• Bistrot La Minette gets the Craig LaBan once-over and earns two bells. He has to remind himself that, at 31, the chef is still a little wet behind the ears, and for the most part, has nothing but acclaim for the authentic French menu, particularly in regards to the starting courses.
• Box wines have been gathering buzz over the past couple of years, and LaBan adds his opinion to the fray. While most are not very good, Yellow + Blue stands out from the pack, by not only looking stylish, but also tasting good.
• Things we previously knew about baccala: it is delicious. Things we did not know: it is a traditional Christmas food for area Italian-Americans! It is, in fact, one of the “one of the seven fishes of the holiday feast” (again — you/we learn something new every day) although it is less a part of the feast than it used to be.