Best thing I ate…

… in 2014: ribs from Franklin BBQ in Austin, TX

(My plate is in the foreground, with potato salad and beans. Chris W. and Chris M.’s plates are in the background… they wanted white bread with their BBQ, yuck!)

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve raved about these ribs… in fact, I know I talked up the deliciousness of these ribs to at least one person daily for three solid months after I ate them in March 2014! Here’s a closer shot of my plate — you can also see a slab of fatty brisket:

Other things I have thoroughly enjoyed this year:

• everything from Marea
• ice cream from Salt & Straw
• panang curry from Ayada Thai
• margherita pizza from Lucali
• every sandwich I’ve had from Snarf’s
• house special banh mi from Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich House (one of my most missed places in NYC)

I was inspired by other “end of year” / “best of” lists, so I started thinking about other “top dishes” or “top meals” I’ve had each year. Below is my list!

Best thing I ate in 2013:

Tie: Uni handroll from Sushi Yasuda and “Fusilli: red wine braised octopus, bone marrow” from Marea

Best thing I ate in 2012:
Tie: A cemita (and of them, though I’m partial to the “Juancho”) from Cafe Ollin or a chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery (no picture… always eaten far too quickly! :))

Best thing I ate in 2011:

Tie: Shiitake pizza with caramelized onion-walnut puree, mushroom, olive oil, rosemary, sea salt from Co. and “Mizore Gake” from Yakitori Totto

Best thing I ate in 2010:

“Confit and Roasted Milk-Fed Pig’s Head (For Two)” from Craigie on Main

Best thing I ate in 2009:
All the ice creams at Toscanini’s (no pictures)… this was the year that I discovered Toscanini’s! Favorite/most memorable ice cream flavors to date:

• grapenut raisin (I typically default to this)
• lemon espresso
• B3 (brownies, browned butter, and brown sugar)
• cherry cilantro

Best thing I ate in 2008: 
Vegetarian tasting menu from Oleana (no picture)

Alas, my memory doesn’t really extend further back beyond 2008, especially since that goes into my Houston-era life — and while I can still recall places that I really liked (Madras Pavilion, Bombay Sweets, Fadi’s, etc.), I don’t really remember them well enough to rank them anymore. I’m excited about what gastronomical delights 2015 brings, though!