm Store on Friday, Nov. 22, or Saturday, Nov. 23, or at Farm Fresh RI Winter Market in Providence on Nov. 23. Feeling generous? They’re raising money for local families who cannot afford their own turkey this year.

Blackbird Farm in Smithfield ships their antibiotic-free, no-added-hormones, pasture-fed meats. Expect 100 percent Black Angus cattle and 100 percent pedigreed American Heritage Berkshire pigs in their fields; the mean can be sliced into cuts such as sirloin strips and filet mignon, or spare ribs and a loin roast. Learn more about shipping costs here.

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A brisket smoked for more than 15 hours by chef Ian Gormley.Ian Gormley

Chef Ian Gormley operated the popular pop-up restaurant Our Table Barbecue inside Buttonwoods Brewery in Cranston until early 2023. Now he’s bringing back his famous brisket for Thanksgiving for a second year under the brand Oakey Dokey BBQ. For $175, grab “The Great Holiday Brisket, Charlie Brown” package, which includes a smoked 10- to 12-pound beef brisket and a quart of their own barbecue sauce. The deadline to order is Nov. 20; orders will be ready for pickup on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 during open hours at Jeff’s Pizza in East Providence.

A view of Black Sea Bass at Fearless Fish market in Providence, R.I.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Try seafood instead this year – we are in the Ocean State, after all. Oysters were first documented in the United States as part of a Thanksgiving meal in 1825 in the Village Register of Dedham, Mass., where locals listed “oyster patties” among their dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. When Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony called for a bountiful feast in 1621, America’s colonists and Wampanoag tribe members mostly ate lobster, clams, mussels, eels, and oysters. Scholars say Indigenous tribe members likely brought the oysters, which were dried, smoked, and strung on twigs.

This year, bring those oysters back to your table. Fearless Fish on Hope Street in Providence offers cuts of salmon, tuna, and local oysters. Market owner Stu Meltzer has been doubling down on a new program at his shop that focuses on ikejime, a centuries-old Japanese method where the fish is killed immediately after being caught; studies have shown this can lead to better taste, texture, appearance, and longer shelf life. He has fluke, scup, monkfish, halibut, and black sea bass that were all handled with the ikejime method. Go ahead and order a tin of caviar while you’re at it.

Before they close for the season, you might want to head to Dune Brothers, the innovative clam shack that plans to expand even more in 2025. Until Nov. 20, you can pre-order online, including clear and white chowders, Jonah crab dip, squid salad, and a few other sides. A very-Rhode Island dish to bring to your out-of-town families should be their stuffie stuffing. Stuffies in Rhode Island are baked quahog clams stuffed with a breadcrumb and clam mixture. If an establishment leans into Portuguese influences, they will likely add some smoky chouriço, too. Dune Brothers will also be an option to order an entire Thanksgiving Feast complete with a whole fish with herbs to roast at homes, with sides or an à la carte offering. Pick ups will take place on Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving.

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A Rhode Island-style clam chowder from Dune Brothers, a seafood shack in Providence, R.I.Dune Brothers

If you — or members of your family — don’t feel like eating meat now (or ever), opt for some items from plant-based SoCo Vedge. They are preparing a “Gobbler Roast” with caramelized onion gravy. Sides include orange ginger cranberry sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, rosemary and sage stuffing, apple cider glazed Brussels sprouts, green bean and mushroom casserole, and dinner rolls. Everything included is $90, and the full meal serves two people. If you just want the sides, it’s $75. Upgrade your pack by adding harvest bisque for $6, a 4-inch pumpkin cheesecake for $20, or a Dutch apple pie for $30.

Order by Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Pick up from their kitchen, which is inside The Tavern in Mariner Square in Narragansett.

Dean Couchey, co-owner of SoCo Vedge, a vegan meal delivery service, prepares a chickpea shawarma meal in the kitchen of The Tavern in Narragansett, R.I.Matthew Healey for The Boston Globe

On what plate and during what holiday is pasta not an acceptable meal? In Warren, Prica Farina Fresh Pasta Co. prepares all sorts of raviolis (450 to 500 pounds per week, to be exact), along with bucatini, tagliatelle, mafaldine, and spaghetti.

If you’re closer to the city, it’s an obvious choice to head to Providence’s Venda Ravioli, an Italian food emporium located on Atwells Avenue in the Federal Hill neighborhood. Grab pasta sauces and various kinds of ravioli, including porcini mushroom, artichoke, lobster, truffle, eggplant, and more.

The signature lobster ravioli sold at Venda Ravioli on Atwells Avenue. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

WHEN NOT EVERYONE DRINKS ALCOHOL

You want to bring something to drink but you — or others in your family — aren’t drinking. Plain water can be bland, so look into trying a few bottled or canned mocktails.

Kristi’s Kraftails, founded by Kristi Dukoff in Warren, sells seasonally-inspired mocktails by the bottle that use locally-sourced ingredients and are low in their sugar content. She has options like hibiscus lavender “daiquiris,” and “Mint to Be,” a play on a strawberry-basil margarita, a mint orange blossom “sour,” among others. Also be sure to grab a bag of her flavored cashews for the cheese board during appetizer hour.

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A mocktail using Kristi’s Kraftails, a bottled zero-proof company based out of Warren, R.I.Kristy Dukoff

Depending on which candidate wins the presidential race, you can serve “Kamala’s Berry Surprise” or “Donald’s Trumpian Punch,” two flavors from Yacht Club Soda. If you’re celebrating President Biden’s one-term stint in the White House, I hear they still have 12-packs of “Joe’s Bidenomics Berry.” But for most families, politics is one topic that is barred from the Thanksgiving table. So, instead, mix up a 12-pack of their normal flavors, such as cream, ginger beer, birch beer, black cherry, and Rhody Red. All of their sodas are sweetened with cane sugar, so enjoy without the stress of high-fructose corn syrup getting in the way.

We’re in our nonalcoholic beer era, but zero proof is more than a trend. Beaglepuss Brewery — the brainchild of Jarad Rogers, Patrick Ramey, and Kevin Barnes — is a new nonalcoholic brewing company that opened in Providence in late 2023. Their “Strange Happenings” brew is a hazy IPA with fruity flavors of apricot, peach, melon, and pineapple with a slightly piney finish. “Them Apples” is a New England hopped cider with guava, grapefruit, flora, and crisp tart apple. Here’s where you can find their beers in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Displays of rustic cheese blocks from Angie and Jeff DiMeo, the owners of the new cheese shop East Side Cheese & Provisions in Providence, R.I.East Side Cheese & Provisions

Buying various cheeses and accoutrements to build your own board is pricey and time-consuming — especially if you’re feeding a crowd. In Providence, head to East Side Cheese & Provisions, where actress Jamie Lee Curtis spent some time this past year while filming “Ella McCay.” Each cheese board includes a range of cheeses, such as soft and bloomy, hard and blue, and various milk types including cow, goat, and sheep. The small board is $85 for four to six people, and includes meats, fruit, honey, small-batch jam, whole grain mustard, olives, pickled vegetables, and more. Prices increase to $185 for a medium board and $255 for a large one. You can also request a “cheese only” board to make it vegetarian.

In Cranston, head to Edgewood Cheese Shop for plated arrangements on a disposable balsa wood board to bring over to the host’s house. A small board feeds 10 for $109; medium-sized boards are an appetizer for 15 people for $159, and a large-sized board feeds 20 for $199. Each board includes cheeses, meats, jam, fried fruit, nuts, sliced baguette, and crackers. Call 401-941-2400 or go online to place your order.


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Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.





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Rhode Island

Swimmers set to dive in to annual Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics Rhode Island | ABC6

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Swimmers set to dive in to annual Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics Rhode Island | ABC6


NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WLNE) — Hundreds of swimmers will brave the cold this afternoon, and get a jump on their resolutions, by helping a great cause.

Special Olympics Rhode Island will host its annual “Penguin Plunge.”

The organization expects over one thousand participants to make the leap into the winter water, all to help benefit the Special Olympics.

Registration is $25, and is still open until 11:30 a.m.

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The main plunge will be at noon, with a family friendly plunge 15 minutes later.

That event will be at Scarborough State Beach.





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Rhode Island

Rhode Island basketball’s offense disappears as Rams drop Atlantic 10 opener at Duquesne

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Rhode Island basketball’s offense disappears as Rams drop Atlantic 10 opener at Duquesne


The Rhode Island Rams started conference play on the wrong side of a 67-55 final Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Sebastian Thomas scored a team-high 20 points, but he was the lone Ram to reach double figures as URI suffered its worst offensive showing of the young season, scoring a season-low 55 points on just 37 percent shooting from the field.

Rhode Island entered the contest at 11-1, its best start in third-year coach Archie Miller’s time in Kingston, but the Rhody offense scored season lows in both halves. URI’s 26 points in the opening 20 minutes was its lowest of the season and the Rams’ 29 points in the second half were also a season low.

A win would have matched Rhode Island’s win total from last season, when the Rams were 12-20.

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Jahsean Corbett led Duquesne (6-8, 1-0 A-10) with 13 points, while David Dixon and Tre Dinkins III had 11 apiece. Cameron Crawford added 10.

Rhode Island hosts George Mason Saturday at 2 p.m. (USA Network).



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The ‘Dignity Bus,’ a homeless shelter on wheels, to return in Woonsocket, R.I. – The Boston Globe

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The ‘Dignity Bus,’ a homeless shelter on wheels, to return in Woonsocket, R.I. – The Boston Globe


With the resolution, the council authorized the city to again enter into a short-term lease with Community Care Alliance, which has since secured $253,896 in grant funding to operate the bus, according to Margaux Morisseau, the city’s human services director.

Councilor Valerie Gonzalez said the bus, which will be parked at Holy Family Church at 414 South Main St., could reopen as soon as Jan. 6.

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“They’ve already done the hiring,” Gonzalez said. “The contracts are pretty much done with the state.”

Bus staff consists of two individuals who monitor the occupants each night, said Michelle Taylor, vice president of social health services for the Community Care Alliance. The nonprofit hires four people to work different shifts throughout the week for those positions, and also pays for personnel to clean the bus each morning, Taylor said.

Each guest is screened by staff before they come aboard, she said.

“We really need to make sure that there are people on the bus are who are going to be able to be in that congregate setting in such close quarters,” Taylor said. “So we are looking at individuals who are able to manage themselves, go in, be quiet, and settle down pretty quickly. If we discover that someone is not in that frame of mind, usually they’ll be screened out before they enter the bus.”

The latest funding covers only nine months of operations for the bus, according to Morisseau, who said efforts are underway to secure additional funding.

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“It hopefully would operate year round,” Taylor told councilors.

“The people that we’re seeing are very medically fragile,” Taylor added. “We’re having people who are dealing with cancer, who have had hip replacements, who are dealing with really advanced, you know, uncontrolled diabetes, like all kinds of things. And so you know, the reality is, whether it’s January or August, these are not folks who really should be outside.”

Several councilors said the city must also develop long-term options to address homelessness, as the Dignity Bus, although needed, is only a temporary solution.

Councilors voted Monday to pass a resolution establishing a city committee to study homelessness on the local level and provide recommendations.

The number of people experiencing homelessness across the state has risen significantly in recent years, having more than doubled since 2020 to up to more than 2,400 as of January 2024, as recorded during the state’s Point in Time count.

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“We obviously need to work on the temporary issue of getting [people] out of tents and into warming centers or overnight shelters immediately,” said council Vice President Denise D. Sierra. “But we also need to focus on what is going to lift people out of homelessness on a more permanent basis.”

Councilor James C. Cournoyer said he is optimistic the committee will put forth some options for the city to consider in short order, but noted officials must balance support for the homeless with the concerns of other residents.

Councilors regularly receive emails and phone calls about homeless encampments in the city, and while some of the sites do not pose issues to the public, when “they’re littered with needles and other stuff, it’s a problem,” Cournoyer said.

“We absolutely want to help those that are in need, but we also have residents that are pulling their hair out at some of the issues that they’re dealing with as a result of it,” he said.

According to the resolution, the committee will be made up of three councilors: Sierra, Gonzalez, and Michael N. Dubois.

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“We do know that there’s something that needs to be done,” Dubois said on Monday. “When I’m looking at this, I’m looking at sons and daughters of some people here in the city that are living in these encampments. And a lot of people are saying, well, let’s shut them all down, pass legislation. We may get to that point — at some point. But right now, we have to create a safety net. We have to have a short-term goal and a long-term goal.”


Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.





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