2023 Food Recap: Best Eats, Overrated Food Trends, & New Year’s Resolutions
If there were a Spotify Wrapped but for food, mine would look something like this.
I ate a lot of good food this year. I like to think I do that most years, but this year I shared that food with very important people. There was a midday lunch with co-workers on the coldest day of the year, a reservation at an award-winning restaurant months in the making, a trip to my college town just to load up on baked goods from the local bake shop, summer night dinners shared with family and friends, and a trip down south with my best friend.
As our therapists asks us to reflect on our 2023, I will be turning my attention to the food and company I shared this year, and what I hope to see in the new year. Without further ado, I present to you my 2023 food recap:
The Best Things I Ate in 2023 (in no particular order)
Za’atar Grilled Cheese at Leland (Prospect Heights): The consumed lunch at previously mentioned co-worker lunch. And I still dream of her.
Ebbieoche from Sift Bake Shop (Mystic, CT): Croissant meets brioche, meets cinnamon roll, meets Wetzel’s Pretzel’s cinnamon sugar pretzel.
Carrot Cake served at Massawa, made by Lloyd’s (Morningside Heights): While everything made by and at Massawa is to die for, the carrot cake they bring in from Lloyd’s made me a carrot cake convert and inspired the one I made for my birthday this year.
Cacio e Pepe Focaccia from Sift Bake Shop (Mystic, CT): How do you improve an already dynamic duo? Swap out the carb source, of course. And when reheated in a pan, the cheese got extra crispy and I’d shed a tear of joy.
Tahini Soft Serve from Shukette (Chelsea): You know when you take a bit of something and then you laugh because it’s so good? That happened to my friend and I when we went into the tahini soft serve with date syrup and halva floss. I also need to give Shukette kudos because they were one of few TikTok hyped restaurants I went to where my expectations were exceeded.
Mole and Tamales from Vamos Al Tequila (Greenpoint): Introduced to me by my partner, Vamos is a staple in our restaurant rotation, and their mole and homemade tamales feel like a warm up.
Canned Clam Linguine, courtesy of the New York Times: I was skeptical of the canned clams, but this made for the perfect late-night summer dinner for my family. It was salty, butter, meaty, but overall light and reminded us of summers spent on LBI.
Smoked Bluefish Dip, courtesy of friends who shlepped bluefish back from Martha’s Vineyard: This is my final meal. No doubt.
Key Lime Pie with Ritz crust: Why I never thought to swap out a regular crust for Ritz crackers is beyond me. It was an absolute game changer and I will never look back
The Best Restaurants I Visited in 2023
Wei’s (Williamsburg): Some of the best, affordable, filling, and reliable Chinese food I’ve had in a long time in the city. And with their Clinton Hill location having just opened, I look forward to becoming a regular next year.
The Grey Counter (Savannah): The spiced catfish po’boy was so good I had to bring home the spice blend to my parents. And then I had to read the book about the owners.
Cotten and Rye (Savannah): This was our “ball out” meal in Savannah and it didn’t miss. From the cocktails, rosemary cornbread, Mac and cheese, and fried fish over risotto, everything delivered. And the Southern Hospitality of the staff heightened everything about the experience.
Mikes (Bed-Stuy): This is on here solely because they serve grits with a slab of American cheese on the side of just about everything.
Locanda Vini & Olii (Bed-Stuy): A special occasion meal and worth every bit. From the octopus to the pistachio cake, this converted pharmacy gave everything I desire in a dining experience. Even physically brushing elbows with the people next to us gave me great comfort and enhanced the experience.
Vamos Al Tequila (Greenpoint): A repeat offender, but for good reason. Also, the staff will simply bring me a margarita whenever I sit down now, so I have no complaints.
Massalawala & Sons (Park Slope): This. Was. Everything. Another hyped restaurant I feared would let me down but did not. I brought my partner and our friend who grew up in Kolkata and he said this was the most authentic meal he had eaten in the city to date. Going with both of them was so special, but seeing his joy in particular solidified this restaurant for me.
Sofreh (Prospect Heights): I love that Sofreh has become the “we want to go out for dinner but we want a chill, neighborhood place where we can just share a bunch of stuff because the more we order the cheaper it is” kind of place. Perfect for groups, will never be disappointed.
The Best Cocktails I Consumed in 2023
Vermouth (Naturale Rosso, Sicily) Platter from Leland (Prospect Heights): I really became a vermouth girlie this year and I blame it on Leland. The platter comes with a serving of your vermouth of choice (mine was recommended to me by the bartender) along with a cup of olives and lemon peels, and a carafe of soda water so you can build your perfect vermouth refresher.
Shecky Green (Some random pub in Boston): I still cannot tell you where I was, but this was when shrub liquor was all the rage, and this bar made a gin and arugula shrub cocktail that I knew would get the green juice girls swirling.
Paper Plane: I’m fairly confident this was the drink of the summer, but as an old-fashioned and Negroni girl, I appreciate the floral-ness of a paper plane, especially in the summer.
Revolver (discovered through reading Black, White, & The Grey): My trend prediction: espresso martinis are out and revolvers are in. It’s coffee liquor, bourbon, and orange bitters. Not only is it easier to make and procure, it’s far more complex in the flavors.
My Overrated Food Trend Opinions of 2023
Difficult to make reservations: Don’t make me have to set up an alert for when you’ll be able to accommodate me.
Lattes: Cortado or flat white any day of the week.
Overpriced pizza: Your dollar slice and local pizza shop are superior and you know it.
Cocktails with more ice than liquor: Just because you put crushed ice in it doesn’t mean you can charge me $20 for it. Keep your liquor cool (when appropriate) and serve it straight.
Restaurants where the atmosphere makes up for subpar, expensive food: We can all see what you’re trying to do here.
My Food Resolutions for 2024
Make more pasta bakes: I made mac and cheese and lasagna recently and was reminded of how easy they are to make. Not only that, they are perfect for serving a group of friends or for having on hand throughout the week.
Cook with a whole fish: I keep saying it, but this is the year I waltz into the fish monger, ask them to debone a big boy, and pop it in the oven to serve for dinner to a large group. It will happen.
Make more mussels in broth: A lot of fish resolutions, but another meal I’ve realized is so worth it.
Follow more recipes to a T before diverging: While I love my cookbooks, I rarely use the actual recipe. I typically read it and then make my own riff on it without trying the original. In a desire to improve my own connection to the process of cooking and developing flavors, I am making an intentional effort to understand the original recipe first before flying off the handle.
That’s all for now, folks. Stay holly and jolly, and I hope to hear about some of your food reflections from 2023.
XX, dining dates