Attorney Mark Kuller specializes in tax litigation, but he’s also well-versed in wine, food, and cooking. A New York native, he's called Washington home for 25 years. Now, he’s about to take on a new career--restaurateur. Kuller is the owner of Proof, a wine-centric restaurant slated to open in Penn Quarter (701 Eighth St., NW) on May 25. This afternoon he took a break from law and restaurant-planning to tell us about his love of Palena’s roast chicken and the killer grilled cheese sandwiches he makes at home.

All-time favorite meal: One would be a pastrami sandwich at Katz’s in New York. Another one is Palena’s roast chicken--I go there every week and order it. One memorable meal was a dinner at Chinois, Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in Santa Monica, about ten years ago after watching Brazil beat Italy in the World Cup. Dennis Hopper was sitting behind us, and Henry Kissinger was in the restaurant too. We were singing “Ole Ole Ole!” All the waiters and busboys started singing, and then we had the whole restaurant singing, including Dennis Hopper and Henry Kissinger.

Favorite local restaurant: Palena by far. The Cafe at Palena is the best restaurant in the city.

Favorite wine list in the area: Citronelle is outstanding--Mark Slater does a great job there. At most places I bring my own wine and pay the corkage fee. DC has a liberal corkage policy, so my favorite wine list is my own.

Though the Bollywood world has been a tad shaken up this past few weeks, after the “racy” images of Indian star Shilpa Shetty getting a few kisses from Richard Gere, the colorful movies are still playing (per usual) at countless Indian restaurants in the Virginian ‘burbs. The lively song-and-dance sequences perk up otherwise lowkey strip mall spaces known for nine-buck buffets serving a cafeteria-style selection of chutneys, tandooris and naan.

Tom Sietsema reports that famed pastry chef Ann Amernick is stepping down from “day-to-day involvement” at Palena, the Cleveland Park dining room she co-owns with Frank Ruta. And while a Don Rockwell poster has crafted an eBay page for her last caramel (starting bid: $1,000,000), it looks like those salty little goodies will be one treat she’ll keep making...

...We recently chatted with culinary it-boy (and Georgetown Prep grad) Dave Chang, chef/owner of Momofuku Ssam Bar and Noodle Bar in New York. And while a number of Eater readers are giving suggestions for what Chang should do next--a pickle-plate serving streetcart say, or an Asian gastropub--we suggest he give his hometown a little love and send down some pork buns already...

...According to Sushi-Ko co-owner Russell Gravatt, the budding chainlet is opening a mostly carryout operation off Duke street in Alexandria (520 Carlyle Street, to be exact). The tentatively named Sushi-Ko on the Run should be open by late summer. In addition to sushi, they’ll have soup, salads, and a few grilled items...

...Bill Clinton swung by Rachael Ray’s morning gabfest to deliver the bad news about the nation’s childhood obesity problem. Check out Gawker’s clip for some very special product placement...

...Sorry Hill dwellers, according to City Paper, you won’t be getting an Amsterdam Falafelshop after all. The husband-and-wife owners of the Adams Morgan storefront have decided to franchise it out instead. So where will the next one pop up? Looks like (huh?) Herndon...

...It’s been a busy week for restaurant openings: K Street’s Brasserie Beck, Georgetown’s Hook, Adams Morgan’s Casa Oaxaca (from the owners of Guajillo), and Ballston’s Vapiano all kicked off this past week. Next up, the new Majestic, which starts taking reservations this Tuesday, and Mio, which will officially open on Wednesday.

Fried turkey is former political strategist Clay Johnson's secret fund-raising weapon.

This weekend, the city's knowledge-sharing fest Learn-a-palooza will host almost 70 free classes, ranging from Polish survival skills to changing a bike flat. Buried in the catalog of left-field topics taught by regular folks are four food-centric tutorials. Each session is hosted by web consultant (he helped found Blue State Digital) and former Dean campaign strategist Clay Johnson at his Logan Circle-area home. Though developing online tactics for politicos is his forte, Johnson has another secret fund-raising weapon: The turkey fry. He's nibbled on the crispy fowl with Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy and numerous DNC faces. And this Saturday, he'll share his bird-frying skills. 

How hip can Ballston be? Don't get me wrong, I love the place. It's my neighborhood and I appreciate its urban/suburban mixture. But when models in tiny black dresses greeted me at the opening of Vapiano on the corner of Glebe Road Wednesday night, it was hard not to roll my eyes.

The first area outpost of the Germany-based pasta franchise is trying to set the tone for a  trendy, yet casual dining experience. There are 20 Vapianos around the world--with stores in Istanbul, Vienna, Dubai and Budapest--and they’re making their US debut with three DC locations, here in Ballston, near Dupont Circle (18th and M streets) and in Chinatown (623 H St., NW). The downtown spots are scheduled to open in May and June, respectively.

All those candy holidays (Halloween, V-Day, Easter) are bad enough. Not to mention the onslaught of birthday party goodie bags crammed with gummie worms and Jawbreakers. Where will it all end? With lunch. Health e-Lunch Kids to be exact. This Fairfax, Virginia-based outfit is a sort of personal chef for the soccer set, delivering healthy lunches to area schools daily. Think Chic’n Slam Dunk (baked chicken nuggets, baby carrots, apple slices, and dips for dunking), Popeye’s Turkey Roll (whole grain wrap filled with turkey, spinach leaves, and veggie cream cheese, plus carrots, and grilled cheese puffs), or America"s Favorite (soy “peanut” butter and grape jelly on wheat, with cucumber chips, and sliced apples).

The only catch: Your child's school has to be a Health-e-Kids member (click here to check the list of more than two dozen schools already signed up for the program, including Green Acres in Rockville, the British School and Rock Creek International in DC, Blessed Sacrament in Alexandria, and Langley in McLean). Then, head to the menu and click away.  Menus change every four to six weeks, with a handful of faves kids vote on grandfathered in. And though there are a dozen choices daily, you can order the same tuna sandwich on extra-squishy whole wheat bread (aka the Chesapeake Bay) ad nauseum if your tyke is in one of those tedious ruts. Better to get the kids psyched about trying new things (chicken Caesar wrap anyone?) by letting them choose their own lunches by pointing to the pictures and reading descriptions on the website.