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For business associates that you do not know well, expensive cognac or whiskey would be best. They're known quantities, keep well, and can easily be regifted. If you know he enjoys fine wine, a well selected bottle might impress more.

I was originally planning to post back after our Charleston visit, but given the number of tremendously helpful recommendations, I do want to put in a big “THANK YOU!” to everyone now. We’ve moved our FIG reservation to a civilized time on a Tuesday and added a SNOB dinner reservation. Prioritizing the Glass Onion and Martha Lou, and downgrading Jestine’s. We’re really looking forward to sampling the best of Charleston/Savannah.

We went to the EatBar recently. Good experience overall. The wings were very good, with texture and taste that's similar to Bon Chon wings (there were no drumettes with our order, however). The other snacks were all tasty and made to order, though execution was a bit off for a few items. Friendly knowledgeable service.

A little more digging into the topic suggest that The Pig's membership in the EatWell Group may be the reason that it's overlooked. I haven't eaten at any other the other EatWell establishments, so I'm not sure how it compares to those allegedly mediocre places. But our dinner last night was terrific and I'm looking forward to a quick return to try the rest of the menu.

I don't think The Pig near Logon Circle has ever been mentioned on this forum, and it certainly deserves to be. +1 and I were very impressed by our meal here last night. The food and drinks here are delicious, with lots of interesting dishes to reward adventurous eaters. The price point is really good for the quality and quantity. The service is good and noise level is acceptable for normal conversation, even with a full dining room. We liked everything we tried, but our favorites were braised pork cheek, wild boar ragu, beef heart tartare, and the mac & cheese.

If you're in Arlington and in need of a crispy wing fix now, +1 and I thought the wings at Tallula's EatBar was pretty comparable to Bon Chon wings (crispy, sweet and spicy, though no drum sticks in the mix), plus much better drinks and snacks offerings.

Thanks Zora! It's comforting to know that the Kitchenaid should be good for multiple years of regular service. I've been eyeing the Kitchenaid for years, but Costco's low price and 1 year guarantee finally broke through the impasse.

We'll be in Charleston for a couple days in December. The dinners are all booked (though certainly open to changes if anyone has a great recommendation) but still deciding on lunches. Anyone has any suggestions these or other favorites? We're especially interested in recommended activities to fill the time between meals dinner F.I,G, (it's hard to get a good reservation here for Saturday night, even a month out) HUSK McCrady's Charleston Grill lunch Hominy Grill (this one is a definite visit, probably for Sunday brunch) Jestine's (?) The Glass Onion (?) The Boathouse at Breach Inlet (?) Vickery's or The Wreck (?)

We're going to be in Savannah for a day in December. Pretty sure about lunch (Mrs. Wilkes' - I even own her cookbook), but still deciding between Noble Fare and Local 11ten for dinner. Would anyone recommend one over the other?

I'm guessing that it's just socially acceptable in restaurant settings. If you work in an environment where your boss and a lot of coworkers sport cool tattoos, then you're more likely to get one yourself, if only to fit in. Tattoos in traditional societies operate as rites of initiation and identity into specific groups.

I certainly did not mean to imply that Townhouse was the undisputed best. Just trying to articulate Don’s LiChaCool factor. I’ve had a few meals in DC that I’d prefer over my dinner in Townhouse, including my dinner at Rogue 24, but none came with a heavier sprinkling of magic pixie dust – probably because those chefs were trying to run sustainable businesses in addition to creating edible art. Sorry if I offended anyone.

I love the parchment paper too. It's just thick enough to be used directly on the rack, so that I can get a nice pizza/flatbread crust without the mess. I've been making parchment paper packets cook vegetables as well, that method works great with mushrooms but the juices do seep through a little bit. Did anyone else pick up a Kitchenaid Pro Mixer ($250 after a $30 mail-in rebate)? I agonized over this purchase, as there is a lot of mixed reviews about this mixer and I don't really have the kitchen space. But it looked like a great deal and I will have 1 year to return it if something breaks.

I enjoyed my meals at Townhouse and Rogue 24 immensely, but I don’t think they’re similar in inspiration. Townhouse courses were magical. They’re like masterful works of needlecraft. I’ve never been to NOMA or Faviken, but based on pictures in their cookbooks I suspect they’re the closest kins to what the Shields created at Townhouse. The closest DC comparables I can think of are Volt’s composed salads and some Eola dishes. Rogue 24 courses felt like the work of master watchmakers. They’re certainly wonderful and inspired, and I would go in a heartbeat if someone else was paying, but their dishes don’t have quite the same whimsical and handcrafted feel (possibly because they serve more than 10 covers every night).

If it's any consolation. "Critically-acclaimed chef John Shields, who previously announced that he picked Philly to open his first solo project, has been rethinking his original plan because of a lack of interest financially. "I love Philly, I love the energy, and my wife and I have had a great time here," Shields told Eater. "But, we've gotten virtually no interest from financial backers. And, we've gotten some strong leads in Washington, D.C.""

A delayed visit to Philly yielded much gluttony (see below) and a little (horti)culture. Overall, I'm really impressed by Philly and I'm glad we made the trip. Osteria - okay, I'm a believer now. As much as I love the some of the pizzas in the DC area, Osteria's crusts and toppings are just at another level. The Pizze Tradizionali (overnight) crust is cracker thin and crisp, a perfect delivery device for the octopus and smoked mozzarella toppings. The Pizze Napoletane (48 hour) crust has the crustiness and deep flavor of a good pain a l'ancienne bread. The pastas were also excellent but the pizzas - WOW! Blackfish - we had a selection of the appetizers. Everything we tried was very good, especially the oysters with meyer lemon foam. Kanella - a wonderful neighborhood place. Everything in our order was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Nice cozy space with interesting specials. Zahav - ordered the roasted lamb prix fixe. Overall the food was quite good but a touch oversalted. I was actually most impressed by the laffa bread and hummus. The lamb shoulder must have been 2 pounds of tender flavorful meat and I'm shocked that we finished it all (with +1 doing most of the work). As good as the lamb was, I think we will probably order mezzes a la carte in a future visit. LaCroix's ridiculous buffet brunch - now at $65 and probably still worth it. The food were delicious and most were nicely portioned for two or three gentle bites. Tips for future visits - don't fall for the "discounted" $25 valet parking deal. We found a $5 (all day weekend and after 5 PM) garage about 10 minutes away and found the walk back to be very helpful for digestion. They also keep a lot of tables off of OpenTable, so call to book if no tables are available on OpenTable. Barnes Foundation - you should schedule weekend tickets a month in advance if possible. The new space is lovely and the collection is very well curated. Chanticleer - I found this garden to be enchanting even in November (we were there for the last day of their 2012 season) and much more pleasant than the formality of Longwood. The garden feels very very English to me. I intend to make a revisit next spring, when their "rivers" of daffodils are in bloom.

That's too bad. I think Homestead and Rock Hill are better choices, if you're looking for a more relaxed and authentic experience. Even though Butler's is the most convenient PYO for me, I always prefer to go elsewhere. Butler's is just too commercial and impersonal for me, especially during strawberry/apple/pumpkin seasons.

Based on my experience about a year ago, I think the food prices are pretty comparable to DC (considering that tax is included in the price and tip is purely optional) on the middle to high end, maybe 50% pricier on the low end. Fish, lamb, and game are all really good. Lots of musuems and clubs were built during the pre-2008 boom, so there's lots to do indoors. The sights in the Golden Circle (the three key attractions near Reykjavik) will not take too long and are relatively close together, so you should be able to see them all in daylight (Gullfoss and Stukkur definitely, Thingvellir depends on how much walking around you wish to do).

Some re-arranging of priorities has this as our current planned eating, influenced in part by the fact that Bibou and Barbuzzo have no availability showing on OpenTable: Friday lunch: Osteria -- We're most interested in the pizza and pasta; any reason to strongly prefer dinner to lunch? Friday dinner: Not quite settled. Deciding between Cochon/Matyson/Fond -- Anything else we should be strongly considering in the BYOB category for this spot? Is there a clear standout amongst the three named candidates? Saturday dinners: Amada followed by a walk over to Zahav (link to PDF menu -- beware music playing on the main site if you don't have Flashblock or something similar enabled) --- EDIT: Looking around some more, I see this list http://www.phillymag...g_50/index.html with Blackfish listed as the #1 Philly restaurant. Anyone been? It's in the suburbs, so it'd be a slight detour on the way to/from Brandywine, but it could be a Friday night contender as well. Philly Mag also has Fond listed about 20 spots higher than Cochon and Matyson, which might lead us to favor Fond from the city restaurants -- in addition to the fact that Fond seems to have the highest proportion of Yelp/TripAdvisor 5-star ratings (for whatever that's worth). But I don't see much talk of Fond here.

We'll be in the Philly area this Friday-Sunday. Can anyone familiar with Philly restaurants give help out two (almost) complete Philly newbies? We're thinking of spending Friday in the city and touring Liberty Hall and the Barnes Collection (maybe another musuem if time allows). Then Saturday and Sunday in the Brandywine Valley (Longwood, Winterthur, maybe Nemour/Chanticleer). This is a spur of the moment trip, so we can't afford to splurge too much. Budget is around $30-60 total per lunch and $100-150 total per dinner (we don't drink, so I think this is probably sufficient barring the fanciest places). Just looking for good food, particularly local specialties or farm-to-table establishments.

Just want to second Catherine's opinion of Enat. We really like this place and don't go as often as we like because the traffic in the neighborhood is awful. The food is consistently tasty and generously portioned, and we've never had the kitchen run out of dishes on us (which seems to happen a lot elsewhere). The service is really outstanding for an Ethiopian restaurant - all the waitresses are friendly and attentive. I really like the atmosphere too - it feels really well run and authenic, no frills, no fake ethnic facade, just the sort of place frequented by local ethiopian cabbies.

If the prospect of shopping and cooking is too much after a hard day's work, maybe you can buy some frozen veggies from Trader Joe's (they seem to have a really good selection including frozen leeks and pearl onions) and keep them in the freezer. That way, you can find something to cook when the spirit hits you, without worrying about spoilage in the meantime. If you like pickled foods, vinegar refrigerator pickles are easy to make and are delicious with cold cut sandwiches. My old standby is curried cauliflower pickles, made with raw cauliflower florets, salt, a few cloves of crushed garlic, curry powder, chili powder, and Heinz vinegar/water (50/50). I recycle old spaghetti sauce jars or use IKEA glass jars with wire clutches. For cookbooks, I think you might like Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen. The recipes are fast and easy, the ingredient lists are interesting but not fussy, and she includes a drinks pairing with each dish.

I do it because: 1) It's the middle of January/August and I'm stuck in DC working. I need some nice meals to brighten my month. 2) RW is a relatively low risk way to try high end restaurants for the first time. If a restaurant can pull off RW with good service and well prepared food, that's a restaurant that I can trust a birthday or anniversary to. 3) For places where the entrees are normally in the $30s and apps are in the teens, RW can be a very good deal.

We've really enjoyed our visits to Enat in Alexandria. Good food, pleasant staff, and a nice relaxed atmosphere with maybe 60/40 Ethiopian/Anglo clientele.

You're probably thinking of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifa. We're big fans of La Canela's ceviche options, especially the tiradito.

Another vote for Black Salt. In addition to what's on the menu, they can ask the kitchen to prepare anything they're selling in the fish market.