LUCY BURDETTE: you know how much I love to eat and to talk about food and write about it and read about it. I decided this was the year. I should make my top 10 list for the best things I’ve eaten. Turns out none of these were dishes I made, that would have to be a separate list! Here you go, in a rough though not definite order...
*Clemente’s pizza, Key West. This is my favorite pizza place in Key West—it’s New Haven style pizza, which we adore. Being creatures of habit, we almost always order the same thing—pepperoni and peppers on the pizza, along with Baby’s House Salad.
*Eggplant tower at Cafe Routier in Westbrook, CT. (This reminded me of Hayley Snow’s leaning tower of eggplant.) I would have shown you their house-made frites with homemade dipping sauce but apparently I didn’t take a photo. We order those every single time we go.
*Waffles with fish roe and sour cream in Copenhagen. We had this dish twice in two Copenhagen restaurants. Usually neither of us would order lumpfish roe but the combination was amazing.
*Mexican chicken soup This was the chicken soup from our daughter and son-in-law’s favorite restaurant in Encinitas, La Especial Norte. The broth was to die for, with big hunks of succulent chicken and avocado. I need to try to recreate it!
*Greek salad in NYC, Pylos. We eat at this Greek restaurant at least once a year—it’s off the beaten track in the east Village. Everything is good, but we always kick off with their farmer’s Greek salad.
*Fried chicken with waffles at Louie’s Backyard, Key West. Brunch on the porch overlooking the water with the most decadent and delicious waffle dish imaginable? Sausage gravy? Put me in, Coach!
*Hot dog in Copenhagen. We ate these more than once at an organic hot dog stand in downtown Copenhagen, served with mustard, ketchup, remoulade, fried onions, pickles. I try not to eat pork, but this was unbelievable!
*Pork chop fried rice at Din Tai Fung in New York City. This chain opened in the fall in New York, and I managed to snag a table. So what if we ate dinner at 3:30? They are known for soup dumplings, but don’t skip the pork chop fried rice. (See above, I try not to eat pork, but sometimes I fail.)
*Gnocchi bolognese in Oslo. I always order gnocchi when I see them on a menu, and these were so good. But the real star was the quaint Italian setting and the owner crooning while we ate.
*Lobster roll with potato chips. This was served as an hors d’oeuvre at our nephew Rusty’s wedding to Lauren in Maine. Can you see the potato chips embedded in the rolls? OMG I wish I’d eaten another one or two and skipped the dinner. (Although that was good as well.) I will dream of these lobster rolls forever…
Oh, Lucy, your best things I ate all sound wonderful! Here's my list:
ReplyDeleteLobster roll with French fries . . . bacon eggs benedict with bacon jam and home fries . . . maple bread pudding . . . white chicken chili . . . dark chocolate espresso cake . . . .
That all sounds delicious, Joan. Now I’m going to be hungry for breakfast…
DeleteLegumes salad
ReplyDeleteStir fry vegetables with tofu
Oatmeal with berries
Yam
Cherry tomatoes
Gingerbread cookies
Spinach salad
Lemon chicken
Green smoothie
Guacamole with chips
Did you make all those dishes, Diana? They sound wonderful!
DeleteLucy, yes, I developed a taste for all of these foods. I am Still learning how to cook. Since I learned that I am allergic to dairy and wheat, there had to be changes. No longer could have a cup of hot chocolate, though I had a cup of yummy hot chocolate with cashew milk from my favorite local cashew milk ice cream shop! When I bake gingerbread cookies, I used oil instead of butter and DF GF flour. Thank you for your kind words.
DeleteDiana you probably already are aware of this, but after decades of cooking I just found out that eggs in baked goods can be substituted with applesauce. 1 egg = 1/4 cup applesauce.
DeleteI ran out of eggs so I checked on online and that was what was recommended. The pancakes turned out even better tasting than when I used eggs.
Lucy, all of your food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteFabulous eating around the world, Lucy! I had excellent sushi in New York last summer. A Frutti di Mare from the fabulous family Italian restaurant down the street here: Shrimp, scallops, calamari, clams and mussels sautéed with a spicy red sauce and tossed with homemade linguini. Thai Drunken Noodles. Amesbury Community Flatbread (also down the street) is to die for, including the crust: "Our organic wood-fired cauldron tomato sauce, organic caramelized onions, organic mushrooms, whole milk mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, homemade garlic oil and our own blend of organic herbs."
ReplyDeleteWe/I haven't been traveling afar much. I plan to do more of that this year, including some good eating!
How lucky to have restaurants in your own town that you love! I hope you get some travels in this year
DeleteI also cooked up some great things at home, including the chocolate tahini babka I made a couple of weeks ago for a Hanukkah party!
DeleteWe’ve been trying a lot of restaurants in our new home of Ocala, Florida. There are 3 Italian places near us we like and we’ve found some good bbq places. So far the Mexican places we’ve been to have not impressed me all that much.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is a chain I enjoy going to Mission BBQ because the food is good and they focus on Veterans. Several designated parking spots, the restaurant decor, free meals and fundraisers and every day at noon all the workers come out to the dining area and everyone stands to sing the National Anthem. Although we are not Veterans, I love the atmosphere.
That’s very touching Brenda! I hope you are enjoying your new hometown. I went to school in Gainesville for five years and liked that city very much.
DeleteWe haven’t ventured to Gainesville yet, but I’m sure as we get more settled in our home we will be having more adventures. I do want to go to the butterfly garden there.
DeleteWhat am I doing with my life?? I never take pictures of food. And notes, too! I resolve to change that this year.
ReplyDeleteLucy, I am very jealous of the great photos and descriptions of sumptuous fare.
But I’m sure you are eating delicious things Judy, because you’re such a good cook!
DeleteJust the title of this post had me laughing. It reminds me of my bewilderment when vacationing with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They both are serious foodies (one an Italian and one a part-time caterer) and they spent breakfast talking excitedly about what we should eat for dinner. I am sadly out of step with the rest of the world. I have never thought much about meals except my responsibility to grocery shop for healthy ingredients and serve it on the table every night for 40+ years. Everyone else in my family is far more adventurous. All your meals sound great. Enjoy! (Selden)
ReplyDeleteThat is funny,Selden! I don’t know whether it’s a blessing or a curse to be obsessed with food, but I think we take who we are and run with it😁
DeleteAs someone waiting for a late breakfast this morning, your post has me hungry now, Lucy!! I have to say, that hot dog is impressive!! :-) Youngest nephew has had some health challenges this fall and lost too much weight. I've been trying new recipes to entice him into eating (it's working; so far he's putting weight back on). We've really enjoyed two soups--simple lentil soup and a take on a Tuscan bean soup with sausage and kale. And the burgundy beef was a big hit--better than beef stew! Also well-received, crockpot chicken thighs over from-scratch buttermilk biscuits. Colcannon with bacon. Chicken stir fry with fresh veggies from the farmer's market. Dessert counts, too, right? Chocolate brownie cookies, especially fresh from the oven! Now I'm really hungry!!
ReplyDeleteThat all sounds wonderful – isn’t he lucky to have you cooking for him!
DeleteYum. It all looks delish! I wish my gut would let me enjoy a greater variety of food. Probably the best meal I had this year was at Cabezon, a fine restaurant in my neighborhood that specializes in seafood. Everything is yummy there.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your gut, but it sounds like you found a place that agrees with you. That is also delicious.
DeleteLucky nephew, Flora, to have you cooking such tempting treats for him. Glad he is getting his strength back. The crockpot meal sounds like my mom's chicken and dumplings. Drool.
ReplyDeleteThat hot dog looks incredible, Lucy! You had me at fried onions--that would take a simple dog to new heights. Remoulade, too? Swoon.
We had some pretty amazing food last year, but like Judy Singer, I never take pictures, alas. Some standouts: Greek salad in Greece. It's nothing like we get here, and so much better, with fresh olive oil and cheese, and the olives cured by the local grove. Just about everything we ate in Poland. We had at least five different versions of cabbage soup, and three of borscht, no two the same, and all delicious. Another amazing soup was sour rye, which I could eat every single day, it was so wonderful. Pierogi, again, lots of different, always delicious kinds. Back at home, a gyro place opened down the street, and we recently branched out to their beef and chicken schawarmas. Fabulous! How have I missed this all my life? And finally, on New Year's Eve we had the new chocolate cake dessert on the menu of a favorite restaurant, and it was a HUGE hit, rich, fudgy, and covered in ganache. Heaven for a chocoholic like me.
Karen, I confess that the picture and description of Lucy's hot dog reminded me of a scene in Crocodile Dundee, except that was on a New York street.
DeleteI don’t remember that scene, but this hotdog was memorable, even though I hardly ever eat them anymore. The chocolate cake is now calling to me, Karen.😁🎂
DeleteKaren, one of my faves when I was on campus at Ohio State--a specialty grocery/cafe with the best schwaramas! Biggest thing I miss where I live now--the variety of available restaurants close by.
DeleteI am not adventurous is my eating habits so any specific list like this would be impossible for me to produce.
ReplyDeleteRather, my list would be a list of symptoms for why I will probably die earlier than I should.
Bacon Cheesburgers (99 Restaurant, Red Robin with a fried egg on top, Market basket and 1 from David's Restaurant)
Chicken Tenders (99 Restaurant)
Cheese Pizza (Papa Ginos)
Ham and Cheese subs (Wareham House of Pizza)
Turkey & Ham subs (Subway)
Steak and Cheese subs (Jersey Mike's and Papa Ginos)
Roast Beef subs (Jersey Mike's)
And of course, deli meat from the grocery store for sandwiches. And I can't forget Campbell's soup.
And my aunt's chicken dish that I get made for me twice a year.
A top ten of causes likely to be on the death certificate. HA!
Jay I like the way you've organized your list with the item you ordered and from which restaurant.
DeleteJay, i’m not seeing too many vegetables on your list! The rest of it looks yummy though
DeleteLucy, I'm morally opposed to vegetables. :D
DeleteLUCY: Those meals look amazing!
ReplyDeleteMany of you know I spent 10 days in Singapore in April-May this year.
I ate so many wonderful dishes that local mystery author friend Ovidia Yu asked me to guest post on her blog for 2 weeks. There are plenty of photos and descriptions.
https://murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com/2024/05/singapore-through-eyes-palate-of-grace_01995371404.html
https://murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com/2024/05/singapore-through-eyes-palate-of-grace.html
I remember your pix of Singapore Grace, the trip looked amazing!
DeleteSomeday I want to try Fried Chicken with Waffles – I cannot imagine it, but I love fried chicken and am iffy about waffles – better than pancakes, but - . Somehow the combination of all the flavours, just might make it. Maybe with hot sauce??
ReplyDeleteBest meals, but they were not in 2024, but 2023, and both were eaten out. Full English Breakfast with Poutine Benedict. (They have a defibrillator at the ready!). Oh, Oh, Oh. May any other flight we take to Vancouver get overnighted in Montreal, and we have to enjoy this breakfast. Worth any inconvenience!
The second was also in 2023, and again it was something not on my usual menu. Crabcake Poutine for lunch (there may be a pattern here…) in Vancouver. We have snow crab in our area, but this is made with small green crabs, and really there is no comparison of the two. Delicious.
I too, avoid pork – kills my guts – but I would try that hot dog. Want to try proper gnocchi someday, and that recipe for the chips in the lobster rolls looks tempting.
Oh yes, I forgot. I did get to eat out once last year. A Vietnamese family moved into the local area and we went for lunch. A delicious noodle dish with superb spring rolls. Are you allowed to make a meal of just those? We took a serving of pho home for supper. So much food! Their serving for one, served the two of us with leftovers. I felt guilty about ordering a meal for one, and serving two, and even then not finishing it. Both delightful and worth going back. There is a new enterprise opening this year, where various nationalities have the kitchen facilities one day a week – scheduled. I see there is a Nigerian one open on Mondays – that is on my mission to eat there.
Margo, we had a restaurant in our town that specialized in fried chicken and waffles served with real maple syrup. It was decadent, delicious, crave-worthy. It closed the second month of the pandemic. I still have fried chicken and waffles dreams, sigh.
DeleteWhat an interesting place Margo--absolutely yes to a meal of noodles and spring rolls. Louie's Backyard's waffles with chicken are also loaded with sausage gravy. It's amazing but maybe once a year at most!
DeleteLucy I live about an hours drive south of Encinitas and next time we are up that way we'll have to give La Especial Norte a try. The Greek Salad picture (Pylos, NYC) looks perfect with all the best ingredients. It's hard to find authentic Greek Salads in our area (even from Greek restaurants).
ReplyDeleteit's very casual, but so good. Real Greek salad apparently doesn't include lettuce.
DeleteWhen we traveled in Greece that salad was what we ordered with every meal. It was so good and simple. It never had lettuce. The cheese in Greece that they used was sheep feta. Which I like better than cow feta as it has a better flavor.
DeleteFrom Celia: just reading everyone's lists is enough for me. I was doing very little eating out last year but Hillview market by my PT made the best chicken salad sandwiches, just what was needed after a workout. Another favorite site for Victor and I was the Farmhouse Restaurant in the Sable Oakes Sheraton where they make THE best French fries.
ReplyDeleteHowever tonight we are watching The midwinter Revels production, a yearly must do for us Wakefields, with some friends. I have made a lamb chili using local stew lamb which I trimmed and cut very small so something to bite on. I'll serve with tortilla chips and usual sides. Plus my daughter gave me a Christmas pudding so that's something different to offer. When I checked to see how long I should boil it. Wow, no more boiling but microwave it for 2 minutes. Mrs Beeton, Mrs Patmore and the Duchess of Duke Street must be turning in their graves.
With envy, Celia! Can you imagine how today's speedy conveniences would have changed their lives?
DeleteI adore chicken salad Celia, but not lamb. I bet your dinner will be delicious!
DeleteI don't take notes and I don't take pictures. I just eat everyone that's not nailed down...No. let me amend that. Last year I did not eat any endangered species.
ReplyDeleteLOL Jerry, we're glad to hear that!
DeleteI'm looking at news coverage of people lined up for the ability to finally purchase Dungeness crabs on Fishermen's Wharf. Wishing, wishing.....sigh.
ReplyDeleteMy Friday spot is Casabel. I am a creature of habit and very addicted to their fries which is served with jalapeno jelly, queso fresco and cilantro. I usually order the carne asada quesadilla which is served with a salad and the fries.
Deana, having no idea where you live, but guessing the SF Bay Area due to your Dungeness/Fisherman’s Wharf comment, where is the restaurant Casabel? I Googled it and found a few named Cascabel, including one in Santa Rosa., but no Casabels. — Pat S
Deletethose Fries sound killer. I would eat jalapeno jelly on a rock...
DeleteSanta Rosa is the location I use, Pat S, in Montgomery Village Shopping complex. I think there is another location in Marin county. They also own Crepevine, in the Village.
DeleteI like trying different kinds of foods, but I didn’t do anything adventurous this past year. I go to the same places over and over again because they’re inexpensive. And I mostly order chicken, cooked any way except fried!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Whatever works DebRo!
DeleteOh, so good, Lucy!
ReplyDeleteHubs is beset with allergies to almost every preservative known to man so we've had to resort to only eating home cooking. This year I was thrilled to find a good recipe for breadmaker bagels. Seriously, a strange thing to be the highlight of the year, but I grew up in NJ - bagels are a part of life.
There's nothing like a really good bagel, Kait!
DeleteKait would you mind sharing your breadmaker bagels recipe? I tried making bagels years ago and they turned out pretty good but not as good as a really good bagel. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI’m also a person with “gut” issues so I’m not a foodie. I love food, but have to finally admit that many things don’t love me. Having said that, we took a cruise in October and I had some very good food. We had some delicious sausages for lunch in Lubljana, Slovenia on a shore excursion. Unfortunately, we had run into traffic getting there so had a very limited time to eat and had to wolf it down, but it still stands as a highlight!
ReplyDeleteLucy/Roberta, thanks for the recommendation for La Especial Norte! We live closer than Anonymously above so will definitely check it out! — Pat S
hope you love the food!
DeleteSuch fun looking at those dishy dishes, Lucy, and reading everyone’s lists. As for me Chinese soup dumplings and summer corn (didn’t get out to eat much) - I definitely want what you’re having, Lucy
ReplyDeleteYou're a very good eater Hallie, and cook too!
DeleteThis all looks AMAZING! And I agree, those lobster rolls are the stuff dreams are made of!
ReplyDeleteOMG those lobster rolls...
DeleteI hate to admit it but I don't remember anything outstanding this past year. I know I had good seafood while we were visiting the Outer Banks. And I know we had good Tex-Mex in San Antonio. I had a delicious Aperol spritz right here in Lexington, VA. Yum.
ReplyDeleteIt helps me remember if. I take pix. Plus I do a lot of research before we go anywhere so it's satisfying if the food is as good as the reviews!
DeleteLucy, everything you ate sounds fabulous!! You know me--I would eat it all!
ReplyDeleteA few standouts for my year as they pop into mind: The house-made charcuterie course, with house-made foccacia at Lucia in Dallas--we'd have been happy not to eat anything else. The goat cheese stuffed peppadew peppers in basil garlic oil at Osteria il Muro in Denton, TX. Lemony Pearl Barley Soup from NYT Cooking. The perfect shrimp scampi I made on New Year's Eve. Black beans in the Instant Pot. My first attempt at Pasta Amatriciana.
But I must say, looking back over my planner, that there were way too many boring and repetitive meals, and way too much take out. I hearby resolve to do better in 2025.
I. Am. Starving. Sending this to the Hub so he'll be inspired in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteFrom Judy KB, can't tell you how many of your amazing list I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot fork, but the pictures were fabulous. Best meals last year were tomato soup with the most wonderful croutons at Houston's in Pasadena, California, with apple walnut cobbler for dessert. Sunday treats after a matinee at the Ahmanson Theatre. Even if the show is meh, there's always dinner to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteWow, where to start with your list, Lucy, except to say, "hey, pass those dishes my way!" I've only had one lobster roll in my life, so I'd like to start with that, please. :-). My husband and I have had some delicious meals this year, but the standouts are something as "simple" as clam chowder or truly the best buttermilk pancakes EVER at our favorite restaurant in Morro Bay, CA (vacation food almost always tastes better, especially when it's at our most favorite place on Earth). For our sixth wedding anniversary in August, we re-visited a semi-local restaurant we hadn't been to since we were dating. While at our age (70), we are grateful for every anniversary, this one was extra special thanks to what we treated ourselves to: (Crab Cake Appetizer: Lump Crab and Shrimp, Grilled Sweet Corn, Mixed Peppers, Chipotle and Ginger Aioli, Fresh Chives; Entree: Zinfandel Braised Short Rib, whipped Yukon gold potatoes, ranch scented onion rings; Because I had to: Four Cheese Mac and Cheese, Fontina, cheddar, parmesan, gruyère, parmesan bread crumbs. And a 360 degree view of the San Fernando Valley. Perfection!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lucy! Now we will need to hit Louie's again as I would not have guessed that they had chicken and waffles. In March, I enjoyed reindeer meat over mashed potatoes with salad greens and lingonberries in Helsinki. At the Stowe Mountain Resort, we had blueberry pancakes that looked like chocolate as they were so dark, topped with fresh blueberries, whipped cream, pistachios and drizzled with Runamok maple syrup that you can now purchase here locally. I sampled freshly smoked salmon at the Pike Place Market in Seattle that was yummy. If it is free, it is for me! Then, there was the Lavender soft serve ice cream at Hood River Lavender Farm in Oregon. Chocolate Fudge Almond ice cream in a chocolate dipped fresh cone at Mad Dog Jake's in Wisconsin. Lastly, my all-time favorite is the Portugues Fish at the Lobster Pot in Provincetown. It is served over risotto with fresh greens and topped with stuffing that includes more seafood and linguica!
ReplyDeleteI am practically salivating as I read these posts. A born and bred Southerner, I am hooked on shrimp and grits, particularly from The Glass Onion in Charleston and Cafe Max in Pompano Beach, Florida.
ReplyDeleteHoping to continue getting my smell and taste senses back this year. This week I started smelling coconut, so I’m hopeful things keep coming back. Until then all of my favorite dishes have lots of citrus and garlic!
ReplyDeleteYour blog about favorite foods today was timed perfectly, Lucy Burdette, although after reading it along with the accompanying photos I find myself standing in front of an open refrigerator door salivating over EVERYTHING inside it. Last night I was up until 3:00 A.M. organizing all my recipes from the past 45 plus years while trying to locate a certain one for a friend. In the process of doing so that project opened the door to so many memories of past holiday dinners, birthday parties and joyful times of sitting at the dining table with friends and family. While taste is certainly the primary reason for listing a certain food as a favorite I also may have a sentimental reason for making it a special choice. Last night my quest to find a Delmonico Potato recipe became so important to me to find I was willing to stay up all night looking for it forcing me to finally organize all my recipes many of them written on bits and pieces of paper like recycled envelopes and newspaper cutouts from long ago. When I was finished I had filled a sizable trash bag with would be recipes I never will try and others that I no longer can have. The good news is I succeeded in finding the Delmonico potato recipe in all that disorganized mess and now another put-in-order job is finished. I also found my decades old two-page typewritten notes of planning a Thanksgiving family dinner over a 3-week period including when to shine the silver and purchase the non-perishable grocery items plus the menu from appetizers to dessert. Who is this woman I now wonder?!! :-) Now it's a big deal even when I'm only serving dessert! But I digress. Back to my list of favorites ~ #1. Banana ice cream not only because it's so delicious but because my father always made homemade banana ice cream for my birthday. #2 Hot Milk Cake (which accompanied the banana ice cream) made faithfully by my mother for my birthday every year. She first acquired the recipe from her best friend when they were young brides in the early 1940's. #3 My mother-in-law's recipe for her scrumptious tomato sauce. I remember as a newlywed standing beside her at the stove with a steno pad writing down every detail of how she made it and asking her what a "handful of grated pecorino Romano cheese" was in terms of measurements. She laughed and said there were no exact amounts. There was only a "bit of this and a little of that" and everything was about taste. I learned that when he was just a young boy my husband stood at the same stove and was his mother's faithful "taster". Such a lovely memory just thinking about it. #4 My friend's recipe for Kugel passed down to her by her mother. The first time I had it was at her daughter's Bat Mitzvah; I thought I had died and went to Heaven...It was THAT heavenly. And lastly those amazing Delmonico potatoes also passed down to a friend from her mother. I begged my friend for that recipe for years and she finally admitted that her mother also did use measurements so she had to "wing it". Turned out that winging it made her an ace pilot :-); those Delmonico potatoes tasted just like her mom's. Now, however, she only makes a vegan version of the original because both her son and daughter-in-law are vegetarians but my apologies to all the "veggies" out there...it's just not the same. My friend's brother, who is a childhood buddy of my husband, and his wife were both commenting this past weekend about how much they missed the original recipe. I decided at that moment that I would surprise them by making it for them but first I had to find it in my nightmare of a mess of recipes mayhem. Fortunately, after nearly four hours of searching and organizing I was finally able to locate it. I enjoyed reading everyone's list of favorites and I love that you relish one of the most joyful pleasures in life, Lucy Burnett... good food and eating it!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteThe best fried oysters of my life, at Steinhilber's Restaurant in Virginia Beach, where we had not been in possibly 30 years! It was like a touch of heaven! It was the place we sometimes went for our anniversary when we lived there in the ‘80’s! If possible, we will go back again next October, on our way back from vacationing in the Outer Banks. And maybe I could take a new Deborah Crombie mystery with me next fall? 😃
ReplyDelete