Every year I host a fundraiser called Pies Against Cancer (for more info, check piesagainstcancer.blogspot.com). This year I was thinking that I might serve a rhubarb pie, because, well, rhubarb pie is delicious, right? Except, of course, that the party is in February. Does anyone know of a resource for frozen rhubarb? I can't be the only person who has wanted it out of season, and it strikes me as the kind of produce that would handle freezing well.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Next week I'm attending a conference in New Orleans, staying at a hotel at Canal and Dauphine Streets. I've reviewed the suggestions on SE of where to eat in NO from two articles from 2010. Two questions: any updates I should consider? i.e., don't go to X, which was great in 2010 and has gone downhill; or do go to Y, a new restaurant with a great chef, that sort of thing. I'm staying on the edge of the Quarter, and since I won't have a car, anything within safe walking distance would be ideal.

Thanks in advance.

Friends of mine who spent time in Croatia brought back a package of something called Vegeta ("Natur" to be specific). My internet research so far tells me that it consists of dehydrated vegetables and spices.

This is great, but my question for the community is: what should I do with this? What do I add it to? How do I apply it? Thanks in advance for any suggestions and/or wisdom.

Next month I will find myself in New Haven late on a Sunday afternoon with some free time. I hope to use this opportunity to make up for a huge gap in my pizza education. Despite having a BA from a certain nearby university, I have eaten at neither Sally's nor Pepe's (hey, it was the 80's, and Elm City was a rougher place back then). My question is: how best to take advantage of one of these legendary establishments when I am dining solo? If I recall correctly, slices are not an option, and I'm not above bringing some leftovers home on the train.

Suggestions from those who have been there before? Or anyone want to meet up there (Sunday June 10 at about 5pm)? Thanks in advance, pizza hive mind.

Next month I'm going to China (lucky me!). While I've been eating Chinese food as long as I can remember, I figure that I should do a little homework before I go. Delicious, delicious homework. The topic? Regional Chinese cuisine. I've learned that saying you're going to China is a bit like saying you're going to Europe. It's not going to be one unified experience, and the food is going to differ wildly from city to city.

Here's the itinerary:
Shanghai
Beijing
Xian
Chengdu
Hangzhou.

OK, so not especially original, but there's nothing wrong with seeing these cities for the first time, right?

So, where in New York should I go to get a taste of what I'm going to be eating over there? Some obvious ideas would be to try Shanghai soup dumplings (_still_ never had these, but I'm taking a soup dumpling-making class while I'm in Shanghai, OK?). Also, Xian Famous Food. Others?

And on a side note, if anyone would like to suggest some amazing dining experiences they had while in these cities that I might want to replicate, feel free to chime in.

Thanks!

Christopher

I'm going to Charleston in January, and I'm looking for some good eats (restaurants, bakeries, you name it). The SE Talk archives have some suggestions - it looks like someone asks this question once a year - but any fresh input is welcome. I also found on TripAdvisor a referral for a food-themed walking tour of Charleston. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks in advance for all your good advice.

Next month I'll be attending a conference (of administrative law judges - fun!) in Santa Fe. Each year there is a silent auction, and folks typically donate items that represent their home state. For example, last year the California delegation brought lots of local wine. I was thinking of bringing some items from New York, and I'm looking for ideas. Keep in mind that these items need to be brought on an airplane (in checked luggage), can't be perishable or need refrigeration, should have a fairly broad appeal, and preferably are things not generally available elsewhere.

So far, the ideas I have had include:
- NYC beekeeper honey (now legal!)
- Katz's salami (where the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the army" comes from)
- Jaques Torres hot chocolate mix
- Spekuloos from the Waffle Truck

OK, hive mind, what else should I include?

I'm headed to the Land of Cheese this week for a few non-food related reasons (although I'm seeing a Brewers game on Sunday - does watching the Sausage Race count?). Can the Serious Eats hive mind come up with some not-to-be missed food stops to make, especially in Madison and Racine?

Thanks in advance,

Christopher

A friend works for a partner at a hedge fund. The partner has invested in a restaurant, which was supposed to be open in time for the fund's Christmas party. The restaurant business being what it is, the restaurant won't be open in time. So, while the date is set (Thursday December 16), the venue is still up in the air. She needs a private space for 60 people. Since this is a hedge fund we're talking about, I won't say that money is no object, but let's say that penny-pinching isn't the goal either.

Suggestions?

We're starting the research for the Louisiana article in the United States of Pizza series. Where do you go for a good pie in Louisiana, and why do you like it so much? Suggestions are welcome both for New Orleans as well as for the rest of the state.

Where do you like to go for pizza in Iowa? I'm visiting some friends in Des Moines, but I'd like to hear about anywhere in the state you think I should try.

Thanks,

Christopher