It’s the weekend for celebrating the arrival of the chilled-out, pared-down, easier-living season. We are ready for sidewalk/patio dining, ripe tomatoes, picnic wines, grilled meats and cold salads!

You are probably in the thick of relaxing, entertaining, shopping and swimming, but here are a couple of food and wine articles of note:

• Several outlets including The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune reported this week that Chicago’s ban on foie gras, “the controversial delicacy,” was lifted on Wednesday.

• Regina Schrambling wrote a great piece for the L.A. Times on pairing tropical salads and grilled sausages for summer eating. This will be a good read for those of you who are always looking for a new side dish to liven up your grilled dishes. And for the more meat-focused readers, the piece talks about why sausage has never been so intriguing as a meal staple.

• The San Francisco Chronicle has a very interesting piece on a farm-raised bluefin tuna called Kindai, which “is being touted as a more healthful and more eco-friendly option” than toro, for example. Want to experience its “silky, rich, clean taste”? San Francisco and New York only, and just a few restaurants get some of it.

• The Boston Globe has a delicious article on “crisp rose wines.” See — just saying that phrase makes you feel like summer is here! The writer makes the bold contention (we would say it’s true) that “It’s official: Rose has moved upmarket.” It wasn’t that long ago when most people at the party looked at you and smirked when you showed up with your bottle of pink stuff. It was presumed you liked something candy-sweet and beginner-y. Now, some years later, “Americans have rediscovered the roseate charms of authentic pink wine after decades of being led badly astray by cloyingly sweet, mass-produced fakes.” If you’re not on board but curious, there are a handful of good recommendations in there.

• After the passing of Mondavi, a lot of people’s keyboards have been clicking away. The LAT looks forward and wants to know “Who will lead Napa winemaking?” And Eric Asimov does a nice tribute, which looks back and sees the legacy left by this wine giant.

If anyone has a great party wine, barbeque wine, patio wine, picnic wine, whatever you want to call it, please drop us a comment and share your find with us.

Happy long weekend to you!