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Favorite Meals of 2015

For the previous three years we’ve been asking our friends about their favorite meals of that year. It’s been one of our favorite features to run on the website. The best meals have ranged from three start Michelin meals to backyard cook outs. This year is no different.

Alan Bedenko (Political Bogger, Pizza Lover). Lunch at Le Bernardin. In May, my wife and I went to New York for a long weekend to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, including two highlights: Larry David in Fish in the Dark, and a meal at Le Bernardin. The reservation process is difficult and byzantine, thus explaining to a certain degree why it was lunch and not dinner, but the food is excellent no matter what time of day it is.

We enjoyed a 7-ish course lunch of small plates, each of which was superlative in its own way. Even the salmon rillettes that were just an amuse were out of this world. The meal kicked off with a see-through, savory Yellowfin Tuna carpaccio with Iberico Ham “chutney” and sea beans (pictured above). Next, a tender, almost raw, scallop was served with a warm, earthy brown butter dashi. Warm Peekytoe Lump crab was served with shaved heirloom cauliflower and a mustard emulsion. A rare wild salmon came with snow peas and a soothing shitake-matsutake broth. Wild striped bass was served with Zucchini caponata and an emulsion of merlot and black olive. finally, a range of desserts including a coconut yuzu sorbet with clementine “snow”, and hazelnut praline.

Every forkful an explosion of flavor. The craftsmanship and artistry of this meal – this experience – was simply breathtaking. It couldn’t have been more delicious or more beautifully presented.

Dinner may – or may not – be where it’s at, but this lunch was simply out of this world and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Bryan Mecozzi (Chef/Owner of Black Iron Bystro): Victor G at Jaguar at the Bistro melted my face with his “Tour de Mexico”. From the hominy soup to the Marrow to the puff pastry-esque quesadilla (and much, much more), nothing was misplaced. Everything detailed. Thought out. On the fly experience that was shot my way and embedded in my memory and stroked my chi.

Also, in the East Village at Lil Frankie’s. Dank wood fired pizzas for brunch with plethoras of Bloody Mary’s. My stop at Employees Only brought me a surprising “best thing I had there”…the chicken liver pâté. It was gold.. then again, what the fuck do I know? After all that mezcal it coulda been fancy feast.

Thomas Jablonkski (Partner of Lockhouse Distillery): Bourbon & Butter’s charcuterie board combined with the Korean Kalbi Beef Steamed Bun and a glass of prosecco is the the one meal that’s risen above my over-scheduled, takeout-fueled haze. Its been a busy year and I rarely got to go out and sit down for a proper meal, but this one always made me content and slowed the world down a bit.

Robbie Gianadda (Owner of Flat 12 Mushrooms): Best meal of the year is tough for me because we had a baby in February and that has slightly limited our previously frequent “this was the best thing I’ve eaten all year” proclamations. We kept it pretty local this year so I think I can only answer this with best singular dishes I’ve eaten this year. I’ll start simple..

  • Best condiment: my own home made oyster sauce with the last of the oysters I won at Big Fuss this year, I may have to re-name it as “prick sauce”, wink emoticon

  • Best app: Black Sheep live scallop (pictured above)

  • Best soup: Kaydara’s mushroom bisque.

  • Best entree: Toutant’s fried chicken

  • Best side: one of my all time favorites, Buffalo Proper’s rabbit terrine.

  • Best dessert: Marble and Rye’s macaron with marshmallow and strawberry.

Jennifer Boye (Executive Chef of The Mansion on Delaware): My favorite meal of the year was more of a marathon eating session than an actual lunch or dinner, to be honest.
Griffin, my friend and sous chef, knew that I had a pretty stressful morning coming up on a particular day, so he thoughtfully suggested we take a ride to Rochester that afternoon. We started off at Stever’s candies and went a little crazy. It felt like we were in the middle of a chocolate-fueled dream. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to go back in the minute you leave.

Our next stop was Joe Bean, where we shared a pour-over coffee flight and some chocolate covered Brazil nuts (everyone needs these in their life, by the way) that we smuggled in from the candy store.

Stop number three was McCanns Local Meats. I ate the best pastrami sandwich I’ve ever had, coupled with the crispiest and most delicious fries cooked in beef fat.

Final stop: Pittsford Farm Dairy for pistachio and rum raisin ice cream cones and a haul to take home, including the most incredible egg nog ever, and buttermilk for future biscuit production.  I often find that my most memorable meals don’t require white tablecloths and four hundred dollar tabs; just good, honest, and thoughtfully prepared food coupled with a spectacular friend to share it all with.

Ed Forster (Executive Chef at Buffalo Proper): I had some great meals this year. Some with great friends, others at our great friends restaurants, and some with great friends at great restaurants. We ate well. The two that stand out are drastically different.

I shared a leisurely brunch with two gents I am happy to call both partners and friends; Jon Karel & Josh Miles. We took a drive to Skaneatles Lake for a bit of “male bonding”. We went to a lovely and fairly new gem Mr. Miles had discovered called the Krebs. He spoke highly of the wine program, level of service, and of course the food. We were ill prepared for our several hours of dining ahead. Over mimosas with a shot of campari, the only true way to enjoy a mimosa, Josh offered perhaps some bubbles and eggs with a wry smile. Knowing full well I am a lover of champagne, Josh picked out an RD ’95 Bollinger. The sturgeon eggs were also due upon completion of the made to order blinis as accoutrements. Well the afternoon continued in style. We sipped amazing wines in well appointed high backed chairs. I kept a noticing eye on the service staff with each move, with them impressing at each opportunity. Chef Austin’s food was executed at the highest level and showed true class. The sommelier was given carte blanche to suprise us with a “baller” wine to pair with our last course, a steak (perfectly sous vide tenderloin). His thoughtful selection was revealed to us as a blind tasting. He brought something truly remarkable at an amazing value that I still have ear marked in my wine journal. We met the thirty some kitchen staff members, shaking hands and thanking them for an amazing afternoon, knowing they had stayed several moments longer than normal to show us a truly remarkable time. Our wolf pack left happy. I still look back at that brunch as one of the best service experiences I’ve ever had with some of the best dudes a guy could know. So thanks to the staff at the Krebs in Skaneatles, but somehow the meal is eclipsed by the important thanks to Jon & Josh for sharing great laughs, memories, and a great time together. Cheers to hopefully many more!

My other incredible and memorably favorite meal of the year was in Youngstown, just north of Lewiston. My rock of a lady friend and I spent many amazing weekend getaways this summer camping outdoors as often as possible. We saw stars, lakes, beaches, gorges, trails, bumps, bruises, racoons, ferile cats, a few snakes, but thankfully no bears. I got the the site a bit before Jess and set things up, only to discover that I had indeed packed the grill and its propane gas, but not the valve that connected the two. I made a meal out of snacks, miller lite, and green chartreuse, but as Jess joined me the next day that wasnt going to suffice for the two of us. She tried to find the aforementioned valve at home before joining me to no avail, and finding a substitute that did not fit. So our mojo marinated pork tacos and elotes had to be put off. Although dreams of going all Francis Mallmann and roasting our dinner on nearby river rocks, the silent fucking assasin Carmelo Raimondi of Carmelo’s was just ten minutes away. So we washed up best we could for two people that had not seen a shower or a hot meal in, i realize a very meager, two days and headed off to Lewiston. We had a salad from Rachel Dispenza’s garden, roast chicken, and Carm’s now infamous one day only a week burger (above). It was perfect. We set home to the campsite with full bellies. We enjoyed s’mores over the campfire and looked at the stars. Hey, guy who’s reading this and muttering that my memory of smores and stars and my special lady sounds oh so trite, sure. but then fuck you. Its my memory. they didnt ask you about yours. and i probably wont be reading your favorite meal anyway. but if youre reading and are of agreeance that life can indeed be perfect with great friends and marshmallow on your sweatshirt, give me a ring. Lets go explore, be outside, and with a bit of planning, we can even mallman together;)

Jay Langfelder (Owner of OG Wood Fire Pizza): The highlight for me has to be Momofuku (Manhattan) milk bar, still can’t stop thinking about it. I ate the whole menu, so it’s hard to say what was best but everything was amazing.

I also had one of the best pizzas of my life at Branca (pictured above)in Rochester made by Chef Pasquale Sorrentino it had lardo and a healthy dose of white truffle (this is not on the menu). I was also really impressed with Marble and Rye I have been there several times and each time Iam impressed with the thought and respect given to each ingredient.

RJ Marvin (Owner of Barrel + Brine): There was fried chicken and oysters at Leon’s in Charleston. There were po’boys at Erin Rose in NOLA. Or stumbling down Bourbon St. at 4 in the morning to take a 30 pack of Crystal Burgers to the face. Lina and I ate at a few pretty cool places last year but one definitly stands out.

We were heading to Toronto to see NOFX and Lagwagon for the Fat Wreck Chords anniversary show so I told Matty Matheson that we’d bless him some Mighty Mighty Taco. He didn’t get back into town until later so we hit up Bellwoods Brewery for a while and we ended up drinking way to much beer, eating pickles and chicken livers. Then we went somewhere else and we had more beer, then we got a 120 dollar parking ticket so then we hit the hoof and I had some rum.

Eventually or miraculously we stumbled into Parts & Labour. I had more beer or some kind of cocktail and Lina was like “fuck it” and drank Absinthe. Not, like out the bottle or anything but that would have been cool as fuck. Then we ate. A lot. We had some Vietnamese beef tartare which was killer. We ate some hot as fuck fried chicken, and some dan dan noodles with lamb. I think there was a salad in there somewhere but then we just got blessed the fuck out with this Fred Flinstone type lamb shank. It was the size of Andre the Giants head, no lie. The thing had to have weighed 8 pounds which according to that little kid on Jerry Mcguire is about the weight of an average head. It was coated in the sickest salsa verde I’ve had and some gremolata. It seemed brined, and smoked and roasted. It was legit the best thing I ate in a hella long time. Then it had some classic sautéed mushrooms and Roubachon style potatoes which were just proper glutton. Somehow we made it out and I ate the rest the next day like I just got home from prison. It was sick. Toronto is sick.

Kate Hey (Former Owner of Betty Crocksi): Every time I Leave La Divina I feel like I’m on drugs. The light, romantic kind of drugs. Everything about that little grocery reminds me of San Diego and border-style Mexican food, which is where I lived and what I ate for the bulk of my 20s. I have only every ordered tacos there because the tacos are perfect. I love it there. I love it there so much.

The fried bologna sandwich at Toutant has also changed something in my brain chemistry. If I even allow myself to think about it, I MUST HAVE ONE within 24 hours in order to regain control of my brain’s obsessive thoughts about its perfection.

Jill Gedra Forster (Owner of Nickel City Cheese & Mercantile): My favorite meal of 2015 was one I didn’t get to eat-Nickel City Cheese & Mercantile hosts Midnight Mass at the Black Sheep. I haven’t cooked in a kitchen in 15 years, so I was really nervous to go behind the line (especially with my brother, he sometimes has tendency to accentuate your flaws). I went with a Brunch theme because Brunch to me means lazy Sunday day drinking with my friends.. That is exactly what happened, with the addition of DJ Cutler! Having a DJ at your dinner, which you came of retirement for, surrounded by a roomful of people who chose to be there at Midnight at the end of February (during one of the coldest winters on record) really meant a lot to me. Emily Pierce Delaney, my manager, was amazing and made some of the best doughnuts ever.

Jason Wulf (Co-Founder of Lake Effect Ice Cream): Urban Farmer (Cleveland): My wife and I recently headed to Cleveland for a Violent Femmes show and stopped at a steakhouse called Urban Farmer. When I first opened the menu, I thought I was looking at the wine list. Fourteen oz. Bartels, Oregon…eight oz. Piedmontese… A long list stretched down the menu, then it hit me, this was a list of cuts of beef. They actually had a flight of steak I could order if I couldn’t decide on just one. The waiter was essentially a steak sommelier and talked me into the Bartels, which was outstanding. The meal started with a cool corn cake baked in a soup can, then came marinated shrimp, sunchoke, tomato and horseradish, followed by roasted foraged mushrooms with shallots and house-made fries with thyme. Then the steak. All excellent. The meal was amazing and the Femmes show was pretty good, too.

Toutant (Buffalo): We’ve visited Toutant regularly. At this point, I would usually list my favorite meal, but there are two things stopping me from that. First, I have thoroughly enjoyed everything James has served me and it’s almost unfair to, for example, choose the gris gris biscuit over the barbecue brisket. Each is great in its own right. Second, I think it’s also important to talk about how it feels to be at Toutant. James has been mentally preparing for this restaurant ever since I met him years ago, this is what he’s meant to do, and you can feel that the moment you walk in the door. Sean Wrafter built the back bar and Andrew Emerson created the amazing central lighting piece. I hold them in the highest regard because they treat their craft the same way James thinks of food, with care and skill. The bar at Toutant carries my favorite whiskies and bourbons (pictured above), can’t forget that. James’ cooking and his wife Connie’s design skill has put together an experience that pleases the most picky connoisseur- and a plate of fried chicken that’s perfect after a Sabres game.

Tommy Lombardo (Owner/General Manager at Ristorante Lombardo): My Best meal was with my wife Mary at Ippudo Ramen in NYC. Definitely the best food I’ve had all year. We went there for lunch and I got the SHIROMARU HAKATA CLASSIC “Tonkotsu” pork broth, with pork loin chashu, menma, sesame kikurage mushrooms, scallions, and pickled red ginger.

The broth was so deep and rich and balanced, flavorful, didn’t have even the lightest hint of that over sodium salty flavor you can get from so many soups and broths. The salad before was probably the best salad i’ve ever had. Citrusy with sesame and soy flavors so well balanced. I was very impressed.

Dustin Murphy (Former Chef at Tabree Restaurant): Well I’ve had many great meals this year! However there were three that left me more then content. They are the following:

  1. In late July, Kamaria and I ate at Elm Street Bakery. We had 7 courses, ranging from oysters to a dairy free pizza. Definitely one of the best meals I’ve had in along time. Brad and the crew nailed it, awesome customer service as well.

  2. My birthday On August 21, Kamaria and I went to the Black Sheep. We had a 14 course tasting! All of which was dairy free, for the most part. The courses highlighted seasonal vegetables and classic dishes. Paired with the right wines, it was another incredible experience.

  3. Just recently, I ate at SANTOSEI in Toronto. I’ve finally found the perfect bowl of Ramen! I ordered the traditional tankatsu style broth with roasted garlic, flat noodles and extra pork belly of course (pictured above)! No more then 10 minutes later, I received the perfect bowl of ramen, it was fucking delicious.

Brad Rowell (Chef of the Upcoming Grange Community Kitchen): A good friend of mine was married in April at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn. My wife and I had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant Reynard all three mornings we were in New York. Reynard has it all; a beautiful room filled with natural light, excellent ingredients presented simply, and casual yet refined service. The sausage breakfast sandwich served with fries and aioli stands out as a favorite. On the same trip we had incredible sourdough bread with cultured butter at Torst that was a great snack while ordering from one of the best beer lists in the country. We also had a couple of pizzas from Motorinowhich is some of the best I’ve ever had.

My favorite meal locally has to be one of the several I had at Peking Quick One (pictured above). Its really all about the ambiance.

Sam Scarcello (Co-Owner of Public Espresso): My favorite meal of 2015 would have to be anytime I was able to eat at Toutant. Somehow, they’ve managed to make a three-floor restaurant with two kitchens and a bar feel like you’re sitting in the Chef’s home. Every time I’ve visited, the experience has left a mark on me. The attention to detail goes beyond the décor and plating. It spills over into the hospitality. I can only imagine the coordination required to keep a machine like that running at that pace, but it looks effortless.

Having recently learned that the staff sits down for “family dinner” before service every day explains a lot of how that mentality is achieved. It’s a serious source of inspiration for me and it should not be overlooked. The idea of completing a transaction as quickly as possible with minimal interaction is ingrained in our minds these days as an achievement and that’s a shame. As Toutant’s proven, we can be really good at connecting if you don’t give us any other option. I look forward to many more experiences at Toutant.

Patrick Finan (Co-Founder of City Dining Cards, Block Club): Kaiseki at Waketokuyama in Tokyo. Brandon and I got engaged there. When I asked him to marry me, I butchered everything that I had prepared to say. He looked at me and all he could say at first was, “No!” And then he finished his sentence by saying that he was planning to ask me that evening. It ended up being wonderful, the food was excellent, and the very stoic male Japanese wait staff was extremely confused by what was happening at our table.

Fondue and raclette at Staeger Stuebli in Murren, Switzerland. Brandon and I went hiking with my mom for a few days in this small Swiss town of only 400 residents, many cows and no cars. This was our favorite place to eat. One night we at a little too much fondue and raclette, drank a little too much Swiss wine, and laughed so hard on the way back to the hotel that my mom and I almost peed our pants surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in Europe. It was awesome!

Tasting menu at Daniel (pictured above) in New York. For my friend Vera’s 30th birthday, her boyfriend Patrick arranged for the four of us to have diner at Daniel. We sat in the corner booth, with an amazing view of the whole restaurant. We ate and drank for five hours and had a nice conversation with Daniel Boulud himself (who had very good things to say about the terroir of the Niagara region). It was the best food I’ve ever tasted and the best service I’ve experienced!

Matt Yuhnke (Owner of Melting Point): In my mind, a good meal isn’t solely about the food, it’s also about the environment, the company and the overall experience. In looking back over the past year there is one meal which stands out as my favorite and it wasn’t in the dining room of a restaurant, instead, it was in the backyard of a house owned by someone who I would have only considered a stranger not 24 hours prior.

I was fortunate enough to spend this year’s 4th of July with a close friend and a backyard of new ones in the Humbolt Park neighborhood of Chicago. See, I like records and I like to search for them and given the opportunity to get out of town for a few days, I often find myself on the hunt. Chicago was the first stop on a week long, midwest record digging trip for me and my friend, Shevan, a Toronto based DJ and while in Chicago we were house guests of Jerome, an expatriated Frenchman, who operates his own record label, DJ’s and does what he can in his power to keep Chicago funky.

Annually, Jerome hosts a 4th of July BBQ to which he invites friends, family, neighbors and fellow crate diggers/DJ’s. We were part of an eclectic group of people ranging from Police Officers, Teachers, Bartenders, Professional DJ’s, IT professionals, Cooks and Nurses all of whom were there with a common idea in mind, good food, good drink, good music, good times.

From the early evening until the first signs of the sun the next morning the lot of us enjoyed an incredible spread of different grilled meats and vegetables, cold salads and other sides which everyone who walked through the gate to the yard contributed to. The amount and variety of food was incredible! I particularly remember a wonderfully flavorful vietnamese BBQ beef, juicy lamb burgers, a tasty ceviche and a stunning batch of kimchi, all while alternating between glasses of an excellent unfiltered sake and rye whiskey. I also have a recollection of numerous rounds of Soju shots being had by the group of us, in the spirit of the holiday of course.

As we ate, drank and laughed, people who brought records with them, essentially half of the group, took turns on the decks spinning rare boogie funk, Chicago house and deep disco cuts while the neighborhood’s sky was illuminated with a impressive amount of exploding fireworks. People danced, stuffed themselves and just enjoyed the day for what it was. There was something so casual and down to earth about the whole experience that embodied exactly what a summer BBQ should. For me, it was the perfect place setting for a fun, vibrant, delicious meal.

Michael Dimmer (Co-Owner/Executive Chef of Marble + Rye): My best meal this year took place in Barcelona at a place called Cafe Elba. It consisted of an awesome bottle of Rioja to start, then Patatas Bravas, roasted Padron Peppers, Asparagus and Foie, Roasted mushroom croquettes and THE BEST thick cut Iberian Ham (pictured above). My wife and I shared a nut tart for dessert which consisted of a Housemade tart shell dipped in ganache, raspberry Coulis, whole roasted hazelnuts, pecans, almonds and pistachio. Maybe the best part was that it cost $3 and consisted of about $4 worth of nuts alone (in the US). All around, super solid, straightforward, simple, amazing.

Allison Ewing (Co-owner of BreadHive): My favorite meal of 2015 was brought to Buffalo in my Dad’s luggage when he came to visit me and my husband (and our dog, most importantly.) This year he’s been cooking a lot with a focus on jambalaya, we can probably blame his Louisiana roots, and when he came up here in the fall he brought three giant freezer bags full of his best batch. It’s really good jambalaya, made by one of my favorite people on earth, and I can’t think of a meal I enjoyed more this year than when I had a really bad cold the other week, was sniffly and hungry, and remembered that I’d just thawed a new pile of delicious spicy jambalaya that I could live off for the next four days.

Mac McGuire (Former Editor-In-Chief of buffaBLOG): My favorite meal of 2015 did not take place in Buffalo, or New York State, or even on this side of the planet. No, my favorite meal of the year took place while visiting my cousin in Dubai at the Yalumbabrunch at the Meridian Hotel (pictured above).

For those not familiar, Dubai is ridiculous, so naturally their brunches have to match. A brunch in Dubai is not eggs benedict with a bloody mary to wash it down. Rather, brunches in Dubai are an extravagant all you can eat/drink/rage experience.

While the Yalumbra brunch was not cheap (I won’t give the full price out of shame, but we are talking over $100), it very well may have been worth every penny. Station after station was filled with top cuts of meats, seafood of all kinds (yes, that included full lobsters), sushi, pastas, desserts, and more. You name it, Yalumbra had it. Plus, top shelf booze all meal. I don’t recall how many different colors of Johnny Walker I consumed during the nearly 4 hour experience, but I can tell you my cup was rarely empty as the second I was finished, someone was there to fill it back up.

While brunch at the Meridan was a classier affair (other brunches I went to during my visit turned into some sort of rave in the middle of a restaurant type thing), nothing captured everything that Dubai is – expensive, big, over the top, and sadly, rather wasteful – more than this meal.

Donnie Burtless: We ate well in 2015. The combination of new and exciting local restaurants, several road trips to Toronto and long weekends in New Orleans and New York really set this year apart from previous years. But when I look back at the last twelve months, there’s one meal that comes to mind as my favorite.

In July I traveled to Earlton, NY to meet my best friend Mike and two of his friends to have a six hour, 20+ course meal at Damon Baehrel. Simply put, it was one of the best meals of my life. Farm-to-Table cuisine doesn’t begin to describe what Chef/Owner Baehrel is doing at his restaurant (which is also the basement of his house, no it’s not creepy). With the exception of seafood (delivered daily, overnight) and salt (imported from Maine via salt-water that’s then dried), he’s only using produce and other ingredients that are grown on his property. We drank tree sap, dined on charcuterie that was made using pine-needles (seriously), enjoyed over a dozen cheeses that are made on site, tried some beef grown on site and had an amazing conversation with the Chef the entire meal. Not only is he growing, preparing and cooking everything. But he’s also the entire waitstaff. I could write two thousands words about this meal but instead I recorded a 60 minute podcast about the meal with my friend Mike. You can listen to that episode below, it was easily one of my favorite podcasts that I’ve ever recorded.

I’ve never had a meal like it and I probably never will again, the current wait for a reservation is roughly ten years. He has a cookbook coming out next year, I suggest you look for it.

Allison Suriani: Check out post tomorrow about our recent meal at Bar Isabel in Toronto. It was awesome.

Tom Przybylak: I spent a bit of time on the road this year, so my favorite meals are a mix of travel and home eating.

  • Everything (Charleson, SC): I spent a week eating and drinking my way through Charleston, and I can say that this might currently be the best food and drink city of the south eastern seaboard. Husk, Magnolias, Cypress, The Gin Joint, The Grocery, piles of oysters, biscuit sandwiches for breakfast. This is one of the top cities I’d recommend to a food traveler looking for the next great spot.

  • Pizzaria Bianco (Phoenix, AZ): On a trip to Scottsdale this year, I took a chance on a rainy dad and popped in to Pizzaria Bianco, where Chef Bianco has created what Eater calls America’s Best Pizza. I was referred to Pizzaria Bianco by David Murphy (formerly of Carmelo’s) and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does behind his new Brick Oven in Lewiston in 2016. I have to say that their brick oven program at Pizzeria Bianco was stupendous. I would fly back just for another slice of their Red Onion, Rosemary, Parm, and Pistachio Pizza. As the Brick Overns being to proliferate through Western NY – I am happy.

  • Barrel & Brine at The Iron Event (Buffalo, NY): The spread that RJ Marvin put out was absolutely astounding. He chose this event to launch his Barrel & Brine apothecary, and he brought it out in a big way with a “choose your own adventure” selection of picked and cured provisions. The hot pickled peanuts were stupid good, and the whole thing set up the reason why this store has sold out every day since it opened.

  • Toutant (Buffalo, NY): Over the past few years, Chef James Roberts has become a good friend. I, like everyone else, anxiously awaited the opening of Toutant. With kids and travel, it took us a bit to get in there, and our first visit was a late one for just a couple drinks. James came down from the kitchen and brought me a simple low country boil with gulf shrimp, homemade Andouille sausage, and potatoes wrapped in newspaper. This “not on the menu” simple dish from his hometown meant the world to me.

  • Paschals (Atlanta Airport): has the best beans and greens and roast southern chicken, making it the best airport restaurant ever.

  • Black Sheep (Buffalo, NY): Chef Steve Gedra made the most beautiful dish I’ve ever been presented with. It was a simple white plate with a toasted slice of Ellen’s bread, pickled periwinkles (they’re like baby snails) and periwinkle flowers. The prep that went into this dish was insane. Each periwinkle had to be harvested with a toothpick individually. The plating was beautiful. I ate it at the bar and was so happy. On the other side of this, Steve did a Pig Roast Bible Brunch at Hydraulic Hearth and absolutely killed it. I showed up early with coffee and ended up working the event with him. One of my best memories of the summer.

Michael Chelus: Picking my favorite meal of the year is a difficult task. Much like 2014, I was fortunate enough to have some great meals at some of the best places in Western New York this year. In deciding which was best, I narrowed the choices down to three meals. The runners-up were exceptional and included a memorable dinner to celebrate our anniversary at Ristorante Lombardo and a feast at The Black Sheepfeaturing a plethora of dishes from BBQ Pork Nuggets to Roasted Stillwater Farm Lamb Head to Sticky Toffee Pudding. In the end however, the best meal I enjoyed all year was my belated birthday celebration at Carmelo’s in Lewiston. The meal featured a childhood favorite (fried smelts) followed by an exquisitely prepared Gemelli with Leg of Lamb and my birthday present from Carmelo Raimondi and David Murphy – the famous burger featured on Tuesdays at Carmelo’s in the summer. I can only hope 2016 brings as much good food. Happy New Year!

Nick Guy: The best meal I had in 2015 was one of the last. I got together with some coworkers and our significant others to celebrate the holidays at The Black Sheep. We let Steve Gedra take the reigns with the Velvet Hammer, his version of a omakase-style chef’s tasting menu. He had just recieved a lamb in from Stillwater Farms and was excited to use it so we knew we were in for a treat. Over the next three hours we had some absolutely amazing dishes, including a pork fat candle that melted down into a dip for Ellen Gedra’s bread, excellent charcuterie, spicy whole kohlrabi, and the beetiest-tasting beet I’ve ever eaten.

The lamb was presented in a number of preparations. First up was testicle tacos. Sliced, fried, and served on blue tortillas with jalapenos, salsa, and creme fraiche, this turned out to be one of the favorite dishes at a table full of first-time testicle eaters. Next, lamb’s lead. The entire head was served split on top of mashed potatoes packed with olives, and the whole thing was covered in brainaise (brain-bernaise sauce). Steve told us to pick whatever meat we could get off the bones. We could eat the eyeballs, he said, but he advised agaisnst. A bit macabre, maybe, but delicious and fun. Also on the menu: trotter. The first segment of the lamb’s leg up to the knee was served in one piece, stuffed with lamb sausage. At this point we were pretty full (with just enough room for sticky toffee pudding for dessert) so we had a few bites but most of the leg ended up as leftovers.

Yes, the food was fantastic and kind of crazy. But it was the company, of course, and Steve’s excitement over the meal that made it so memorable. He made a point of coming out with the dishes to describe them, and just to chat about the ingredients, about the neighborhood, about the building’s history. While some chefs might just get the plates out, he made the whole thing really special. It was enough to remind four Sheep vets about just how special the place is, and convince two newbies that they need to get back soon.

Andrew Pentheros: When racking my brain about the favorite meal I’ve had over the past year I keep coming back to the wonderfully simple octopus small plate at Marble & Rye. Octopus has a special place in my heart having been raised in a traditional Greek household that treats octopus like most people treat chicken. Marble & Rye’s version, made with scallion, jalapeño and romesco is decadently perfect in its savory, silky texture and delicate flavor balance. It’s a perfect appetizer that strike a balance between vibrant, light, fun and delicious.

Lizz Schumer: Victor Parra Gonzalez has been demolishing expectations of what Mexican food should be at his Youngstown Jaguar at the Bistro and Mike Andrzejewski has made a household name for himself with his four (and counting) establishments holding down the downtown dining scene. When they joined forces for a seven-course tasting dinner in May, I was blown away not only by the food, but the amazing potential of Buffalo’s dining scene.

The many hours-long meal included a mescal with corn broth cocktail from heavyweight bartender Tony Rialsalongside an esquite with piquillo pepper dust and huitlacoche foam, perfectly paired to highlight the smoky spice in both the dish and the drink. An egg and mushroom tortilla with cultured crema and charred shishitos showed us what breakfast could be, after which pescado almendrado displayed a light, flaky fish with slivered almonds and crispy fried onions balancing out both texture and flavor.

We started to fill up around the rock lobster ceviche, with rich, creamy avocado and a transparent sweet sesame crisp. When a braised pork shank (and a generous portion at that!) arrived, with escabeche jalapeño, glazed carrots and pineapple and a schmear of mashed potato, we called uncle.

But wait. Duck breast al pastor brought us back to the table (figuratively, none of us had any energy to move by that point) with its sit-down take on Mexican street food. There was lardo pineapple, a corn pancake and sweet, smoky red onion to complement the slow-roasted, caramelized duck. Dessert? Duh. Macerated berry flan topped it off while we (and our chairs) groaned under the weight of one of Buffalo’s most well-established chefs and one of its newest showing off what Gonzalez could do, if his outpost moved closer to home.

Did I mention Rials hit us with wine and spirit pairings throughout the evening, capping it off with a truly outstanding sherry for our table with all that rotten egg funk that belies the aged spirit. You could have rolled me home like Violet Beauregard by the end of the evening, and my taste buds hankered for more even after I far overreached my stomach capacity.

That dinner gave us all a peek at what Gonzalez could do downtown and this winter, we may get our wish. Gonzalez is currently crowdfunding Las Puertas, a new restaurant that will be located on the West Side. I, for one, can’t wait to get Gonzalez’s amazing Mexican fare closer to home. In the meantime, I’d encourage everyone to take a road trip up to Jaguar at the Bistro, for some of the best Mexican this side of Trump’s future fence.

Joseph Leta: *names have been changed to protect the innocent.

  • Répondez, S’il Vous Plaît: On a warm October night I received a text message from Chairman Peroxide* that simply read “Can you do Gin Gin Tuesday night? Bringing some new people there.” It started simple, of course all things with the Chairman start simple. You see the Chairman is a collector, yet he doesn’t collect objects. His collection is much more abstract; he collects people. Over the years the Chairman has curated people like a museum curates fine art. His people are chosen for a purpose, a common goal, a mindset shared by all. The Chairman is a magnet drawing us in: raconteurs, epicures, vespertines, bon vivants and the like. Like a mad scientist he combines participants from the inert to the volatile, observing them react. Yet there is a method to his madness rarely witnessed by any but the most astute participants. Could I really pass up such an invite?

  • L’Apéritif: The first to arrive at this party of ten was Mrs. Peacock and her baby Stonewall. A social maven and barkeep of the finest gin joint in town, Mrs. Peacock was the Center and sine qua non of this Chinese feast. I chose a seat next to Stonewall, whose velvety soft hair and calm demeanor would ground me throughout. My Wife sat opposite, quiet and reserved.Slowly the guests began to arrive, like the barmen: Von Setzer, the rockabilly poet, and Michael Schlitz, a quietly intense, self-deprecating punk rocker. Shortly we were joined by Danielle Gustafsson, daughter of local culinary royalty, and Freddy Krueger, an expatriate barkeep working his way through various Michelin-starred restaurants. Freddy, the most gregarious of the group came bearing gifts which paired perfect with a rich Chinese meal, like the bottle of Sicilian wine procured from a flamboyant, naked vintner, or some bubblegum flavored pop that may or may not have been enriched with THC. The last guest to arrive was Vito Corleone, the next generation in a long line of local liquor proprietors. Vito is generally quiet, but has a palate unmatched by many in Western New York. Now with a set table and the social lubrication flowing, the Chairman sat back and watched the elements combine and react.

  • Hors-D’oeuvres: The first dishes to arrive were the Phoenix wings and dumplings. The Phoenix wings, chicken wings stuffed like an egg roll, are a special of the house. With his opening statement, these dishes represented everything that the Chairman was trying to accomplish. There was a hidden message to start our meal: Don’t let the exterior fool you, look for the treasure hidden inside. As the table went silent with our first bites, perhaps his message was subconsciously gleaned by all.

  • Potage: Now that our initial impressions and social walls began to crumble, deeper conversation began to envelope the table. Von Setzer and Freddy cracked jokes, while Mrs. Peacock and Danielle overflowed with compliments for the selections. The guests warmed to each other, and began to test the waters, gently busting balls. As this social stock simmered the oxtail noodle soup found its way to the table. Oxtail soup is a most difficult meal to share. The noodles clump at the bottom of the bowl and to serve ten people generally creates a sloppy mess. There is no gentile way to eat an oxtail other than to pick it up and gnaw. The bones jut out in a helix shape around the central core creating nooks far too difficult to reach with chopsticks. While this may be the most impossible dish to share, this was an obstacle we needed to overcome to collectively enjoy this rich, braised meat. With some teamwork and a lot of splatter we passed the chairman’s next test. With social graces out the window we were primal and ready for the meal to progress.

  • Trou Normand: As the table began to collectively clean themselves from a truly messy course, we realized that our liquor selection had run dry. Vito, well aware of his part in this social experiment had called ahead and decided to class up the meal with a delivery of several fresh bottles from his family’s store. With our liquors refreshed, our minds abuzz and our palates cleansed, the Chairman’s next course was delivered.

  • Plat de Résistance: What followed was an onslaught of dishes that quickly filled the table in this sultanesque feast. Like a scene from Beauty and the Beast the dishes sang to me as I delved headlong into plates like lap cheong fried rice or heaps of sweet char sui. In this carnivale of excess I was lost in the ecstasy of a whirlwind of food. We were no longer individuals enjoying a meal, but a collective whole feasting on that which the Chairman had procured. In this culinary orgy, we were intoxicated with delight (and liquor), barely intelligible with our thoughts, for our thoughts no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered at this point was the moment; saveuring, enjoying and delighting in that Instant. I remember laughing, swearing and sweating. I remember Stonewall’s expressive gesturing and gentle cooing. I remember flavors clashing, combining and encircling our collective palates. I remember the Chairman sitting back and observing with a smile. The music slowly faded and the dervish stopped whirling as we entered denouement.

  • Le Dessert: To say we were full at this point would be an understatement. Yet the Chairman had another trick up his sleeve. Like a phantasm, a man quickly appeared and vanished. Yet for the brief instant he remained, he gifted the Chairman a freshly baked blueberry pie. While under normal circumstances one might have questioned this freak occurrence, this was no normal evening. In this midautumn’s night dream blueberry pies appear out of nowhere and make perfect sense to all participants. Without asking any questions we collectively dived into that pie like that scene from Stand by Me (minus the projectile vomiting). The pie was perfect. The meal was complete.

  • Digestif: That night the Chairman’s guests left sated both physically and spiritually. Using skillful means this Buddha reinforced an important lesson: As a person is much deeper than their outward appearances, a meal is much more than the food and drink. While a perfectly prepared and delicious feast is wonderful, it is merely one ingredient in a perfect meal. A meal is not physical, it is social and spiritual. A meal is an experience to be shared among friends, an experience to deepen relationships and to help us live deeper in the Moment… For when all is said and done all we really have is the Moment. Bon Appetit, Happy New Year and Namaste!

Jeff Biesinger: Today on the site our pal Jeff Biesinger’s provided a list of his favorite dishes in Western New York. Jeff is a long time local foodie and someone who we go to for restaurant recommendations. He’s a member of the award winning Nickel City Smokers BBQ Team, a founding member of Charcuterie Club, he’s judged two Nickel City Chef events and is a restaurant reviewer for Buffalo Spree. If you want to learn more about Jeff, you should listen to his Grain of Salt episode below.

We strongly suggest you write these dishes down and make a to do list for 2016.

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