I’ve been reflecting on how my year measured up as it applied to the foodie part of my life. It’s been a pretty cool year!
Not too bad for just a few months of blogging, if I do say so myself! Additionally, and most importantly, I had the pleasure of eating at many great and some not-so-great restaurants… having everything from amazing to mediocre meals along the way.
I noticed in the most recent issue of The Improper Bostonian, that a regular columnist detailed what made his “best of the year” list. Things like the best book he read and best movie he saw (to name a few); but what caught my eye was his “best meal of the year”. For 2007, the best meal he had was the Hamersley’s Bistro Curried Swordfish with Preserved Lemons. It’s no longer on the menu… I checked… so I guess we missed out. However, this got me thinking… what was the best meal I had all year???
This was not an easy thing to decide… or remember for that matter! Maybe it’s age (after all, I am almost 40) or maybe it’s because I have a 3 year old that fries my brain and leaves it in tatters every day. In either case, I can barely remember where our last date night was, let alone what my favorite meal of the year was! I realized that I would need to fall back on my blog entries to help me “remember”… so forget about anything I may have eaten before August of this year!
The best overall “meal” (food, experience, ambiance, service, etc.) was hands down our first (and hopefully not last) visit to Oleana. This place is amazing, and if you have not been yet, you need to go, and… you need to order the Vegetarian Tasting Menu (which is what we had). Of the entire tasting we experienced, my favorite dish was a special of the night… an Heirloom Tomato Napoleon layered w/ Whipped Spiced Feta on top of a Pistachio Crumb Crust ($13).
One other memorable dish was actually from a restaurant that is over-hyped and that I wouldn’t go back to nor recommend… the Craigie Street Bistrot. Even though our entire meal was so-so at best, the Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnocchi, served atop a sweet beet and butter reduction was to die for.
Even though I am certain we had many other meals and dishes that were just as good — and to someone with better short- and long-term memory — quite memorable, these two dishes stick out in my mind.
To wrap up this year… I vow to make three food blog resolutions. One, I will continue to try new places on our bi-weekly date night and report back to you in a candid and [hopefully somewhat] humorous way.Two, we will try to bring our son out to eat more… so we can provide you parents –who lack babysitters — with tasty and kid-friendly options as well. Lastly, I will strive to post a minimum of one time a week… but more like two or three!
Have a safe, healthy and Happy New Year and look for my next post on the holiday meal I cooked on Christmas Day and the smorgasbord of holiday appetizer’s and fingers foods I whipped together for our Annual Holiday Soiree (held in our home). Bon Appetit!