Entertaining Friday: A Year of Parties

At the beginning of every January, my friends and I start worrying that we don't have anything planned. Having just come off of a busy Christmas/birthday season, somehow it feels like we've got this vast expanse of time in front of us, and like we're never, ever going to see people socially again.

So we start planning. And that is how we, invariably, end up with every weekend from January to April booked up. That's fine with me - I like having plans - but I think it might be smart for us to give it more of a long-view approach. Plan way ahead. Decide, roughly, on the best excuses for a party every month and go from there.

So that's what I'm going to do - right here:

• January: Chinese New Year celebration (costumes! Chinese food!)
• February: Valentine's Day wine tasting (prizes!)
• March: St. Patrick's Day (obviously. In our house, this involves more than one weekend.)
• April: Maybe the return of the Sunday all-day brunch? Grilled cheese party?
• May: Memorial Day! Last year we spent all day Sunday at Boordy, then came back to our house to grill steaks at night. I think that's a good way to kick off summer.
• June: Our annual beach trip!
• July: Fourth of July - parade and cookout
• August: This past year, we had a boys/girls weekend at the end of August. The boys played poker at Jen and Bill's and the girls and kids came over here for a sleepover. It was great.
• September: Labor Day (at the beach). Plus, Dixon's birthday.
• October: This year, it'll be Tom and Cail's wedding in New Orleans. But maybe next year we'll revive the barn party, which was so much fun.
• November: Mock Thanksgiving (plus real Thanksgiving, of course)
• December: The double-birthday (Kit and Cooper) and Christmas parties, of course.

Tired yet? No. I'm not either.

Thursday Links

It's been a random sort of week:

• My brother just sent me this article about a ridiculous, hilarious and awesome letter somebody sent to Richard Branson re: the quality of Virgin Atlantic's food. A sample: "Imagine being a twelve year old boy Richard. Now imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re sat their with your final present to open. It’s a big one, and you know what it is. It’s that Goodmans stereo you picked out the catalogue and wrote to Santa about.
  Only you open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your hamster Richard. It’s your hamster in the box and it’s not breathing. That’s how I felt when I peeled back the foil and saw this." Oh yes.
• Absinthe. It's kind of over.
• I'm going to a Chinese New Year party this weekend. One that involves a costume contest (that Cooper and I are so going to win. Pictures to follow.) If I'd had my act together, maybe Jen and Bill would be getting a cool hostess gift, like one of these.

Old School Thursday: Dairy Highs and Lows Edition

Ha! National Corn Chip Day in the US falls on the same day as National Salt Awarness Day in the UK. It’s good timing for both, what with the Super Bowl coming up and all. And I’d say that I’m usually pretty aware of salt when I’m eating corn chips.

In other news, today’s all about the beginnings and the ends. Today in 1878, George Lester was awarded the first patent for a glass milk container (seems amazing that it took that long to think that up, doesn’t it?) And a generation later, in 1924, Carl Taylor received a patent for the first US ice cream cone rolling machine, which sounds very specific, but I’m guessing it’s pretty useful.

Unfortunately, in 1978, ice cream got a little sadder, at least in Sweden, when the country banned aerosol cans, thus effectively ending the reign of Reddi-Wip topping. And, I guess, the reign of teenagers doing whip-its.

Artsy Wednesday: From Altar to Easel to Oven

About 10 or 15 years ago, my brother picked up this book on a remainder shelf someplace. It was called The Eighties: A Reader - just a collection of essays written during the '80s that sort of summed up the decade.

There was one essay he was always after me to read. It was called "The Worship of Art," and written by Tom Wolfe in 1983. The first time I read it I was probably just out of college, fresh off all of my art history classes and full of important thoughts about the Role of Art in Society.

To sum it up simply, the essay's thesis is that, by the '80s, art had replaced religion in the lives of the chattering classes. Wolfe makes a good argument, giving concrete examples of how art usurped religion in the home and in business, and how curators picked up what priests left behind. He's somewhat scornful, but not entirely - it's not exactly a judgmental essay, more observational.

Because I'm a pretentious art criticism snob, the essay stuck in my mind. Sometime last year, I started thinking even more about it...and thinking that it was outdated (it is, after all, over 25 years old). Because now, isn't food the new art?

The core of Wolfe's thesis is that traditional religion was, originally, a signifier of cultural pedigree - it was the shorthand society used to understand where people belonged. Eventually, art relieved religion of this role. If you appreciated the "right" art, collected, understood, etc - that signified that you were of the "right" class.

I think that still exists, to some degree, but not on the same grand societal scale that it used to. Art has shrunk back down into it's own community. Food, on the other hand, has blown up.

Reservations at French Laundry, or at Alinea. Trips to San Sebastian. Knowledge of where to find the best, most barely legal raw milk cheeses. These are the things those chattering classes brag about today. Ability to speak the foodie language is the cost of entry into a certain segment of society - the signifier that the speaker "belongs."

And isn't it annoying? I'll answer my own question: Yes, yes it is. But I wonder, is it annoying to chefs? Was it annoying to artists in the '80s?

I also can't help but wonder, what's next? How long does the light shine on the food world before shifting to something newer and more exciting? And what happens to food when it's back in the dark?

Fanta Pants

Come on, Batali. Don't be so sensitive. It's funny.

Ideabook Tuesday: Vive la France!

It's been more than three years since my last trip to Paris (taken right after I started this blog!) - and I'm feeling it. I'm totally ready to go back, though I'm sure I won't get the chance for a while (I've got a mile-long list of other places to visit, too).

So in the meantime, I'm trying to keep myself happy by bringing little bits of Paris to me. Which is definitely what brought on the inspiration for this ideabook:

Vive la France: Embracing Gallic Style

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Traveling Kit

When my grandmother and grandfather traveled, they took a little cocktail kit with them. Scotch, bourbon, soda and all the mixing tools you could ever need (most of which would no longer make it through airport security). For cocktail hour, they were prepared.

I figure that it's easy enough to find a bar that will pour me a decent glass of pinot, or whatever, so I don't really need a fancy cocktail kit. But you know what would be helpful? This Mobile Foodie Survival Kit . Libby emailed it to me this morning, just saying "too cute" - and she's right.

OK, so maybe I haven't found myself in a ton of situations in which I absolutely needed wasabi right then. But you never know. It's like a foodie MacGuyver kit. Because you really never know what you'll need tomorrow.

Entertaining Friday: Art Is What You Can Get Away With

Yesterday, Cail sent me a link to the CB2 Warhol appetizer plates, including one with the above quote, that I've been coveting for at least six months. They're only $1.50 a piece, so I'm not really sure what's holding me back.

Because don't they perfectly combine my art-entertaining-food-design interests?

Maybe I'll have a Pop Art themed party, just to justify the purchase.

Thursday Links

My sister just got back from two weeks touring the architectural wonders of Egypt and she and her friends seem to have spent most of their time back posting pictures - like above photo of super-organized nuts - on Facebook.

In honor of Erin's safe return, here are some Egyptian-ish links:

• Hummus and feta sandwiches from the Feb 2009 issue of Bon Appetit
• Nadia and Claudia Roden's fabulous Egyptian-themed party
• Eat like an ancient Egyptian
  

The Myth of the French Woman

Is it just that the grass is always greener on the other side?

Yes, to a certain extent. But I also think it has to do with the way they wear scarves.

(Thanks, Discovery Doug!)

Old School Thursday: Lawyers, Cows and Wine Edition

Today is the Feast of St. Vincent, patron of wine growers and vinegar makers. I like wine. I like vinegar. This is a saint with a feast that sounds like fun.

It’s also National Blonde Brownie Day, once again confirming that everybody has a lobbyist.
In terms of history, today is pretty random. It’s Francis Bacon’s birthday (1561). He was a lawyer, not a chef, but his name was Bacon, so he must have been a pretty good guy, right?

Fast-forward a couple of centuries, and today marks the 117th anniversary of Coca-Cola’s incorporation – the beginning of one of the big capitalist fairy tales of our time. Then, closing out today in spectacular fashion, today is the 21st anniversary of Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport opening a departure lounge just for cows. That’s right. Cows.

So how to celebrate? Maybe with a nice bottle of wine, a green salad with vinaigrette, and some type of bacon-wrapped filet? Oh, and the Coke. I don’t know, work out some type of Top Chef-like product placement tie-in for dessert?

Artsy Wednesday: Color Theory

Yesterday, Apartment Therapy had a post about the new color trends for 2009. Back in my advertising days, I remember getting very excited about the Pantone announcements and, well, I still think they're pretty cool.

According to the post, bright yellow is the color of the moment, and I can't say I'm terribly surprised. I love bright yellow and I've liked seeing it everywhere from Dwell to J. Crew to on my feet, especially when it's paired with dove gray.

Reading all about color got me thinking, too: Do color trends influence food trends? Are we about to see a lot more saffron-infused dishes on our plates? More sunny side up eggs? Bright cheeses?

I'll keep an eye out.

I hope, though, that any yellow I see on my plate is not paired with gray. Something about gray food just doesn't appeal. Oddly enough.

*Photo by tarotastic.

Ideabook Tuesday: Cozy Spaces

Today in Baltimore, the high temperature is 29 degrees and there's a chance of scattered flurries, which will only layer on top of the pretty, powdery white snow that's covering the yard right now.

Yesterday, I counteracted the elements with several cups of tea and a lot of peaceful gazing out the window (that was after I got home from my harrowing trip to Target). Today, I plan to do a lot of the same.

So it's only natural that I'm in the mood for some cozy spaces:

Protected from the Elements: Great Cozy Spaces

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Inaugural Food Links

It's a big week for Washington, huh? And not surprisingly, that's trickled over into the food media, which is all about the parties and the food and the balls, among other things. Here's just a little smattering:

• Obama soda? (that's just the tip of the Obama iceberg over at Elizabeth Large's blog)
• White House Chef Wars
• Inauguration party menu
• Obama's favorite recipes
• Obama eats DC

Entertaining Friday: Wine Cellar!

Cooper and I have just started the next project in our never-ending stream of home renovation: the wine cellar. The cellar - or cave, as my Frenchy self is planning to call it - is actually a 5 1/2 x 10 1/2 room in our basement, just underneath where our front porch is upstairs.

Cooper's friend Michael, a contractor, had some free time so he and his business partner came over yesterday and started (and nearly finished) framing out the space. All of this has happened very suddenly - I wasn't expecting to get to the wine cellar for another couple of years at least. But I'm excited. We don't have a ton of "saving" wine, but we do have a couple of cases of 2003-2005 Bordeaux sitting in our laundry/work room that I'm eager to get into some decent shelving in a correctly humid and cool environment.

So now, we need to make some quick decorating plans for the space. It won't really be an entertaining area - it's more of a straight-up storage space, really. But that doesn't mean it can't look pretty, right?

Over at Houzz, I'm soliciting advice from anybody who will give it. If you have some to share, please PLEASE leave a comment here or over at Houzz (where's there's more technical information). Here's the ideabook (it's a combination of current construction shots and images that I like):

Help Me Design My Wine Cellar - Please!

more home design ideas on houzz

Thursday Links

Ugh - it's only week #2 and already I'm forgetting to write the links post? In my defense, I've been very busy today and am just now (at 11:15) finishing my work. So since I'm not going to be able to fall asleep soon anyway, here are some Top Chef recap links:

• Max Weiss, the Baltimore Magazine reporter, on her personal blog
• Kathy the minx, minxy as usual
• David Dust, dusty as usual
• Best Week Ever, besty as usual?

Old School Thursday: Really Random Edition

Well, happy National Soup Day. In the UK, at least, though it certainly would be appropriate in the US – not only is it freezing outside, but today is also the 19th anniversary of Campbell’s producing its 20 billionth can of tomato soup. I wonder what that number’s up to now.

But for those of us in the US, it’s actually National Strawberry Ice Cream Day. I like strawberry ice cream quite a bit, but I think the ice cream lobby maybe should have pushed for a day in the summer, don’t you?

In other news, today is full of random bits and pieces. It’s the birthday of William Prout (1785), who first classified food into carbohydrates, fats and proteins. A hundred years later today, in 1889, American Daniel Johnson was issued a patent for a Rotary Dining Table for ship use – the table and all the chairs rotated so the server could stand in one spot and the table would move so each person could be served. Not something you see every day.

Possibly most randomly, today in 1919, there was a “Great Molasses Flood” in Boston, when a storage tank burst and the city was flooded with 2 million gallons of molasses. As funny an image as that might be, 21 people died in the flood, which took six months and millions of dollars to clean up.Oh, and just to cap it off today in 1986, Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn came on the market.

Big day, huh?

UPDATE: And this is interesting. I just got an email from my friend Brad (the one who works for Ocean Spray) - he lives in Boston and said that sometimes, on hot days, you can still smell molasses in the North End. Crazy. I can't believe I'd never heard anything about this before!

And Speaking of Drama...

Discovery Doug dropped this on me the other day:

Did I ever tell you i walked right by Molto Mario and Bourdain in the lobby about 6 months ago?

No, he hadn't told me. And yes, Mario was wearing the crocs.

Seriously, that's the kind of celebrity sighting that would almost definitely make me hyperventilate.

Artsy Wednesday: Julia the Dramatic

Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it's done right. Even a pancake.

That's my favorite quote from this Esquire "What I've Learned" with Julia Child. It ran back in 2000, when Child was 87, but I read it for the first time this morning - Cail sent it to me last night.

Between Dixon and me, my days (and, as a result, my food) are pretty drama-filled. It's nice to hear that Julia would approve.

Ideabook Tuesday: Books as Design Elements

Read All about It: Books as Design Elements

more home design ideas on houzz

Today's ideabook is all about books. Not surprisingly, I love them. Also not surprisingly, we have way more books (and magazines) than our meager storage can handle. Lately, I've been looking for storage spots anyplace I can find them.

To read more of my thoughts on these images, click here to go to houzz.com.

Top Chef Jamie=ScarJo?

Erin Zimmer from Serious Eats poses a very interesting question:

does Jamie remind anyone else of Scarlett Johansson?

I say interesting because, well, no. No, she does not remind me of Scarlett Johansson. At all. I mean that. At all.

Also, this week confirmed for me that I really don't like whiny Jamie. In case you couldn't tell. Note to Top Chef casting agents: When you're choosing next season's Team Rainbow, please try to go more Jen and less Lisa. OK?

Not-So-Trendy Monday: Baltimore, Sadly

This is part of what Anthony Bourdain has to say about his recent (last week) visit to Baltimore, and the show that will be built around that trip:

I don't know what the Chamber of Commerce will think of the Baltimore segment—or the city fathers of the other cities [Detroit and Buffalo] we're visiting on what we're referring to privately as the "Rust Belt" show, but I can tell you that I am already a big fan of pit beef, the wonders of "lake trout" (neither trout—nor from a lake as it turns out), and the heavy but wonderful, vodka soaked charms of Detroit Polish food and Macedonian pastries. And I wonder what my Russian friend and sidekick, Zamir is making of all this, the bombed out, half deserted inner cities, the abandoned Ford plant, the funny, tough-as-nails hard working people we're meeting whose jobs are either gone or under threat. I told Zamir I'd show him America and that's what I'm doing.

There is—in spite of it all—a fierce pride, a toughness—and a uniquely American sense of dark humor, shared by everybody we've met, that's given me an uncharacteristic sense of optimism.

OK...so it sounds like he understands at least one part of the city. I'm sure it'll be a great show. And I know I shouldn't really complain until I see it, but I will anyway. How come Cleveland got the quirky, artsy, foodie edit, while Baltimore gets the "The Wire is real" edit?

I fear that this won't much help Baltimore get on the map as a city with an inspiring food scene.

Entertaining Friday: Remembrance of Parties Past

Welcome to the first edition of Entertaining Fridays. I thought I'd kick off with just a little walk through the past, remembering some of my favorite entertaining stories from the past few years. In no particular order, here they are:

On the street in Porto, Portugal, during the Euro 2004. This was also the afternoon before the city exploded into the Fete de Sao Joao - a calm before the storm, if you can believe it. One thing I'm sure of: the Portuguese, as well as Swedish and Danish soccer fans, throw an excellent party.

Halloween 2008 over at Alicia and Mike's house. Their Halloween parties are consistently fun, and this one was no exception.

The 2008 Rodgers Forge Carol and Crawl. I'm still recovering.

The brie-covered aftermath of a little skirmish at the end of a long day on Keuka Lake. This was our evening out on the party boat, complete with wine and hors d'oeuvres. It started out so nicely, but somehow it ended up with brie in Cooper's nose.

Dixon's first birthday party was a big success, even though we had to have it in the front yard (our construction had just started). I love the skeptical look on his face - about two seconds later, he asked for a fork. He's so my son.

Country club night in Bethany. Southsides, clubby food, lots of pink and green. I really love a theme night.

So many parties. We've had such a good time. So many more to come - especially over the next month. We'll have lots to report.

Thursday Links

Here's what I've been reading about lately:

• Unlike my recent trip to Chicago, which mostly involved room service, when Xani from Black Coffee and a Donut went to Chi-town last fall, she did make it to Tru.
• Bourdain. In Baltimore. I wish I spent more time loitering around Penn Station.
• Q: What's the opposite of trendy? A: Cafeteria food.
• I just bought this, but in black, and I can't wait to use it.
• This kitchen, I love it. All that color is fantastic.

One more thing, and this is a bit of a rant. I just got my January issue of Bon Appetit - it arrived late last week, the day before my February Food & Wine. A few hours ago, I was at Sur la Table in Annapolis and I noticed that they've got the February Bon Appetit on display. Since when does the newsstand get a magazine before subscribers?

But still, it was cool to see Woodberry Kitchen noted as a new American "gastro-tavern" (as totally ridiculous as that sounds).

Old School Thursday: Baked Goods and Sadness

A new year, a whole new slew of randomly assigned days. Today, for example, is National English Toffee Day. Now I love toffee, but a whole day? It’s also the oft-ignored Feast of St. Erhard of Regensburg, patron of bakers. That’s a holy day with promise, really. Baked goods.

In other news, today is mostly the anniversary of sad events, with one bright spot. Today in 1800, the first soup kitchen in London was opened – a positive development, sure, but not a happy need. Much, much later, in 1992, today’s the day that President George H.W. Bush threw up on the Japanese Prime Minister. Definitely not a happy event. And finally, today is the sixth anniversary of the death of everybody’s favorite fast food patriarch (mine, anyway), Dave Thomas of Wendy’s.

But the bright spot? Today is Elvis’s birthday. He’d be 74 today. Over at the Examiner I have some celebration suggestions. Maybe add a Frosty to the mix I suggest, in honor of the great Mr. Thomas.

Artsy Wednesday: Marina City

I've written before about my fascination with Bertrand Goldberg's Marina City complex in Chicago, but that was before it was across the street from my hotel. This was the view from the street in front of the hotel. The view from the window next to the elevators was even cooler, but not as easy to photograph.

That building on the bottom is the House of Blues. While we didn't make it there, we did get to Smith and Wollensky, which is just on the right-hand side of the buildings.

I'm not joking when I saw that seeing these buildings for the first time took my breath away. I wasn't expecting them, and it's pretty amazing to be all of a sudden greeted by some of your favorite architecture.

I spent a lot of our trip thinking about how amazingly cool it would be to actually live there.

Report from the Field: Toigo Orchard Bourbon Peaches

A long, long time ago - last summer, in fact - I found myself obsessed with the idea of bourbon peaches. I saw a Food & Wine blurb about the peaches made at Toigo Orchard in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania (not so far from here) and I was positively compelled to order them.

Which is weird, really, since Cooper and I share a serious aversion to bourbon, thanks to our bourbon-soaked years in college in Virginia. But the peaches sounded so good. I wanted somebody to try them.

Fortunately, not only does our friend Clancy love bourbon (he went to college in New York, so he wasn't ruined like we were), his birthday happened to be about a week after bourbon peach fever hit me.

So I got online and shipped Clancy a jar of peaches. An hour or so later, I got an email from Toigo Orchards asking me for feedback and telling me that I was the very first person to order something from their website. Kind of cool, right?

Anyway, this is a long way to get to the punchline: Clancy and his wife, Suzanne, finally ate the peaches last week. This is what he had to say:

Suzanne and I just inhaled those bourbon peaches you sent....They were legit....a sweet bourbon taste without that harsh hard-liquor taste....So, as I said, I'm sure this is so last years news, but I thought the least I could do was give you the down low from us.....

So there you have it. If you like bourbon, the peaches are good.

Ideabook Tuesday: Not Your Grandmother's Wallpaper

Not Your Grandmother's Wallpaper

more home design ideas on houzz

Here's my first installment in the new "Ideabook Tuesday" feature - a collection of really cool rooms with wallpaper. While stripping wallpaper is far from my favorite activity, I'm really into how it makes these spaces look. Not exactly Laura Ashley-esque.

Every time I get Design Public's newsletter, I gaze longingly at their incredible wallpaper selection. Knowing that Cooper would kill me if he came home and I'd papered anything.

Stuff White People Like: Still Relevant

Even though the Washington Post's "in and out" list put SWPL firmly in the "out" category, this post about sea salt proves that the site's still got it. At least, they've still got a firm, firm grip on what this white person likes.

Trendy Monday: My 2009 Predictions

I know this is a) late in the day for me to post and b) a cop-out, but it's been a busy morning and my house is still full of dirty dishes and Christmas decorations, so I'm going to cheat and repost something that I wrote over on Examiner.com. It's relevant, though, I promise.

So, here it is:

Based on my careful observations of the food world and the current cultural climate, here are five predictions I have for the 2009 food scene in Baltimore and beyond:

1. Peruvian cuisine: Love for all things Peruvian (and, more generally, South American) was all over the mainstream food press in 2008 and Baltimore jumped into the action with the November opening of Mari Luna Latin Grille.

2. Budget-friendly restaurants: This year, this is the no-brainer prediction. Everybody's feeling the heat, economically, and spending on dinners out is often the first home budget item to get the axe. Look for restaurants to beef up their promotions - more 1/2 price wine Wednesdays and 2-for-1 meal Tuesdays, and more inexpensive meal selections and wine lists all the way around.

3. Comfort food: Again, with the economy. In uncertain times, don't we all look for a little mac and cheese? I predict the rise of more comfort food-centric menus, both take-out and eat-in, following the success of Clementine and Atwaters.

4. Local, local, local (plus a little backlash): "Locavore" was the big word in 2008, but I expect that we'll see more attention paid to using local ingredients, relying on CSA's for dinner and appreciation for restaurants, like Woodberry Kitchen and The Dogwood, that take their sourcing seriously. Of course, with all of this comes the inevitable backlash, and I also expect to see a slew of articles explaining why sometimes it's not more green or more economically viable to buy locally-grown ingredients.

5. Peanut butter: This happens to be my big, random pet prediction for 2009. No disrespect meant to bacon - really, I love bacon - but I think maybe it's had more than it's fair share of time in the spotlight as the comfort food ingredient of choice. It's peanut butter's turn. In 2009, I think we'll see more artisanal producers, more variations, and more of a general appreciation for peanut butter as an ingredient (even beyond desserts, where it's already got a stronghold). Will we end up with a Peanut Butter Bar, like the one in the West Village? Maybe not. But I wouldn't be shocked to see an Elvis sandwich on a menu or two. Maybe even a peanut butter and bacon sandwich. Could we handle that many trendy ingredients?

There you have it - my predictions for 2009. Any thoughts of your own?

New Year, New Look, New Content

The new year is the time for changes, right? Last year, just about this time, I decided to ramp up the posting here on Mango & Ginger, and I created a little bit of an editorial calendar for myself. After a year of Trendy Mondays, Quotable Tuesdays, Artsy Wednesdays, Old School Thursdays and Dictionary Fridays, I took stock of what I wrote in 2009, and I've decided to make a couple of new changes.

The first one, probably the most noticeable, is the new header. I love the one the minx designed for me last year, but for some reason I'm just feeling a little minimal these days. Maybe it's because my house is stuffed full of so many toys that all of my dreams of having a fabulously streamlined interior have been shattered. If I can't have it in real life, at least I can embrace virtual minimalism.

Those of you who are especially observant may also notice another change in the header: the subhead. I've ditched the research and added a little design. I find myself thinking and writing more and more about design lately, and less and less about research, so the change seemed natural.

And, with that, here's the new weekly calendar for M&G posting:

• Trendy Monday (Same as before)
• Ideabook Tuesday (I'll feature one of my houzz.com ideabooks and write a little about design)
• Artsy Wednesday (Same as before)
• Old School Thursday (Again, same)
• Thursday Links (Just a handful of links to stuff I find interesting)
• Entertaining Friday (Entertaining tips and ideas, party recaps, etc.)

So there it is. Happy 2009!

Dictionary Friday: Filet Mignon

filet mignon
This expensive, boneless cut of beef comes from the small end of the tenderloin. The filet mignon is usually 1 to 2 inches thick and 1 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. It's extremely tender but lacks the flavor of beef with the bone attached. Cook filet mignon quickly by broiling, grilling or sautéing. See also BEEF; SHORT LOIN.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

I'm in Chicago right now, for our friend Sam's wedding. I'll write more about the trip as a whole later, when we're back home, but so far it's been pretty great. Food-wise, last night's rehearsal dinner was amazing. It was held at Smith & Wollensky, which is just across the street from our hotel. For dinner, I had a 14 ounce filet. That's right. Fourteen ounces. And Cooper's prime rib was the size of a large baby.

After dinner last night, I wasn't sure I'd eat again for at least 24 hours but somehow, I'm hungry again.