>> To see more photos from the Capital Food Fight, check out our photo slideshow

Pack thousands of foodies and their umbrellas into the Ronald Reagan Building’s atrium, combine a hyperactive host with a bombastic sound system, and top if off with a hefty $175 ticket. It might not sound like a mouth-watering recipe, but Wednesday night’s Capital Food Fight was the hottest culinary ticket in town. Sixty of Washington’s most renowned restaurants proffered bite-sized nibbles to a sea of well-heeled grazers, and proceeds went to DC Central Kitchen. However, the main attraction was a series of Iron Chef-style battles featuring secret ingredients (among them merguez sausage, beef tenderloin, and raw lobster tails) that pit five chefs against one another—Bourbon Steak’s Michael Mina, Willow’s Tracy O’Grady, and Blue Ridge’s Barton Seaver plus Top Chef contestants Mike Isabella of Zaytinya and Bryan Voltaggio of Volt.

The final round featured an east-coast/west-coast showdown as Seaver, the two-time reigning champion, was ousted by San Francisco’s Mina, who transformed the round’s secret ingredient, coquitos (baby coconuts), into Thai coconut shrimp fritto misto.

In case you missed it, here are some of the night’s highs and lows.

Curbside Cupcakes, a mobile cupcake business operating out of a bubblegum-pink truck, landed in front of our downtown DC office this morning; it's been making rounds since Tuesday. An intersection of Washington's latest food trends—social-media marketing (follow the truck's whereabouts at twitter.com/curbsidecupcake), street food, and cupcakes—the concept was the brainchild of two friends who wanted cupcakes one day but didn't feel like schlepping to Georgetown to get them. Samuel Whitfield III, a former attorney, and Kristi Cunningham, who worked in freight forwarding, gave up their careers to peddle their sweets, baked by a third partner in the business. The cupcakes, which sell for $3 apiece, come in five flavors: classic vanilla, classic chocolate, red velvet, chocolate mocha, and chocolate frosting with vanilla cake.

>> Want to see what Olivon's ingredients and meal look like? Check out our photo slideshow to see more

Steaming bowls of monkfish with garlic aïoli. Plates of soft cheese and rabbit pâté. Cassoulet thick with white beans and pork sausage.

France is renowned for its cuisine, but so much of it is meat-based. What will a French chef do when challenged to make a vegetarian dinner for two for less than $15?

Chef Patrice Olivon—who grew up in Provence, cooked at the Embassy of France and the White House, and now teaches at L’Academie de Cuisine—agreed to give it a whirl. Not including standard pantry items—sugar, flour, olive oil—this vegetarian feast can’t exceed $15.

Bacon and dates are a traditional pairing in Spain. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

At the Penn Quarter outpost of the Spanish tapas-house Jaleo, the kitchen sent out nearly 600 orders of bacon-wrapped dates last month, according to executive chef José Andrés. It’s no wonder, then, that a reader requested the recipe for the crunchy, salty/sweet snack. Andrés says he grew up eating lots of Catalan cooking, which often includes savory/sweet pairings—lamb with honey, pork with apricots—and the bacon-and-dates combination is a common one in Spain.

Andrés recommends searching for a high-quality bacon that’s on the thin side. Use a toothpick to help secure it around the date.

Have a restaurant recipe you'd like sniffed out? E-mail recipesleuth@washingtonian.com. 

Dátiles con tocino ‘como hace todo el mundo’
Fried dates wrapped in bacon

Makes 10 dates

5 slices bacon
10 pitted dates
1 egg
1 teaspoon milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
 

Tuesday, November 10
Get your chick-lit fix tonight at the Georgetown Italian bistro Paolo’s, where Kristin Harmel will sign copies of her newest book, Italian for Beginners, from 6 to 8. The novel, Harmel’s seventh, takes place in Rome, where a professional woman has taken an impulsive trip to visit an old flame—and includes, naturally, a spontaneous Vespa ride with a “handsome stranger.” Sip a glass of Little Black Dress wine while you’re there.

Wednesday, November 11
Unless you’ve already gotten your tickets for the Capitol Food Fight, you’re out of luck—Wednesday night’s star-studded philanthropic event, with attendees such as Anthony Bourdain and John Kerry, is sold out. Legal Sea Foods in Crystal City, Penn Quarter, and Tysons Corner are celebrating Chilean wine through November 14. Prices for select Chilean bottles are $23 to $45 and glasses are $7.50 to $9.50. There’s also flights of three wines for $7.95.

At the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner (1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean), sommelier Vincent Feraud is hosting a Champagne tasting at 6:30. To reserve a spot for the event, which costs $125, call 703-917-5496.

On the New York Times' You're the Boss blog, first-time restaurateur Bruce Buschel is writing "The Start-Up Chronicle," which documents the making of his Southampton, New York restaurant. Last month, he posted a two-part list of 100 do's and don'ts for his servers, and restaurant-industry controversy ensued.

The list runs the gamut from hygiene (number 12: Do not touch the rim of a water glass. Or any other glass.) to attitude (number 58: Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested.).

We know everyone has pet peeves when they eat out. So, we want to know your thoughts on the list: Would you add any rules or take anything off?  Servers, please chime in, too. Are Buschel's rules realistic or idealistic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! 

>> Check out more photos of Againn in our photo slideshow. 

For all their literary, musical, and theatrical achievements, Britons haven’t traditionally been known for their flair in the kitchen. Fish and chips can be synonymous with crude frying, and mushy peas taste like, well, mush. But thanks to Michelin-starred English chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay—and locals such as Jamie Leeds of CommonWealth—UK cuisine has become de rigueur.

In keeping with this trend is Againn, a British-inspired gastropub that opened last week on the fringes of DC’s Penn Quarter. Contrary to spell check, the oddly named location isn’t a typo—it loosely translates as “are you going?,” “with us,” or “at us,” depending on your Gaelic dictionary.