Sampler Platter: Cupcakes, caviar, cookies and pan dulce

The latest tasty tidbits...

• Hot dogs and hominy, blowfish and a fine cup of joe. Jonathan Gold lists his 10 best dishes of 2008. Counter Intelligence

• The next L.A. Cupcake Meetup will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Violet's Cakes in Pasadena. 

• From Costco to the Cheese Store, where do you buy caviar in L.A.? Chowhound

• Eater LA reports that downtown bar/restaurant Tranquility Base is closed. Angelenic says it may re-open Jan. 12. The out-of-the-way location and overly broad menu drew a happy hour crowd but not much else.

• Here, Eat This! visits a panadería in Mazatlán.

• Here's a food gimmick even less plausible than the Cookie Diet: Japanese F-Cup Cookies that supposedly enhance your bust after you eat them. Worried about weight gain? Try their breast-enhancing gum and coffee. Fork in the Road

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: A blowfish sculpture by Beatrice Wood. (Alan Hagman / Los Angeles Times)