I can’t believe it’s been nine years since I started doing this countdown of my top eats of the year. I always have such a good time going back through all the adventures and highlighting the foods that stood out in various ways. 2025 was a big travel year with trips to Mexico, Ohio, London and Cornwall, New York City, Orlando, Boca Raton, Melbourne, Virginia Beach and Raleigh. I always seem to find something extraordinary in all the places I go which is such a delight! Here are the top 15 dishes.
#15: Double-Tomato Focaccia Made at Home
We used the golden cherry tomatoes and basil from the garden in this outstanding recipe from Bon Appetit. Amazing flavors atop fluffy focaccia with a crispy bottom.
#14: Fresh Blackberries in Tintagel, Cornwall, England
We were walking back to town from Tingel Castle and found loads of ripe blackberries growing all along the side of the road. They were juicy and sweet and perfect – what a memory!
#13: Steamed New England Lobster a la Cheryl
When your neighbor brings back dozens of lobsters from her New England fishing season, you FEAST. Seriously, it was all-you-can-eat lobster! Incredible.
#12: Painkiller with Sake, Fish Heads, Nags Head, NC
The sake instead of rum in this cocktail keeps it light and refreshing while also ensuring it’s not too sweet with the pineapple and coconut. This was one of my favorite drinks of the year so it makes this list.
#11: Okra Fries, Dishoom, London, UK
We love fried okra and loved seeing it on the Dishoom menu – but with an Indian twist. Perfectly spiced and seasoned, with just the right amount of crunch to still taste the okra, this dish was a fave of everyone.
#10: Charred Octopus, Esoteric, Virginia Beach, VA
This was served bulgogi style with red cabbage, orange, scallion, radish slaw, yuzu mayo, tamarind mirin reduction, and a miso carrot ginger coulis. It was a delicious adventure of flavors!
#9: Spicy Italian Sausage over Beans and Greens with Fried Pepper, Vernon’s Cafe, Niles, Ohio
Vernon’s Cafe has been a part of my family’s dining experiences for a long time. Many a birthday, reunion, anniversary and graduation have been celebrated here. I took Sean this year on a visit to Ohio and this was a special. Wowza! Yummy combination of so many good things.
#8: The Freshest Summer Lunch, Made at Home in the Outer Banks
Homemade mint sweet tea with mint from the garden, caprese salad with homegrown basil and tomatoes, and mangos straight off the tree in Florida that Nana brought us. I dream of this lunch and hope I can recreate it next summer.
#7: Endives with Goat Cheese, Almonds and Oranges, Jaleo, Orlando, FL
When we ate at Jaleo in May while I was in Orlando for a work conference, I knew something from the dinner would be going on my list. It’s a Chef Jose Andres restaurant and traditional Spanish food, which I LOVE. Against a smattering of jamon, cheeses, and paella, these light, bright, crunchy and fresh endives provided much-needed balance. We ordered it twice!
#6: Seasonal Soft Shell Crab over Fresh Local Crab Roll, Single Fin, Nags Head, NC
An Outer Banks seasonal special is soft shell crab and it’s a very popular menu item at local restaurants. One of our favorite spots, Single Fin, laid a fried soft shell crab on top of a sushi roll with cream cheese, cucumber, avocado and fresh local crab. Delectable.
#5: Seared Salmon over White Beans, Farmer’s Table, Boca Raton, FL
This is a sleeper hit. Looks like your average restaurant salmon dish. But NO. It was not. It was an explosion of flavors and textures that I could not stop eating. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the white bean puree had garlic and lemon that all advanced to the next level of flavor with the topping of toasted hazelnuts, pine nuts, and golden raisons. Shoutout to the expertly cooked broccolini, too. 10/10, no notes. I think about this dish a lot.
#4: Tandoori Szechuan Lamb Chops, Duke of Wellington Pub, London, UK
A pub with exclusively Indian food? We were so in for this on our final night in London. This dish had some Chinese influence with the fiery sauce for the tender, juicy and meaty lamb chops. Amazing flavors and just a really unique dish.
#3: Moules a La Grecque, Anthony Bourdain Les Halles Wine Dinner at South of KDG, Nags Head, NC
An Anthony Bourdain tribute dinner to his time at Les Halles restaurant was such a treat this past October. This mussels dish was the first true “fine dining” dish I’ve experienced at a restaurant on the Outer Banks. WOWOWOWOW. Steamed mussels, fennel mousse, parsley oil, lemon zest – simple ingredients, executed flawlessly, with the highest standard of cooking of the mussels that gave them an other-worldly texture and flavor.
#2: Ethiopian Feast. Abugida, Fulham, London, UK
We were lucky enough to have a double-date night with cousins Patrick and Ali in London and we went for Ethiopian at a highly rated restaurant in their neighborhood. Sean and I rarely have Ethiopian since moving from Atlanta and we miss it big time. This hit all the right notes with two kinds of lentil, fish tibs, marinated lamb, and my obsession – shiro (a spicy chickpea stew that we dip the meat dishes into omg). Major cravings were satisfied and this had the added bonus of being a wonderful shared experience with Patrick and Ali.
#1: Handmade Tortellini with Braised Beef Short Rib, Reggiano’s of Celebration, Celebration, FL
This is the FIRST time in nine years that I’ve had an Italian dish make the number one spot. My entire experience at this restaurant was flawless but this dish…omg. I am a leftovers gal – I will 99.95% of the time stop eating just as I am starting to feel full to take the remainder home. NOT THIS TIME. I kept eating, thinking after each bite that I would throw in the towel but it was SO FREAKING DELICIOUS that I absolutely stuffed myself and completely enjoyed it. What better criteria for the number one spot of 2025?!? 😉
2025 was a weird year for me personally but it was a great year for food with all my travel. Thankful as always for new tastes and looking forward to all that 2026 will bring.