Alex

Captain Rutabaga says, "Link, please...."

I had forgotten all about this Calvin and Hobbes, which I liked just as much the first time around.

Yes, especially if you'll be baking bread, how about a combination convection + steam oven, like this Thermador?

Nice! And I even learned something from the review: I had always thought that it was the fan per se that made for a true convection oven.

This is wonderful, Kerry. Thanks so much for posting your pictures and narratives.

This is the salad. I can see how tomatoes would fit here.

Not to mention that anyone this cool can have an espresso machine in space any time she wants.

Google "20 minutes stomach brain" (w/o the quotation marks). It's the peptides, dontcha know.

That's exactly right. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to fully catch up with the stomach.

Article about Cantu in today's New York Times

Hey, she's Italian. Priorities, you know.

Oh, please. Out of a nearly $400 million contract, you're going to complain about -- what, one-hundreth of one percent of that, at the most? -- to help make the astronauts', or even one astronaut's, culinary life a little bit better? Here's another story about the zero-g espresso machine, built by Lavazza.

Space: The Final (?) Frontier

Full story in the Chicago Tribune

Cool. I'll be visiting the area soon, and the Lickety Split lunch at Restaurant Eve is already on my way-too-long lunch list. There are similar bar/lounge lunch deals in the area -- for example, Proof and The Oval Room. Graffiato used to have a great lunch deal but I don't see it on their current web site.

That's very kind of you to let her choose. Given that it's just the two of you, if money is no (or very minimal) object, I'd recommend Marcel's. It's not hip in the way most of the others mentioned in this thread are, but it's clearly one of the best restaurants in DC. Similarly, if you don't mind a quick jaunt to Alexandria, I'd recommend Restaurant Eve. What I meant by "money": A five-course tasting menu at Eve is $85; at Marcel's, $110. Seven-course tasting menus are also available: $150 at Marcel's, not sure about Eve. Wine is additional.

Amsterdam Falafelshop is indeed very good, but not what I'd choose per your original request. Red Hen is very good, too, and is much closer to what you're looking for. I cannot speak to Agora or Marvin. Mintwood Place and Birch & Barley are casual/hip and are still "in places" to go. For more of "the scene" + good food, I suggest these: Le Diplomate Rose's Luxury (no reservations; get in line early) The Partisan Rasika Ripple Iron Gate Also, Eater says these are the hottest restaurants in the DC area this month.

Thanks for the cheer for the 'caps. Turns out yesterday's opening day game didn't happen, due to a storm of near-biblical proportions. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but bad enough. So, opening day is today -- this evening, actually -- with temps in the high 40s at the most and a 15-25 mph wind gusting to 35. Should be an interesting game. Not exactly beer weather, but that doesn't stop folks around here -- witness the annual, perpetually sold-out, Winter Beer Festival. I've previously had nine of the sixteen selections -- ten of seventeen if you count KBS. I do like Dirty Bastard a lot. (Side note: I think the Tiramisu gelato in the Beer-A-Misu is from the excellent (and local-ish) Palazzolo's, but don't quote me on that yet.)

I very much agree Nah. We're nice here in the heartland. Most of the time, anyway.

A recent eG forum about "Consumer Reports Best Supermarkets" got me thinking about how when I was growing up in NYC, we had a mix of regular supermarkets (though not as "super" as many of those today) and smaller, neighborhood-oriented grocery stores. Coincidentally, a picture posted today on Shorpy.com was of one of those stores. For those who aren't acquainted with Shorpy, allow me an introduction. The site describes itself, accurately, as "a vintage photo blog featuring thousands of high-definition images from the 1850s to 1950s." What that quote doesn't tell you is how addictive the site is -- especially for anyone with even a remote interest in history. I've weaned myself to checking for new photos (and, sometimes, comments) only a couple of times a day. They're also associated with Vintagraph, purveyor of vintage poster reproductions -- including some that are food-related. This is the 1947 grocery store picture I was looking at today. (Click on the picture for a larger image.) It's somehow reassuring to see familiar labels, like Heinz, B & M, and Hellman's. Here's another one, from 1948, this time with Planters, Sunshine, and Chef Boy-ar-dee. And a grocery store cheese display, also from 1948. (Breakstone's! Ry-Krisp! air-wick! And check out the bagels.) I told you it was addictive.

A recent food-related cartoon from The New Yorker. Keyword: bacon

I love minor league baseball: great seats close to the action, reasonable prices (at least around here), no parking hassles, silly between-innings activities, and hey, it's still pro ball. Here in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Best Beer Town for 2014, in a USA Today poll, and Beer City USA for 2013 and 2012, not to mention the home of Founders Brewing Co.), we have the West Michigan Whitecaps, the mid-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The Whitecaps' park has always had a few good beer options in addition to the usual swill, but the owners have outdone themselves this year, with the Craft Clubhouse. From the Whitecaps' web site: What's also very cool is that on opening day, the Clubhouse will offer the 100-point (from Beer Advocate) Founders KBS on tap, for a very reasonable $7 for a six-ounce pour. Their other selections are also very reasonable for a ballpark: $7 for 20 ounces and $9 for 32 ounces.

TftC, see here (bagel guillotine) and here (NYT article about bagels).

A recent post on futilitycloset.com offered this quote: Clever, but is it true? Tomato plus watermelon is a now-classic combination, but how about fruit other than watermelon? What combination(s) have you liked (or not liked)?

I no longer have any subscriptions except for the Cooks Illustrated annual bound edition. However, Ms. Alex gets Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Eating Light. I don't read them cover-to-cover any more, but I might take a look at an interesting article or three.