No, weโre not talking about the fanciest spots. Or the most hyped. Or even the newest. The best restaurant meals, to us, were the ones that stayed seared in our memories long after the last French fry was dipped and the final sip of a perfect pรฉt-nat thrown back. These are all the places we turned to for quiet, solo dinners with a book, vaxxed brunches with missed friends, and boxes of weeknight takeout when we just couldnโt with cooking anymore. In other words, these, our best restaurant meals, are all the ones that mattered most. From the street cart skewers that transported lifestyle editor Karen Yuan back to the Beijing neighborhood she grew up in to senior cooking editor Sarah Jampelโs best-ever post-baby bagel and assistant editor Chala Tyson Tshitunduโs flaky, perfect fried catfish biscuit sandwichโโa gift from the ancestorsโโhere are all the meals we ate (and loved) this year.
To my left: margarita. To my right: a couple arguing. In front of me: a platter of goat birria covered in bubbling cheese from Mi Tocaya Antojeriฬa. These three things are my restaurant dream combo. I donโt think, at any moment in 2021, I was happier than eating that meal. You make a taco with the cheesy birria, then dip it in a bowl of warm cosommรฉ, the savory broth dripping down your hand. We also ate a spicy, bright aguachile, chile-rubbed fish collar, and a side of chicharos, green peas with baby corn and cotija, and other goodies. I loved this meal so much I went back, a week later, to do it all over again. โAlex Beggs, senior staff writer
Dame has been one of New Yorkโs tougher reservations, so when I snagged one, I didnโt cancel, even when it started pouring minutes before my outdoor dining appointment. The food was perfect: crisp whitefish croquettes, tiny smoked mussels, a caper- and herb-crusted whole mackerel, fish and chips with the crunchiest golden coating. It was delicious seafood, treated with care, and it was perfect even as rain blew in sideways. I loved the meal not in spite of the conditions but ultimately because of them. We made the most of what we had to work with and found the upside, and for me, that sums up 2021. โBettina Makalintal, associate editor
