Food
Year in Review - 2023
Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?
If we’re talking about food, than certainly the former. I was so fortunate to eat some delicious meals in 2023 across the country. I am left with the bittersweet knowledge that some of these meals I may never get to experience again, due either to proximity or closure. Still, the memories persist. Seriously, some of these meals I think about on a weekly basis they were that good!
Unlike my other Year in Review highlights, these foods weren’t necessarily new to me in 2023 (though most of them were) but they did represent some of the best cuisine I experienced all year. I’m not sure it’s possible to list these in any order, having a diversity of great foods is sort of the point, so I without further ado I give you… my year in food!
ANJU
Where: Washington, D.C.
What: Korean Fried Chicken, Dumplings
This Korean fried chicken is criminally good. During my 10 months in Washington, D.C., I must have visited this place at least 8 times (frankly I’m amazed it wasn’t more). Not only was the Korean fried chicken and dumplings incredibly delicious, but it was consistent, delivering the same experience time and time again.
This made me look good as I brought numerous friends and my girlfriend here boasting about how good this was, each time savoring the reaction of my dinner companions as they experienced some of the best flavors known to humankind. Yes it was delicious for me as well, but oh to be them experiencing such joys for the first time…
Gypsy Kitchen
Where: Washington, D.C.
What: Labneh & Flatbread, Charcuterie
I’ve included a menu in case you are so lucky as to go here for yourself. This was my first introduction to Labneh, and now I am hooked!! It helped that the flatbread was perfectly baked and delivered out of the oven, seasoned deliciously to complement the spread.
All of the apps I’ve had here are great, and their meat and cheese board is really well constructed with high quality ingredients. And great cocktails to boot!
City Lights
Where: Washington, D.C.
What: Crispy Beef
What is pictured to the left may just look like an ordinary, unexciting, pile of meat. Hell to some of you it may even look unappetizing. Yet I contend that this is the best takeout I’ve had, not just this year, but I think ever in my life. It gives new meaning to cheap Chinese food, indeed it may be the pinnacle of the cuisine. I am a lesser and incomplete person now that I no longer have this beautiful beef entrée in my life. I carry on, in the hope that we may meet again one day…
NY Slice
Where: New York City, NY
What: My first slice of NY Pizza
I’ll be honest I don’t remember the name of the pizza place where I finally had my first slice of NY pizza. And I sort of feel like that’s exactly how it should be.
Regardless, I can happily report that it was a tasty (and crispy!) piece of pizza! I had no doubt that I would like a slice of pizza - always have, always will. But the snobbery with which my NY friends would talk about their New York pizza certainly made me a tad bit skeptical of just how good it would be. Alas, I will give them that it is a unique and delicious creation. But I’ll still insist that great pizza exists everywhere.
Brooklyn Ice Cream Company
Where: Brooklyn, NY
What: Oreo Milkshake
Listen, the picture kind of tells the whole story…
Community Tavern
Where: Chicago, IL
What: Cheeseburger (2 patties), fries, and cookies
My parents were kind enough to treat me to a graduation dinner as I passed through town in May. I’d never been to Community Tavern before, but it’s website was well-designed, the ambience looked cozy, and the menu classic but creative.
I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but it doesn’t help that my initial surface level assessment was certainly rewarded. The cheeseburger was one of the best I’ve ever had, and I found room for two chocolate chip cookies that melted in my mouth and topped the meal off perfectly.
Sometimes you just know a place is going to be good, you know?
Le Coin
Where: Seattle, WA
What: Breakfast Sandwich - Local Pork Belly / Pepperoncini / Radish / Fried Egg / Greens / Breakfast Potatoes
This has been my favorite culinary discovery since returning to Seattle this summer. Tucked away in a relatively quiet section of Fremont Ave, I first went here for Mara’s birthday brunch.
Brunch is my favorite meal, and a breakfast sandwich is close to holy. Taking my first bite of their pork belly breakfast sandwich can then be described almost certainly as a religious experience. I’ve since returned and confirmed that the first time was not an aberration.
This is one of those places where you want to order multiple things off the menu and you just won’t be able to eat it all. Still, there are worse problems to have…
Revel
Where: Seattle, WA
What: Rice Cakes, Sticky Gochujang Ribs
Delighted that I gave this spot another chance.
When I first went here a couple of years ago, I had a good experience, but it was the price that killed me. Shared apps, Bibimbap, and 2 cocktails ran me almost $100, and the food was good not great!
But this second time around was a revelation. I’m not sure that I’d ever had rice cakes before, but the texture and sauce was so good. The ribs were the real treat, though! It’s not often I go for ribs, but these were coated in a delicious spice that left only bones in their wake once I was through with them.
And great company to boot :)
Din Tai Fung
Where: Seattle, WA
What: Cucumber Salad, Xiao Long Bao, Spicy Wontons, and SO. MUCH. MORE.
An old favorite that welcomed me back with open arms and a full stomach. Seriously, this meal was the most full I’ve been the entire year. Pretty sure I came home and couldn’t get off the couch for 3 hours.
No regrets. Din Tai Fung is always so consistently good, and I’ll have it to thank for being the first place to really introduce dumplings into my life. I’m sure I’d had them before at some point, but DTF really put an exclamation point on how good they could be.
Lupo
Where: Seattle, WA
What: Neopolitan Pizza
Lupo is another hidden spot on Fremont Ave with a great ambience.
I’ve got nothing against Neopolitan pizza, it just doesn’t tend to be my first choice for a pizza night. But as a night out experience, Lupo absolutely delivered. We got two medium-sized pizzas along with a cauliflower app and drinks, and were smitten.
What stood out to me about the brick-oven fired pizza was the crust! The pizza itself was yummy and floppy, leaving me to fold and shovel the toppings into my mouth. But I found myself essentially trying to hurry that process up so I could slow down and savor the sweet, warm, and chewy crust.
It won me over on that alone, and I will be back!
Fiasco
Where: Seattle, WA
What: Cheesy Bread, Bucatini & Meatballs
You had me at cheesy bread.
Anyone who knows me well knows about my obsession with Toppers Stix, the Wisconsin-based pizza chain’s take on cheesy breadsticks. Perhaps it was the excesses of college, perhaps my habit-forming personality, perhaps they are just objectively delicious!! Whatever it is, I am always in search of new sources of cheesy bread now that I am far away from Wisconsin.
What really stood out about this was how good it was as takeout. Italian is not typically a cuisine I associate with takeout, but I was really impressed by how fresh the meal was upon arrival.
At some point I want to go to the physical location, though it’s currently hampered by construction all around it’s Wallingford site.
Cafe5
Where: Seattle, WA
What: Bacon & Sausage Breakfast Burrito
I’ll end this reflection, on what has undoubtedly been a great year in food, with a bittersweet homage to an all-time favorite.
Cafe5, a breakfast and lunch café in my old office building, has been a source of so many satisfying breakfasts over the years. I thought I had left it for good when I first ventured to D.C., only to relish its existence once again upon my return to Seattle.
What may look like a humble breakfast burrito in the adjoining image is nothing short of a work of art. Wrapped with perfect structural integrity, a thin but substantial tortilla, it was packed with the perfect ratio of egg, meat, and cheese. Every bite was perfect.
Alas, despite surviving the pandemic, Cafe5 has now officially closed its doors. But I shall not let its legacy die. At some point in the future, I will try my hand at recreating this burrito. I’ll need a panini press, I’ll certainly need to practice my tortilla folding skills, and I know I’ll need to experiment with the right ratio of ingredients. But most importantly, I know what’s possible!