2018 was a big year for me with pregnancy and welcoming our baby boy to our lives. It was decidedly NOT as big a year for food as 2017. Hard to beat India, Cuba AND Japan in one year, plus incredible dining experiences in Chicago (Next, Giant, etc.). However, I still had plenty of unique and memorable dishes thanks to regional travel, new restaurants opening in the A, and trying plenty of new recipes at home (as we do).

One trend I noticed this year was that desserts and sweet treats found their way to more prominent places on my list than usual. I suspect this had to do with my enhanced sweet tooth during pregnancy. 😉

So what was my top dish of 2018? Read on!#12 Blood Orange Scones

The first time I made these were with the frosting, as pictured below. It’s not a great addition so subsequent times I’ve left it off and enjoyed the scones even more. The recipe is easy, makes a large quantity and results in slightly crispy-on-the-outside and soft on the inside treats that are sure to please. In all honesty, I think these are the best scones I’ve ever eaten.

#11 Absinthe service at Green Hour, Nashville, Tennessee

I love absinthe. I love the history of it, the smell of it, the taste of it and the experience of having it and drinking it. I love the way the clear liquid turns cloudy with the addition of the slow drip of water over a sugar cube, and the marked differences in brands and styles that highlight different fruits, levels of sweetness, and strength. The only place I’ve found “nearby” for this is in Nashville, at a chocolate bar that turns into a completely amazing absinthe spot at night. If you are looking for something truly unique and a special treat, I cannot recommend this place enough. 

#10 Nashville Hot Chicken, Hattie B’s, Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia

Delectable, juicy fried chicken with the addition of of oils and spices for added flavor and lots of heat? Yes, please! This is the name of the game for Nashville Hot Chicken and while there are several places that make it and serve it, we love Hattie B’s and are so happy they opened a location in Atlanta this year. Crinkle fries, pimento mac and cheese, baked beans and a diet Coke or local craft beer are the perfect accompaniments. Nom on.

#9 Guava Pastelito, Buena Gente Cuban Bakery, Atlanta, Georgia

I featured this extraordinary Cuban bakery and food truck in my New Bites series awhile back but felt the need to highlight the delicious guava pastelito on my list this year. It’s a treat we come back to over and over again and seem to only enjoy more. Perfectly flaky and buttery pastry filled with sweet and juicy guava, and served warm – it is truly something memorable.

#8 Lemon Cake with lemon curd filling and buttercream frosting, The Cake Boutique, Howland, Ohio

Oftentimes a cake as beautiful as the one for our baby shower with family is not as tasty as it is pretty. This was decidedly NOT the case here. The Cake Boutique were winners in a season of Cake Wars and it shows in their cakes. They’re very creative and talented, and bake moist, delicious cakes. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and our cake had so much lemony flavor.

#7 Reverse-sear Ribeye steaks, Casa de Ellis, Atlanta, Georgia

Y’all know we love to cook. We tend to make a lot of Asian-style meals like curries, stir fries, noodle soups, etc. But we also love to make simple, wholesome meals with high-quality ingredients and to experiment with various techniques. Reverse-searing steaks is our preferred cooking method, and ribeyes are our go-to cut of steak. It’s tender, juicy, bursting with flavor and oh-so-satisfying. We often serve it with roasted vegetables, fresh salad greens and a big, bold red wine. 

#6 “Deviled Egg,” Nightbell, Asheville, NC

In March, we decided on a Friday to go up to Asheville the next morning to satisfy my pregnancy craving for Buxton Hall’s yummy fried chicken sandwich. We needed a spot for dinner though, and decided to try the new restaurant Nightbell from Katie Button. We ordered the “deviled egg” at the recommendation of our server and it was such a unique and memorable bite! Corn sabayon, sunburst smoked trout gravlax, pimenton, egg cup – it packed a small but mighty punch of flavor. 

#5 Benanti Etna Rosso, Osteria Mattone, Atlanta, Georgia

For my birthday in November we had dinner at Osteria Mattone, one of our favorite metro Atlanta restaurants. In addition to numerous house-made pasta dishes and locally sourced ingredients, they have a phenomenal wine list. As we were perusing the list, I came across a section on wines from the islands with the following description:

Island wines, those from Sicily and Sardinia, almost deserve their own category because they’re that good and unique! There’s so
much quality available whether it’s the Piedmont-like Etna Rosso or Provence-esque Carignano.

Yes, please! We went for the Etna Rosso and LOVED it. It was light and juicy, but with a dry finish that paired perfectly with the Frutti di Mare dish we had. This wine was unlike anything we’d ever had and so it makes this list!

#4 The Fair Lady Tarte, Tiny Lou’s, Atlanta, Georgia

Creme fraiche cheesecake, vanilla sable, passionfruit, coconut powder, guava, lavender ice cream. 25 year-old pastry chef Claudia Martinez is doing amazing things with the desserts at Tiny Lou’s, the new French-style restaurant in the recently renovated and storied Clermont Hotel. Sean and I ordered less at earlier courses so we could each order a dessert – something we do maybe once per year. DO NOT SKIP DESSERT. Seriously.

#3 Chicken Katsu Sando and Green tea ice cream at Momonoki Cafe, Atlanta, Georgia

Last November we went to Japan and came back with serious cravings for all the diverse Japanese food we ate over there. We’re always paying attention to new Japanese restaurant openings across town and were thrilled to learn about Momonoki cafe in Midtown this past spring. The cafe offers a variety of Japanese dishes like ramen and takoyaki in addition to some seriously delicious Katsu sandos – breaded proteins between toasted Japanese milk bread with sweet sauce and cabbage. I’m partial to the chicken katsu but they also offer shrimp, tofu, etc.

Momonoki cafe also serves green tea soft serve ice cream. Sean and I had a memorable experience sharing a cone outside a temple in Kyoto that was out-of-this world yummy. The one at Momonoki isn’t *quite* as good but it’s pretty close. I highly recommend this spot for lunch, dinner, coffee or a frosty treat – lots of authentic flavors.

#2 Handmade Sweet and Spicy Thick Noodles, Gu’s Kitchen, Atlanta, Georgia

Gu’s return to Buford Highway is overdue and very welcomed, in my opinion. Especially with incredible Szechuan sweet and spicy noodles like these handmade thick chewy noodles with homemade sweet sauce and chili oil; sprinkled with toasted
sesame seeds. According to the menu, this is one of the most famous street foods in Chengdu. It’s served room temperature and is an absolute delight to slurp up. I’ve never had noodles of this texture and love the simplicity of the dish that highlights the texture of the noodles as well as the local flavors of garlic and Szechuan peppercorn.

#1 Aged Kimchi, Pork Belly, Coconut cream and Koshihikari rice, Korean Fusion and Talat Market Pop-up Dinner, Atlanta, Georgia

My number one dish of the year ended up being an easy decision. In March, Sean and I went to a very adventurous pop-up dinner by Korean Fusion (Seung Hee Lee) and Talat Market (Parnass Savang). The concept was that each chef – one Korean, one Thai – would make several dishes from their culture but with ingredients from the other chef’s culture. So Korean dishes with Thai ingredients and Thai dishes with Korean ingredients. We had so many wonderful flavors at this dinner and many were quite memorable – a stunning roasted salmon in a red curry rub was one. But none were quite as extraordinary as this dish from Korean Fusion’s Seung Hee Lee of aged kimchi with pork belly in a coconut cream sauce with fancy, fluffy koshihikari coconut rice. Spicy, tangy, sweet, funky, and creamy – this dish packed the ultimate punch in flavors and textures to deliver something truly satisfying. It’s a dish we’ll never have again and so takes the number one spot of best dishes I ate this past year.