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...So you're just going to have the roast beef, goose, duck, mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding? That's my kind of healthy eating! We're doing mom's traditional--standing rib roast, popovers, wild rice, brussels sprouts... Yum. Second favorite meal of the year (after Thanksgiving).

Is it too late to count myself in? I'd love to join you all...

Thanks, all, for a great time Friday night at Firefly. This was my first DR event ever, and I was relieved to find out that you all are much more normal than you make out to be... I don't even mind coughing up a 38% tip for the privilege of meeting you! Hope to see you all again before I head off into the wild blue yonder...

Mom makes these meat pies--the recipe says "pates" but they're pronounced "paw-tays." Grandma made them, great grandma made them, probably great-great grandma made them. They consist of boiled meat (beef and pork) ground with potatoes and onions and baked in a pie crust. Pickled onions are served on the side. Thing is, we have no idea why we do this. "That's the way it's always been," said my 100-percent Irish grandma. We suspect the family may have picked up the tradition while making its way through Canada after leaving Ireland, but other than that? No clue. But I do love them...

Cyrus, the fan-damn-amazing restaurant in Healdsburg, CA, has a 50-page spirits list that is mind-blowing in its depth, breadth, and very, very good writing. This isn't a spirits list as much as it is a reference to keep and cherish. (The formatting is unfortunately a bit screwed up.) Cyrus spirits list

Only in government can it be considered reasonable for one month to stretch to five. But finally--unbelievably--it looks like I'm getting out of here, early January. Local foodstuffs of note that I've filed away to call on during culinarily desperate moments... Tuna tartar at Cashion's Buttermilk biscuit at Bardia's Scallops at Corduroy Pastrami at So's Your Mom Beef sous vide at Citronelle Conch fritter at minibar Antipasto at Radius Moussaka at Astor Frites at Amsterdam Felafelshop Gado gado at Nooshi Crabcake at Hank's And, of course, Guinness at Bedrock More to come...

And a $19 bowl of soup at Mourayo. Is goat really that expensive? What makes this stuff so precious?

The pork sausage with lentils du puy is a dish well worth coming in from the cold for; it's a hearty and simple, yet complex-tasting, dish. The green beans in the green bean salad were somewhat overcooked, but the dressing is a winner. And while I'm not a fan of places that serve butter still wrapped in foil, Montsouris's butter is Plugra, and their bread is very, very good, so I'll forgive them. Service was weird, but in a friendly way we were in the mood for. We decided to ignore the waiter who sat down at the next table to take our neighbor's order.

This very good profile of Garry Trudeau in the October 22 WaPo Magazine mentions that he attended at least one of these dinners at Fran O'Brian's, and gains a lot of inspiration for BD's storyline from the soldiers he meets at these events.

I'm arriving several days ahead, so I won't be able to do this (though I may make some soup and freeze it solid to bring). But the gratin is a great idea; I'm also highly intrigued by the squash bread pudding. Decisions, decisions... The salt potatoes sound interesting too, but I think I'll test those babies out before debuting them on the holiday! Any ideas for a veg? Maybe a spinach-pine nut-raisin thingy? Some interesting broccolini concoction? You all are great! I knew you'd come through!

I'm charged with cooking the side dishes for Christmas Eve: three people, main dish is New York strip steaks on the grill. But we've got a few limitations. The kitchen is gorgeous, huge, recently redone. But Dad doesn't cook. Ever. He didn't have any (ANY) spices in his cabinet until last year when I convinced him to please at least buy some salt. (He also bought allspice because he saw the name and figured he wouldn't need to buy any others.) (Sigh.) Also, I'm unsure of what kind of hardware he's got, but I can assume very limited cooking utensils, knives, pots, pans, and the like. Yet it's a special occasion, so I'd rather not just slap down steamed green beans and baked potatoes. So, all you creative people... got any ideas???

I just got off crutches so have deep sympathy for this conundrum. "Would you like to sit down?" S/he can and may say no. I suppose it's queer to try to make kindness a policy, but jeez. It's not that hard.

So I decided to bite the bullet and stop at the deli quick on the way home, which allowed me to put together a plate of two kinds of olives, gherkins, pita chips, and semi-homemade (Sandra Lee, you've ruined that word for me) sun-dried tomato dip. Then a bowl of ice cream. And I saw that it was good.

Fridge and pantry are semi-stocked. For a single person.But in any case, what do you do when you've had one of those days? Order in? Suck it up and nosh cheese and crackers? Cook your tried and true comfort food? What?

Thanks for the good tips! I think I'll give it a go this weekend.Now. If you've just had a god-awful day and are dog-tired and certainly not going out once you get home... what do YOU do for dinner?

Me three! And since I made the stuffing, I still have a pile leftover at home, as well as some gifted cranberries and and sweets. Being a white meat fan, I'm thinking of picking up a turkey breast tonight or tomorrow to roast. Anyone have any advice on how to keep that baby moist and tasty? Temps? Flavorings? I've never cooked one before.

Went to Mandu last night, and while it's nowhere near the same league as some Korean I've had in the past, we had a fine meal, and I'll definitely return. The place is very cleanly designed and modern. It's a pleasant atmosphere, the only detraction being the bizarre trek out a side door and down some stairs to get to the bathroom. We were a large party served family style with a pre-set menu. There were only three panchan (a disappointment)--kimchee, cucumber, and sweet potato--followed by pancakes, barbecued beef and chicken, noodles, stir-fried veggies, and fresh fruit for dessert. Nothing too Korean about the veggies, but they were tasty enough, and crisp. The noodles were the winner, well-cooked with good flavor and ingredients. The "sojutinis" they offer are a neat twist on the regular old bar cocktail. I suppose that the most impressive thing may be that, though the place had only been open only about 24 hours, the service was good--unobtrusive, competent, and helpful. A good start!

I think that if we turn this into a grammar discussion, Don will "tuck" us into a dungeon. Seriously, Titanic won the Oscar for best picture in 1998. Award shmaward.

Wow, that really sucks, hv. Two meager suggestions: Try cooking en papillote--fish, veggies, and seasoning sealed in a foil or parchment pouch and baked in the oven for a spell. It's actually a quite nice way to prepare fish because everything gets all melded together and steamy and it basically makes its own sauce. Ah, but how to get clean, sliced veggies? Salad bar. It's lame, and it's expensive, but some of those lunch salad bars downtown feature some pretty decent raw, chopped veggies. You can load up a container with peppers, zukes, broc, and others and use that for a couple of meals.

I actually eat at bars often so I CAN smoke. I just like heading over to Cashion's or wherever with my book, having a nice cocktail and a few smokes, having an appetizer, taking a rest, ordering another.... When I'm eating alone, it's a much more casual, undirected way to experience a meal, which I really like from time to time. Plus, you can clearly see when the bartender is slammed, so I don't get frustrated with service.As long as the stool is comfy...!

Nah. Typos in chat rooms don't bother me. I'm quite sure my own posts feature plenty of misspellings, awkward phrasings, and other mortal CMOS violations. Point being, this is for fun, not for work. I've got different standards for that, thus the frustration with Post reviews.(However, "irregardless" in any context does make me sigh. Ironical, no? )

I know, I know. It's my own special little hell. I also give demerits to menus with typos.After a glass of wine, I prefer to discuss the finer points of comma use. That's why people don't invite me to parties anymore.

Well sure--I write and edit for a living, too. (Not food, though, because I'm not particularly good at it.) But is it so hard to say it's "a pepper sauce" rather than--EVERY TIME--"a sauce enlivened by peppers"? (Add this one to the peeve list, dmwine!) And if you're just talking word count, I've found most of the painful descriptors actually add column inches anyway, so no juice there. It's is indeed possible to do this without sucking all the life out of it--I mean, read Bruni or Bauer. These guys write engaging, terrific reviews with nary a lap, nap, or tuck to be found. I don't want to pile on; I actually have very little problem with his reviews, opinion-wise. I'm just picky about professional writing and find them hard to read at times.

Yeah but you know, it's, like, his job.And I prefer a sassy cocktail.

Maybe it was written on the menu? I'd assume that questions like this are part of the tests he gives to gauge service.Boy, I could really go one or two weeks without a protein being "lapped" in a sauce, though, or "tucked into" a roll. And "lashings of cider sauce"? A "sassy vinaigrette"? I wonder if he's sick of writing and that's why he scrapes for these (as he may say) "cringe-inducing" phrasings. Weirdly, he doesn't seem to have this issue when he's writing about wine lists.