We went over this the other day, right? What good is December for if not reflection? Both outward and inward. Across the Internet — and even in print — journalists and bloggers and hobbyist writers are sitting down to take stock of the past 12 months. They’re trying to figure out what they accomplished (or what society accomplished, I guess, I don’t think they’re all as self-absorbed as I am) and determining the best route for disseminating their findings. In other words: YEAR END LISTS.
I ate a lot of meals in 2013. We’ll say…hundreds! Somewhere between 300 and 600. Definitely no more than that. I don’t eat three square meals on most days, and when I do I usually take the next day off because I refuse to let myself get fat. As good as food tastes, nothing is worse than being unhealthy (or worse, unattractive, which I already have to struggle with on a daily basis even as a thin guy). Some meals were much better than others. I’m looking specifically in your direction, YOGURT WITH A HAIR IN IT.
According to my Yelp profile, the highest rated meals I took the time to review in 2013 were:
Per Se; New York, NY (5-stars)
Wegmans; Princeton, NJ (5-stars)
Allumette; Los Angeles, CA (5-stars)
Rustic Canyon; Santa Monica, CA (4-stars)
The Bagel Factory; Los Angeles, CA (4-stars)
But that doesn’t really begin to the tell the story of my year, because…obviously I don’t think an egg & cheese sandwich on a sesame bagel with a Snapple Lemon Iced Tea defined my year in food. To draw an accurate portrait of the best meals I ate this year, I’d have to consult not just Yelp, but this website, my phone’s social media “check-in” history, and whatever meal receipts I keep around for tax purposes. By using all those things (plus my memory) I can accurately describe the ten best meals I had in 2013. Just like this!
The Ten Best Means I Had In 2013
10. The Huntley Taverne (Summit, NJ) – There weren’t a lot of places like the Huntley around when I was growing up in New Jersey. It might have opened twelve years ago, but I’ve been gone for about seven so I didn’t learn about it until recently. It’s fun, it’s warm and inviting, and the daily changes in menu provide for a unique dining experience each visit. When I was home a few weeks ago my family and I split a duck confit pizza, a pumpkin salad with duck cracklins and ricotta cheese, and then I had a delicious coffee-rubbed hangar steak that was served over bacon and onion grits with a cranberry/chipotle chutney. The time before that, the trio of pork appetizer was brilliant, and the truffle mac and cheese was insane.
09. Jeon Ju (Los Angeles, CA) – Along with Ben and Nate, I took Ian and Beth here when they visited in August. We ate an absurd amount of food. Most importantly, though, was the bibimbap — which I think is the best in the city. The Kalbi Dol Sot Bibimbap is the way to go. Or at least that’s what I order. We also split a large seafood fried pancake, a pork belly and kimchi dish, a ton of banchan, and probably something else I’ve forgotten. I’d been once before, but I preferred my visit this year to my first time.
08. The Buffet (Las Vegas, NV) [Review-ish] – For pure hedonistic value, my meal at the Buffet will remain unrivaled as it provided THE MOST FOOD I’VE EVER CONSUMED IN ONE SITTING. Looking back at all those photos of all those plates of food, I’m nearly sickened by the amount I ate. But what sticks out in my memory was the quality of everything I tried. From the BBQ pork buns to the waffle-battered fried chicken to the sausages and pasta dishes, there wasn’t anything I took a bite of and decided, “I don’t need any more of that.” In fact I ate seconds of some dishes, and wanted seconds (but had no room) of others. When the weakest part of a meal is dessert (and even then the options were really good, and I don’t have a sweet tooth), you know you’ve found a great spot. Someday I’ll return. Someday I’ll be a little less cavalier about how much I eat. Or maybe I won’t. It’s that good.
07. Animal (Los Angeles, CA) – Although the experience dining at Animal this year could not rival my first visit two years ago (or one of two shitty dates I went on last year), it still provides me with great, inventive food the likes of which I can’t find anywhere else in the city. The regularity with which the menu changes makes each successive visit more enticing. Will they still have their amazing chicken liver toast or sweetbreads? What new offal has joined the menu since my last visit? In August, it was that chicken liver toast (the best I’ve ever had) along with the shishito peppers, the the pig’s head, and the oxtail poutine that stole the meal. I can’t wait until my next visit when I can find something else about which to rave.
06. Kanpai (Los Angeles, CA) – I was lucky enough to make it here three or four times this year, and each one was consistently amazing. I don’t know why this place doesn’t get more press around the city for the quality of their ingredients and the overall awesomeness of the dining experience. On my last visit there was salmon collar, a stunning tuna sampler, “sushi” style wagyu (imported from somewhere north of Kobe), and the usual house rolls that I devour as if I’ve never had makizushi before.
05. Matsuhisa (Beverly Hills, CA) – My first trip to Matsuhisa was on my birthday, with my sister, so the overall meal might be colored by the joy of having family with me and eating a number of Nobu’s signature dishes. The rock shrimp with creamy spicy sauce might be the best appetizer ever in the history of the sushi bar. The blackened cod with miso was one of the tastiest piece of fish I’ve ever had. It was a phenomenal way to cap an incredible 30th birthday weekend.
04. The Tasting Kitchen (Venice, CA) – I was really impressed with the quality of the food here on my first visit. Oh man, the food was so good. The bread was delicious, the gnocco fritto with salumi and burrata was outstanding. Lentils and rapini had a great hit of spice to it, the wings were sticky and cooked perfectly. Even the asparagus was good. We split four pastas between three people because we couldn’t decide on just one per person. Mine (creste de gallo, calabrian sausage, raddichio, bread crumbs) was my favorite. It was rich without going overboard, the pasta was cooked perfectly, and I loved every bite of it. I also tried the maltagliati with duck ragu, which was a bit of a disappointment. The ragu was very bare, there wasn’t much if any liquid to it. I liked the taste of the duck but I wanted something that clung to the noodles better. The gigli with luciana and squash blossoms was my second favorite pasta. I…uh…I don’t remember what the fourth one was, which meant it was unmemorable. Even so, it was great.
03. Providence (Los Angeles, CA) – I can’t believe I didn’t write a review of this meal. Because I can’t for the life of me remember it how I want to. I remember the live scallop being one of the best scallops I’d ever tasted. And my main course was a turbot (I think?) from somewhere weird…Australia or something? It was incredible. There’s a reason this place received 2 Michelin stars back in 2009. There simply isn’t a better place to dine on seafood in town. Yet. I haven’t been over to Connie and Ted’s yet (which is Providence-related), but Water Grill…Hungry Cat…L&E…Son Of A Gun…those places all pale in comparison. I feel like Providence remains the only legit seafood restaurant in town. Expensive, but worth it.
02. Allumette (Los Angeles, CA) [Review] – How many times can I sing the praises of chef Miles Thompson before I start to sound creepy? First it was the Vagrancy Project [Review] and now it’s Allumette. The crazy thing about this place is not that it’s located ON MY STREET (so I can theoretically stop in any time I want), but that even though it’s been open a while — and it continues to garner incredible reviews — but that it’s actually getting better every time I go. The first time I was all about the cavatelli with uni ragu, now all I can think about is the cacio e pepe with beef tongue. Yeah I know it sounds blasphemous too, but even Evan Funke is taking some liberties with cacio e pepe over at Bucato. And — here’s a little secret — I like Thompson’s iteration more.
01. Per Se (New York, NY) [Review] – I know I’ve been non-stop heaping praise on Per Se ever since I dined there on my recent trip home, but the thing is…it’s totally warranted. It was the single best meal I’ve ever had in my life. And until someone else comes along and blows this food out of the water (and my memory), it will remain entrenched at the top of any food-related list I could write. If you don’t believe me, just read my review. Or read any review. It’s the second highest-rated restaurant in the country and the 11th best restaurant in the entire world. Clearly if I’m untrustworthy or unreliable as a food critic there’s someone else out there who agrees with me and whose reputation is stellar enough that you’ll believe me when I say it’s the best meal I’ve had in 2013 or in any other year of my life. Except, you know, my mom’s chicken parm is pretty awesome. That’ll always be my real #1. But restaurant meals? Per Se. Hands down. The best.
Egg – Contrasong [MP3]
