Wow. I ate a lot this year.
(And as proof that karma exists, I also had a lot more stomach "issues" this year as well.)
But even for my standards, this was a memorable year in food. There were lots of the oldies but goodies, hole-in-the-wall type places mixed in with some extraordinary, once (or maybe several) in a lifetime Michelin-starred meals that simply blew my mind, and stomach away. I decided that I really liked the city name collage for my travel post, so let's try one for restaurants! Of course, unlike the travel ones, I can't actually name all of the restaurants I've been to this year, so consider these to be highlights.
Mama's Fish House Blue Elephant Esoffier Comerç 24 Perbacco Pazzia Zazie Can Fabes American Bounty Family Fortune Grand Honour Hot Pot Cafe 100 The Jade The French Laundry Meric
Sala Rim Naam Hog Island Oyster Company Da Kitchen Tofu House
Ke'ei CafeTwo Ladies' Kitchen Shanghai Dumpling House Slanted Door Home St. Andrew's 'Wichcraft Tao Town Hall Gary Danko Spruce Tangerine MarketBar Morimoto Chow
Sala Rim Naam Hog Island Oyster Company Da Kitchen Tofu House
Ke'ei CafeTwo Ladies' Kitchen Shanghai Dumpling House Slanted Door Home St. Andrew's 'Wichcraft Tao Town Hall Gary Danko Spruce Tangerine MarketBar Morimoto Chow
And here are some other food-related tidbits worth mentioning:
Most consumed beverage - (tie) Starbucks iced tall almond soy latte, Coke Zero
Longest meal - 4-hour lunch at the 3-star Can Fabes in Sant Celoni (outside Barcelona). It was a 13-course "menu du surprise", which I think requires no translation.
Cheapest meal - Pho and iced coffee all for $1 at Pho 24 in Hanoi. And it was served in under 5 minutes.
Best in-flight meal - (no winner) - This is usually one of my favourite categories, but alas, I flew pretty crappy airlines this year so even the business class meals couldn't legitimately make this list.
Most random foods to drive long distances to eat - (tie) Loco moco at Cafe 100, and hand-made mochi's from Two Ladies' Kitchen, both in Hilo, Hawaii.
Weirdest foods - Surprisingly, they were both consumed in the same meal during the tasting menu at Meric in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The winners were fried snake salad, and frog-on-a-stick -- not the more palatable frog lollipops that you may see in French restaurants consisting of parts of a frog skewered, I'm talking the whole damn frog, breaded and fried and skewered whole. Lovely.
Most elaborate meal - That would, of course, be the French Laundry.
Best breakfast foods - (tie) I would kill for either pastries from Bouchon in Yountville, or a chocolate pastry puff thing from Pinxto Cafe inside La Boqueria Market in Barcelona.
Best outdoor meal - Picnic lunch up in Tomales Bay with friends and shucking through 100 oysters fresh from Hog Island Oyster Company.
Food worth risking deportation to smuggle into the country - Iberico ham. I should smuggled some back from Spain. Some nights I still dream about it...
And so there it was...2007 was definitely a year to exercise my inner (and outer) foodie. 2008 brings more exciting eating adventures -- there are more 3-star places on my list (Joel Robouchon, Per Se), more ridiculous but must try places (Masa), and the return of some perennial favourites (Matsushita, Spruce)...and the list goes on!
Most consumed beverage - (tie) Starbucks iced tall almond soy latte, Coke Zero
Longest meal - 4-hour lunch at the 3-star Can Fabes in Sant Celoni (outside Barcelona). It was a 13-course "menu du surprise", which I think requires no translation.
Cheapest meal - Pho and iced coffee all for $1 at Pho 24 in Hanoi. And it was served in under 5 minutes.
Best in-flight meal - (no winner) - This is usually one of my favourite categories, but alas, I flew pretty crappy airlines this year so even the business class meals couldn't legitimately make this list.
Most random foods to drive long distances to eat - (tie) Loco moco at Cafe 100, and hand-made mochi's from Two Ladies' Kitchen, both in Hilo, Hawaii.
Weirdest foods - Surprisingly, they were both consumed in the same meal during the tasting menu at Meric in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The winners were fried snake salad, and frog-on-a-stick -- not the more palatable frog lollipops that you may see in French restaurants consisting of parts of a frog skewered, I'm talking the whole damn frog, breaded and fried and skewered whole. Lovely.
Most elaborate meal - That would, of course, be the French Laundry.
Best breakfast foods - (tie) I would kill for either pastries from Bouchon in Yountville, or a chocolate pastry puff thing from Pinxto Cafe inside La Boqueria Market in Barcelona.
Best outdoor meal - Picnic lunch up in Tomales Bay with friends and shucking through 100 oysters fresh from Hog Island Oyster Company.
Food worth risking deportation to smuggle into the country - Iberico ham. I should smuggled some back from Spain. Some nights I still dream about it...
And so there it was...2007 was definitely a year to exercise my inner (and outer) foodie. 2008 brings more exciting eating adventures -- there are more 3-star places on my list (Joel Robouchon, Per Se), more ridiculous but must try places (Masa), and the return of some perennial favourites (Matsushita, Spruce)...and the list goes on!
No comments:
Post a Comment