2016 was another year
of great eats! I love seeing chefs and restaurants re-invent dishes, push the
boundaries of the culinary world, and harmoniously balance flavors. These are
the Top 10 dishes that gave me such a sensory experience while eating (and
drinking) them, that they haunt my dreams (in a good way). The two questions
everyone asks me are, “What is your favorite restaurant?” and “What is your
favorite food?”. This list will answer your questions, at least, for 2016.
“Enhance your palate
with the Lamb Duo. It is barbacoa stew, and lamb taco on a nixtamal (treated
corn) tortilla. If you love lamb barbacoa, you need to order this! The stew has
all of the rich, roasted flavors from the lamb head and thick stew with
lip-smacking collagen. The vegetables provide a nice balance of sweet and
refreshing flavor.
The lamb taco is
filled with tender lamb meat along with some of the juices from the stew. The
microgreens, cilantro, and radish add texture along with refreshing flavor. The
presentation is just stunning!” 3737 West Chapman Avenue, Orange, California
“Carolinas Famous
Meatballs is a platter of delicious meatballs topped with their homemade
marinara sauce. These handmade meatballs are meaty, tender, and flavorful. The
marinara is hearty and robust. One of the best meatballs around outside of an
Italian grandma’s kitchen!” 915 South Harbor Boulevard, Anaheim, California
“Big Pine Sampler
Platter includes 5 ounces of Santa Maria tri-tip, two pork ribs, a quarter
chicken, and a Hawaiian roll. These are all cooked out front in the smoker and
grills so you know what you are getting. The tri-tip is cooked Santa
Maria-style and seasoned with Hank’s own dry rub. The meat is juicy and full of
savory beefy flavor that will have you coming back for more. The pork ribs are
BBQ competition worthy with a good bite where the meat is tender but doesn’t
just drop off the bone. The flavor has a good balance of smoky, sweet, and
savory flavors. The chicken, whether you order white or dark, is moist and
tender. The skin has the perfect caramelization with dark golden brown color.
You can also taste the freshness of the chicken as it doesn’t have any irony
flavor notes at all. The meat is almost sweet and the smoke imparts a great
flavor throughout.” 310 North Main Street, Big Pine, California
“Whole
Spanish Mackerel Sashimi is beautifully presented. A telltale sign that the
fish is fresh is the crystal clear eyes. The mackerel is meaty with a soft bite
but the flavor is very mild. If combined with a little bit of seaweed, it gives
it just the right amount of salt balance to push the sweet flavor of the fish
forward. The seaweed also adds a crunchy texture to the bite. After you finish
your sashimi, the head and bones will be fried for a crunchy treat.” 34700
Pacific Coast Highway Suite 106, Capistrano Beach, California
“White Trash Croque
Madame is a grilled cheese toad-in-a-hole with chorizo gravy and potatoes. This
is a fantastic combination of flavors and textures from the rich yolk, creamy,
spicy chorizo gravy, gooey cheese, and crunchy grilled sourdough. Nothing in
this dish is wasted, even the cutout bread for the hole is made into a tiny
grilled cheese and used as a topper. The breakfast potatoes wedges are crispy
on the outside and tender on the inside. Use the chorizo gravy for dipping
them. No ketchup necessary.” 255 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada
“Primetime Burger
starts with Texas Akaushi beef topped with brie cheese, arugula, caramelized
onions, truffle aioli, steak sauce, and beefsteak tomato. The beef burger patty
has a perfect blend of beef. It is meaty and juicy even at medium rare. Brie
adds a creamy, buttery cheese flavor. Arugula adds a green component along with
some bitter flavor. The truffle aioli lends a truffle aroma and slight truffle
flavor.” 311 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California
 |
| Photo courtesy of Marina Kitchen |
“Maker’s
Mark Milkshake
($14) is served with maple lacquered pepper bacon. It has a creamy texture from
the ice cream. The Maker’s Mark bourbon packs a punch but lends a caramel-like
flavor to the shake. The added bacon shakes things up with a little bit of
salty. This also won the “Best Dessert” at the San
Diego Bay Food & Wine Festival.”
333 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, California
“Spring Pea Ravioli
made with nettles, pea puree and topped with spring onion soubise. The
presentation was beautiful with its organic colors of cream, yellow, and green
like the first shoots of vegetation determinedly springing from snow covered
ground. The aroma was herbaceous as if walking through an herbal garden. The
spring onion soubise was creamy with just the right amount of spring onion
flavor without being overbearing. The raviolis were cooked al dente and the pea
filling was refreshing with rich flavor, body, and texture.” 1009 Abbot Kinney
Boulevard, Venice, California
“Puesto Perfect
Guacamole is made with avocado, parmigiana reggiano, cilantro, onion, fresh
squeezed lime and orange, and chile habañero. The parmesan unexpectedly paired
perfectly with the guacamole lending its creamy and salty flavor to the mix.
The habañero provides a little spicy kick.” 8577 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, California
“Octopus is grilled
and served with carrot puree, glazed fennel, roasted Peruvian potatoes,
sunchoke, and roasted baby peppers. The octopus is tender with slightly crisp
exterior as if dropped into the deep fryer for just a minute. The flavor is
sweet and tastes fresh. The carrot puree is reminiscent of butternut squash
with a fluffy texture and sweet flavor. It contrasts nicely with the smoky
flavor of the grilled octopus. The potatoes are cooked to perfection and the
sweet peppers add contrast similar to Potatoes O’Brien.” 1901 Columbia Street,
San Diego, California
Hau’oli
Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year) and looking forward to more great eats in 2017!
