This seems like the right place for this, I think...
I'm so glad my friend put me on to Roadfood a few years ago. I feel as though I've made a whole new group of friends who love many of the same kinds of food I do and love talking about it as much as I do. I've been thinking about all of the trips I've taken, food I've eaten, places I've eaten at, food I've cooked and baked and it has been a great year! I talked with and read many a post from so many people here who feel like kindred spirits to me (ayersian, cecif, WJ, Scorereader, roossy, John A., buffetbuster, CajunKing, ellen, desertdog, NYNM, Ashphalt, ynotryme, Benzee, Bruce and Sue, MikeS, Adjudicator, Tony Bad and the Sterns, to name a few). My apologies to anyone I may have forgotten. It has been a great Roadfood year filled with some wonderful trips, awesome food and
I do hope for much more this year and I do hope I get to make some of the meet-n-greets this year so I get the chance to break bread with some of you. Sorry this is so long, I had a lot to say. It's been a busy year! Here is my year in food (that I can remember anyway):
-Helping my
sister prepare a homemade Dinosaur Barbeque feast for my niece's 2nd birthday (pulled pork sandwiches, A.K. Chili, Honey Hush Cornbread, BBQ Beans, coleslaw, potato salad and Creole Deviled Eggs.
-Hosting a Cinco de Mayo party for my birthday with arepas, pernil and a Tres Leches cake (and finding the Big Booty Bread Co.)
-My trip to Boston in May and eatingpizza from the Upper Crust, Pizzeria Regina, dinner at Bob's Bistro, Breakfast at the Dream Diner, dinner at the All-Star and ice cream at Christina's (two places that I think were just meant for each other!), and breakfast at Charlie's (love those sausages!).
-Attending both days of
the Big Apple BBQ Block Party in June and getting what I like to call "meat drunk" on all of that tasty 'que from Big Bob Gibson's, Hill
Country, Black Jack BBQ, Dinosaur Barbeque, The Salt Lick and 17th Street to name a few.
-Eating a killer burger, baked potato and black and white at Island Burgers and Shakes.
-A couple of trips to Hill Country Barbecue Market for some great brisket, chicken, corn pudding and mac and cheese.
-My trip to the Adirondack Mtns. and chowing on some great sweet rolls, shaved ham, home fries and Bananas Foster french toast at The Muffin Patch. A really great bacon wrapped steak at The Knotty Pine. Amazing cornmeal-sourdough pancakes at Keyes Pancake House.
-My trip to San Jose/San Francisco and eating my friends' amazing homemade carne asada and tomatillo salsa. Exploring the farmers market at the Ferry Building, driving past Gilroy, CA and bathed in the scent of garlic, eating at an El Salvadorian taco restaurant for the first time (and loving horchata), discovering my love for See's (especially the Awesome Peanut Brittle Bar) and watching Dungeness crabs being cracked with lightning speed at Fisherman's Wharf. The only downside: being in Taylor's Refresher and not feeling well enough to eat. I've been dying to try it!!
-Trip to Nathan's in Coney Island for a dog and fries before a Brooklyn Cyclones game.
-Baking an apple and a pecan pie for the Brooklyn Pie Social and having a blast participating and eating myself silly on pie all day.
-Trip to Georgia's Eastside BBQ (great ribs and wings) and Sugar Sweet Sunshine (a bakery) on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
-Trip to Peanut Butter & Co. for an "Elvis" sandwich (with bacon, of course).
-Trip to 'wichcraft for my favorite breakfast sandwich of eggs, prosciutto, gorgonzola and frisee on ciabatta.
-Trip to Sarge's Deli for a really good pastrami sandwich, fries, a NY Egg Cream and some great banter!
-Trip to 99 Miles to Philly for a really good cheesesteak (whiz-wit) and the best onion rings I think I have ever had.
-A homemade Thanksgiving feast with Ritz cracker dressing, cornbread-sage dressing, smoked gouda-cheddar mac & cheese, corn pudding, apple pie, a really moist turkey and a pumpkin-gingerbread trifle that haunts my dreams.
-Trip to the Upper West Side to Gray's Papaya for some dogs and a papaya drink, H&H for some bagels, Zabar's to window shop and the West Village to Carry On Tea & Sympathy (a British grocery & sweets shop).
-Trip to Economy Candy on the Lower East Side for my childhood favorites.
-Brunch at Bubby's Pie Co. in DUMBO for a smoked trout scamble with
horseradish creme fraiche and grits.
-Delivery from Lombardi's and adrienne's pizzabar for some of the best pies I have had.
And a trip to Totonno's in Coney Island for a half and half pie (margherita and white).
-Countless trips to Dinosuar Barbeque for what to me is the best pulled pork and smoked wings I have ever hung a lip on (sorry, buffetbuster, I borrowed that phrase from one of your trip reports).
Also, many trips to R.U.B. for the best BBQ beans I have ever tasted. Supremely smoky and laced with burnt ends.
-Trips to the Union Square greenmarket and greenmarkets in Boston for fresh plums, peaches, tomatoes, apples, cookies, cider donuts and much more!
-Christmas trip to Central NY: humongous onion rings and a steak and escarole sandwich at Teddy's, downing a whole tub of Norma H.'s caramel corn, discovering Sahale Snacks nut blends, enjoying my first meal at Panera Bread, discovering the intense joy of pepperettes and landjaegers at Liehs and Steigerwald and many trips to Wegmans and hoping that they and Trader Joes decide to open up shop in the old Fulton Fish Market building. Hey, a guy can dream right?
-Hitting the new 2nd Ave. Deli on opening day for a brisket sandwich and a Bosco chocolate soda shot and finding that I like the new Five Guys burgers on 55th St.
-Trying a new (for me) BBQ place on Long Island-Smokin' Al's.
-Shipping home tons of foodstuffs from Wegmans and CNY. Things I just can't find in the city or that are much more expensive down here.
-Experimenting in the kitchen with Christmas candies (barks, cookies), recipes from friends (chicken dishes with mustard, blueberries and peach jam) and making Bananas Foster on New Year's Eve. Nothing closes out a year quite like open flames in the kitchen!
