BEST of 2014

As I said in my metaphorical toast— it’s been a delicious year. So many foodie ventures! I’ve indulged in yummy things on the East and West Coast (sweet and savory). I baked, sampled, tasted, ate, and gorged on so many delightful eats. But here are my Best of 2014!

New Recipe

Let’s face it—I like to try out new recipes especially when it comes to baked goods. These are the recipes that really took the cake this year!

Caramel Cake

Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Banana Blondies

Bite

I had a lot of bites this year, like a lot. Between Taste of Tribeca, Taste of Hope and all the other chowing down I do, there was no shortage tasty bites, but these were my faves.

Pumpkin Fig Cheesecake

Sugar Couture

Avocado Smash

Little Collins

 

Drinks

Even though apparently I sampled a whole bunch of flavorful libations this year, one spot had my favorite sips.

Fig and Olive

Appetizers

Appetizers can sometimes really steal the show. The starters at these restaurants made for delectable beginnings.

Central Kitchen

Flea Street Café  

Brunch

As that in-between time, brunch menus can offer the sweet and savory stuffs of both breakfast and lunch. This year however, my taste-buds danced for savory brunchy dishes.

Duck Confit Hash

Park & Sixth Gastropub

Shrimp and Grits

The Bistro at Grove Square

Dessert

Dessert is my most favorite time of day. Love salty, but I have a weakness for sweet thangs, and this year, these two desserts really satisfied my sweet tooth.

Snickerdoodle Sammie

Bareburger Hoboken

Pistachio Crème Brûlée

La Nonna

Dish

It’s practically impossible for me to pinpoint the best dish I devoured in 2014, as there were so many extremely delicious, covetable and dreamy eats.  But I stumbled on this one as something I thoroughly enjoyed this year.

Pancetta wrapped Scallops

Battello

Most Memorable Meal

It’s hard to say what makes a meal memorable. Is it the delicious dishes, the fresh ingredients, the agreeable atmosphere and service? Or is it the sheer thrill of caloric ingestion? There is one place that comes to mind that most definitely checks all of the boxes for my most memorable meal in 2014.

Brenda’s French Soul Food

Can’t wait to see what tasty things are to come in 2015!! Don’t forget to follow along on facebook, instagram, twitter, and yelp!

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the most bomb BRUNCH: Brenda's French Soul Food

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There are few words to describe the deliciousness that was our meal at Brenda’s French Soul Food in San Francisco. This was the most bomb brunch the most bomb meal I’ve had in a while (though, this was the beginning of a run of pretty delicious food, stay tuned).

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We went all out and pigged out—there was no other way. So what the three of us had a wedding to attend in two days and wanted to fit in our cocktail attire? Brenda’s was so worth the calories and even the awkward looks when we ordered half the menu…

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Beignet flight

Please, do not skip the beignets. You’re doing yourself a huge disservice if you do. We got the flight, a taste of everything in the fried dough department. That plain ol’ classic beignet was beyond delish—warm, soft and fluffy middle, sweet and not too greasy. We weren’t wild for the Ghirardelli chocolate filled one, but the cinnamony apple beignet was reminiscent of fall delights. The last was a savory beignet, oozing with cheese and crawfish dusted with dark and spicy chili powder—ridiculous.

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Fried Chicken

This skin was crispy and flavorful, keeping all the moisture in the meat of the chicken parts. The thin fries were great company, but the biscuit was out of this world. It was sweet and salty, doughy, hot and fresh. Perfect with butter, perfect without, perfect with gravy…just perfect (sigh).

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Hangtown Fry

The house favorite combines fried oysters, bacon, and scallions, served with chucky potato hash and a too delicious biscuit. It seems peculiar, but it was really tasty. Plump fried oysters, crunchy and soft at the same time, littered a mess of scrambled eggs, while the bacon brought salt and the scallion added a light freshness. Truly yummy.

Pork Belly Special

This was just out of control. The breakfast special was a giant bowl of creamy, cheesy, smooth, almost divine grits, topped with a thick rasher of fatty tender pork belly, a perfectly poached egg, some spicy onions and bright green scallions. The base of extraordinary grits made each element melt in my mouth, dense, rich and made like a true New Orleans grandma. I would have an affair with those grits.

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Special Peach Clobber Pancake

As if we hadn’t gorged enough, we (I) had to try the special pancake. Lucky our full bellies, we were able to order just one. Of all the things we tried, this peach studded pancake with crunchy nut and sweet crumble was the least great. The thin caramel syrup and thick whipped cream added moisture, but hardly hid the pancake’s lack of flavor. Still pretty tasty.

Go to Brenda’s and eat all of the food! It’s an order.

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8.22.14