Chocolate Croissants and Peppermint Mocha Frap

This week’s mission: frozen pastry with magic rising power, and seasonal Frappuccino in a bottle. (By James Norton)

Gas Versus Charcoal

Choose what’s under your grate before you choose what goes on top. (By Roxanne Webber)

Vote for Your Favorite Fake Fruit

This week’s mission: frozen veggies and fake meat to add to eggs, plus new Mountain Dew sodas. (By James Norton)

Mysteries of Tempeh Revealed

This week’s mission: a seasoned meat substitute, and fancified potato buds. (By James Norton)

From Me to You

Your host and hostess deserve your thanks.

Raiding Harrison Ford's Liquor Cabinet

Table 8’s Govind Armstrong still makes time for friends (and mischief). (By Michele Foley)

Patton Oswalt (re)discovers the hideousness of the KFC Famous Bowl. (By Miriam Wolf)

Get your grill on with lump hardwood charcoal. (By Joyce Slaton)

Lather yourself up and smell like a plate of Christmas cookies with bath products galore. (By Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic)

Musso & Frank has a killer open-faced steak sandwich on its menu with an equally killer price of $27. For a more modest $11, Nook Bistro’s ancho-rubbed flat iron steak sandwich with grilled onions sizzles. ... (By C. Thi Nguyen)

L.A. Burdick’s sweet snowmen. (By Roxanne Webber)

Lärabars, Clif Bars, and spirulina bites. (By Sarah Perry)

Calling all wicked-smart food journalists: CHOW.com is hiring. (By Davina Baum)

Verandah Place Deli starts with Valrhona chocolate and froths it up with whole milk. The resulting hot chocolate is thick, delicious, not too sweet, and not paralyzingly rich, like some other versions around town. (By Mark Hokoda)

At A16, Incanto, Delfina, Balompie, China Village, Zone 88, Asian Pearl, and the El Novillo taco truck. (By C. Thi Nguyen)