Bar hopping and new Ruhlman interview

Hey gang, the night before Thanksgiving is considered the biggest bar night of the year. Where are you hanging? (Or will you be in the kitchen, chopping and preparing dishes for the big Turkey Day feast? That's my plan, though I may be hoisting a glass of vino or maybe one of those Ming Tsai cocktails with "numbing" ice cubes that was mentioned earlier.)

I checked out Blackstones in Newark recently for a Dish column. Liked the pub atmosphere, the cold beer and the nachos - they use homemade potato chips instead of tortilla chips - but wasn't sold on the rest of the food. Seems like they've got some kinks to work out.....

Also, just came upon this interview with Michael Ruhlman, one of my favorite food writers. Ruhlman has a new book out called The Elements of Cooking. It's inspired by the classic Strunk and White book, The Elements of Style. (If you were an English major, you probably have a copy of S&W on your bookshelf.)