So, are you looking at the calendar and getting that cold, clammy feeling from the sudden realization that you've yet to come up with anything special or different for your sweetie on Valentine's Day? Relax! TheListAreYouOnIt.com is your go-to place for every food and wine event happening in the DC Metro area and Valentine's Day is no exception. Just click on our special Valentine's Day page to peruse more than 75 sinful offerings. Trust us -- any one will be a lot more fun and will serve you much better than just the obligatory card and flowers!

Valentine's Day aside, there's plenty more to keep your heart (head, hands, toes and tummies) warm in this issue. One look in our Local Events calendar and you'll see what we mean. Chef-led cooking classes (tons!), wine dinners, galas and tasty charity fun are at your finger tips. Want to hear about several of the must-hit events to which we here at TheListAreYouOnIt.com will go? Tune in to this issue's Podcast for all our event-hopping fun, plus some of the latest and tastiest restaurant industry gossip that we know you won't want to miss.

Did you hear about the new "urban bistro" that's just opened its doors? No? Better take a look at Openings to get and stay in the know (Hint: It rhymes with "DC."). Any idea what hot new restaurant is now serving lunch? Have you heard about the new chefs at restaurants like 701 and Taberna del Alabardero? What about the launch of The Ninth Annual Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival's vintner dinners happening around the city the week before the big event? Anyone ? Bueller? We have all that and more waiting for you in this issue's Buzz column.

You'll absolutely like what you find to read in this issue's new Grapes & More column. As you may know, the International Food & Wine Festival is returning to Washington for the ninth year, February 29 - March 2 at the Ronald Reagan Building downtown. Doug Frost, our guest Grapes & More columnist, is both speaking and presenting at the Festival. Doug is one of only three people in the world to pass the rigorous Master Sommelier examination and to become certified as a Master of Wine, two rigorous courses testing candidates' knowledge of wine and wine production, storage and marketing, as well as requiring the candidates to demonstrate their abilities to describe, analyze and identify many blind (unidentified) wines. According to USA Today, "Frost likely knows as much as anyone in the world about how to make, market, serve and identify wines."

Doug writes about wine and spirits for many publications, including The Oxford Companion to Wine, New York Times Digital, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Underground Wine Journal, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Hemispheres Magazine, Wines & Vines, Wines & Spirits, Cheers Magazine and Sante Magazine, and is the beverage columnist for the James Beard award-winning food section of the Kansas City Star. His exclusive column for TheListAreYouOnIt.com, Seeking Closure, takes a look at the controversial impact that screw caps are increasingly having on wine bottling. Sound "screwy?" Visit Grapes & More to find out more.

In the no less fascinating Chef's Column, one the "world's best bread guys," Didier Rosada, master baker and vice president of operations at Uptown Bakers, takes us into his personal voyage to the world where professionals "roll in dough" every day, as a matter of course. Read about his personal passion for baking excellence, how it developed and about how he approaches his special, culinary artistry.

We get around. That has been established. But, understand that we run around like mad not just to stay warm but to keep tabs on all that's delightful and delish in the city:

• We popped into the Sofitel Lafayette Square Hotel one blustery night. Although there to check out the new Ici Bistro, we started with a cocktail in the recently (and nicely!) renovated Le Bar. Cozy in the sophisticated and warm bar, we snacked on seasoned popcorn with our bubbly, while waiting for our guests.   Once seated in Ici, we could quickly see how the restaurant had transformed itself from its fine dining former self to this light and airy, French bistro. Executive Chef Philippe Piel put together a menu based on his family's traditional Sunday dinners - real French comfort foods. The gooey, miniature croque monsier was served on house-made brioche with ham and béchamel. We definitely enjoyed the petite tower of crepes with chicken and mushrooms and a selection of the cast iron pots filled with slow-cooked casseroles, like the tasty lamb casserole "à la Provencale". It was hard to choose which pommes frites to order, so, waistlines be damned!, we ordered three: the Parsley pommes frites with roasted garlic mayo, the pommes gaufrettes with malt vinegar and mayo and the crispy sweet potato frites with the roquefort dip. That left two other types left to try. And, you can bet we are going back soon to taste them.
• TheListAreYouOnIt.com joined a gaggle of friends at the brand new Cork Wine Bar on 14th Street, NW. The concept there is to offer a wide range of great wines in cozy, friendly surroundings, reasonably priced and backed by intimidation-free wine education for the novices among us. The wine list is extensive and impressive, including beaucoup wines by the glass. Food? There's a lot to consider. Chef Ron Tanaka, formerly of CityZen, has put together a menu that should be shared with friends and consumed with wine. You can bet we did just that! Dishes we'd absolutely share again? The house-cured trout with shaved fennel, toasted hazelnuts and tangerine vinaigrette, the house-made duck confit with the super-creamy mushroom polenta and the red wine braised lamb with pomegranate, radicchio and spinach. Next time we go we promise to report on the wines!
• We attended the first in a series of farm dinners, organized by Alexandria-based Neighborhood Restaurant Group and FRESHFARM Markets in a true "farm to fork" fashion. This dinner took place at Rustico Restaurant and was organized by Executive Chef Frank Morales, who coordinated with Babes in the Woods in Dilwyn, VA, Tree & Leaf in Waterford, VA and Firefly Farms in Bittinger, MD to provide this fresh, farm-inspired four-course meal. We particularly loved the Roulade of Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Apple Butter Béarnaise Relish, paired with the Southampton Double White thanks to Beer Director Greg Engert's helpful recommendation. We can't wait for the next dinner in the series, hosted by Executive Chef Tony Chittum at Vermilion this April (be sure to check TheListAreYopuOnIt.com for the forthcoming details!)
• We checked out the new Jamieson Grille in the Westin Alexandria Hotel. The aptly named Trademark Bar gives a nod to its neighbors, the U.S. Courthouse and Patent & Trade Office, with many of the cocktails served. A favorite was the "Refreshing Allegation" (Patron silver tequila, cilantro, lime juice and white cranberry juice) - it practically screams summer, and made us forget it was the middle of winter for just a minute. In the kitchen, Chef Nadine Thomas has created a menu that offers something for everyone. The trio of soups offers perfect-sized tastes, and the Maryland crab bisque was a definite standout. Other hits included the trio of heirloom beets and the various panini we sampled. One of the best things about the meal (as always) was dessert. Here they are offered in small "shooter-style" glasses - just enough to quell that sweet tooth, but not enough to give you the guilts.
• Can't stay away long! We were back at BLT Steak downtown where we stuffed ourselves with the melt-in-your-mouth popovers- practically a meal on their own - followed by the tuna tartare delightfully perked up by it's briny soy sauce. And that was just to start...never mind the steaks, blue cheese tater tots (don't ask or count calories - just try them if you go), hen-of-the-woods mushrooms ... we can go on and on. Special thanks to General Manager, Adam Williamowsky, who always makes each meal special.
• You know we got our vote on this Super Tuesday and what better place to bite our nails to the quick than at the JW Marriott's 1331 Lounge which was totally transformed into "Super Tuesday Central." We sat with all the pundits and politicos and joined in on all the bipartisan fun while cheering our pick. Of course, snacking on a tray of sliders that included black angus beef, Cuban pulled pork and salmon with havarti cheese filled our bellies while the patriotic potables (red martini, white martini and blue martini) prepared especially for this super day certainly took the edge off.

OK, we're outta here. There's so much to explore and learn in the next coming weeks. Use this new issue of TheListAreYouOnIt.com the way you would a treasure map, go out there and discover food, wine and other treats that await, and...

Enjoy