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On the one hand, yes, cooking for a crowd that tends to eat very well, and who mostly cook better than I do, is intimidating. But on the other hand, this is a group that knows food well enough that they'll understand what you're trying to do, understand and be sympathetic if anything goes wrong, and will be appreciative of your efforts no matter what happens. That's why NQD and I are planning to use the picnic to experiment with roasting a lamb - we're not actually confident enough to try it on our less food-obsessed friends first.

There's a Peruvian web site that sells a knock-off version of the caja china. They have instructions for roasting guinea pig, along with a picture of the little guys after roasting. They look tasty, but unless they can be purchased already dressed, it's not going to happen.

It seems somebody has figured out what NQD and I are planning to bring, and I've been asked to share a little more detail on our little project. The "lamb" I said we'd bring is more properly described as "a lamb." The caja china will be making a reappearance, and we'll be roasting a 45-50 pound lamb. We're adapting a recipe that is allegedly Moroccan, and probably delicious, but we make no guarantees. This is all highly experimental. Although roasting a lamb is supposedly simple in a caja china, I've done a fair bit of searching online and have not found any reports of people actually doing it. So y'all will be a bunch of guinea pigs for this one.

Lamb.

+1, possibly +2. We're bringing meat. Specifics later. Maybe.

Wow - posted and merged with a year-old thread in under five minutes. Talk about service Virginia Lamb looks interesting, thanks. I'll probably start with the Lebanese Butcher, since I pass there twice a day. I don't know why I didn't think of them myself.

Does anybody know where I can get a lamb? Not a leg, but the whole critter, maybe 45-50lbs dressed? Preferably good quality, inexpensive and convenient to Northern Virginia, but I understand that I may have to sacrifice one of the last two.

Actually, the pig would be pretty much the same. The main difference would be in the rice and beans.

I think with this crew, it would be rather larger than our usual backyard gatherings. This would have to be a team effort - planning is definitely necessary. The mofongo alone would be a hell of a job.

The pigs at the last picnic were very, very good, but I think it's time to start planning a Cuban/Puerto Rican/etc. pig roast and show these gringos how to do it right.

Now that I think about it, Flay might actually win this one if you believe the theory that the show is rigged so that he won't harm anyone's business by beating them at their specialty. This is one occasion where a win for Bobby can't cause any harm. Roberto Guerra's cooking skills aren't the foundation of his business, it's the caja china itself, and with both of them using it, a win for Bobby is still a win for the caja china. This may be a safe way to boost his pathetic win/loss record. We'll see tonight.

Last October, it was Team Wabeck vs Team Stachowski, head-to-head with matching Caja Chinas and wonderfully prepared piggies. On April 12, 10:00 pm on the Food Network, it's Bobby Flay and his Caja China vs Roberto Guerra, inventor (with his father) of the magic pig cooker. Unfortunately, these pigs we won't get to taste. But at least we get to watch Bobby Flay lose again.

NQD and I will be there for drinks and sausage, not for dinner. After two large Easter meals yesterday (one at Restaurant Kolumbia, the other at mom's), we'll be eating light this week.

I thought you guys were closed Sundays. What time are you open on Easter?

NQD and I will be spending four nights in London in a few weeks. That's obviously not enough time to cover everything, but we'd like to hit the culinary highlights. We have reservations for dinner at Fat Duck and lunch at Restaurant Gordon Ramsey. On the lower end of the price scale, we'll probably also hit North Sea for fish and chips (or perhaps some place else on the "Time Out" list), Wagamama, and whatever looks good at Borough Market. Vineet Bhatia is probably on the list as well. To fill out the trip, we're looking for a decent curry place, a somewhat more upscale traditional Indian restaurant, some good pub food, and breakfast. Any recommendations? Anything else we're overlooking?

We're in, if you pick a weekend that isn't already booked. I have a friend who just opened up a gelato place down there, too, if anyone is interested. Bobby Flay's record (for episodes that have been shown) is 3 wins, 12 losses, one tie. That could say something about him, or something about how good the people he challenges are. Or it could be that they're rigged, so they don't screw over their unsuspecting victims and harm their business.

A new gelateria just opened in Richmond, selling gelato, sorbetto and some baked items. Sorry, I haven't been down there yet, so I don't know if it's any good, but it's worth a try. Yeah, OK, so it's a plug for a friend of mine. But hey, it's gelato. DeLuca Gelato, 1362 Gaskins Rd., 2 miles south of I-64 exit 180. http://www.delucagelato.com/

I've got a question for the experienced sausage makers here. I made some brats and kielbasa for yesterday's Superbowl party. Other than a test run a few weeks ago, this was my first time making sausages. The flavor was decent enough, and the interior texture of the sausages was fine, but the casings were very tender and had no "snap." I used natural hog casings, which supposedly provide that snap, so I'm assuming I did something wrong, or perhaps failed to do something right. I bought the casings online (sausagemaker.com), rinsed, flushed and soaked them, stuffed them with a KitchenAid mixer's grinder w/sausage stuffer attachment, froze the sausages (they were made a week in advance, to give me time to fix any screw-ups), thawed them in the refrigerator, and cooked them in a skillet. Any ideas about what might have gone wrong?

I'll second that. I drink most whisky neat, but if I have a new bottle I'll generally try at least one glass with water. It occasionally improves things, especially with cask-strength stuff. But when I tried Wasmund's (which I liked neat) with a small amount of water, it was transformed. The various flavors mellowed and blended beautifully, and it was difficult to believe that it came out of the same bottle.

Lunch today at Taberna del Alabardero. Regular menu was available at regular prices, and there was a short RW menu. Don't bother. I'm not sure why they did. Perfectly adequate, not bad for the price, but very limited and not particularly noteworthy. The kitchen is better than this, but a first-timer coming in for RW won't know that.

In my family, we have a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas Eve dinner, with no special meal for Christmas Day. This year, we opted for eating out on Xmas Day, so my mother, aunt and uncle, NQD, flygirl and I had Christmas dinner at Palette, mostly because it was one of few places open and capable of seating six by the time I got around to making reservations (NQD and I had eaten there before and enjoyed it). The Christmas menu was limited. The amuse bouche was - damn it, I can't remember. A small cup of something with creme fraiche and shaved foie gras. Delicious. The next course was a choice of veloute of chestnut and salsify; squab with goat cheese and beets; and seared scallops, and one or two other items that none of us ordered. The veloute was wonderful, smooth-textured, rich and chestnutty enough to be an excellent winter soup but not at all heavy. I didn't taste the squab but those who did seemed to be quite happy with their choices. My uncle loved the scallops and had no desire to share. The mains were Hereford beef tenderloin and yukon gold potatoes; turkey, ham, chorizo & cherry stuffing, and cranberry chutney; snapper and some cut of lamb (I don't eat the stuff, so I didn't pay attention). My beef was perfectly cooked, with a nice crusty exterior and butter-soft interior. The sauce was rich and salty, exactly on the right side of the oversalted line. NQD says her turkey/ham dish was basically a plate of standard holiday foods, very well-executed, well-balanced, and delicious. Mom loved her snapper; my uncle barely said a word about his lamb, but consumed it with his eyes closed and an ecstatic look on his face. Desserts lived up to the rest of the meal. I had the Christmas pudding and creme anglais; I don't know what a Christmas pudding is supposed to be, but I have to believe that this was it. A trifle was enjoyed by those who ordered it, but I prefer my choice. Various glasses of wine were ordered, along with a bottle of 2003 Flowers Pinot Noir. Very nice, but I'm not a wine guy so I won't try to describe it. Clearly the front of house was not at full strength, but service was generally good, if a bit slow at times. The date and the limited menu suggest the kitchen was also short a few hands, but there was no indication of that on the plate. The food drew raves all around, and for a Christmas menu was very impressive. We will definitely be back.

Great! Never did have any use for that place (actually on the SE side, off of Leesburg Pike, unless there are two of them). Easy access, and parking should be reasonably available, except when the grocery shoppers are out in force. Thanks for the info.

Did these "informed persons" say when? I'm less than a mile from Seven Corners, so this is very good news indeed. ETA: Never mind, found it - "we're hoping for a February opening."

Sorry, I can't help on the ingredients, But earlier in the thread there was some mention of highland games vendors, Burns Night and the like. Since I've been to many highland games over the years I thought I should give a small warning. On the subject of haggis, there are two common but quite different views among the various people (Americans, at least) who make the stuff for public consumption. Some do their best to make it edible, and on occasion even tasty. I've had quite good haggis - not liking the taste of liver, I didn't care for it, but I recognize its quality. And then there are the others, who find it disgusting, and who take pride in claiming such a foul-tasting substance as their cultural heritage. They often go out of their way to make it as unpalatable as possible. So when consulting the "experts," make sure you know who you're dealing with and what their personal agendas might be. If the haggis is firm and dark and appears well-seasoned, you may be in luck. The soft, spongy, gray stuff should be avoided like the plague.

Jamie Stachowski of Restaurant Kolumbia will be on NBC's Today show on December 7. According to the Today website, he's making a Christmas goose. Sorry, I don't know what time he'll be on.