Thursday, January 01, 2009

The Best Restaurant Dishes of 2008

2008 was not a bumper year for restaurant eating.  Although Mr Minx and I participated in three separate restaurant weeks, nothing we ate was stellar, and several things were just plain disappointing.  I ate a ridiculously-priced burger at the restaurant of a well-regarded NY chef, but that didn't make the "best of" list by any stretch of the imagination.

So what was good in 2008?  The tea-smoked duck, pork belly, and fish noodles at Grace Garden were standouts. The odd but delicious "Krispy Combination" from Cebu in Philly, and the crispy pork belly at Perilla in NY were more examples of porky goodness.  Our Summer Restaurant Week visit to Lebanese Taverna, particularly the kibbeh, was enjoyable.  We've also had a few good meals at the new Crush in Belvedere Square.

My birthday dinner appetizer of spicy crispy ducky salad at Little Spice in Hanover was memorable, as was the lovely meal we had at Boccaccio on Valentine's Day.  And, as ever, Cajun Kate's, delivered some succulent po' boys and gumbo this year, and it's hard to fault Roy's.

On the less-positive side of things, I'm sure you all remember the Jesse Wong's Kitchen Debacle, and the two ambitious but ultimately disappointing meals in Ocean City. And speaking of disappointment, let's not forget Tabrizi's.

I suppose this would be a good opportunity to make a New Year's resolution, although I'm not one to do such things ordinarily.  However, I would like to resolve to eat more interesting food this year, try new places, hopefully several more outside of the Baltimore area. Any recommendations?

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