the year in food.

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It was a very good year.

Above: Birthday dogs (!) from the Original Hot Dog Shop, Pittsburgh.

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My weeklong trip to Japan in February was nothing short of spectacular, for both the sights and the food.  I didn’t get any film photos of the ridiculously good sushi I consumed all week, but I did snap a few others.

Above: Soba lunch at a little place near Hakone.

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The scallop portion of a gloriously gluttonous evening at Amoroso, Tokyo.

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Iberico pork katsu lunch at Butagumi, Tokyo.

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I traveled to Los Angeles in April to surprise my mother for her birthday.   Above: a pre-birthday lunch at A.O.C.

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Hawaiian butterfish crudo for mom’s birthday dinner at Lukshon, a favorite spot of my family’s.

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The spread at Hinoki and The Bird.  Yes, there’s a sliver of wood burning atop black cod.

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Above and below: Noodles and soup dumplings at Mama Lu’s Dumpling House with my pals Travis and Justine, who a few months after this lunch became parents to darling Esme.

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Inspired by my trip to Japan, I made some ramen broth and pork chashu from scratch (!) back in my wee Brooklyn kitchen.  It was, I dare say, awesome.

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In May, Mike D and I went to M.Wells Dinette at P.S. 1 in Long Island City.  We ate way too much food.  We’d do it again in a heartbeat.

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Above and below: more M. Wells.

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In June I bought a new camera, a gigantic Pentax 6×7 that I named Percy.  (No seriously, he’s enormous.)  Later that month, Percy took this photo of the excellent fried chicken plate at The Dutch in Soho.  That’s Donny, about to dig in.

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Over the summer, Mike and I had a delicious brunch at Talde, in Park Slope.  Pictured above is their bacon and egg pad thai — oh yeah.  Not pictured is their breakfast ramen, which I cannot recommend enough.  Zounds.

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August vacation: a proper two week affair that started in Los Angeles.  Above: superb soup dumplings and other Shanghainese and Taiwanese delights at Din Tai Fung, with dear Ben W.

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San Francisco: dinner at the outrageously good State Bird Provisions.  Nancy and I got a spot right near the open kitchen, so we got to see everything getting prepped.   Everything, might I add, was excellent.  Above: yellowtail (I think, anyway; or was it salmon?) collar.

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Duck liver pate + financiers.

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A peek into the prep space from our perch.

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I never got to try Una Pizza Napoletana when it was out here in NYC, but at long last, made it to the San Francisco location.  Oh my.  Oh my oh my oh my.

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In Wyoming, my pal A’s mom was visiting from Bangkok, so every day we’d have homecooked Thai meals.  Easily the best Thai food I’ve ever had.  Thanks, Siriwan!

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There was tons more I ate this year, though I didn’t get a chance to document the meals, mostly because they were evening or low-light affairs that don’t capture very well on film.   And a couple of Michelin starred meals to boot!   It was an exciting year, the happiest I’ve been in ages.

To ring in the new year, and also my big 4-0, this coming January I’m convening a wonderful gaggle of my closest friends for what is looking to be an epic dinner.  Rest assured that there will be photographic proof of celebratory gluttony, low light be damned!. .

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