• Hot Southern Florida weather pairs well with fresh vegetarian and Asian fare: Malaysian restaurant Parc 28 in Weston offers "boldly spiced fare" in a cuisine that takes inspiration from Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Thai and European influences; "fresh and vibrant" vegan cuisine is offered at Miami's Om Garden; Lauderdale-by-the-Sea offers "light, fragrant, healthful" Vietnamese food at Basilic.
• Culinary historian Maricel E. Presilla discusses the honor of cooking a feast for Fiesta Latina at the White House and her attempts to "convey that the allure of Latin food is as irresistible as the rhythms that pulled President Obama out of his chair to dance" that night.
• The "Desperation Dinners" feature raves about infused vinegar and its ability to "excite the palate" and elevate otherwise simple dishes.
• Once incorrectly reputed to have a correlation with breast cancer, the grapefruit has been expunged -- and is even suggested as the perfect pink fruit for Breast Cancer Awareness month.
• Cabernets are the quintessential U.S. wine: "big and brash, supremely self-confident, a little loud, even rude at times."
• Recipes: Maricel Presilla's Milk Chocolate-Coffee "Cortadito" Brulées, Pink Grapefruit and Fennel Salad, a complex Vermouth Molasses Marinade, Corn Tortilla and Mixed-Bean Lasagna.
• Calendar highlights include a silent auction for painted pumpkins, $35 prix-fixe meals for Dine Out Lauderdale, Rosa Mexicano's Chocolate festival and a "Top Chef" Talent Hunt.

What does Sarah Palin eat after a day of snowmachining? Learn the answer to that and many other fun facts about US presidents' favorite foods.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

Memo to the First Lady: That's the nicest-looking gardening outfit we've ever seen! Take this quiz and find out how well you know what the Obamas are planting this year.

A pretty dang delicious-looking milk chocolate and peanut butter cookie recipe.

Edamame in linguine? They make it look tasty over at YumSugar.

A writer is entranced by the simple charms of homemade tortillas. Have you tried it? Take their poll.

McDonald's joins the upscale burger trend with one-third pound Angus patties, coming this August.

It's Washington tradition for the new first lady to lead a group of reporters through the official State Dining Room to see the china and flower arrangements laid out before a state dinner.

Michelle Obama, however, gave a slightly different tour yesterday afternoon, before the Obamas' first official dinner, honoring the country's governors. The first lady escorted not only reporters, but also the top six students from L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland. And they didn't just get to see the china, the got to see...the kitchen. And meet the chefs. And sample some desserts. How cool is that.

The guests watched chefs prepare citrus salad with watermelon radishes, Chesapeake crab agnolotti, and a dish of wagyu beef and Nantucket scallops. Obama, an outspoken proponent of local and healthy eating, voiced her approval of the locals carrots being used in the beef and scallop dish."If it tastes like a real carrot, and it's really sweet, they're going to think that it's a piece of candy," she said, referring to her daughters. "So my kids are more inclined to try different vegetables if they are fresh and local and delicious."

Read the full story about the kitchen tour at The New York Times.

The Bush White House has been criticized for its total lack of finesse in serving wine at White House dinners (like the $300 Napa Valley wine they served at an economic summit on the global financial crisis), but you can't blame George W. too much--after all, he doesn't even drink. Besides, the same wine guy has picked the bottles since 1995.

Here's what the Obamas had at today's inauguration luncheon:

2007 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc from Napa, $30

2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley, $50

NV Korbel Natural Champagne from California, $14

According to Forbes.com, these wines were chosen by a bipartisan Senate-House tasting committee. Now that would be a fun committee to elbow your way onto.

Endless Simmer just put up a speculative piece about the next White House Executive Chef. Before going off the deep end with their suggestions that the Obamas try out Rachel Ray, Cindy McCain, and butter sculptor Duffy Lion, the site laid out three front runners for the job: Art Smith, Tony Mantuano, and Criseta Comerford. Smith and Mantuano are both noted chefs with prominent restaurants; Smith runs "Art and Soul," while Mantuano owns the Obamas' favorite Chicago eatery, Spiaggia. The third choice, Criseta Comerford, is the current White House Executive Chef.

After reading Endless Simmer's piece, I took a peek through The White House Family Cookbook. Written by Henry Haller, Executive Chef at the White House for over 25 years, the book showcases the wide variety of foods that Presidential families have eaten over the years. Based on Haller, I tend to disagree with Endless Simmer's first two suggestions for a few basic reasons. First off, while being the big Kahuna in the White House kitchen is a great honor, it isn't exactly necessarily a great career move. In fact, most people don't really know anything about the White House Executive Chef until he or she releases a cookbook, usually after leaving the job. With this in mind, it seems unlikely that an established chef would walk away from a prominent restaurant to toil in relative obscurity.

The second problem with Smith and Mantuano is that the skills required of a White House chef are significantly different than those required of a restaraunteur. To achieve fame in the restaurant profession, a chef needs to develop a personal style that is distinctive and unique. A White House chef, on the other hand, needs to be able to prepare a wide variety of foods to absolute perfection. While this gives a lot of room to try new things, it doesn't allow a lot of room for personal expression. A creme brulee has to follow the classical definition of the dish, and a pancake has to be a perfect, if bland, pancake. For established chefs, the inability to put a personal spin on every dish would be painful at best.

After three years of working in the White House, Comerford probably has a great deal of experience with mastering the preferred styles and tastes of numerous White House visitors. Beyond that, she already knows her way around the kitchen and has a place in the city. My money is definitely on her!

In a recent (pre-election) People magazine profile on the Obamas, the writer mentioned that a bottle of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay was on the future First Family's Chicago kitchen counter. Kendall-Jackson decided to send the president-elect a few cases of KJ Chardonnay, America's #1 selling chardonnay for 18 years running, for his new wine cellar on Pennsylvania Ave.

Jess Jackson, KJ's founder, says the Chardonnay was a favorite at the Reagan White House. He hopes the wine will bridge the political divide and become a favorite in a Democratic White House as well. (In the past, Presidents have favored American wines at State dinners. Of course, Serious Eats says that Barack Obama reportedly prefers beer to wine, but let's hope he still serves wine with dinner instead of Budweiser.)

Kendall-Jackson says the wine was sent as a congratulatory gift, but one can't help but think it might be a gift of condolence as well, with the shape and size of the economic and social problems that face our next President. When Obama is done celebrating his election, he should have several bottles left to drown his sorrows in once he faces the real work ahead of him.

This past Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the White House. So what do you serve British royals for a white tie dinner? Following is the menu and wine selections that they chose, from the Office of the First Lady:

Spring Pea Soup with Fernleaf Lavender
Chive Pizzelle with American Caviar
Newton Chardonnay "Unfiltered" 2004

Dover Sole Almondine
Roasted Artichokes, Pequillo Peppers and Olives

Saddle of Spring Lamb
Chanterelle Sauce
Fricassee of Baby Vegetables

Peter Michael "Les Pavots" 2003

Arugula, Savannah Mustard and Mint Romaine
Champagne Dressing and Trio of Farmhouse Cheeses

"Rose Blossoms"

Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2004

Since today is President's Day, what could be more appropriate than featuring the memoir of Roland Mesnier, All the Presidents' Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House. Mesnier was the White House's pastry chef for a quarter century and in that time he served world leaders, diplomats, celebrities and, of course, the five first families that came through the White House during his time there. He first came into his position during Jimmy Carter's time in office and served for Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, as well. He undoubtedly saw a lot, but the book doesn't get gossipy (with just a handful of minor exceptions). Instead it focuses on Mesnier's journey from a childhood in France, through London, Bermuda and finally into Washington, covering the various personalities (chefs and clients) he interacted with, foods he prepared and "major world events" that he witnessed. The book only has a dozen or so recipes, including Carter's favorite Pecan Bourbon Pie, but each one has the presidential seal of approval.

Most of us will never get to eat a meal at the White House, joining up with heads of state from all over the world, as well as governors and other high-powered politicians, at one of the most famous dinner tables in the country. Curious about what the food was like, the Associated Press asked chefs, food professionals and foodies to take a look at some of White House's recent menus to see what makes the table - and whether it represents the country well.

With the exception of Tim Zagat (of the Zagat guides), who felt that the menus were "kind of strange", the reviewers praised the dishes prepared by executive chef Cristeta Comerford and her staff, designed with the help of first lady Laura Bush and social secretary Lea Berman. They used mostly American ingredients, with nods to the specific countries represented by guests. Chicken wasn't prominently featured, although Kobe Beef, Maryland blue crab, shrimp and lamb were chosen repeatedly, and every main was accompanied by lots of fresh, seasonal vegetables. The wine selections were also good, with lots of boutique wines that were clearly identified on dinner menus.

If you're ever lucky enough to be invited to a black-tie, four-course dinner at the White House, there are at least a few foods that are guaranteed not to make the menu. Flambés are banned, after a woman leaning over her dessert caused her fox-fur scarf to catch fire in 2001. Foods that smell very strongly and might be offensive to some guests, like pungent fish or garlic-heavy dishes, are kept at a distance. Gravies and sauces are kept to a minimum as well to decrease the likelihood of drips ruining formal attire.

The White House kitchen staff accommodates guests with food preferences and food allergies, altering menus that they plan with the first lady in accordance with the requests of guests, as specified on their RSVP cards. They report that only 1-2% of attendees will make such a request, and often these are due to allergies. The menus are planned with the religious or dietary preferences of most of the attending guests in mind, though. Some former chefs report that they tried to tailor the menu so that people with specific dietary requirements were not singled out, instead serving everyone the same dessert, perhaps flourless chocolate cakes to accommodate gluten intolerant diners.

While the White House is not a restaurant where people can order as they please, it is interesting to note the lengths to which they go to best serve the presidential diners. In some cases, it might be more sensible for guests not to wear anything that might dangle into their food, like fox-fur scarves, for example, but it is much easier for the chefs to avoid certain foods than to police the attire of guests.