Want to generate some warm feelings about 2016? Try to make a list of all the great dishes you ate this past year.
That’s my feeling as I reflect on the vast array of amazing food that has come my way in 2016. From New York to Copenhagen, Seoul to Washington, I sampled truly remarkable cooking. The transportive bowl of uni and yuba at Akashi. The magnificent burger whose secret is, believe it or not, in the topping, from Augustine, down in New York’s Financial District. When in doubt, order the curly-edged malfadini from the exceptional newcomer Lilia in Brooklyn. In fact, there was so much good food in New York this year, the top dishes could have come exclusively from here, as with last year’s incredible list. But then I would have missed the stunning tart with a buttery seaweed crust from Copenhagen's Noma, in the restaurant’s last months before it reinvents itself in a new location.
Reviewing my favorite dishes also makes me think about cities with major food scenes I can’t wait to get to next year. San Francisco, Shanghai, Mexico City, here I come.
And it makes me realize one more thing: It’s time to go on a diet—next year. Happy holidays to all!
