I'm feeling a little trivial and unserious today, so here's Mario Batali telling you how much sauce to put on your pasta. Also, if you live in DC, you should really check out the tri-color pasta sold at Vace, which is some of the best stuff I ever tasted.
Update: In comments, John asks for the best ethiopian food in DC. My hunch is to go with Dukem on U Street, but others should chime in.