Though President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel delved into classic Washington fare during their two hour meal Monday night at 1789 Restaurant in the historic Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, tonight's State Dinner, will celebrate all things fresh and new - with a sweet nod to the honored guest's homeland.

From the menu provided by the White House:

A Spring Harvest Dinner
The State Dinner for Germany will celebrate the first harvest of the spring. Many of the vegetables and herbs used to prepare this evening’s dinner came from the White House Kitchen Garden. This garden was created by Mrs. Obama in March of 2009 and has become a central hub for activities here at the White House. In the early spring of this year, students from Tubman Elementary and Bancroft Elementary Schools in Washington DC planted vegetables in the White House Kitchen Garden. On June 3rd, only four days shy of the State Dinner, American Indian children joined the First Lady to plant traditional Native American crops and also harvested these vegetables just in time for the dinner.

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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

One is the loneliest number, and perhaps that's also why one is never enough.

For Cathy Whims, this is especially true when it comes to good olive oil.

Whims is the three-time James Beard nominee and executive chef of Nostrana in Portland, Oregon. Let's just say she's very hardcore about using quality olive oil - she even goes so far as to offer flights and tastings of her favorites at the restaurant.

In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if she drank the stuff ... with a ciabatta chaser.

Five Reasons Why One Olive Oil is Never Enough: Cathy Whims
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A deadly bacterial outbreak that has killed at least 23 people in Europe is limited to an area around the German city of Hamburg and does not require Europe-wide controls, a top European Union official said Tuesday.

"There is no reason as of today to take ... measures at (the) European level," EU Health Commissioner John Dalli said, adding, "We consider any ban on any product as disproportionate."

A new death in Germany due to the E. coli outbreak was announced Tuesday, bringing the total there to 22. The other death, in Sweden, was of a person who had visited Germany.

Read - "Deadly E. coli outbreak 'limited' to Germany, EU official says"

Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• Will Brits ever really get the whole "barbecue" concept? - Guardian

• The dark side of kitchen culture: one chef's battle with addiction. - Chicago Tribune

• If Trader Joe's raised the price of tomatoes by one penny, it would change the life of farmworkers in Florida. – Zester Daily

• Random in-flight ruminations from a cafeteria tray salesman. - McSweeney's

• How to water-thaw your meat. - New York Times

Step away from the lighter fluid and drop the instant-light bag down on the ground.

Nothing stinks things up quite like a backyard cookout fueled by excess chemicals and sub-par charcoal. Not only does it reek like a trash fire in Hades - it's also fouling up the taste of your food.

We're here to save the scent and savoriness of your summer.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Here's the scoop: June 7 is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!

When it comes to this "Great American Dessert," there is little to rival the king of frozen creamy treats. Whether you like it scoop upon scoop in a bowl or towering on top of a waffle cone, you'll feel like a kid with every bite.

You can stick your head into the freezer section of the grocery store and walk out with a few half gallons of your favorite flavor.  But when you see how easy and outrageously delicious David Lebovitz's chocolate ice cream is, you might stick this mixture in your own freezer.

How are you saluting chocolate ice cream today?  Piled up in a cup or a cone?  Sprinkled with tempting toppings?  Or my personal favorite, drenched in butterscotch sauce?  Tell us how you get your ice cream fix!

Pssst! Got a sec to chat?

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Consider the daily Coffee Klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic.
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