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Cheese balls were all the rage in the 1970s, an easy, tasty, fab party food for any occasion. What's old is now retro-chic—this lightened-up cheese ball seduces with the sweetness of dates, the savory bite of blue cheese, a hint of shallot, and a teasing whiff of lemon zest.

B&O's menu offers everything from juicy steaks to local seafood, but our money's on the brick-oven pizzas (or flatbreads, as they're called at the restaurant). Savor the arugula, asparagus, and fried egg version while taking in the scene at the restaurant's downstairs bar.

This Italian spot in the city's Germantown neighborhood is known for its house-made salami and mozzarella. And because this is the South, these folks know their pork. The rich, Italian-inspired pork terrine with the southern-style sweet-tart green tomato sauce is a delicious blending of what this restaurant does best. Timing note: The conserva needs to chill overnight.

Quick preserved lemon (it cooks for ten minutes) adds a fresh hit of flavor to this warm salad.

Like the Tripoley and cribbage we used to play so often together, yakitori is something of a tradition in my family. Dad's navy career had us living in Japan for a few years (I was born there), and just outside the gates of the base was a small yakitori restaurant my parents often patronized. This recipe is based on one my mom came home with from Japan. These flavorful skewers can be made with chicken in place of beef, if you wish. I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs; they remain more tender and juicy on the grill than does chicken breast meat.

A little taste of the Southwest to get you in the mood for a rowdy game of Texas Hold'em!

Fresh sardines are widely available in California, but can be more difficult to find in the rest of the country. If fresh sardines are not available in your area, you can make a terrific spread with canned sardines.

Roasting the tomatoes concentrates their flavor.

This Peruvian ceviche offers a plethora of interesting textures: the meaty chew of octopus, the refreshing bite of shrimp, and the marshmallowy smoothness of bay scallops. It's all bathed in the electric yellow glow of a sauce made with Peru's most common chile pepper, the aji amarillo. You can find jarred aji amarillo paste at South American markets. The pepper imparts a distinct fruity quality to this dish, and the addition of turmeric and ginger enhances this fruitiness while toning down the pepper's heat. The variety of seafood in the following preparation, along with its exciting color, is certain to be a favorite on your table.

I'm a huge fan of small fish such as anchovies, baiting, and, of course, sardines. Unfortunately, when many Americans think of sardines, they picture tiny fish drowned in oil, or some other saucy mixture, packed side by side in a small, flat can. But fresh sardines are a wonderful fish, nothing like their canned counterparts. Typically 5 to 6 inches in length, their flesh has a quite delicate flavor. If you can find them, sardines imported from Portugal have the best flavor. Because of their small size, it is easiest to leave on the skin of sardines—it also imparts a great flavor. That said, remember that it is extremely important to wash the sardines very well, rinsing off all their scales under cold water. Scoring the skin will allow the fish to more easily soak up the flavorful marinade. Don't marinade the sardines for any longer than 2 hours or they will become mushy and pasty. Just enjoy them as soon as they're done marinating, with a silky dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream.

The season's best beans shine in this salad. Shaved pecorino fresco—a mild, fresh sheep's-milk cheese—is a delicious finishing touch.

This recipe epitomizes what a great ceviche should be—crunchy, sweet, savory, tart, and rich all in one bite. Corvina, a type of sea bass, is the most widely used fish in South America for ceviche, and is very forgiving for the novice. Its firm, lean flesh holds up better to acid and is easy to either thinly slice or dice. The combination of sweet potato and raw marinated fish is common in Peru, although there the potato might be roasted whole, sliced, and served fanned at the edge of a plate of ceviche similar to this crunchy, tart version. As you eat the marinated fish, pull away bites of sweet potato from the edge of the dish and enjoy both components at once. Don't be swayed to leave out the sweet potato garnish—you must try both the tart, firm fish and the potato in the same bite to really understand and savor how they work together. Leftover sweet potatoes make a great side dish for spicy foods.

Cut into rings and tentacles and deep fried, squid have claimed a top spot on restaurant appetizer menus as calamari. But why go out for calamari when you can grill them at home? Whole, marinated squid, done to a turn on your grill, can transform your backyard into a tapas bar. Just stir up a pitcher of sangria or chill a bottle of fino sherry, and you're good to go. The technique you use for grilling squid is the same as for whole baby octopus or cut-up octopus tentacles. You want to marinate them first to imbue them with flavor. Squid and octopus are not as delicate as fish, so you can marinate them longer—ideally, for 3 to 4 hours. Then, grill them quickly on an oiled, perforated grill rack (so they don't fall through the grill grates) over a hot fire; that way, they crisp up without getting rubbery.

It used to be that you could buy and eat oysters only in months with an "R" in them. That's because during the summer months of spawning, wild oysters develop an "off" flavor. Transporting oysters in hot weather, before the days of refrigerated trucks, was also problematic. Today, about 80 percent of oysters are farm-raised in submerged nets, dining on plankton in carefully controlled marine environments. They spawn at different times during the year, so there's always a variety available that's good to eat. When ready, they're harvested and shipped by air to seafood markets. If you're not comfortable shucking oysters at home, have the fishmonger shuck them for you and ask him or her to give you a half shell for each oyster.
In this recipe, you'll get smoky flavor from two sources: the wood-grilling technique and the chipotle chile in the vinaigrette.

Naturally sweet, fresh figs get an all-over taste treatment with tangy goat cheese, smoky pancetta, slightly bitter fruit liqueur, and heat from black pepper. Serve these figs as finger-food appetizers or place them on top of dressed greens for a salad. High-heat planking caramelizes the figs and burnishes the goat cheese, adding another level of flavor. The high heat cooks the fruit quickly, resulting in an outer charred fruit and warm center that has texture and bite but is not mushy. This is an excellent way to plank most fruits and vegetables. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to lightly douse flare-ups. Suggested plank: 2 maple or oak grilling planks, soaked in water for at least 1 hour

Sweetbreads, the thymus gland of calves (and occasionally lambs), are some of the easiest offal for beginners to love—their delicate flavor and creamy texture are incredibly seductive. No matter how you're going to prepare them, sweetbreads must first be soaked in cold water and then poached to firm them up. After that, these are rolled in a paprika-seasoned flour-and-cornmeal coating and deep-fried. The crunchy outside and pillowy interior are absolutely delicious dipped in the herbaceous Green Goddess sauce. If you want to take things to the next level, tuck the nuggets into a hollowed-out baguette with shredded lettuce, then smear on the Green Goddess and some hot sauce for an out-of-this-world po' boy.

Marinated eggplant makes a great antipasto, alone or as part of a larger spread. It also works as an accompaniment to grilled meat and fish. However you serve it, I strongly suggest you make sure to save enough for a sandwich. Country bread with grilled marinated eggplant, prosciutto, and mozzarella—really, really good.