Here’s a gadget even the most jaded wine drinker might like: a toaster-size chiller that drops a bottle of white wine to the perfect temperature in about six minutes.

For those times when you forgot to put a bottle in the fridge or a dinner guest brings the ideal wine for the first course, the One-Minute Drink Chiller comes to the rescue faster than an ice bucket or the freezer. Just add ice and water, and the machine will chill a bottle of white to the low 50s Fahrenheit by gently turning it and spraying it with ice water. Reds reach “cellar temperature” in about a minute; sodas and beer reach fridge temperature in about the same time. Be careful, though—the “max fill” line is hard to see, and adding too much water can cause a flood on your counter.

The chiller comes with a 12-volt car adapter, useful for tailgate parties or when you’re rushing home from the wine store with a Grand Cru Chablis. It’s $90 from Ham­macher Schlemmer.

One of the hallmarks of a top chef is a mania for perfection. Patrick O’Connell’s borders on obsession. Everything in his spotless kitchen at the Inn at Little Washington is lined up, labeled, stacked, and dated—nothing is even a centimeter out of place. And he’s the region’s only chef who files his fresh fish in a refrigerated, compartmentalized contraption as large as a compact car. It’s called a “fish file.”

Who really needs a filing system for fish? Even O’Connell admits that the $13,000 appliance is “not a necessity.” Still, he’d always longed for one, having seen it in large hotels “in the days when people ate more caviar.” He added the fish file to his collection of kitchen toys eight years ago when he completely rebuilt the inn’s kitchen.

For more than 20 years, L’Auberge Chez François in Great Falls has embraced the holiday spirit with a brilliant display of colorful Christmas lights. The strands, which take three weeks to arrange, are strung not only around the restaurant itself but also the surrounding fence, trees, and gazebo, generating a haven of light and color on an otherwise dark and wooded street. It’s worth a look anytime you’re in the neighborhood.

This Paris-inspired tree is completely edible, from the dark chocolate trunk and branches to the many-flavored macaroons.

Looking for something completely different for the holidays? How about an edible tree with edible ornaments? The chocolate-and-macaroon tree at the French patisserie/restaurant Praline (4611-O Sangamore Rd., Bethesda; 301-229-8180) fits the bill. Festooned with 27 pastel-hued macaroons, the tree makes a festive centerpiece for the holiday table. Customers can choose from two dozen or so macaroon flavors—such as cassis, almond, hazelnut, pistachio, chocolate, pumpkin, and lemon—in shades of pale pink, green, and yellow.

The tree was inspired by the macaroon trees popular in France at this time of year (high-end Parisian patisseries such as Pierre Hermé and Ladurée are known for them). Unlike those versions, which are usually built around Styrofoam, Praline’s tree is completely edible. Pastry chef Patrick Musel and pastry cook/manager Susan Limb fashion the trunk and branches out of dark chocolate. The standard tree with 27 macaroons is $55 to order in advance. A larger tree is also available.

In addition to its more traditional chestnut-and-chocolate bûche de Noël, Praline is making the log-shaped with offbeat flavor combos (raspberry sorbet and honey nougat; praline and chocolate with crushed almond macaroons). Decorative flourishes—think snowmen, Santas, and mushrooms—adorning the cake are handmade from chocolate, almond paste, and meringue. A bûche de Noël that serves six to eight costs $38, and you have to order in advance.

Looking for New Year’s Eve plans? Here’s how local restaurants are ringing in ’08—from traditional Spanish feasts to laid-back neighborhood gatherings to foie-gras-laden dinners. All events are on December 31.

Italian-Style Celebrations

Dino
3435 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-686-2966; dino-dc.com.
This relaxed Cleveland Park wine bar and dining room is offering a lavish feast for New Year’s. The five-course meal begins with a trio of American caviars and a glass of Prosecco. Choices on the menu include shrimp-speck-porcini-and-asiago ravioli in a smoked-tomato broth; American Wagyu short ribs braised in Pinot Noir and served over polenta; and a rack of wild boar with an aged-cheddar/potato gratin and juniper jus. Each course will include a seafood and vegetarian choice. Owner Dean Gold’s wine pairings are available in two levels: “really good” for an additional $40 and “incredible” for an additional $81.
Dinner reservations available between 5 and 10:30 pm; $95 per person (before 6:30, $75 per person). Diners with reservations after 8:30 are invited to stay and ring in the new year with hats and noise makers.

Famoso
5471 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase; 301-986-8785; famosorestaurant.com.
Set amid the luxury boutiques of Chevy Chase, this striking dining room will offer a four-course Firenze-themed special menu, which includes sautéed lobster and crab served with fried artichokes; duck terrine with orange sauce; porcini-filled gnocchi with white truffles; slow-cooked turbot with asparagus, quail eggs, and yellow-pepper sauce; and persimmon gelato with chestnut cream.
Dinner reservations available between 5:30 and 10; $90 per person. Famoso’s regular menu will also be available (dinner entrées $22 to $43).

Locanda
633 Pennsylvania Ave., SE; 202-547-0002; locandadc.com.
This rustic neighborhood trattoria is putting on a five-course Mediterranean dinner that’s a few notches fancier than its typical fare. For the first course, choose among chorizo-stuffed squid, smoked wild-mushroom soup, or shrimp with garlic and tomatoes; next, there’s a shaved-porcini salad or puntarelle, a salad of chicory, grapefruit, and anchovies; the third course is lobster ravioli with black truffles; then, choose among seared scallops, grilled lamb chops, or papardelle with porcinis. Dessert is bread pudding or brandied-cherry rice pudding.
Dinner reservations available between 6 and 10; $85 per person ($110 with wine).
 

Rotisserie chicken has become a staple of the midweek rush when there’s no time to cook. The roasted birds are on sale from supermarkets to ethnic specialty-chicken shops. To taste-test some of the many chickens around town, we recruited three Washingtonians with no conflicts of interest when it comes to poultry: Karen Batra, director of public affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; Richard Gutting, former president of the National Fisheries Institute; and Audrey Adamson, director of government relations for the National Pork Producers Council. Here’s how they rated the birds.