Glad somebody already covered this. Lewis might be a contender for best BBQ in the nation. The mac and cheese, sausage, pulled pork are all outstanding, and the brisket is the best I’ve had anywhere.
Gotta split up best home-cooked and best restaurant experiences. For best home-cooked: my parents hired a Georgian lady named Maria to help look after my grandmother as she is no longer in great health. When Maria found out I used to live in Azerbaijan and had visited Georgia, and that I became a big fan of Georgian cuisine, she got very excited since most Americans have never been to that part of the world (much less find it on a map). So when I went home to visit a few months ago, she did a couple massive homemade Xachipuri’s.
Xachipuri is basically a bread boat filled to the brim with cheesy deliciousness, and then you dump an egg on top for its final stage of baking in the oven. After it’s done cooking, you take a fork and blend the egg in. Twist off the knobs on each end, dunk em in the middle and enjoy. Then let it rest while your mouth heals from the scalding hot cheese and by the time you can entertain the idea of more hot food, the cheesy-eggy ecstasy has firmed up just enough that you can slice it like a pizza. It’s incredible.
For anyone in the DC area or visiting, you can try one at Compass Rose or Supra. Several varieties at Supra.
For best restaurant experience, I gotta go with Reverie in Georgetown, DC. Michelin guide is missing out here. Chef Johnny Spero is a mad culinary genius. It’s a seafood centric tasting menu (two available: one at the bar, one at tables) and this fall’s was big on shellfish.
Although Reverie prides itself on Spanish-inspired seafood, they don’t shy away from the occasional protein. They brought back a duck dish for the first time in three years, which is and forever will be the best duck I have ever had.
Many restaurants outsource desserts or don’t give them as much love as the entrees. Not Reverie. The two we had were #1 and #2 of the whole year, which is saying something. The first was a custard that was layered under kiwi, strawberry, and some other stuff that is still a mystery to me. They build it in a bowl and then freeze a thin layer of ice over the top, which you have to break and then mix in to get after it. Colorful as it was delicious, and the ice chips added a texture to the fruits and custard that was unexpectedly awesome. 10/10/10/10.
Second dessert was like if Dippin Dots and The Sandlot kids conspired on s’mores and ice cream. That’s the only way I can describe this. Final dish of the night and I think my soul left my body because I have not loved a dessert the same way since then.
Picking these was an extremely tough call in what has been a stellar year for food. Honorable mentions to Grimaldi’s Pizza and Atoboy in NYC, Capital Grille, Compass Rose, Jaleo & roaming rooster in DC, High West and Cafe Terigo in Park City, The Consulate and Ecco in Atlanta, The Bottle in Huntsville AL, and literally every bite of food I had in Chicago. And my buddy Ryan’s chicken parm recipe which has sustained me through the dark days of no good Italian food in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
WORST - and I mean absolute WORST, burn down the establishment and fire everyone award - goes to Cultivate Food & Coffee on Howell Mill Road in Atlanta, GA. Called in a breakfast order to go (standard stuff: veggie omelette, bacon egg & cheese sandwich, and a latte). Was told it could be picked up in 20 min. I arrived after 30 min, then waited another 40 min. When the food finally came out they still hadn’t poured the damn coffee and I was fuming so I just left. Got home to find the most burned, butchered and generally desecrated omelette I’ve ever had in my life.
Did I buy a Nest membership just now so I could add multiple pictures to this post and especially to roast this Cultivate crap from last spring? You bet I did. Jandy’s back, baby. Back with a vengeance for bad brunches. Ninety bucks is money well spent to warn all you decent people. I will see you all in the F1 thread.
