Alex

Sometimes I'll use a bit of soy sauce (Japanese Kikkoman, usually) for seasoning, but I've found that even in small amounts it tends to overshadow the other flavors. I'll often make extra rice just to have some available for our traditional Sunday night "leftovers dinner." This past Sunday I used a mixture of about 3/4 white and 1/4 brown (from Massa Organics), with onion, carrot, eggs, and green peas, seasoned with salt and a bit of chicken stock, then finished with the last of some beautiful (hydroponic?) basil from Saturday's farmers market.

Maybe contact Boar's Head directly and ask them?

I can't help you (yet) with this, but thanks for posting. It's a limited release, so I had no idea it existed. The BLiS main office is a short drive from my house, so I think I know where I'll be going next week. You might try calling or emailing them for suggestions. Steve Stallard, the owner, always has been helpful and courteous when I've spoken with him.

That's what I've always done for gumbo. Works absolutely fine, so long as I keep whisking and don't try to multi-task. Edited to add: I just noticed that this was my (2*11)th post on eGullet. Dare I post again and destroy this beautiful number?

Flay's book is called Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes -- rated 4½ stars on Amazon. There's an interesting little book, James McNair's Burgers, from 1992, that has a combination of well-known chefs' recipes, his own recipes, and winning recipes from the Build a Better Burger Contest.

There's a sale going on right now at La Tienda. Boquerones in olive oil and vinegar are half price: $12.20 for two 2.65-oz packages (75 g drained weight). They keep very well in the fridge, so stock up! While you're at it, there's other good stuff in the sale, like these outrageous chocolate-covered figs filled with a chocolate and brandy mousse. I've also bought excellent cooking chorizo from them. The sale price works out to $11/pound, which isn't bad for such a quality product.

Wow! I never saw anything like THAT in the Washington woods. Brobdinagian morels grow in the midwest! Are they tougher than smaller ones? It's all those nuclear power reactors nearby.

I'd say the best (which I interpret as "happiest with" + "great reception") dish I made last year was just a few days ago, for a small gathering of friends: locally smoked Lake Superior whitefish cakes with an avocado-jicama salsa, accompanied by a Domaine Carneros Ultra Brut sparkler. The kicker was using fresh basil in the cakes.

For a PC, hold down the Alt key whilst pressing 0233 on the numeric keypad (usually written as Alt+0233). Like this: é. Here's a nice resource for using Alt+. There's a link on that page for Mac users.

...she wore a yellow glove?

Natto. Wait, that's rational. Aspic and its (un)savory relatives.

How about pumpkin cheesecake, like this one from Paula Deen. Or this one, from Martha Stewart. Adjust the sugar accordingly, of course. I, for one, would like to read the story of Canned Pumpkin and the Dogs' Breakfast.

Eve, of course. I, too, recommend Vermillion and Brabo, along with The Majestic. All are walking distance from your hotel. If you want to go elsewhere in DC, I wouldn't drive; most of the wonderful places are relatively (or very) close to a Metro station. For special places in DC, Komi has already been mentioned; there's also Little Serow, from the same owner. (No reservations taken there.) Palena. Rogue 24. Marcel's. If you like Indian food, there's Rasika West End (or the original Rasika, which is louder).

Not that social behavior in this country (or any other) is expected to make logical sense, but I love how incessant political trash talking often gets by with just a wink and a nod while the NYT review--which, for all its snark (or creativity, depending on your point of view) was basically a statement of fact--lights up the blogo/Twittosphere and, for just one example of misplaced reaction, gets called a "sucker punch" by an AP writer. What, Wells was supposed to warn Fieri that a skewering was imminent? Granted this place was ultra-low-hanging fruit, so the review might have been just a bit of overkill, but with Fieri being a food celebrity, so to speak, I can understand why the takedown.

Wow, lots of choices. A manageable walk east from the Circle is Birch & Barley. Also a manageable walk south is Rasika West End. Toward the east side of the Circle is Little Serow (not the same atmosphere as Graffiato, but not to be missed. Get in line early.) Two stops north on the Red Line (Cleveland Park) are Palena Cafe and Ardeo/Bardeo.

I agree with ChefRobb and radtek, and for this reason as well: I'm not in the field (except for some time on the writing end of things), but I suspect it's much like many others--your being able to do what you want, where you want, is part what you know, part (likely a bigger part) who you know. School will help you with both of those. The rest is luck, serendipity, cosmic confluence, or whatever else you want to call it.

And now for something completely different. If I were doing this, and were part of the celebration as you will be, I'd want to do as much ahead of time as possible. I think you're on the right track with dessert, although I'd probably opt for profiteroles. For the main course, rather than a roast, I'd like to suggest what we did for our small wedding reception a while back: poached whole salmon fillets, served cold, with two sauces (self-serve): ginger remoulade and yogurt something (dill, maybe; I can't quite remember). To keep it company on the plate, how about a cold vegetable terrine?

If you find yourself in or near The Loop (Art Institute, Chicago Cultural Center, Theater District, Millenium Park, etc.), Toni Patisserie and Café is a wonderful place for lunch. There are endless debates about Chicago steak houses. Based on my very limited experience with them, I can recommend Keefer's. Jose Garces's Mercat a la Planxa is a fun tapas place.

Are you sure by "the 18th" he didn't mean the day? And yes, you do still have to worry about "hip" -- the one you might break if you're not careful. Mintwood is good (and is one of the current "in" spots), but I don't know if I'd call it hip. As Busboy mentioned, Masa 14 and Cork are good choices, as is Birch & Barley/Churchkey, especially if your friend is into beer.

Ms. Alex loves Wink.

Great timing! Ms. Alex is, at this very moment, making a lentils + spinach recipe out of The Indian Slow Cooker.

Pilaf-style: saute chopped onions, then add the couscous to brown a bit, then add the stock and a pinch of salt. Add some finely diced carrots about five minutes before it's done. Garnish with parsley. Serve with lamb burgers or kabobs dressed with a yogurt-tahini-parsley sauce.

The first four I can understand and certainly would want to avoid, but hallucinations? Think maybe some ergot found its way into the wine? (Not sure how it'd do that, since it infects only grasses and some grains, iirc, but given the first four symptoms, who knows?)

On my one and only visit to France, in 1971, we were going to have a "French lunch" of bread, cheese, and wine (and maybe some charcuterie; my memory's fuzzy on that). I suspect we ate it al fresco despite the cool, grey January weather. Having recently graduated from college and with limited income, I had picked up what I thought was a great bargain -- a genuine French rosé for the equivalent of about $1 U.S. It was vile.

I don't think they're in salt. The description says "These fillets are marinated in sunflower seed oil, wine vinegar and spices." That said, if I make sure they're covered in oil, they'd stay in the fridge for a long time I'd guess. I've done that, and yes, they do. That's a good price, even with the $19.95 shipping charge.