Hillary Weller

In the spirit of the new year, I’ve decided to do Best Bites a little bit differently in 2015. Instead of blogging about whichever bites I happen to come across over the next 11 months or so, I’m going to use this roadmap to guide my culinary adventures. I’ve intentionally kept each category fairly general, but still hope it will help ensure more variety, color, and creativity in my dining plans.

And so I present, in no particular order, 20 foods and 15 drinks that I’ll be documenting in 2015:

20 foods…

1. ethnic food I’ve never tried before, northern hemisphere
2. ethnic food I’ve never tried before, southern hemisphere // South African cuisine, Nando’s Peri-Peri
3. something stuffed
4. savory dessert // Pecorino cake, Sink|Swim
5. vegetable I’ve never tasted
6. egg-centric // Beef tartare with quail egg and Cameo Kirby cocktail with egg white, Cherry Circle Room
7. dim sum
8. whole roast (meat or fish)
9. something pickled // Fried giardiniera, Parts and Labor
10. vegan entree
11. fried dough // Salted Carame’L’ concrete, Shake Shack
12. same ingredient, three ways
13. something smoked // Smoked fish sandwich, Fahlstrom’s Fresh Fish Market
14. something slimy (oysters don’t count)
15. single-bite stunner
16. unique bread and butter // Staff meal, Cellar Door Provisions
17. all-you-can-eat format
18. tongue as main protein // Wagyu beef tongue, Momotaro
19. something exceedingly spicy
20. home-cooked comfort food

…and 15 drinks:

1. spirit I’ve never tried before
2. over-the-top tiki drink // Ripples on an Evaporated Lake and Pool Rules cocktails, Lost Lake
3. green/plant-based beverage
4. creative coffee
5. something sour
6. beer cocktail // Alice Fay draft cocktail, Tippling Hall
7. fancy soda
8. liquid dessert // Mango lassi, Pub Royale
9. tea with a twist
10. party punch
11. cider
12. pickleback shot
13. perfect wine pairing
14. ice cream float
15. smoothie (most likely made with my new Magic Bullet!)

I’ll be updating this post throughout the year as I complete each item on the list, so keep checking back!