The Final Countdown

Top 5...

From mako_lies: ...favorite Final Fantasy characters
5. Fang
4. Lulu
3. Baralai
2. Balthier
1. Auron and Paine (tie)

Narrowing this down was hard, and so was getting a decent spread of games. I would probably have a hard time narrowing it down to ten. Also highly mood-dependent; except for the tie at #1, the list might look different tomorrow. Strong runners-up: Nooj, Lightning, Fran, Ashe, Penelo, Larsa, Tidus, Braska, Yuna, Quistis, Freya, Garnet....

From ukefied: ...video games
5. Final Fantasy XII
4. Final Fantasy X-2
3. PuzzleQuest (original flavor)
2. Portal
1. Final Fantasy X

The order is, again, mood-dependent, except for the top two. Other favorites: Final Fantasy 9, Ratchet & Clank (the first two), Super Mario Kart (I never do racing games, but I had a lot of fun with that one), the Phoenix Wright series.

From dagas_isa ...dishes on Top Chef you'd want to try
Ooh, nice one. My memory is a bit hazy on these, but...
5. Blanking on a fifth. I'll come back to this later if I think of one.
4. That fruit crisp that Robin made last season; that whole Restaurant Wars menu, really.
3. Rick Bayless's mole. (Is this cheating?)
2. Stephanie's duck breast with cherries (Season 3, Episode 1)
1. Almost everything Kevin ever made, especially if it featured pork.

From imadra_blue ...DS9 episodes.
Argh, this is hard. Except, again, for #1. Best hour of television ever.
5. Our Man Bashir (4x10)
4. Improbable Cause/The Die Is Cast (3x20/3x21)
3. The Visitor (4x03)
2. Far Beyond the Stars (6x13)
1. In the Pale Moonlight (6x19)

Try me on another day, I'd probably come up with a different list.

Also, Top 5 Meals
5. The Ritz-Carlton Dining Room in SF, for our fifth wedding anniversary, which had the feature of containing a fois gras dish I actually enjoyed.
4. Pain purdue and cafe au lait at The Butler & The Chef, a little French cafe around the corner from us.
3. A little yakitori joint in Kyoto, Japan. I forget the name, unfortunately. Grilled skewers of joy, and they just kept coming.
2. Dinner at R&S's house, a few years back, with a cheese fondue first course, prime rib and crab for the main course, and chocolate fondue for dessert. Possibly the most decedent home-cooked meal it has ever been my pleasure to experience. Described here
1. The French Laundry. Because, really, how could I pick anything else for this? Documented in great detail, with photos.

One more came in while I was writing this up, and it deserves its own post, so look for that soon.