Read, Eat, Go: “Tell Me Everything,” Crispy Rice Salad, and Newport

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. I’m finally ready to accept fall is on the horizon, so it’s time for some seasonal shopping. While it seems like everyone will soon dress like they’re headed to a Renaissance festival (complete with chainmail, capes, and “the most controversial shoe of the 2010s”), I’ll embrace some different trends. That includes the “pants chaos” that is apparently 2024, oversized leather jackets, and the one thing I didn’t have on my sartorial bingo card: boat shoes that actually look cool. I’ll also dig out my Y2K-era Coach shoulder bag now that the brand is having a big comeback. And while I’m not usually into mani trends, fall’s “pistachio butter” nails have me reconsidering my stance entirely. Perhaps I’ll grab a polish while shopping for a “cocktail-inspired perfume” — since the new thing is supposedly to smell like your favorite drink. Cheers.

— Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC

This Crispy Rice Salad Is the Ultimate Low-Effort, High-Reward Dish

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According to our feeds, crispy rice salads are having a moment — and we’re here for it. So much so that we’ve made this Crispy Red Curry Rice Salad from chef and cookbook author Brendan Pang more than once in the last few days. Inspired by Nam Khao, a traditional Laotian dish, this vibrant and zesty salad features crispy red curry-flavored rice, crunchy cucumbers and onions, roasted peanuts, lots of fresh herbs, and a sweet, sour, and spicy dressing. All of which comes together for a next-level combination of flavors and textures.

The Time Commitment: As long as you already have day-old rice, it takes just under 30 minutes to whip up this simple and seriously tasty salad. 

Key Tip: While Pang crisps the rice in an air fryer, an oven works equally well — just spread the rice on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20-ish minutes, making sure to toss every five minutes.

Other Takes: Prefer something with more protein? This weeknight-friendly Laotian-Style Chicken and Rice Salad includes ground meat and shreds of ginger for an extra kick, while this Crispy Rice Salad with Marinated Jumbo Lump Crab gives the dish a Southern twist. Or, for something even more unconventional, this version is more like a traditional salad, with sliced steak, chopped cabbage, edamame, and a spicy tahini dressing. Same with this take from the Defined Dish — which is topped with seared salmon and a mango vinaigrette — and this riff from cookbook author Molly Yeh, in which the crispy rice is more of a topping and less of a base. 

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

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Elizabeth Strout fans have spent over a decade immersed in the complicated lives of the author’s characters. Now, in her 10th book, Tell Me Everything, many of those characters come together in the fictional town of Crosby, Maine. Amid a murder investigation, lawyer Bob Burgess (of The Burgess Boys) becomes close to acclaimed writer Lucy Barton (of My Name Is Lucy Barton), who lives down the road. Meanwhile, Barton strikes up a friendship with Olive Kitteridge (yes, of Olive Kitteridge), who’s living in a retirement home. As with most of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s books, expect themes of love and friendship, and questions about life’s meaning. We asked Strout a few questions ourselves. Here’s what she had to say…

Q: What’s one thing that’s made you 10% happier?

Strout: One thing that’s made me more than 10% happier is the fact that my best friend from third grade moved to [my] town a few years ago. Just knowing she’s nearby is such a comfort and actually seeing her is even better.

Q: What’s your shortcut to relaxation?

Strout: [I] let myself lie on the couch for 20 minutes and just “be in my thoughts,” as my husband says. It really helps.

Q: What’s one thing you’d save if your house was on fire?

Strout: A ring that belonged to my grandmother and is worth nothing, being a rose quartz. But it means a great deal. Once I took it to a jeweler to have it reset, and he said, “This is worthless, you are wasting your money.” I couldn’t stand him for that and walked out.

This Coastal New England Gem Gets Even Better Off Season 

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Live your best coastal grandmother life — at least, for a weekend — in Newport, RI. While the “Sailing Capital of the World” is a go-to summer destination, we’d like to make the case for visiting this New England town in the fall, when some believe it’s even better. Not only is it less crowded, but the vibrant fall foliage and crisp, salty air create real rom-com vibes, ideal for roaming the historic, maritime streets, scoping out the Great Gatsby-style mansions, and enjoying fresh seafood by the water. And, of course, no matter the season, Del’s frozen lemonade is a must.

🛏 Sure, being in center of the action is convenient (see: Hammetts Hotel), but staying just outside of town can cut costs significantly — which is one reason we recommend the Wayfinder. Some other reasons? All of the rooms — ranging from standard kings to two-bedroom suites — have Scandinavian-meets-coastal-cool vibes, thanks to retro light fixtures, beachy rattan furniture, and a Nancy Meyers-esque color palette. Plus, the boutique hotel provides complimentary bikes, so you can easily ride into town.

⚓ Thames Street is the heart of downtown Newport and where you’ll find the Museum of Newport History and two postcard-worthy wharves, Bowen’s and Bannister’s. Both are filled with charming 18th-century buildings, seafood restaurants (order a lobster roll from Luke’s Lobster’s walk-up window), and local boutiques (pick up coastal-inspired body products at Saltwater Living), so plan to spend a couple hours there, before going to the interactive Sailing Museum to learn about the sport. Or, to experience the real deal, take a two-hour sail up the majestic Narragansett Bay on an immaculately restored yacht via America’s Cup Charters.

🌊 The Cliff Walk is a scenic, 3.5-mile trail along Newport’s rocky coastline that offers unparalleled ocean views (stop at the popular lookout spot, 40 Steps, which was once an “after-hours hangout” for mansion servants) and passes behind the iconic Gilded Age mansions, where some of America’s wealthiest families spent their summers. Many are now open to the public and are worth touring, like: the Versailles-inspired Rosecliff, where some of The Great Gatsby was filmed; Marble House, which was built as a 39th birthday gift for socialite and suffragist Alva Vanderbilt Belmont (lucky her); and perhaps most notable, The Breakers, a 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palazzo where the Vanderbilts once lived.

🍴 Rhode Island may be small, but there’s no shortage of excellent seafood spots. That includes the Clarke Cooke House (a local institution known for its oysters and “Snowball in Hell”) and The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar (try the lobster-shrimp fritters — aka, “the bag o’donuts”). If you’re lobster-ed out, head to Newport’s only Black-owned restaurant, Humming Bird, for authentic Jamaican dishes or order a Roman-style pie at Mother Pizzeria. You also can’t go wrong at the White Horse Tavern, believed to be “America’s oldest tavern.” And though it gets crowded, it’s worth trying to snag one of the Adirondack chairs on Castle Hill Inn’s lawn for sunset cocktails.

Once you hit 30, each decade brings all kinds of ~ fun ~ new physical developments. But thinning hair shouldn’t have to be one of them. If you’re looking for a one-stop product that will stimulate your roots and support your hair’s natural growth cycle, we rec trying Nulastin’s award-winning scalp serum. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and uses biodesigned elastin and signal peptides to get you fuller, thicker-looking hair in as little as 6 weeks (psst…that’s just in time for the holidays). Oh, and Skimm’rs get 30% off with SKIMM30. Hair for it.*

We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered. The winner was:

Q: I’m going on vacation with my partner’s parents, and we have different travel styles: They like daily guided tours, whereas I like exploring on my own. Is there a non-offensive way to do my own thing, or should I just suck it up?

“Discuss your desires with your partner. They know their parents and what their expectations are. Before booking the trip, meet [with their parents] for a trip-planning [session, where you can] talk about options and preferences. The general rule of etiquette for a guest [would be to] follow the host’s schedule or plans.

… [But] depending on the vacation length, a little alone time [would likely be] welcomed by everyone, so planning a few separate excursions is probably fine. However, it’s [important to communicate] that in advance — so you diminish or eliminate the chance you’ll offend them or have to deal with an awkward situation.”

Unleash your competitive side with today’s games and puzzles. Choose from an anagram word search, digital jigsaw puzzle, or crossword (with a twist). Better yet: Try them all.