Tony Chachere's seasoning is a terrific spice rub for grilled meat/fish/vegetables. (Also nonperishable!)

For anyone who cooks meat, either on the grill or in the oven, I have given those digital timer/thermometers with remote probe (attached by wire). Takes the guesswork out of a turkey. Polder makes a good one for about $20.

Follow up: We did a Manhattan-only crawl in June and it was equally fun. You could argue that we interpreted "dumpling" too loosely, but we hit a taqueria in Spanish Harlem for tamales (and the tamale cart lady during our research expedition); Uskudar, a Turkish place on the UES, for manti (the collective favorite of the dozen dumplingites); Curry in a Hurry for samosas in Murray Hill (next time we'll probably go for Tibetan); pierogi at Veselka; and finishing off at Dim Sum Go Go on East Broadway. The last place I like for its consistency and for the ability to order by menu -- convenient when some folks with shellfish allergies were in the group. It was about 8 hours, start to finish, and incredibly fun.

And the winners were (after a lot of research on Chowhound and beyond...):

Bronx: Pupusas at La Orquidea
Manhattan: Kreplach soup at Lansky's on the Upper West Side
Queens: Wontons from White Bear in Flushing
Brooklyn: Pierogi at Karczma in Greenpoint
Staten Island: Spinach ravioli in walnut sauce at Trattoria Romana near the Old Town train stop

We pulled it off in 14 hours with a lot of coffee, followed by quite a bit of beer and wine.

There's also a good wine bar across the way at 168th/Amsterdam (across from the McDonalds) called In Vino Veritas. They have tapas-style food. Good for happy hour or dinner.

Five boroughs. Five cuisines. One day. A friend and I are on a mission.

Taking suggestions for all manner of dumplings (defined loosely as dough wrapped around stuff and boiled/steamed/fried): gyoza, pierogi, empanadas, samosas, ravioli, etc. Ideas for the Bronx (bonus points for Riverdale) and Staten Island particularly welcome.

What do you recommend?