Has food ever tasted so good as it has in 2020? Think about it: all that bread we made in quarantine. Finally reuniting with our favorite restaurants after they reopened. Getting to enjoy meals with loved ones in whatever safe, socially distant ways we could come up with. “Comfort food” took on an entirely new significance in the most difficult year many of us have experienced. Here were our personal favorite meals of 2020.
“Once restaurants were allowed to reopen, I was lucky enough to snatch up a table in the courtyard of BLDG 5. Maybe it was the experience of getting to enjoy a restaurant’s atmosphere again, but the Steak and Potato Board with its bright green chimichurri sauce, grilled veggies and perfectly cooked flat-iron steak made my heart and taste buds very happy.”
—Benjamin Leger, managing editor
|
|
|
“The best thing I ate in 2020 has to be The Overpass Merchant‘s truffle mac and cheese. The only thing that can make mac and cheese better is truffle, and I literally dream about this dish!”
—Julia Claire-Evans, contributing writer
“While I ate primarily plant-based this year, it was such a treat when I got to try Memphis Mac BBQ for a 225 Dine story. The smokey chicken, tender ribs and mouthwateringly good brisket is so tasty it made this veggie lover go back for more, and not just a couple times either. Let’s just say, the staff know my face (and probably my order) now.
ーCynthea Corfah, staff writer
“Being quarantined for so long ultimately forced me to invest in a smoker this year. We’ve tried ribs, chicken, pork belly, turkey, sausage, boudin, etc. But my favorite had to have been the day we made some pulled pork from an 8-pound pork shoulder, along with smoked mac-n-gouda cheese. I still dream about it.”
—Mark Clements, digital content editor
“As soon as I read about 225‘s secret restaurant reviewer’s experience at Curry N Kabab, I knew it was what I had to have for my birthday dinner. We ordered a take-out spread to enjoy at home: butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, zeera rice, samosas, cheese and garlic naan. The owner was so sweet to my husband when he was picking our dinner up, and just as 225‘s reviewer said, the food was a revelation. Most delicious birthday dinner I’ve had in a while, and the best birthday I could have hoped for in this strange year.”
|
|
|
—Jennifer Tormo, editor
“My favorite meal of 2020 has to be the shrimp fried rice from Ichiban. And you absolutely have to get a side of the seafood sauce to go with it.”
—Ariana Allison, contributing photographer