the EOY recap!
12 months, 12 restaurants, 12 amazing meals <3
hello dearies! I hope everyone has been enjoying their holiday season! I myself had been recovering from a nasty little cold, but I still managed to bounce back in time for some delicious meals out with my parents who came to visit in the city for Christmas!
This post is inspired by my boss, who asked that I come up with 12 restaurants – 1 for her to try each month next year! I am working on that list for her, but thought I would apply the same format to take a look back at this past year. Going through this list was a beautiful reminder of the year’s travel, special occasions, friends, and community. I hope you enjoy this list as it includes a vast majority of my all-time favorites as well as some amazing out of town spots I would highly recommend you bookmark should your own travels take you there!
Okay – buckle in bitches! LET THE LIST COMMENCE!
January - Golden Diner - NYC
I lived a block away when Golden Diner first opened and frequented even before their gas got turned on. It was good then, and it is even better now. Though the TikTok popularity of the place has made it impossible to walk in, I can say Golden Diner is one of my favorite casual places in the city and they make my all time favorite tuna melt loaded with S&V chips on the sandwich. The breakfst sandwich is also iconic and I love their mix of Jewish deli classics with an Asian twist. Vegan and dairy free options galore as well! It’s always a 10/10 here. <3
February - Cervo’s - NYC
Cervo’s is one of my all time favorite restaurants in NYC and I most definitely will be talking about it frequently on here. I mention this in February because my boyfriend and I have made it our tradition to go there for our Valentine’s Day dinner and get their special “Seafood Tower of Love”. Nothing says romance like tiers of raw fish. I’m so sorry, I just don’t make the rules!
(Runner Up: Four Horsemen - Brooklyn because of this sweet potato tiramisu, which might possibly may have been the best dessert of my life.)
March - Itamae - Miami, FL
Itamae was one of my all time favorite restaurants in Miami. Situated in Miami’s design district, this restaurant looks like it would be a fancy mall restaurant, however this place served some of the best seafood I have ever had in my life – point blank. A beautiful mix of peruvian flavors giving me what felt like seafood so unique and differentiated from what you can get in NYC. Sadly it is closed now as the owners have re-ropened in a new iteration, but Itamae will always saty with me. I am also dying to try their other venture in Miami, Maty’s!
April - Stissing House - Pine Plains, NY
Stissing House is from chef Claire de Boer (her excellent substack is here) who also has the outstanding King and Jupiter in NYC. It is situated in an old colonial tavern, with nestled dining rooms and a very pewter forward aesthetic. Its Martha Washington meets Laila Gohar and it’s capital F FUCKING FUN there. The food is always outstanding – do NOT skip the gouda, the scallop, the coconut cake or the Pine Plains martini.
During this particular meal in April, we were greeted with a bowl of punch in a little lounge before being seated at our table. My friends and I then ordered essentially the entire menu. You just can’t go wrong here and if you are going upstate, I recommend this place to everyone. You will feel like a founding father’s hot side piece!!!
May - Bonnie’s- Brooklyn
Bonnie’s is a Cantonese American restaurant on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint and I have gone no less than 7 times this year. For the past two years, I have taken my parents here for Jewish Christmas Eve and it is a big hit with their very particular palates. The drinks are also alwayssss outstanding – their MSG martini is perfect for the dirty martini lover, but I always go for the colorful bright purple Riptide. It is their version of a spicy marg and once I start, I can’t stop! My non-negotiables here are the long beans, the candied walnut shrimp, the XO noodles (i get it vegetarian and i promise it’s fab!) and – with the help of a Lactaid – the cacio e pepe. However, since I don’t eat meat I have not indulged in their most famous dish, a Cha Siu McRib (below)! They have plenty of meat dishes that can be subbed for veggie/vegan and it is one of those places where I almost always order exactly the same thing – because why mess with perfection?
(Runner Up: Apollo Bagels x Cervos pop up because these were some of my favorite bagels I have ever had and needed to share!)
June - Hartwood - Tulum, Mexico
While on the verge of a mental breakdown, I forced my boyfriend to take a 4 day trip with me to Mexico. We ended up in Tulum, and while it was not my favorite place, nor do I feel the need to go back, we stayed at an amazing hotel with the sickest room, and ate some pretty decent dinners! Tulum is certainly not cheap (almost more expensive than NYC), but the quality and portions definitely make up for it!
One of my most memorable dinners was at Hartwood – all the Tulum trademarks (open air, open fire, freshly caught seafood) in a nice setting. I had some of my favorite octopus as well as the juiciest shrimp and a gorgeous tuna tostada.
Note: I would advise against going to Tulum in the dead of June unless you loveeeee sweating! This trip was made in desperation and I was not thinking straight! It did save me from mental collapse though, so mission accomplished!
July - Getrude’s - Brooklyn
Gertrude’s - from the team behind Gertie in Williamsburg is a wonderful “Jew-ish” restaurant with clever drinks like a Seder Plate margarita. I went pretty soon after it opened and while the food was good, I am eager to go back and try again. However, this makes the list for this slice of cake alone, which can only be rivaled by the next restaurant…
August - Claud - NYC
Claud is one of the most outstanding restaurants to open in NYC in the past year IMHO. It’s sexy, the food is fab and the somm is never trying to upsell you on the wine, but will never give you a bad glass. Sit at the bar, get a bottle of wine, the shrimp, and the devils food cake for 2 (you won’t want to share, but I have to in order to not go into a diabetic coma)!
September - Michelin Starred Kiki’s - Athens, Greece
“Michelin Starred Kiki’s” is not the actual name of this restaurant, but it was literally all Greek to me! I knew this restaurant in Athens would be one of my favorite spots given the only other people who followed it are all Greek chefs I follow. I ate here during a 10 day trip to Greece, and it was so good I went both on my first night in Athens and on the last night before our flight. The menu changed slightly almost daily, but everything here was phenomenal. I got a taramasalata at every meal I possibly could, and this was my top one!
Also this may be controversial – but I was not the biggest fan of the wines I had in Greece, however the orange wine I had on my last meal here was probably my favorite wine I had the entire trip as well.
If you find yourself in Athens, I would also give a tip to follow up dinner with mroe wine at one of my favorite wwine bars I’ve ever been to – Wine is Fine! Chic sexy and full of young hot people drinking and smoking on the sidewalk like they are in Paris!
October - Leland Eating and Drinking House - Brooklyn
Leland Eating and Drinking House is a perfect neighborhood spot, and IYKYK. The food is amazing, the drinks are delicious, and everything is made in house. Leland is my favorite kind of restaurant – elevated food and hospitality, but not in the least but fussy. I could just as easily come here for a serious date as I could for a weeknight dinner when I don’t feel like cooking. Do me a favor and go (and get the mussels).
November - Thai Diner - NYC
While Thai Diner is not one of my favorite restaurants in terms of service (not to mention the way they try and make it impossible to be seated there), the food is nonetheless amazing! While this meal did send my blood sugar to a soaring 325, it was worth every bite! Some highlights were the disco fries, khao soi kaa kai, and phat thai (i’m WHITE, i’m gonna get the pad thai! SUE ME! )
December - Dame - NYC
Last but not least – we have Dame! One of my top 5 NYC restaurants, Dame is a small restaurant with an equally small menu full of non-stop bangers. It’s like a Frank Ocean album if his album were comprised of british leaning seafood. I also may or may not have had my first vesper martini and fallen in love with my boyfriend here, so just really a win all around. I took my mom here for a belated birthday dinner and we got whitefish croquettes, one of the best cabbage dishes I have ever had, poached cod and fish and chips. The fish and chips is the must have – you WILL see it on every table and it is the best in NYC.
If it wasn’t so hard to get a table here I would be coming back non stop! If you are downtown and in the mood for a late dinner, this is the spot for you!
Anyways, if you made it all the way to the end, thank you for sticking it out! I hope you all have a VERY happy new year and eat as well in the next twelve months as I did this past year! Here’s to more food, more drinks and more FUN! Lots of love <3
Dreaming about those bagels
delicious - now time to add to the list for 2024!!!