10 Best Restaurant Meals Of 2015 - my favorite dish in the restaurant essay

I have written articles on culinary topics for many publications, and with the closing of doors in 2015, it is time for an annual reflection on my outstanding restaurant meals for the past 12 months.
This is my tradition starting with "10 most memorable restaurant meals in 2011" and continuing on 2012, 2013 and 2014.
It's still worth a visit these years because most restaurants, if not all, are still very relevant to travelers.
As part of this year's year-end review series, I also wrote yesterday about the 10 best hotels in 2015.
One reason my list is particularly useful for travelers is that unlike most publications, I don't confuse "new" with "good.
If I eat somewhere for the fifth time this year, it's because the place is great (like St.
Mao is in Indiana).
If it's been open for hundreds of years, but I ate there for the first time and loved it, you'll find it here (
Buckhorn Exchange in Denver).
Also, my choice is often in actual tourist destinations, some of you will go on business trips or vacations anyway, so unlike most food magazines, not all of my choices are in Brooklyn or Hudson Valley.
Hype or trends won't make restaurants better or worse
Food is important to me.
As the great American food restaurant columnist for USAToday, the largest newspaper in the United States, I am looking for the best areas and outstanding food in every corner of the United StatesS.
My other food media took me all over the world and ended up spending a lot of time in the restaurant.
Rough calculations show that I eat at least 250 meals outside a year.
Unfortunately, many of these foods are forgotten, or just "good ".
Here are the coveted exceptions, my top ten best memories of 2015.
One meal a year
Asirito, monelia, Italy: This one is a little exception to the rules above me, because it is not far from the old road, and in the small town by the sea, few American tourists will find themselves.
But I included it here because it was one of the most incredible, wonderful and memorable meals of my year and one of the best dishes I 've ever had, it is worth several hours of long travel from almost anywhere in the area, which basically means the borders of Rome, Florence, Milan, Genoa Bologna, Turin and even nice.
Moneglia is a beach town on the Liguria coast, just north of the five fishing villages with more visitors, it is a lower cost bedroom community with only a short train from here
I found that the best restaurants were run by enthusiastic visionaries, and Luka, the ubiquitous owner, met the requirements.
He has caused some controversy in the local area, although this place has not been noticed in international publications I have seen, as his research on historical Mediterranean cuisine focuses here.
To this end, he returned to the roots of the region and therefore attached great importance to the salt cod received in trade with Portugal and Scandinavia, in addition to the famous anchovies, there is also geologically protected IGPproduct.
But perhaps his boldest move was, he insists that Spain's famous cured ham, jamon serrano, pata negra and jamon Iberico de bellota are more popular than the local San Danielle, which he calls "mountain ham.
"He believes that Spanish rivals ham and pigs are more affected by local geography and coastal climate than Italy, similar to the outspoken Dallas Cowboys fans in Green Bay.
But the result of all this is his signature dish, a braised/roasted combination cut by the secretary of the best oak-fed Spanish pig.
As you might have guessed, Secreto means the secret, referring to the Spanish "Butcher's Cut", which means that the customer who cuts the meat does not know that the butcher likes and maintains his position, like clothes rack or flat iron steak.
Steven Raichlen is the authority of the Bible for cooked meat and barbecue in the world.
Com says secreto is "the best kept secret in a barbecue ".
"In an adult pig, bacon comes from the vicinity of the abdomen, equivalent to a 1-pound and 1-pound strap.
Belly meat has become a very popular dish because of its delicious taste, but imagine if you can change the taste and meat of Pork meat into a more delicious steak, then get it from the best pig in the world, and then cook it perfectly with a time-consuming combination of styles including a professional steam oven.
The result was their dish on Assirto, which is probably the best meat dish I 've ever had.
I usually don't put a lot of stock on websites like TripAdvisor, but since there are very few holes in the restaurant on the wall, so this is where it is covered the most, go through it quickly, it's numero uno in town, near uniform 5-
There are many star ratings.
Almost all fawning reviews detail unexpected foods that are very local and very different from the preconceived concept of "Italian"
With the help of the owner, choose the dishes, the value, and Lucca's intimate knowledge of the unknown Liguria wines.
All in all, the causal relationship in this historic building in the alley is the winner on every front, but it is the pork that shook my world, the best "Other White Meat" I have ever eaten ", I tasted a lot as a barbecue nut.
As a tourist from Sweden wrote, "baked Iberian meat is always the best meat we have ever eaten.
Today in the cold Sweden, I still dream of this culinary experience and think it's worth it to go to Liguria again as long as we can get back to this jewel. ” Amen.
Assirto reminds me of the fact that before Bottura became a household name as a top Italian chef, I was in Ostria Frang, francmo botura, Modena
It is true that his restaurant has been well received, but asirito has the same feeling and found something really special and different, more passionate and historical about the Italian culinary traditionUnforgettable.
Denver Buckhorn Exchange: I am very fascinated by the classic and historically important dining venues, it has no more historical significance than this living Old West Museum, Denver has issued a liquor license for the first time in history, still pour wine proudly after 12 years.
The "decorations" include more than 200 antique weapons and more than 500 installed animals, including the African buffalo horn shot by Teddy Roosevelt.
Buffalo Bill Cody, a frequent visitor, gave a plush golden eagle to dinner with his friend's chief sitting cow, which is now soaring in front of the booth.
Other important guests include Bob Hope, Roy Rogers and Charlton Heston, as well as astronauts, foreign heads of state, members of the royal family and a number of others in the United States. S.
Presidents including Roosevelt, Kennedy, Carter and Reagan.
The old West Victorian bar upstairs was hand-carved in German white oak in the 1850 s with antique brass cash register and menu printed as a newspaper.
The food is "Rocky Mountain Food" and the most extreme is: Buffalo ribs, rocky mountain "oysters", elk, rattlesnake, quail, yak, crocodile and Colorado lamb.
Although the Buffalo has come back to fashion, especially the burger, it has always been a big hit here, and the Buffalo prime rib has been a best seller since 1893.
Everything in this place is cool: all main courses are served with salad --
Decorated with citrus slices
Or soup, navy beans, a classic that is almost forgotten, and one side.
I like this place. St.
Another real classic, this is Indian favorite restaurant and one of the few places I think have to go --eat -
Every time I go to this city, I eat here (
Read my Forbes article on many hidden charms of Indy).
It is one of the oldest steakhouses in the country, and since its opening in 1902, almost all racers, athletes, touring musicians and celebrities who have visited Indy dine here as it is in the city center, easy walk from the main hotel, conference center and professional stadium including Super Bowl home Lucas field.
The walls are covered from Jackie Stewart and NASCAR stars to AC/DC members, John Travolta, David Letterman, of course, there is also local legend Peyton Manning. although he is no longer the quarterback of the Pony team, he is still very popular in these places. it is actually St. partner
Elmo in the sister restaurant
Anyway, this place has a long history, but it has maintained a strong momentum for more than a century, that is, food. St.
Elmo is best known for its signature which is very spicy, shrimp cocktail full of anemones, it will immediately eliminate any sinus problems, but the stars are meat, all the steaks, there are also Miller Amish chickens, lamb chops and pork chops from Indiana, and don't miss the lump king crab mac & cheese, a long-standing twist on the lobster version everyone is doing right now.
Similar to the historic Buckhorn Exchange, there are multiple options for each main course, as well as a vintage navy bean soup or a simple tomato sauce, always the local Indiana Red Gold brand, which is a strange tradition, no one here can recall how it started.
Owner Craig House told me, "it's always been like this --
Soup or tomato sauce.
It used to be called soup, but it was always navy beans every day, so we gave it up.
It's like juice and chicken.
Elmo tries to use local products as much as possible and has been doing so long before the word "localvore" enters the foodie vocabulary. St.
Elmo also has an amazing list of whiskies including several bourbons barrelsaged in-house.
Great food in a great setting, always a fun place to eat-
I have been here several times over the years.
I like the other thing about St.
Elmo's value is that it has top-notch steakhouses in New York or Las Vegas, but the price is about half of it.
Me, Port Bar, Fathom: It's amazing what low expectations can do, and this summer, on a week-long trip in Maine, this is the only restaurant I 've ever had to pay attention, I know nothing about it beforehand.
This is recommended by a tour guide of the country's top bike and walking resort company Backroads.
I also visited Primo, a place where it was difficult to book with James Beard award winning chef, and Natalie's, the acclaimed Relais & Chateaux restaurant in Camden, however, what surprised me was the little-known understanding.
The focus is on local and seasonal ingredients at Mt.
Desert island means seafood, but fresh summer tomatoes, wild blueberries and delicious Zucchini flowers can also be grown, which are stuffed with Hebrides and then heavenly women
What I like most is the homemade sweet potato balls.
Almost every restaurant has a bad pasta.
Apply brown butter sauce
And a pound of freshly picked meat from lobster, Maine.
Walking between comfortable food and good food, with a strong Maine Coast vibe, uses many alternative but successful textures such as wild blueberry raisins
Style, Fathom is really good.
This is a friendly place with a warm family atmosphere.
Brian's Montenegro BBQ, Cave Creek, AZ: I 've had a lot of barbecues and have been to almost every famous or well-received place in the country, but in 2015 it was my favorite surprise
Overall, I found that when trained chefs or restaurant owners tried to upgrade the Brooklyn coffee rua, the results were almost inevitably disappointing.
Here, Brian Du, a CIA graduate with years of culinary experience, uses a gentle hand to upgrade the classics.
Most notably, his hand-torn pork sandwich is placed on a unique buttery roll (
Rather than the traditional cheap burger bread almost needed)
Provided a crisp enough, rich contrast to make it one of the best food I 've ever tasted.
He made chili peppers with slow smoked cattle bris, providing a always-changing but creative "blackboard pig Special", making a baked potato salad that is much better than most potato salads, my favorite BBQ ribs do a great job.
For dessert, he offers a delicious homemade ice cream cookie sandwich.
But I have seen his strange signature at no other barbecue shop in the United States, that is, the mesquite spices provided every Friday rub frog legs, special events every week, attracting frequent visitors, always selling out.
If all this is not enough, Cave Creek is an awesome tourist town just outside Scottsdale that offers one of the best and most unique pub crawls in the country, this union has a great location in the center of the operation.
Quebec, Montreal, Europe: some parts of the world have remained Super since the molecular food sanctuary El Bulli was closed in Spain
Elaborate and artistic food displays live, the most successful of which is Montreal's Europe, where dinner is an equal part of drama and delicious.
In order for the meal to continue, a string of "clothesline" of delicious beef jerky hanging on miniature clothes was hung on our table "; Parmigiano-
Lollipop;
The cheese log in Quebec looks very accurate, like a cigar, displayed with humidor
It's all just for the start.
And then you start having fun.
Before the first lesson
House heals graves in a hollowed-out antique book that spews fog when you open the cover.
What they do is an instant napkin of pills that grow with the addition of water (
Great stunt in this year's popular comedy spy)
Every speech is also detailed.
Bass is cooked and served on hay, a stylish Nordic cuisine in Los Angeles, and squid does not have pasta at all, but squid carved into ribbons and made into noodles.
The food is physically manipulated in a fantastic way, and the taste usually has the taste of the Pacific Rim, which is where you go all night and enjoy the long time taken out
Savor the menu with a course that lasts several hours with paired wine, each of which tries to go beyond the previous course.
It was a shocking show and the only restaurant I visited this year, and I saw a colleague from a restaurant offer his wedding advice (
Accepted, is a great venue choice for this type of drama).
The menu changed, but the only thing that remained the same for 14 years of their opening was the penultimate dish, a very, very rich and concentrated lobster bisque with espresso coffee pot
Another special dish is the delicious braised beef cheek, which is eaten under the potato special.
Finally, after the regular dessert, the meal ended with a huge towering display titled "sugar fruit trees in the land of guilt ".
"Europe is where people go to eat in Montreal, and it's taken for granted: it's a reminder once a year, the best chefs can top without losing contact with the fact that you still want to eat delicious food.
Zingerman's Deli, Ann Arbor, Michigan: I ordered something from their catalog that made graduate friends at the University of Michigan raving about it for years and reading the endless year, I finally arrived at the most famous deli in the country, not New York City.
Usually this build-
Up is a recipe for disaster with insurmountable lofty expectations, but Zingerman has delivered it.
There are a lot of secrets to success here, and it's very simple, using the best ingredients from start to finish, and putting a lot of thought into making condiments, meat, cheese and bread paired --
They use only a dozen different types of handmade mustard.
Key meat, turkey, smoked beef and salted beef, baked or marinated at home, the purchase is great, but at the end of the day, bread makes Zingerman different.
I used to buy monthly bread for my mother, even when it was frozen, transported and re-heated, they 've always been better or better than the best handmade bread I 've ever had at a bakery in New York or other major cities.
If it's not one of the greatest delicatessens in the world, it's easy to be one of the greatest bakeries in the world, and every sandwich has countless different hand slices of bread, with thousands of bread tunes every day.
There are 113 carefully crafted signature sandwiches on the menu, but they have been stuck with such loyal followers for so long that they have also made "retired" sandwich recipes for the elderly
Time fans who can't live without them.
This is one of the few places worth an hour.
Plus queuing for dinner.
Vegas SW Steak: Wynn/Encore double resort is the most ornate Forbes Star hotel ever decorated with almost incredible 60 stars under one roof, including Forbes 4-
Star rating of this luxury steakhouse.
But when all the high-end steak houses have appetizers such as iceberg salad, shrimp cocktail and crab pie in their boxes, a lot of dry USDA premium steaks and huge cuts like Tomahawk ribs and castles, this is a unique Japanese beef project that distinguishes SW from other steakhouses other than Tokyo.
As the average reader knows, the theme of Japanese beef is my passion because I believe it is part of the most extensive scam that top restaurants have put in place to attract affluent consumers.
In this country, almost all Kobe beef is not the real thing, even if it costs $300 per steak, more than 99% of which is fake, and wagyu meat in Japan is also fake.
You can read the first part of my ongoing series here, Kobe beef, the largest food scam in the United States, for more background.
But the bottom line is that Wynn is one of only three places in the United States that have been certified to import Japanese Kobe beef, they also offer several different kinds of genuine Japanese WAGO dogs carefully purchased from other regions, as they offer a four-ounce serving size to taste and compare meat side by side, you can even taste it with the best domestic beef.
You have almost no other place to do this, SW is a must for a real steak lover --visit.
If your taste or budget is not biasedrich, ultra-
The good news is that the rest is great.
Oh Laura from Cleveland: The secret to Michael Semon's success is that he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously, but focuses on entertainment, delicious food, his style reflects his Midwest background.
I also had a meal at his restaurant and liked his more causal point B, a small regional hamburger and sausage chain, it will feel like a real neighborhood pub with natural meat and a wide variety of ingredients throughout the country, including local delicacies such as fried bologna.
This is a style of Symon that combines simple and regional cuisine with a higher level of cooking in his flagship Lola-
Where he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef
One of my favorite highlight dishes is his opinion of the old Cleveland people's favorite dish, pierogi.
This delicious Eastern European dumpling is a rich staple in the region, but is hardly considered a delicacy until Symon fills it with lighter dough and beef cheeks and wild mushrooms, painted in the sunflower cream, this is one of the few attempts to truly effective comfort food cuisine.
The same is true of his foie gras sausage, and I am fascinated by almost any menu offering "selected American Ham.
Full main course, Steakhouse-style cuisine (
His excellent cookbook, "after all, it's a carnivore. "
But it's also delicate. I like black bread stewed pork leg meat very much.
He also likes steak and steak in particular, one of my favorite not-so-common steaks.
The steak is his signature, Lola fries.
Crispy fries, topped with fresh rosemary and salt, were popular and he had to join the burger chain.
Lola is the top restaurant in Cleveland and is the place for people to go on Memorial Day and birthday, but it is still very comfortable and the service, staff and wine list are great.
Bob's clam Cottage, Kittery, ME: It took ME many years to choose to skip Bob's cabin as it sits in the middle of a soulless shopping center strip and looks likeIt is not.
In fact, this is the oldest Clam Hut on the long road between the New Hampshire border and Portland since 1956, and before all the exits were built on both sides, I used to stand alone.
I don't know, but I do.
I also know why it has won the best fried clams in New England from so many publications over the years.
But considering the same day, I ate lobster rolls at Bob's and a more famous version at the Clam Hut (not Bob’s)
Having been named best Kennedy bunkport many times in Maine, I can say in no uncertain terms, Bob's is better, the best of many lobster rolls I 've had in Maine.
Fried clams are great, there are two different styles, one is Bob clams coated with flour and the other is Lily clams coated with heavy batter (
You can order half. .
But it turns out everything is great here, especially fried scallops and stewed lobster.
Even their homemade woopie pie stands out, another topic worth arguing about for Maine cuisine.
I will choose Bob before any other coastal seafood spot in New England.
This is 2016 food!