Talks & Entertainment

Alison Roman, columnist for the New York Times food section and Bon Apetit, has always been allergic to the word “entertaining.” To her, entertaining implies there’s a show.

In Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over, Roman reinvents what it means to have people over in a relaxed, yet easily impressive way. Unfussy food, unfussy vibes, and the permission to be imperfect without a big occasion (other than to eat, of course).

Organized by what Roman considers the five most important parts of most meals—snack time, salads, sides, mains, and after dinner—Nothing Fancy is filled with low-stress and high-impact recipes designed to make your life easier when cooking for others.

Recipes span labne with sizzled scallions and chile, tomato-y beans with preserved lemons and bread crumbs, soy-braised brisket with caramelized honey and garlic, and sheet cake with mascarpone and coffee.

Roman, whose salted butter and chocolate chunk shortbread recipe made her Instagram-famous, is also the author of the bestselling Dining In. In conversation with Jessica Sidman, who covers the people and trends behind DC’s food and drink scene as Food Editor at Washingtonian.

Book signing to follow.