Top Five Dishes of 2019
The happiest place on Earth is at the Carolina Renaissance Festival
Scallionpancake Top Dishes of 2019:
In addition to our top five restaurants of 2019, we decided to spice things up and rate our top five dishes of 2019, like we did last year. Sometimes, we really love a particular dish at a certain restaurant, or something smaller at a casual place that is worthy of the title of "best dish," when "best restaurant" doesn't quite make the cut. Without further ado, here are our top five dishes of 2019!
Jason
1. PARMIGIANO
Schwa, Chicago, IL
This dish blew our minds. Parmesan, banana, nori brittle, and honey combined for an overload of sensory experiences. I think about this dish at least once a day.
2. Salted and Dried berries from the summer
Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
My favorite dish of the seafood season at Noma was the dessert of sheep’s milk and dried berries from the previous summer.
This dish reminded us of a dish we had at Noma Under the Bridge a few years before, except this was taken up to 100. A classic Noma dish - so simple, yet so complex.
3. Lamb Rump
Haar, St Andrews, Scotland
The surprise restaurant of the year for me was Haar in St Andrews, and would have made my top five restaurants list if we didn’t go to so many crazy places.
Everything here was amazing, but the lamb rump with cafe du Paris sauce was the clear winner for me. I ordered this twice in two days.
4. Octopus
Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico
We went to Quintonil and Pujol on the same day, Pujol being second which tarnished our experience because we were so full from Quintonil. But this Octopus was the single best thing I had in Mexico.
The octopus is smothered in a paste made of chintexle, which is a chile, and chapulines, which is grasshopper. Grasshoppers are served everywhere in Mexico, and they are delicious once you get over the whole eating bugs thing, which I admit did take me a few tries.
5. Hot Chicken Sandwich
Hattie B’s, Nashville, TN
It wouldn’t be a top five list for me without a sandwich, and this year’s best sandwich went to Hattie B’s hot chicken sandwich in Nashville.
Served with pickles, coleslaw, and comeback sauce, this sandwich lives up to all the hype. Even my dad liked it—enough said.
Yvonne
1. Salted & Dried Berries From the Summer
Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
The baby pinecones are back, BABY. I freaking love dried fruit, and this was slightly dried, slightly macerated fruit goodness with those sweet and sour chewy pinecones and the sheep’s milk. DO NOT PASS GO DO NOT COLLECT $200. Ugh. I wish I could eat this every day of my life. Swoon.
2. Apricot
Schwa, Chicago, IL
I probably could have picked three things from Schwa (this, the banana/Parmesan, and the raviolo), but I’ll edit myself to just this one.
I loved the sweet apricot with the earthy Taleggio, and the light and floral wine sauce that pulled the whole thing together. Just fab.
3. Scallops in the Shell
The Kitchin, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Kitchin may have just one Michelin star, but I would like to go ahead and give this dish an honorary three stars.
The puff pastry was doughy, and the creamy sauce surrounding the scallops hit every single one of my tastebuds. And the presentation when it was cut open table-side?! OY VEY. A masterpiece. I think about this dish often.
4. Mole Madre
Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico
Even though Pujol didn’t make either of our top fives, it was still delicious. It just happened to be up against some real contenders this year. The mole madre alone, however, is worthy of a visit to Mexico City.
I loved the mole madre on its own, mixed with the new mole, on the fresh flour tortilla, and straight up on a spoon. To. Die. For.
5. Black Truffle Explosion
Alinea, Chicago, IL
Okay, okay – I know I snubbed Alinea on my top five. And I feel terrible about it, but overall it just didn’t wow me as much as it did Jason. It was all solid, but not over the top. The signature Black Truffle Explosion dish, however? Um, yup. Sufficiently blown away by the amount of flavor packed in this tiny bite. A++++.
I know Jason won’t be pleased at this, but I am going to do a secondary top five for my non-fancypants dishes. He would say they should all be on one list and that I should choose. Well, I won’t and I didn’t. SORRY JASON. Love you, tuna.
Yvonne’s Non-FancyPants Top Five
1. Greg Collier’s Chicken Skins
Charlotte, NC
I don’t know where I am going to get these now at Loft & Cellar is done for, maybe at Leah & Louise? I need them in my life. Chef!
They have a similar seasoning to his Tennessee fries, and they are so chewy yet crispy, savory yet sweet, and just intensely flavored. I LOVE THEM.
2. mushroom Toast
Borough Market, London, UK
A stall in London’s Borough Market sold mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, but they also had two hot food options. One was roasted asparagus with a cream sauce, and the other was a giant vat of the most beautiful mushrooms I’ve ever seen in my life.
They served the sautéed mushrooms with grated cheese, herbs, and a piece of sourdough toast. It was the coolest thing to watch, and one of the best comfort foods I’ve ever had. So simple and savory. I wish I could have this for lunch every day!
3. Buffalo Pizza Sticks
Flip-a-Lo’s, Charlotte, NC
I cant’t really overhype Flip-a-Lo’s Buffalo Pizza Sticks, because they are worthy of all of the praise anyone has to offer. Freshly made bread. Fresh (not frozen) chicken wing pieces, and gooey mozzarella. If you are in Charlotte and you haven’t tried Flip-a-Lo’s yet, you are missing out for real.
4. S’mores Cake
The Batchmaker, Charlotte, NC
There are not enough words in the English language to describe how sweet Cristina Rojas Agurcia is, or how decadently delicious her baked goods are. This is hands-down the best bakery we’ve ever had in Charlotte.
MOIST cakes (yeah, not only did I say the “m word,” I capitalized it), fun flavors, a perfect amount of sugar, interesting textures. Just good-gash-darn. She’s a bakery legend in her own time, and we’re lucky she calls Charlotte home.
5. San Lorenzo Pasta
Capishe, Charlotte, NC
It would be a shame if you slept on Capishe. Don’t let it get lost in the Charlotte restaurant waves, people. Everything is made fresh, and the amount of spice and love that Chef Cavalier puts into this San Lorenzo pasta gets me daydreaming about it on the reg. My favorite pasta in Charlotte, easy.