Last night was perhaps the most extravagantly wonderful book party an author could have (unless, maybe, the book was the authorized biography of Ken Lay). My kickoff event for The Zen of Fish tour was a book talk and dinner at the National Press Club.

But not just any dinner. The club’s executive chef Jim Swenson, a lobster lover, decided we should honor the subjects of both my books, The Secret Life of Lobsters and The Zen of Fish. Jim prepared lobster dishes, and invited our friend Koji Terano, head sushi chef at Sushi-Ko in Washington DC, to prepare sushi. That’s Koji with me in the photo.

Here’s what we ate, each course paired with a summer wine or chilled sake:

• First course: lobster fritters, fried clams, pickled oysters, and edamame.

• Second course: lobster “stew” and miso with nori and clam.

• Third course: lobster roll and nigiri sushi of tuna, salmon, and whitefish.

• Fourth course: Plymouth lobster succotash and roll sushi of soft-shell crab.

• Fifth course: lobster “beurre blanc” and spring vegetables.

I just wish I’d written a book on chocolate cake, too.