Best Meal You Ate In 2011

Rockadelic

Was in NY this past weekend and had the best meal I've eaten in 2011....I doubt it will be surpassed in the next 3 weeks.

Went to the below spot.....their Ossobuco was mindboggling........

http://eats.com/images/comprofiler/plug_profilegallery/797/fs_pg_1173551972.jpg

.... good and the Eggplant Rollitini w/Shrimp was amazing.


http://www.ilmulino.com/


Please to share yours so I can try a few new spots in 2012.

RecordBeast

i'm slackin I don't even know what Ossobuco is?

Rockadelic

RecordBeast said:

i'm slackin I don't even know what Ossobuco is?

Click on the first link in my post and you will see a photo of it...

Veal shank cooked in red wine sauce w/mushrooms.

meistromoco

New spot in DC serving a family style thai meal for $45 a head:
http://www.littleserow.com/

so so good.

GenePontecorvo

Cajun meatloaf that my mom made with cheesy potatoes that my wife made.

GenePontecorvo

Is that risotto with the veal, Rich? I'd fuck with that!

Rockadelic

GenePontecorvo said:

Is that risotto with the veal, Rich? I'd fuck with that!

Yep

Looking forward to lunch on Saturday......I'm gonna call ahead and make sure they have some Tenderberry Cobbler

DJ_Enki

Best meal? Shit, I can't call it. Too many contenders.

But most gratifying meal? Easy: A pile of blue crab happily picked and eaten by some of my closest friends and me. East coast goodness made it out to Cali, and that made me very happy.

Frank

I had my best meal of the year early May in Vancouver at Rain City Grill. I was on my own and usually I never even attempt having an exceptional meal just by myself but I had spent the whole day wandering around town and found myself stopping to read the menues of the restaurants that I passed. The proximity to the sea, the good air and my growing hunger at some point made me say "fuck it" to myself and I walked into the Rain City Grill, one of the fancier places I had stalked out but still casual enough to feel comfortable. I ordered a half dozen of Fanny Bay oysters on the half shell which next to some wild Scottish Rock oysters I had had years ago probably were the best oysters I've ever had and I eat a lot of oysters, followed by a generous heap of mussels in white wine broth with chorizo, again, some of the very best mussels I've ever had and easily the best ones I've ever had outside of France. Then I had an order of poached Spotted Prawns which had just gotten into season that very day. These were caught in the wild over in a bay on Vancouver Island, I think they are in season only a week or ten days of the year. They are a revelation even if they were frozen -but fresh... oh my god! I felt bad sucking prawn heads in a slightly upscale place like this but I just had to. My waiter saw this and was so pleased by how much I visibly (and audibly) enjoyed my meal that he comped me a plate of local BC artisan cheese.

Second best meal of the year I had just a few weeks ago at Il Terrazzo in Victoria BC. I had seared scallops with smoked tuna and marinated seaweed for appetizer which was outstanding. I had chosen a Chenin Blanc from the Cowichan Valley less than an hour outside of Victoria to go along with this and it worked perfectly. Then I had seared venison tenderloin with sour cherries, green peppercorns & ginger on roasted squash cannelloni with creamed cabbage and this was one of the most perfect dishes I've had in my life. I had chosen a 2006 Quails Gate Merlot to go along with this and it worked so harmonically that it almost brought tears to my eyes. The Panna Cotta with cherries for desert tasted like cream cheese and was a bit of a bummer. I ate there twice last month and I must say that their deserts don't quite match the high standards of everything else about this place. http://www.ilterrazzo.com (great place to take a date!)

All in all, I have to say that BC seafood was my culinary revelation of the year.
BC Dungeness Crab > Maine Lobster (not even a contest, really)

fishmongerfunk

Frank said:

I had my best meal of the year early May in Vancouver at Rain City Grill. date!)

i was living 10 steps from that place at the time, wish i had known you were in town. spot prawns are the shit. i even had a spot prawn dealer at one point (well not really a dealer, he just had a connection to some guys who trapped them). i had a dungeness crab hookup too, however, i would take maine lobster over that any day.

http://www.wildbcspotprawns.com/about

Rockadelic

Frank said:

I had my best meal of the year early May in Vancouver at Rain City Grill. I was on my own and usually I never even attempt having an exceptional meal just by myself but I had spent the whole day wandering around town and found myself stopping to read the menues of the restaurants that I passed. The proximity to the sea, the good air and my growing hunger at some point made me say "fuck it" to myself and I walked into the Rain City Grill, one of the fancier places I had stalked out but still casual enough to feel comfortable. I ordered a half dozen of Fanny Bay oysters on the half shell which next to some wild Scottish Rock oysters I had had years ago probably were the best oysters I've ever had and I eat a lot of oysters, followed by a generous heap of mussels in white wine broth with chorizo, again, some of the very best mussels I've ever had and easily the best ones I've ever had outside of France. Then I had an order of poached Spotted Prawns which had just gotten into season that very day. These were caught in the wild over in a bay on Vancouver Island, I think they are in season only a week or ten days of the year. They are a revelation even if they were frozen -but fresh... oh my god! I felt bad sucking prawn heads in a slightly upscale place like this but I just had to. My waiter saw this and was so pleased by how much I visibly (and audibly) enjoyed my meal that he comped me a plate of local BC artisan cheese.

Second best meal of the year I had just a few weeks ago at Il Terrazzo in Victoria BC. I had seared scallops with smoked tuna and marinated seaweed for appetizer which was outstanding. I had chosen a Chenin Blanc from the Cowichan Valley less than an hour outside of Victoria to go along with this and it worked perfectly. Then I had seared venison tenderloin with sour cherries, green peppercorns & ginger on roasted squash cannelloni with creamed cabbage and this was one of the most perfect dishes I've had in my life. I had chosen a 2006 Quails Gate Merlot to go along with this and it worked so harmonically that it almost brought tears to my eyes. The Panna Cotta with cherries for desert tasted like cream cheese and was a bit of a bummer. I ate there twice last month and I must say that their deserts don't quite match the high standards of everything else about this place. http://www.ilterrazzo.com (great place to take a date!)

All in all, I have to say that BC seafood was my culinary revelation of the year.
BC Dungeness Crab > Maine Lobster (not even a contest, really)

THIS is what I was hoping for......sounds like a trip to BC is in order...thanks Frank

Frank

crabmongerfunk said:

Frank said:

I had my best meal of the year early May in Vancouver at Rain City Grill. date!)

i was living 10 steps from that place at the time, wish i had known you were in town. spot prawns are the shit. i even had a spot prawn dealer at one point (well not really a dealer, he just had a connection to some guys who trapped them). i had a dungeness crab hookup too, however, i would take maine lobster over that any day.

http://www.wildbcspotprawns.com/about

I had djed a party the night before which also was a lot of fun! Do you still live out there? I might be back in May...

I find the BC crab to be more flavorful and more succulent in texture than any lobster I ever had. I would probably chose a Maine lobster over most East Coast crab but I think the clarity and constant low temperature of the Pacific takes BC to a superior level.

fishmongerfunk

frank, unfortunately not living there at the moment. if you are back in vancouver you must go to vij's. it's not cheap and you can expect to wait for a table, but it will be a meal to remember.

http://www.vijsrestaurant.ca/index_in.htm

Frank

Rockadelic said:

...sounds like a trip to BC is in order...

I can't recommend it highly enough Rich, the nature on Vabcouver Island is on some completely surreal level. There were moments when the light, the water and the scenery conspired to really take you into another world... listen to me, I'm talking like a damn hippie but seriously, check this shit out:





This was the view on the sunrise through our panoramic bedroom window:
On two mornings we saw a baldheaded eagle on the tip of the tallest tree you can see on this picture.

Double rainbow (all the way):
















Incredibly nice people, very laid back and so much good food around.... and I had no idea they make such delicious wines up there.

I somehow can't seem to make the pics show, maybe they're too large. Just paste them into a new browser...

pimlicosquirrel

This thraed is making me hungry.


So many contenders but two meals popped into my head straight away.

Whole suckling pig at the 4inHand, Sydney.



Or the Tetsuya's degustation, the menu below is not what we had (it changes constantly) but you can get the gist from the websites sample menu below. If you come to Sydney, Australia book into Tetsuya's (at least 3 months in advance), up there with the world's best restaurants.

POTATO SOUP WITH CODDLED QUAIL EGG & AVRUGA
SEA URCHIN CUSTARD
SASHIMI OF KINGFISH WITH BLACKBEAN AND ORANGE
CONFIT PETUNA OCEAN TROUT WITH SHAVED FENNEL & UNPASTEURISED OCEAN TROUT CAVIAR
GRILLED RED SNAPPER WITH PEPPERS AND NEW ZEALAND SCAMPI
STEAMED QUEENSLAND SPANNER CRAB WITH BEAN CURD, FOIE GRAS & JUNSAI
BREAST OF SPATCHCOCK WITH MANJIMUP TRUFFLE, NETTLES & HAZELNUT
SEARED LOIN OF VENISON WITH SALT-ROASTED BEETROOT
HAY-INFUSED ICE CREAM WITH SORREL GRANITA

billbradley

Roast Duck with Braised Lentils, Green Olives and Orange at Feast in Houston.

Best. Duck. Ever.

Rockadelic

billbradley said:

Roast Duck with Braised Lentils, Green Olives and Orange at Feast in Houston.

Best. Duck. Ever.

Beautiful....there used to be a spot in ATX on 5th Street called Castle Hill that had the greatest duck gumbo I've ver had.

trzakhstan

Mac & Cheese


Nachos


Onion Chips

esskay

http://www.pingpdx.com/

The-gaffler

Thai Siam in Lawrence, KS of all fusking places. It's a family operation in an old Subway sandwich spot and you sit at the yellow booths, wood panels 'n all that.



That penang tofu is like no other.

AKallDay

RecordBeast said:

i'm slackin I don't even know what Ossobuco is?

Osso= bone
Bucco= hole
it's the shank from the top of the thigh. you eat the marrow as well, and it is generally braised for a long time to get tender, yum.

Meat made a comeback into my diet this year, but I have gone more veg again now and it feels good. But before that the best of 2011 included this meal with my brother for the closing night at Convivio:

Arancini saffron risotto croquettes:



Stracciatella fresh cheese curd, pomodoro:



Animelle
crispy sweetbreads, porcini salad, salsa verde:



Branzino Crudo
black sea bass, fennel, blood orange, olives:



Malloreddus
sardinian saffron gnocchett, crab, sea urchin:



Bistecca
creekstone farms prime flat iron steak
arugula. pecorino potatoes:



Fusilli
neopolitan pork shoulder ragu, caciocavallo fonduta:



roasted fluke:



pecorino potatoes. i think these were fried in duck fat and then smashed:



Panna Cotta
vanilla panna cotta, fresh huckleberries, lime yogurt sorbet:



Bonus beat... our trip to mexico, the candeeeeez were beautiful as was every meal we had:

HarveyCanal

2 trays worth of my mom's lasagna.

waxjunky

I spent 10 days in New Orleans this year. Being a chef, food is my life and I go well out of my way to eat well, so there's no chance of narrowing a year down to one single meal. However, the $20 three-course lunch at Restaurant August felt almost like stealing.

Almond

Sweet potato fries with a smoky maple dipping sauce from a restaurant called Yard House. A friend ordered them as an appetizer for himself, but had to bounce before they arrived. We were left with his order and devoured it. I think that the sauce has bacon bits or bacon drippings in it to lend some of the smoky flavor, but as a vegetarian, I'm willing to overlook that. The sweet potato fries I had before this point were always seasoned with savory spices, and this was so much better.

Kale marinated in lemon and honey dressing. I discovered kale this year and am in love. Kale salad is the only thing I know how to make that is worth eating. More affordable (at least at my market) than spinach, pretty healthy and more resilient to wilting than other greens. If you find that kale is too bitter, remove the middle stalk, add some olive oil and lemon juice and really work them into the leaves with your hands. The lemon takes away the bitterness, and the leaves keep most of their shape and texture even after being wilted by the oil. Add anything else (I like honey, craisins, berries, nuts, etc.). Amazing. People actually complimented me and asked for the recipe, which never happens.

Almond

Oops.

Almond

Oops.

Almond

Oops.

The_Hook_Up

Duck pastrami at Cochon Butcher is up there for me. Also had a transcendent rib-eye sandwich at a spot I eat at almost weekly. For some reason, this one time, it was if it was a perfectly marbled piece of Kobe that the sandwich was made of this one particular time. But yeah, 2011 was all about sandwiches.

billbradley

The_Hook_Up said:

Duck pastrami at Cochon Butcher is up there for me.

That duck pastrami is awesome. Loopden brought some down to ARC a couple years ago to share along with a spread of other stuff. It was all really good.

kitchenknight

Best meal by far was a night out in LA at Animal. Had a ball, ate way too much, and still dream about the Trout Collar.

jjfad027

Almond said:

Kale marinated in lemon and honey dressing. I discovered kale this year and am in love. Kale salad is the only thing I know how to make that is worth eating. More affordable (at least at my market) than spinach, pretty healthy and more resilient to wilting than other greens. If you find that kale is too bitter, remove the middle stalk, add some olive oil and lemon juice and really work them into the leaves with your hands. The lemon takes away the bitterness, and the leaves keep most of their shape and texture even after being wilted by the oil. Add anything else (I like honey, craisins, berries, nuts, etc.). Amazing. People actually complimented me and asked for the recipe, which never happens.

I' ve been making lot's of kale chips. Just toss with olive oil and sea salt and roast til crispy. Good as a topping or by themselves.