amanda mcclements

Lest you fear that the foodie obsession with bacon could be so fickle as to fade or do something rash like jump a shark , I submit for your consideration Buzz 's cupcake of the month. Yes, that is a bacon garnish perched on top. Oh, and the frosting crowning pastry chef Josh Short's devil's food chocolate cake is peanut butter bacon. It's available through August at Buzz for $2.75.

Gummy bear chandelier by artist YaYa Chou , via Al Dente The real question here isn't why make a chandelier out of gummy bears (obviously because it's a stunning thing of beauty) but are those Haribos ? The best gummies out there? Click here for a close-up.

Rappahannock oysters, hot off the grill, on a chilly January night Today's story in The Washington Post on Rappahannock oysters has me in the mood for an oyster roast. The story's author, Melissa McCart , introduced me to Rappahannock River Oysters last year with an oyster gift certificate — a great foodie gift idea. I ordered 250 oysters, and they were shipped right to my front door, alive, well and ready to be roasted. Growing up in North Carolina, I lived for big winter oyster roasts. Guests huddle around a hot grill, cold beers in hand, and wait for the next batch of shellfish to pop open. As a toddler, I allegedly chowed down on those little crabs that live inside oysters, though I can't say I remember. This past January, I threw my first DC roast in the backyard (above), featuring the Rappahannock oysters. We ate a bunch raw, and tossed the rest on the grill. Never roasted oysters? It couldn't be easier. Just place the whole oysters on the grate of a hot grill...

Have I mentioned how much I love olives ? With that in mind, I've found my new favorite bar snack: the fried olives stuffed with lemon at the newly opened CommonWealth . They're warm and just barely coated in thin, crisp batter. And they pair perfectly with a glass of Prosecco. I'll try them with a pint of beer next time. I was also thrilled to find a special offering pork tenderloin from Eco Friendly Foods , my favorite local purveyor of pastured meats. Check them out on Sundays at the Dupont FreshFarm Market .

During a recent week of eating vegetarian, I went to Vegetate with friends for a meat-less meal and stumbled on one of the most surprising dishes I've had in a while: a rich and hearty risotto that was completely vegan. I was completely mystified. I could've sworn a stick of butter and a cup of cheese had gone into the bowl, so I stopped owner Dominic Redd (aka DJ Dredd ) on our way out to ask how they make the risotto so damn good. Redd said they worked on the recipe for a while to get it just right. The secrets behind the deceptively decadent flavor are a stock fortified with miso that's been clarified and cashew cream. The dish features seasonal vegetables — cauliflower and peas when I had it — and is embellished with truffle oil. To note, Vegetate is offering an unofficial Restaurant Week menu: three courses for $25 through Saturday.

Caught onto the latest phrase infiltrating the lingo of the Internets? Meet "om nom nom nom," more casually known as "nom nom nom." The turtle above would say this if he could speak. If you're not hip to the nom nom phenomenon, the ever-credible Urban Dictionary defines the phrase as "an onomatopoeical adjective based on the sound emitted when something is 'oh so tasty' ... that one gnaws through it without regard to cleanliness or etiquette. This sort of ravenous eating will often result in an 'om nom nom nom' noise being emitted from the eater." Cookie Monster is credited with coining the endearing sound, and it's catching on as an irreverent expression of epicurean enjoyment. Exhibit A: Serious Eats . Exhibit B: Obama nom noms . Across the pond, exhibit C: Londonist . Also seen in comments all over the blogosphere. It's like an antidote to a certain TV celeb's sickeningly saccharine yum-o . And however sophomoric, this ...