Holiday Party Rounds!

I'm glad the holidays only come once a year. I'm exhausted already and we're only one third of the way through the season! After a long week of cooking, drinks and holiday parties, I'm tired! In the meantime, here's to all the great folks who I've seen, many in the food world and a few tidbits for your Monday morning:

The Best Roast Chicken Ever: Everyone's been asking what was in my take home bag from L'Explorateur. It was a perfectly roasted chicken leg and thigh. Not glamorous but oh, so delicious! Tender meat perfectly falling apart. Perfect for a cold winter lunch.

Shoutouts! Big hellos to IM's Liz Joss (who I ran into at a cocktail party on Friday), Scott Hutcheson (The Hungry Hoosier) and his lovely wife, Lisa, I saw on Saturday evening (and thanks for the amazing citrus salt). Also, to NUVO restaurant reviewer Terry Kirts (yummy anise German cookies), Indianapolis Monthly's dining editor Christy Speer (fighting post-issue-closing sniffles), chef trainee and writer Ingrid Cummings, and various other foodies and friends. (I'll even count running into Ivy Tech's Chef Thom England at Trader Joe's!) Word was another big foodie-around-town was caught hunting venison with his car on Saturday. Ouch.

A Moment of Silence: Give your thoughts today to fellow foodie and blogger Christine (My Plate or Yours) and for her sweet dog, Zoe, who she's blogged about. They're saying "goodbye" to Zoe today. Godspeed, Zoe.

And big "Hellos" to all kinds of new and old foodie friends, readers, bloggers, eaters and more. As I always like to say, I'll keep eating as long as you keep reading.