Best Restaurant Dishes of 2007

In the year 2007, Mr Minx and I did our fair share of restaurant dining. I'd say we eat out about once a week or so, usually simple fare like diner food, Chinese, or sushi. We also ate a number of pricier meals this year, and dined in six different states. What was sorely lacking, however, was good ethnic food. Although we got carry out from Yeti, a Nepalese restaurant near Belvedere Square, we did not dine in an Indian restaurant in the last 12 months. We had one Korean meal, and one Thai, and that was in NYC. If our local favorites Bangkok Place and Purim Oak had not closed, this wouldn't have been the case, but there it is. (Would someone please open a Korean restaurant in a non-sketchy neighborhood that doesn't require taking the Beltway to get there? Good Thai food in northern Baltimore County would be nice too, thanks.)

Although I can whine all day about missing my tod mun pla and dolsot bibimbop, I thought maybe I should concentrate on the good dining experiences we had in 2007. Although we had some mediocre food this year, we also ate some stellar dishes. The criteria for making this list is simple: if a dish pops into mind, and I say "mmmm, I'd like to have that again" at the memory, then it's a winner.

Top Ten Tastes of 2007

1. Black squid ink risotto with prawns and lobster, Bolo, NY
2. Portobello mushroom stuffed with warm lobster salad, Sotto Sopra, Baltimore
3. Deep fried macaroni and cheese with tasso ham and lump crab with spicy tomato glaze, Cajun Kate's, Boothwyn, PA
4. Scallop ceviche with crab salad and microgreens, Roy's, Baltimore
5. Preserved duck salad with tangerines, pomegranates, & spicy almond brittle, Bolo, NY
6. Crab bisque, Louisiana, Baltimore
7. Whole rockfish, Hunan style, Jesse Wong's, Columbia
8. Warm duck salad, Centro Vinoteca, NY
9. Twelve-layer potato tapas, Bolo, NY
10. Lavender gelato, Sotto Sopra, Baltimore

Runners up:
Hamachi tartare with crispy shallots, Morimoto, Philadelphia
Laos salad with duck, Yin Yankee Cafe, Annapolis
Lobster risotto, Sotto Sopra, Baltimore
Tom Yum Goong, Prem On Thai, NY