Top 5 Restaurant Meals of 2009 (Scarpetta, Minetta Tavern and More)

Despite all that happened in the world, 2009 still managed to be a great year for food. While tough for new restaurateurs to enter the business, veterans like Daniel Boulud, Danny Meyer and Michael Hyunh took advantage. Great opportunities for craft beer began, as people tightened the grip on their wallets, less willing to splurge on nice wine. Nose-to-tail cooking emerged, carpaccio was cool, Vietnamese sandwiches sprouted up, yadda yada. You’ve got Time Out New York for a roundup of this year’s trends. I won’t bore you with that here.

I would simply like to talk about my absolute favorite restaurant meals this year. And then, won’t you share yours with me too?

In chronological order, these were my Top 5 Meals of 2009:
1) Scarpetta-
From the gooey burrata to the roasted goat and the perfect spaghetti, Scarpetta was an excellent meal. Our waitress was not just amiable but seemingly passionate about giving us the best experience possible.

Robyn Lee via Serious Eats

2) Allegretti
From low expectations to a mind-blowing meal, I adored the Provencal cuisine at Allegretti. Plus, Alain Allegretti is quite a looker ;)

3) Minetta Tavern
I wanted to hate it for its fierce trendiness and holier-than-though reservation system, but that cote de boeuf with bone marrow made it so worthwhile.

4) SHO Shaun Hergatt
At least one new chef in New York is rising to the top and that’s Shaun Hergatt. The exotic French-Asian food left me inspired. A red chili and coconut milk glazed quail holds a place in my hall-of-fame for best appetizers of all time.

5) Allen & Delancey
A solid Christmas dinner in a space as romantic as it is eery. Despite a revolving door of new chefs at A&D, the restaurant seems to be holding its own with Tom Block at the healm.

The New Year also marks the third anniversay of this little blog! Thanks for reading and sharing with me over the years.  I hope all of my food adventures and recipes have been as fun for you to follow as they have been for me to recount. Have a happy and healthy New Year’s eve!