This year, the theme is Italian varieties, some of which are Texas' most promising grapes. The panels typically include California producers, Texas producers and guests from the international region, this time Italy. Damian Mandola is doing lunch on Saturday. Cheese whiz Laura Merlin is a big guest, too.

How to explain Buffalo Gap (named for the tiny town near Abilene)? It is by choice kept small. It doesn't grow from year to year. Stephan Pyles, long committed to the cause, does an outlandish dinner Friday night - but 160 and 160 only. You can attend one event, such as the dinner or the gala walk-around tasting under the stars (pictured), or seminars on wine grapes.

There is a commitment to education, a commitment to fun, and a commitment to keeping it real. To me, it's like a Jerry Jeff Walker vision of Texas blessed by the wine gods. I know I will be there. Check the website for ticket information.

I probably bounced back up three pounds pretty quickly, but stayed slim, despite the demands of my job.

And then, somehow, a few more pounds crept on. I'd stopped weighing myself every day, which in retrospect was a huge mistake. I was still watching what I ate -- and exercising, though not with anything like the intensity with which I worked out when I lost all those pounds. And then about a month ago I got on the scale and realized with horror that I'd gained 9.8 pounds from my lowest weight. My "skinny" clothes still fit, thank goodness, with the exception of a beautiful skirt my husband bought me for my birthday the year I lost all that weight.

If the New York Times story was right, it would be much harder for me to lose weight now. But I decided to take the bull by the horns, and three weeks ago I went back on the Restaurant Critic's Diet, with a goal of losing 7 pounds. I logged into Lose It! once again. I entered all the data with a goal of losing one pound a week -- but figuring if the New York Times story was right, I'd probably only lose half a pound a week on the allotted calorie budget.

With much less to lose than the first time around, my daily calorie budget is pretty low: about 1,200 calories per day. That means if I burn 400 calories at the gym, I can consume 1,600 calories per day. Clearly I'd not only have to be even more careful about what I ate, but I'd also have to work out (hard!) an hour a day every day, if possible (or at least six days a week). Lately it had been more like half an hour or 45 minutes four or five times a week.

The calorie counting began. After 2 1/2 weeks, I'd lost 3 pounds. This was going better than I'd thought! Then, over the last three days, I gained almost two pounds, despite sticking with the program. How frustrating! Anyway, that's where I am now. I'm down only one measly pound after three weeks. This morning, after weighing myself, I almost felt like giving up. But I went to the gym -- and burned more than 600 calories in 66 minutes. I'm hoping at some point my metabolism will swing into action and help me out. I really want to wear that beautiful skirt!

Here's some unsolicited advice. If you're slim and healthy, work hard to stay that way. It was not terribly difficult for me to lose 28 pounds. But this time around, it feels like a whole different ball game. And if you do lose a lot of weight, do not take your eye off the ball. Keep weighing yourself every day, even if it seems silly.

Follow Leslie on Twitter @lesbren

Yesterday Martensen told me he's trying to do these pop-bars bi-monthly, "to keep things fresh in Dallas." McCullough, he says, will be showcasing some drinks he'll be featuring in his upcoming Standard Pour in Uptown.

The cocktails are bound to be interesting. KingZuluBong designed the space. Martensen says a portion of proceeds will go to Deep Ellum Community Association.

Four nights only: tonight and tomorrow night, then Thursday (Feb. 9) and Friday (Feb. 10). From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cash only.

Hid In 2612, 2612 Commerce St., Dallas

Do you like single malt Scotch as much as I do? If so, Laphroaig is a handy Scotch to think of when you're dining out. It's wonderfully peaty and smoky, and it's very well priced compared to other single malts of similar quality. Sigel's Fine Wines and Great Spirits sells it for $49.99 the bottle.

At Nana, one of the most expensive restaurants in town, Laphroaig 10 is on the list for a very reasonable $12; same at Al Biernat's. At the Second Floor Bistro and Bar, which has an absolutely amazing Scotch list, it's $15. But here's something very weird about the pricing of spirits in Dallas restaurants. I've noticed that in some restaurants, when you ask for a Scotch neat, you get charged $2 more than the price on the list. So, for instance, if you order a Laphroaig 10 served neat at Al Biernat's, you'll be charged $14, even though the menu says $12.

That's not the case at the Second Floor, where Scotch is practically a religion. There, according to general manager Jason Henry, all single malt Scotches get a 2-ounce pour. "Pricing does not vary if a guest orders neat or 'on the rocks,'" he writes. However, for all other spirits the normal pour at the Second Floor is an ounce and three-quarters and does incur an upcharge of $2 for a rocks pour, "which is over two ounces."

If you're not a Scotch fan, no doubt I've lost you, but if you are, this is important, right? Anyway, if you drink it neat -- as lots of single-malt aficionados do (others like to add a wee bit of water, but they probably want to control the amount themselves), you can get a 2.5 ounce pour at Al Biernat's for $14, or a 2-ounce pour at the Second Floor for $15. Or, getting back to Jasper's, you can get what looked to be a 2-ounce pour for $11. There was no up-charge for neat. At Nana, I don't think there's an upcharge if you want it neat, but I'm not sure. I will find out, though, and update.

Photo of chips and Scotch at Jasper's by Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer

But go downstairs and you're in another world, a bar with upscale chow. Matt likes to say it matches the spirit of the 40 changing American craft beers on tap, including beers made in-house. It's like an outdoor picnic area, complete with awnings, modern wooden benches and tables, and plenty of cozy nooks - all underground.

Chef John Kleifgen, a Dallas native and Culinary Institute of America grad who's been cooking in Boston, has returned to design the menu, which is mainly artisan pizza, sandwiches, salads and "snacks."

Among the latter, chef made for me the rosemary and thyme popcorn chicken - crunchy, novel bites of buttermilk-soaked dark meat with house-made mustard sauce for dipping. They had a real tang from the buttermilk, and if you don't know they're dark meat (and you like white meat), you won't even notice. Great to wash down with, oh say, some Moose Drool.

3699 MCKinney Ave., West Village; 214-245-5330; www.unionbear.com

Here's one I loved from the headnote for pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines):

"There is another version of the dish that is typical of another aspect of Sicilian cooking, which is all about making do with what you have . . . pasta con le sarde a mare means 'pasta with sardines that are in the sea' -- in other words, they had the pine nuts and the raisins and the bread crumbs and all the other ingredients to make the dish, but they didn't have any sardines, so they made it anyway, just without the fish!"

And I can't wait to try my hand at polpette al limone. The recipe is designed as pork meatballs baked with lemon leaves, but Locatelli writes that you can substitute fresh bay leaves -- which sounds fantastic. I love pork meatballs that are cooked without being browned. This one combines 12 ounces ground pork, a finely chopped onion, a cup of grated pecorino, a cup of bread crumbs, the grated zest of a lemon, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Then you mix in two beaten eggs, form the mixture into golf ball-sized balls, flatten them a little and lay them on an oiled baking sheet with a bay leaf (or lemon leaf) between each two. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and bake them at 350 degrees until they're cooked through. I'm guessing that the meatballs should be touching the bay leaves -- the recipe says to "lay the meatballs in lines on the tray, with a lemon leaf or bay leaf in between each two." It doesn't say how long the baking is expected to take -- not necessary a wonderful sign for those who need very specific directions.

Bread crumbs figure prominently in the book, but I'm also a little worried about a recipe for pasta with bread crumbs and anchovies that calls for 4 1/2 cups of bread crumbs and a pound of spaghetti; the recipe serves four. Hmm. I will write a post after I cook a recipe or two and let you know how they work.

UPDATE: The publicist just reminded me that the book will be published on Feb. 7, so it's not in the stores quite yet. But I just saw that Amazon has a "release day delivery option," and the book is priced at $29.40 there.

Made in Sicily by Giorgio Locatelli, photographs by Lisa Linder, 424 pages, Ecco, $45