The Best Bites blog will be taking a break until January 2, but before we head off to gorge ourselves on bacon, Parker House rolls, and burrata, we'll leave you with our first annual Foodie In and Out list. See you in the new year!

Francesco Ricchi is at it again. The chef and restaurateur, who opened downtown’s I Ricchi and now owns Bethesda’s Cesco Trattoria, has just opened D’Acqua in the sprawling space that once housed Signatures. With chef Enzo Febbraro (late of Cafe Milano and Filomena), the menu will focus on fresh fish. Diners can choose their seafood from a selection on ice, then opt to have it salt-crusted, roasted, or grilled. “Simplicity is the name of the game,” Ricchi says.

So what does Ricchi, a native of Cercina, Italy, like to eat on his own time? Here are some of his kitchen favorites.

Krishna Brown's rum-soaked caneles.

Back in October, we revealed our crush on Peace Corps graphic designer-cum- baker Krishna Brown, the heartbeat and soul behind Shoebox Oven. Since we last spoke with her, Brown's let go of the downtown desk job and made Shoebox Oven an around-the-clock priority. Now, her "very, merry tiny bakery"--which she used to set up at local farmers markets--just turned into a "still merry, (less tiny) web-friendly bakery." Shoebox's online store opened for orders this week.  

Photograph by Allison Dinner

The cheese counter at Cowgirl Creamery.

Only four days 'til Christmas: Don’t panic. Give the gift of cheese. Who wouldn’t want a wedge of creamy Irish cashel blue to nibble on between the wassail and egg nog? We’re partial to the Cowgirl Creamery’s Chesapeake Collection, a lineup of artisanal cheeses from Maryland and Virginia including: Firefly Farms’ ash-covered pyramid of Mountain Top Blue goat cheese; the mellow Chapelle, a natural rind cow’s milk cheese, from Chapel’s Country Creamery; Piedmont, Everona Farms' nutty aged sheep’s milk cheese; and the semi-soft Appalachian from Meadow Creek Dairy.

The rectangular orange-and-brown tin may look unassuming, but the deep, dark shavings of chocolate inside are the stuff hot cocoa dreams are made of.

For that “Eloise at the Plaza” feel during the holidays, check out the lavishly decorated lobby of the beaux arts Willard Intercontinental Hotel.  Amping up the ‘tis-the-season-to-be-jolly vibe are free holiday concerts from 5:30 to 7:30 through Dec. 22 (every night but the 21st) by such ensembles as the Children’s Chorus of Washington and the Cantante Chamber singers of Maryland. A gingerbread house, glittering tree, and hot spiced cider, holiday cookies, and gingerbread add to the general merriment. Eloise would most certainly approve.

The Willard Intercontinental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-628-9100; washington.intercontinental.com.

Saturday, December 16

What: New York chef Marcus Samuelsson and DC photographer Gidiyon Kifle host a photography exhibit in honor of their new cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine, which explores the cooking of Africa. ABC7's Maureen Bunyan holds a discussion about their travels and the making of the book. 

Where: Edison Place Gallery, 701 Ninth St., NW (entrance on Eighth St. between G and H sts.).  

When: 3 to 7 PM (discussion at 5). 

Click here to read Cynthia Hacinli's review of The Soul of a New Cuisine.