(12) Buckwheat scone from
Crumb at the Green City Market - real, full-on buckwheat flavor
without sacrificing texture. Impressive.
(11) Eggplant parm
sandwich at Lucia - bright flavored sauce, breading stayed crisp for a long time
and didn't overwhelm flavor of the eggplant.
(10) Smoked paprika and
cheddar croissant from Crumble & Flake in Seattle - I'm not usually a fan
of attempts to mess with a croissant, but this was remarkable.
(9) Corn sundae at Spoon and Stable in Mpls - Hard to believe
that dessert at this place could top what was already a tremendous meal, but it
did.
(8) Creamed hard boiled eggs with truffled
mornay and toasted brioche at Taus Authentic - decadence at its very best.
(7) Gnocchi short rib ragu trattoria Ultimo - pillowy texture, light as a
cloud with an intensely meaty sauce. A real surprise from such a humble
byob storefront.
(6) Blood orange flan
at Salero - soft and luscious with intense acidity and sweet bitterness from a
saba caramel
(5) Isaan
sausage at Mott Street. Juicy, funky, spicy - hard to believe that a hip
place like this is making better Isaan sausage than the great, authentic Thai
restaurants in Chicago. But it's true.
(4) Clams
with Chinese sausage in some kind of amazing broth at Bad Saint in Washington
DC. All around, perhaps my favorite meal of the year. The hype is
completely justified.
(3) Chermoula marinated
sturgeon at Honey's - served with a charred tomato vinaigrette - a dish that
had both intensity and finesse. The most memorable thing at what was my
favorite new Chicago restaurant of the year. The chestnut pasta with
truffles was almost as good.
(2) Tomato salad at The Loyalist
- height of season tomatoes with surprising bits of pear that worked
wonderfully. An amazing salad, though they kept it on the menu a week too
long. Not as good second time, early fall when local tomatoes were just
OK.
(1) Fries at Roister -
yes, fries are at the very top of my list. These were fried so perfectly
and had such great potato flavor that that might have made the list even
without the visually mesmerizing and utterly delicious bonito flakes that took
them over the top.
