Q: I need a good bourbon for wassail. Got any recommendations for me?
UP: Yes, did you notice we love bourbon? Buffalo Trace is a good one for mixing or drinking on its own, and has a price tag of $28.95. It’s hard to find in ABC stores here; I’d call a few ahead of time and see if they have any. If they do, it’s often behind the counter. Try the ABC stores in Cotswold or Park Road Shopping Center; they seem to get the best supplies. If you can’t find that or are looking for something a little more affordable, go with Old Grand Dad. They sell bonded and regular bourbons; if you want a little more oomph and heat in your hot cider, go with the bonded. The regular will be more smooth. Regular Grand Dad is just under $18, and you can find it almost anywhere.

Q: Dear Editor, Now that the weather is cooling down, soup season is finally here! Where are some good places in Uptown or nearby neighborhoods to get a good soup, stew or chowder at lunch time?
UP: For this one, I reached out to my favorite soup critic, Cat Carter. Cat’s not actually a soup critic, but she loves soup and wrote a thoughtful story for Charlotte magazine about it not too long ago. She loves the French onion soup at 300 East, and also recommends Rooster’s for its tomato soup and French onion. Common Market, which recently reopened in South End, has a rotating list of soups, with a vegetarian option daily. Amelie’s has a seasonal soup menu, too, and we’re a big fan of Pasta & Provisions for a hot lunch on a cold day. They just opened a location off of Mint Street, and Italian wedding soup is one of our favorites. My number one recommendation is Crepe Cellar in NoDa. They had a pea soup recently that was incredible. The photo you saw on the homepage is La Belle Helene‘s French onion soup; we’re also looking forward to trying the chowder from N.C. Red when it opens. One more before we go: Fenwick’s is always serving dependably delicious soups.

Q: Hi! Love to read your questions and answers. As Thanksgiving approaches l have a question about turkeys. Do most chefs say stuff or don’t stuff the stuffing?
UP: Aw, thanks, I love writing them! I don’t think I’ve ever written this before, but there is a clear consensus among the chefs I asked on this one: don’t stuff the stuffing. Chefs Scott Hollingsworth of Fin & Fino, Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ, Drew Dodd of Stagioni and upcoming N.C. Red, and Alyssa Wilen of Chef’s Alyssa’s Kitchen all said not to stuff. Here’s why, according to Wilen. You can use turkey stock to get same flavor as baking it inside the turkey gives, but without the downsides. The downsides? “It’s difficult to get a whole mass of stuffing up to the right temperature inside the cavity,” she says, “and I like all the crust on the top of the stuffing.” In her experience, the turkey dries out when stuffed. And, she adds, “Who wants to dig out the stuffing?” If you’re a chef who prefers stuffing the turkey, send me your defense of stuffing the stuffing!