“Official winter” is only a week away, and we’re already cozying up with comfort food recipes, soup news, holiday ducks and more. We also looked at the most Googled recipes of the year, as well as food critic Pete Wells’ picks for the top 10 restaurants in New York City. As for our podcast, we had chef and author David Lebovitz on to speak about living in Paris and his newest book. All that and more on Hot Topics.

1. Mario Batali has stepped away from day-to-day operations of his restaurant group after multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
2. Do you know what color fresh tuna should be?
3. What was the most Googled recipe of 2017?
4. There’s a beauty to cooking with chicken, pork and duck skin. Let Chris Cosentino tell you what that beauty is.
5. We’ve noticed some interesting things while dining about New York City this winter.
6. Andrew Zimmern’s recipe for Bohemian-style roast duck with caraway is perfect for the holidays.
7. The infamous Soup Nazi faces tax evasion.
8. The New York Times released its top 10 restaurants in New York City.
9. Love Parmesan? We have eight recipes just for you.
10. Chez Panisse alum David Lebovitz made an appearance on the Food Republic Today podcast.