I think it was singer and songwriter John Mayer who said, “A little bit of summer is what the whole year is all about.”

Now, never thought I’d be citing JM. (Feel like it’s his friendship with Bravo tv’s Andy Cohen that has helped make his previous image as an unapologetic playboy a fuzzy and distant memory. I mean, Gravity’s back in my Spotify rotation, that’s all I’m saying.) But his quote pretty much crystallizes how so many of us live our lives here in the Ocean State.

I say this because summer weather (good day sunshine indeed) seems to be back in a big way this week and I’m certainly NOT complaining.

It’s really a second chance to hit all the patios we may have missed back in August — for me yesterday, that meant The Capital Grille’s spacious and sunny one which boasts gorgeous views of some of the city’s most iconic buildings as well as the gleaming basin of the Providence River. (For the record, I am fully intending to continue my outdoor dining tour this fall and winter. Just hoping, fingers crossed, to see lotsa heat lamps around.)

Sadly I don’t have any food photos to regale you with today. (I was dining with my family and they aren’t thrilled about anyone snapping phone photos as food is being served, let’s just leave it at that.) Rest assured, though, that there are delightful and intriguing eats for every PVD restaurant fan on your list.

Yes, strictly speaking, it is a steak house, but if (like me) you’re not a meat eater, you can always dig into a beautifully prepared salad, some of their truffle fries, or ask if they’ll cook up something special for you. (To be fair, one of my nieces who adores fine dining clued me in on that last part.)

Their regulars fave about their cocktails (I stuck with bottled water and a cappuccino yesterday afternoon but next time, who knows?), the meat and fish dishes of course, and their outstanding service. My friend Pam also swears by their calamari, just in case Jimmy Fallon ever pops up in RI in the future and you are tasked with showing him around.