As I review my top five foods lists of 2022 and 2023, there’s too much of a pattern. The same countries pop up. Guess I can’t get enough Georgian/Mexican/Turkish/Japanese food, hey? Think it’s status quo for my top five eats of 2024?
Probably.
Worse yet, I can’t recall much of what I ate between January and June…although I’m confident that the best stuff was in the second half of the year anyway.
Since all five entries are worthy of the top spot, I’m not going to place them in any real order.
Adjaruli Khachapuri at Chito Gvrito Restaurant, New York
As a visit to Sakhartvelo (i.e. Georgia) wasn’t in the cards last year, it was up to one of the many Georgian restaurants in New York City to take charge. Chito Gvrito, just east of Union Square in Manhattan, was more than up to the task.
Even though there are 10s of types of khachapuri, a cheese-filled bread, Adjaruli khachapuri — that is, a specific version from the Adjara region — always gets the limelight.
Is it it because it looks like a cheese bread canoe? I reckon.
What’s your take?
Mix together the sulguni cheese, butter, and eggs, rip off the ends of the canoe, then dig in.
Without a doubt it’s a filling dish. Unfortunately, I have a habit of torturing my arteries.
Must be why I followed up the khachapuri with some very good adjika-seasoned flank steak.
Fry Bread at Bar 10 Ranch, Littlefield, Arizona
I will acknowledge that fry bread is a controversial entry on this top five eats of 2024 list. More superficially, however I had never tried it before, and now it’s one of the few dishes from last year I think about.
While writing an article for a UTV (utility-terrain vehicle) operator last year, a big part of the story involved off-roading from St. George, Utah to Bar 10 Ranch in Littlefield, Arizona, right by Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.
How does a UTV differ from an ATV? I can show you through experience:
It’s quite isolated, so the food is driven in from St. George on a weekly basis. But the ranch does raise Red Devon cattle, and they do fry up a good bread.
Chili for dinner, condensed milk for dessert…love that versatile and woefully unhealthy fry bread.
Two Feet of Tapas at Uno Mas Spanish Restaurant, Bangkok
Two feet of tapas. And it was all for me (I shared it with a couple of colleagues).
What did I share? Everything.
- mushroom croquettes (possibly my favorite one, these were creamy, earthy, yet all too easy to enjoy in one bite)
- smoked salmon (not overly salty, and paired nicely with the nam chim jaew the chefs prepared on the side)
- Fried calamari (squeeze some lemon juice and pinch a hint of sea salt to go the extra mile)
- White anchovies (slightly salty, slightly sweet, mostly fun)
- Grilled octopus (love that grilled flavor, not too salty either)
- Spanish meatballs (the tomato sauce was sweet, and greatly overpowered the albondigas
- Blistered Padrón peppers (the best analog to these would be the Japanese shishito pepper, wherein 1 out of every bunch might be spicy)
- Papas bravas (potatoes with olive and paprika)
- Excellent green and black olives
- “pil pil” shrimp (could have eaten this on an infinite loop along with the mushroom croquettes. Grilled peppery shrimp served in an olive oil jacuzzi and accompanied by lots of garlic)
- Jamón Ibérico (“Iberian ham”) thin cured slices of aged pork. Melt in your mouth brilliance, and a good partner for–>
- Tomato bread, simply put, “mmm”
Squid Tagliatelle Carbonara at Chiado Restaurant, Macao
As part of a two-chef tasting menu, I was invited to a feast at the Portuguese restaurant Chiado at The Londoner Macao.
Whereas I enjoyed most of the courses, the squid tagliatelle carbonara — that is, tagliatelle made of squid — easily rose above the rest.
It was the lightest carbonara I’ve ever tasted, which really let the squid shine through.
If Chiado had that on their regular menu, I’d cross from Zhuhai just to have it again.
Finally, we’re at “number 5.”
Butter Sugar Butter Butter at The Sons’ Talk, Kumamoto, Japan
O.K., it’s not a superb photo of the subject, but holistically it was all a flavor party.
In the center, we have what I deemed butter sugar butter butter, or per their menu, フレンチクロワッサン (French croissant). I’m not in France much, so the patisseries of Japan are my go-to for mountains of butter.
Not to give short shrift to its companion to the left, I also quite liked the Kumamoto specialty ikinari dango. It’s a Japanese sweet — roughly translated as “sudden dumpling” — wrapping a sweet potato in wheat dough, then steaming it. I had a more eclectic version with kinako, or roasted soybean flour sprinkled on top.
Topped off with a Boss coffee — my jet lag standard — and I knew I was back in another land of good eats.
What were your top five eats of 2024?
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