Well it was actually the year of the Rat. But no one wants to eat rat, or with rats, or near a rat for that matter. So I deem 2008 the year of the pig. Not only because I ate like one, but because I also ate more swine this year than most people eat in their lifetime. I’m a little late to the game with my favorites for 2008, and I missed the EaterLA, Year in Eater 2008 review, so I am making a short list of my own. This past year brought many great eating experiences for me. I’ve made some great friends in the blog-la-sphere and had a lot of great meals with them. A food marathon of pig-riffic proportions, a dinner prepared by Chef Ben Ford, and a jungle cruise food marathon through So Cal.
So here are a few of my favorites from 2008.
Favorite downtown spots: Nickel Diner, Wurstkuche, Colori Kitchen
The meal that’s worth the price tag: Providence
Best new “Bistro”: Comme Ca
Best tapas bar: Bar Pinxto
Best places to eat pig: Ford’s Filling Station, K-Town, Animal
Best re-model: Osteria La Buca
Best Mexican that’s not a taco truck: Loteria Grill
Best Mexican that comes from a truck: Taco Zone Truck
Best new burger: Laurel Tavern
Most indulgent cup of coffee: LA Mill
Biggest surprise: Katsuya
Biggest letdown: Beso
My 2009 resolutions… eat a steak at Cut, tapas at The Bazaar, experience the gamut at XIV, get a raise so I can eat at Bastide out more often, finally fucking eat at Gordon Ramsay at the London, and last but not least, continue my search for LA’s best burger.
5. January 2009 at 5:43 pm
those are some venerable resolutions in an impending (or already occuring) recession. Let’s look for that burger – have you been to Chateau Marmont or Rustic Canyon yet? They might hold the keys to the best burger.
5. January 2009 at 6:47 pm
Yes, those are good gourmet burgers, but I think the real value is finding a good shack in the ghetto for a burger.
6. January 2009 at 10:56 am
haha, for sure. Nothing like a ghetto burger that’s like $3-4. There are few places in South LA that I gotta try…when I have the bravery to go back there again (scarred from college days)