28 Dishes I Enjoyed (A Lot) in 2009

Even though health issues kept me from eating as much as I could in 2009, I managed to get in some good meals. So like last year, here is an alphabetical list of my favorite dishes of the year. Note: Sometimes "favorite" is the equivalent of being “the best", while sometimes it’s just something that I got immense enjoyment from despite its simplicity or lack of gravitas on the culinary food chain. I hope you enjoy reading about these dishes as much as I enjoyed eating them.

1. Boudin - Cochon Butcher, New Orleans, Louisiana - I’m no expert on boudin, but the version that Donald Link sells at Cochon Butcher is really tasty. Mellow, porky and perfectly seasoned, I would stop by to eat it on a regular basis if I lived in NOLA.
2. Candied Sweetbreads/Variations on Corn - Schwa, Chicago, Illinois - Michael Carlson’s sweetbreads were so caramelized they could actually pass for candy.
3. Caramelized Eggplant & Cantaloupe, Grilled Mango, Ginger Pudding, Peanut, Tamarind “raisins" - Town House, Chilhowie, Virginia - Out of the Quique Dacosta school of mixing savory vegetables with a sweet creamy substance - it managed to be minimalist and complex at the same time.
4. Chiperones ala Plancha with a Fried Egg - El Quim, Barcelona, Spain - While sitting at La Boqueria eating this marvelous plate of food, I was jealous of Catalan babies who grow up eating this stuff.
5. Crudo Assortment - Marea, New York, NY - Michael White ratcheted it up a notch or three over what other crudo specialists serve. Worth stopping by for a light dinner of a platter of crudo and a bottle of Proseco

6. Clam Chowder - Pesce Blue, Portsmouth, New Hampshire - It’s not often that you can find a good chowder made from scratch with fresh ingredients. The hunk of haddock at the top of the bowl was perfectly cooked. A casual dining masterpiece.
7. Clams & Rice - Txikito, New York, NY - Alex Raij served this to me and Tony Bourdain when we had lunch there while filming a segment of No Reservations and it was like being in San Sebastian.
8. Country Plate - Els Casals, Sagas, Spain - Oriol Rovira makes the case that you can utilize contemporary culinary technique with what would otherwise be rugged regional cuisine with this hearty dish of pork, veal and eggs.
9. Crown Roast of Fallow Deer - Harwood Arms, London, United Kingdom - The flavors ran deep and in many ways it was reminiscent of a well hung roast beef. A truly glorious piece of meat and each bite was a joy.
10. Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Sel Gris - Hot Doug’s, Chicago, Illinois - This “hot dog" is so good that it competes with Chang’s Bo Ssam for the honor of best casual dish in the country.

11. Hamachi with Fresh Cheese - Alkimia, Barcelona, Spain - What made this dish so outstanding was the different types of fruit and citrus to offset the saltiness of the fish and creamy cheese. A good example of modern cuisine at its very best.
12. Goose Liver, Cabbage & Beets - Amador, Langen, Germany - It was sort of like a deconstructed stuffed cabbage (where the fish and liver were the stuffing) served in a beet coulis. Yum!
13. Grilled Kanpachi with Brussel Sproutsin a sauterne and grapefruit broth - Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster, New Jersey - The idea that you can eat a dish straight out of the Blue Hill playbook in the middle of New Jersey horse country is even better in actuality than it is in concept!
14. Grilled & Smoked Duck with Truffle Risotto - Marinus, Carmel Valley, California - It sounds ridiculous but the dish was so good that the shaved truffles that you see on the top of the duck weren’t even necessary.
15. Morphings (Chocolate & Petits Four Box) - El Bulli, Roses, Spain - When I showed a picture of this “dessert" to Le Bernardin’s Michael Laiskonis he looked at it and said, “that’s supposed to be for two people?"

16. Mortadella - Bacchanalia, Atlanta, Georgia - Given how many places make their own charcuterie, this offering from Anne Quatrano was a stand-out.
17. Polenta with Nine Flavors - Goodstone, Middleberg, Virginia - Sometimes simplicity works best, which was the case when creamy polenta was squeezed out of a pastry bag and topped with nine different flavors, ranging from sweet, salty to umami.
18. Riceless Mushroom “Risotto" - Elements, Princeton, NJ - Given that the “rice" is really finally cut chicken of the woods mushrooms, the mushroom flavor in this dish was far more intense than your typical risotto dish.
19. Sea Urchin Linguine - Bresca, Portland, Maine - Shocked that I put a pasta dish on the list. Krista Kern’s dish is more like eating uni custard with some pasta running through it. Possibly the most decadent thing I ate in ‘09.
20. Salmon, Mandarin Orange, Ras-el-Hanout - L’Air du Temps, Eghezée, Belgium - Remarkable not only for the terrific flavor, but the cooking was so exact and the flavors so perfectly balanced that the dish could stand as a reference point for the benefits of cooking in the molecular style.

21.. Sobrasada with Honeycomb - Els Casals, Sagas, Spain - All you need to know is that this was even better than the house made sobrasada at Etxebbari
22. Sweet Potato “Gnocchis" with White Truffle - El Bulli, Roses, Spain - If I had to choose a dish of the year, this would clearly be a contender. Not only was the dish delicious, the white truffles were among the best I ever experienced
23. Tender Pistachios with White Truffle Ice Cream - El Bulli, Roses, Spain - How can you beat pistachio gels, pistachio cream, pistachio syrup and blanched and roasted pistachios served with a mound of white truffle ice cream? Well you can’t.
24. Truffle Ice Cream with Truffle Caramel Sauce - Marinus, Carmel Valley, California - Ben Spungin’s caramel sauce was so good that l I asked himif he could make me a large batch to take home. Totally over the top.
25.“Truffles" with Buttermilk, Pistachio, Peppermint and Red Wine - Town House, Chilhowie, Virginia - The number of desserts I am served which knock me out are far and few between. But this was truly delicious and it even had the non-dessert loving Mrs. P scraping the melted truffles off of the plate.

Note: There were three exceptional dishes that I didn’t take photos of but which deserve a special mention."Smoke", corned veal tongue, coleslaw and Burgundy mustard - Per Se, New York, NY; Escolar & Kobe Beef, Le Bernardin, New York, NY and Monterey Spot Prawns with Fennel Puree - L’Aubergine, Carmel, California.

01/04/2010 | Comments (2)