Lidia Bastianich at the Smithsonian Dec. 2

Heads up to all the D.C. foodies: America's Italian cooking queen Lidia Bastianich will be speaking at the National Museum of Natural History on Dec. 2 with moderator Joe Yonan, the Washington Post's food and travel editor. Sadly, I'll be in Pensacola on a work trip, but the event is open to the public and costs $25 for non-Smithsonian members.

Tickets can be purchased here.

100 foods to try before you die

My friend group has been circulating a list of 100 foods you should eat before you die. How do you stack up on this list?

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (a pungent unpasturised French cheese.)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (a warm dip from the Piedmont area of Italy)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (1/2)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (pufferfish)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8%
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost Que?
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu (Chinese distilled alcohol)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (Cocktail)
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I've only had 38 1/2 (I'm counting clam chowder in a sourdough bowl as half, since I've had both of those things, but not simultaneously), which I italicized. And while I don't think I'll be sampling some of these any time soon (roadkill? wtf?) there are certainly a few I need to get cracking on!

Update: Lauren just reminded me that I've had apple wine, so make that 39 1/2.

Big ups to D.C. A Through Z

Sick of going to the same old bars in Washington D.C.? You should check out my friend Lauren's new blog, D.C. A Through Z, where she visits a place she's never been (and she's been to a lot of places!) all in the name of a good time. The catch? She's going bar-to-bar in alphabetical order.

Up now, Asylum and Bourbon, both in Adams Morgan. Look out for Chef Geoff's sometime soon.

http://dctotheletter.blogspot.com/

A permanent link to her blog should be on the left pane of this blog if you're ever searching for it.

P.S.-Does anyone know a D.C. bar that starts with X? We're thinking PX might be the best we can do for now.