best bites of 2009: restaurant division

It's been a heck of a year, huh?

I could talk about what an amazing breakthrough the book deal was for me, but you kind of know that. I could talk about how sad I am to be leaving Philly for New York City, but as soon as the move is over I know I'll be so excited about the new place I won't be consumed with thoughts of the old. I could put together some of the photo essays that have been languishing half-finished on the hard drive, about cinnamon ice cream and chicken mole and teeny blini and a thousand other things. I could tell you about all the funny/weird/interesting things I've found while packing, like 119 rejections, or a list of my favorite quotes from The Greatest Show On Earth.

But it's the end of the year, and this is a food blog.

So let's cover the 9 best things I ate in 2009, shall we?

(When I started brainstorming this, there were far too many, so I have to go with categories. Today: restaurants only.)

In no particular order:

• fried chicken at Ad Hoc (Yountville CA)
• cheese bread with guava butter at Chifa (Philadelphia)
• buffalo-style sweetbreads at Matyson (Philadelphia)
• pork buns at Momofuku Ssam Bar (New York City)
• tacos al pastor at Taqueria La Puebla (Philadelphia)
• foie gras torchon at The French Laundry (Yountville CA)
• ricotta gnocchi at Eleven Madison Park (New York City)
• roasted suckling pig & all the trimmings at Amada (Philadelphia)
• hanger steak at Bibou (Philadelphia)

How about you?

Comments

[Nate Clinton]

Funny you mention it, but one of my favorite meals this year has also been roasted suckling pig - the "Cochinillo Asada" at August, in the West Village.