Our Favorite Meals of 2024: Part Five
For the 13th year, we have asked some folks to recap their favorite meal of the calendar year. Part three features 10 contributors talking about meals they've had locally and around the world.
We’ve been asking people about their favorite meals for 13 years now and it’s still one of our favorite annual traditions. For those who are not familiar, here’s the deal. We simply ask some friends of Eats, new and old, to send us some words about a memorable meal of the calendar year.
The meal write ups we receive range from home cooked meals with family, trips to Michelin star restaurants in Europe, a local dive bar and everything in between. We hope you enjoy the following meals, the people who wrote these descriptions took time out of their busy lives to share with us meals that made them happy in 2024.
Additionally, we make an effort to reach out to people that we either admire or genuinely enjoy their work and recommend you check out their social media accounts or businesses. All are linked below.
Evan Duckett
Buffalo Eats & Vocalist of Final Declaration, 5x Contributor
My favorite meal of 2024 was one at a familiar favorite, Waxlight Bar a’ Vin (pictured above). There’s not a better combination of world-class fine dining food served in a comfortable, borderline fully casual environment in Buffalo, and I’ve not experienced much like it elsewhere. If you haven’t made it the center point of a night out, you should, and a nice bonus is that it ends up feeling very reasonably priced for the level of service, and quality of meal, that you’re receiving.
Matt Bove
Sports Director at WKBW, 2x Contributor
It's 5:00 p.m. in Venice, Italy.
My wife and I are in town for about 24 hours before we head to a cruise port three hours away. She'd been to Venice once before and had "one of the best meals of her life" at a restaurant hidden in the city. So that's where we're trying to go.
But here's the problem. She doesn't remember the name of the restaurant. She starts texting other people who were with her for the meal to see if anyone remembers the name. Nobody remembered the name off the top of their head, but one person had a picture of the sign out front. They said they took the picture because the food was so good.
Insert into Google Maps: Al Giardinetto da Severino
It's a 35-minute walk or we can take a ferry. When in Venice, the answer to this is obvious. We took the boat.
We begin heading to the restaurant and I call to see if we'll be able to get in. The host, who speaks broken English, tells me they are full for the night but open at 6:00 p.m. and will have a few tables available right when they open their doors.
We walk in at 6:01 and they can seat us. The food better be good.
It wasn't just good, it was one of the best meals I've ever had. Like every good meal, it started with bread and lots of it. And some Aperol Spritzes. Then we had to somehow decide what to order.
We picked a seafood risotto, a gnocchi dish, and then fresh caught sea bass (pictured above). All three were home runs. And because we didn't exactly know what we were looking for until about an hour before we sat down, it made the experience that much better.
Del Reid
Founder of 26 Shirts, First Time Contributor!
One of the best meals I had this year was on my wife's and my 25th wedding anniversary trip. We took a cruise out of Tampa to Cozumel and enjoyed a fun cooking class in the island paradise. We prepared a chipotle shrimp dish followed by a plantain dessert, which was delicious. The Chefs who coached us through it were awesome and the entire experience was an absolute blast.
Justin Twarog
DadChef, First Time Contributor!
My favorite meal of the year was making duck breast and a balsamic berry reduction as the sauce for my Grandmother.
When I was young, I remember going to a restaurant called The Italian Village and both of my grandparents would always order the duck l'orange. That was my first introduction to duck and I fell in love since then. Love cooking with duck fat, roasting whole ducks and trying out new ways to prepare duck. It was a cool experience to be able to make that for my Grandmother and enjoy the meal in my home with her.
Rachel Glover
@kylorae716 and Market Manager at Patco Brands, 2x Contributor
Choosing my favorite meal of 2024 is like picking a favorite child—nearly impossible! My monthly restaurant adventures across the country for work make it a tough gig, but one birthday celebration brought out the best of the best—my 36th at Left Bank, a nostalgic trip I hadn’t taken in nearly a decade.
Ah, Left Bank! The delightful place I often forget until I’m making last-minute reservations elsewhere. But for my special day, I was beyond excited. First off, they had this amazing orange wine! I mean, come on—Buffalo needs to catch up on the orange wine craze, so instant bonus points for them!
The ambiance? Oh, the candle-lit tables and chatter around you set the mood for a date night straight out of a rom-com. The menu was just the right size—enough choices to keep me looking back and forth about what i want to order without making me want to pull my hair out. Our server was a gem, recommending his favorites on the menu, reciting the specials and was sure to bring our wine over within minutes of us ordering
We kicked things off with a Margherita flatbread that was pure magic—crispy perfection. My husband and I are serious appetizer aficionados and flatbread? Forget about it! Those plum tomatoes popped with freshness, and the basil tasted like it had come right out of a garden that they had just picked to put on our pizza!
Now, picking a main dish was like trying to choose a favorite cat (i have 4 and don't tell them but Anakin is THE favorite), but I locked in on the oven-roasted filet of salmon and holy cow! I always sweat a little ordering fish, fearing the dreaded overcooked disaster, but not here. This beauty flaked with a fork and practically melted in my mouth with how tender it was!
Topped with a heavenly mix of tomatoes, artichokes, and breadcrumbs, it was a culinary love letter! They paired it with perfectly cooked carrots, green beans, and fluffy rice which was the very definition of dreamy. Can Left Bank do any wrong? In my foodie fantasy world, the answer is a resounding NO!
Taking this little trip down memory lane really has me wanting to go back soon and check out more of their specials since this night really was perfection!
Michael Chelus
Founder of The Nittany Epicurean and Former Buffalo Eats, 6x Contributor
With all the activities and sports that our four kids are involved in, we don't have the time to get out for a great meal all that often. That said, we were still able to have quite a few memorable meals this year.
One such meal was at the newly opened Beacon Grille. Amanda and Bruce Wieszala have created a wonderful spot with exciting dishes worthy of a visit. On our first trip, the standouts were the French Onion Roasted Bone Marrow and Charred Octopus. These well made dishes created from Beacon Grille's live fire kitchen have put a return trip on the top of the list.
Another memorable meal was a trip back to Marble + Rye. We hadn't dined there in far too long and I was very happy to see that Chef Michael Dimmer and his crew haven't missed a beat. On the contrary, they continue to come up with compelling dishes that make Marble + Rye a must for local diners. The Detroit-style pizza was fantastic. My clam pizza topped with chopped clams, garlic, shallot, crème fraîche and lemon was one of the best things I ate all year. Equally great were the Pakora - impossibly crispy deep fried chickpea fritters stuffed with cabbage, onion, ginger and garlic. Dipped in the accompanying creamy jalapeño sauce, there was no better way to start the meal.
Emily Sorokes
@buffalobeerfluencer, 2X Contributor
Life isn't measured by the meals you eat, but the meals that take your breath away." That's how the saying goes, isn't it?
When reflecting on the best thing I ate in 2024, I didn't just think of the top meals I ate once, but the ones that were so good I had to go back multiple times throughout the year.
The standout, must-returns for me are BFLO Pizza Bistro and Prescott's Provisions.
BFLO Pizza Bistro serves a Detroit-style deep dish pizza that will change your life. I first came in on a Friday night with my boyfriend; we were doing Dry February (have to wait til Bills playoffs are over for a dry month right?) and looking for new restaurants to try. One bite of this pizza and my mind was blown. The crust is crispy while the dough is so soft. We ordered the vodka pesto pie (vodka sauce with pesto drizzle) and margherita with whipped ricotta. The vodka sauce is something I could drink a glass of, and that whipped ricotta would absolutely fly off of the shelves if they sold it at Wegmans. When paired with two Diet Cokes, this was a cozy and classic Friday night meal. Pro tip: order a third pie to bring home and snack on throughout the weekend. It's worth it.
Prescott's for me is one of those restaurants where no menu item is a throwaway item. They won't just add a salad for the sake of adding a salad; they make sure it's worthy of ordering on its own yet complements the rest of the menu.
On this particular evening, which happened to be my birthday, my group ordered a variety of starters and entrees to share. The oysters were the perfect amount of vinegary brine. The pasta was pillowy soft, and wagyu steak melted in your mouth. The beer, Prison City Mass Riot, was hoppy and citrusy, cutting through the heaviness of the pasta and red meat. However the absolute standout item from this meal was a swordfish schnitzel. Tender yet dense fish, lightly breaded, and on a bed of lemony, caper, nutty goodness, this is a dish I have thought about all year long. It also is the one dish I didn't get a picture of. Go figure.
I could wax poetic about the other amazing restaurants we have here in Buffalo, but I'll save that for next year.
Julie Leone
Buffalo Eats, 5x Contributor
Hopped around quite a bit this year. Here are a few favorites from Buf, NYC & Toronto:
Burrata salad at The Little Club
Steak Sandwich & Mac salad at Brunner’s. Cooked right in front of you on the grill behind the bar. Everything I’ve had here has been 11/10.
Italian Hero at L’industrie (Brooklyn, NY)
Amaro Flight & Chocolate Gelato at Enoteca Sociale (Toronto)
Cured Meats at Emma’s house via Jay’s
Any and all cannolis at Pizzeria Florian.
Jeremy Franklin
J Victor, First Time Contributor!
Mine and Sarah's 2024 European trip, while amazing, was thrown a major curveball that almost derailed a couple our major reasons for traveling. If any of you know me, music is one of the biggest parts of my life aside from food. This venture was based around finally seeing Sarah's favorite band, the mighty New Zealand soul/dub legends, Fat Freddy's Drop in Copenhagen. Gearing up the night of the concert we find out it is cancelled due to illness; we are devastated. Being determined as we are, we look at the rest of the tour itinerary to sadly see the remainder of the European leg is entirely sold out. After some scheming we decided to pivot from our next stop in Amsterdam and fly to Edinburgh, Scotland where they are playing December 10th. With a little bit of persistence we managed to secure tickets for the show! But wait, that is the same day as our reservation at De Kas, the restaurant I am to write about for Buffalo Eats and they are booked solid for two weeks. I keep that in the back of my mind, we go to the concert and have the time of our lives. After the show I keep my eyes peeled and a cancellation pops up on the final day of our trip. It's going to be a tight squeeze timing wise but we are going to make this happen. We are booked for lunch, 5 hours before our flight back to the US.
Restaurant De Kas is not only known for garnering a red and green Michelin star; but also their plant to plate approach in dining. The restaurant is situated in a public park in the middle of Amsterdam, while the dining room and kitchen exist within a series of greenhouses where the food they prepare is also grown. We are new homeowners and hope to get our own garden growing this spring so we can reap the benefits of fresh vegetables in our cooking. This was a major draw of the restaurant for us.
I had given the staff a heads up about our flight and they were kind enough to offer to stow our bags while we dined. As we rolled our giant suitcases in the restuarant it was quite obvious which reservation had just walked in. Despite being cold and rainy outside, the space and mood was beyond warm and welcoming. We could see into the kitchen where the pace seemed steady but leisurely. When Sarah asked where she could find the washrooms and our server led her there by the arm, which set the tone for the level of service we were about to experience.
Our server briefly touched on our time constraints but assured us we could sit back, relax and enjoy the culinary ride. The restaurant only offers a tasting menu so we asked them to pair the wines for us. We were immediately greeted with a series of amuse bouches (yes, plural). A celeriac soup, a mustard grain and poppy seed radish, a kale street taco, and tapioca crackers with celery dip. The soup was a great offering to warm up from the cold temperatures. We also opted for the oysters with steak tartare as an addition before our first course along with a glass of champagne from Barrat-Masson. We also were served homemade sourdough bread and porcini mushroom butter; both of which had to be the freshest of each I've ever had.
For the first course, we started with smoked pumpkin and pork belly yakitori skewers topped with an amarillo pepper sauce and pepitas. I was so in love with this dish I took notes and actually recreated these the next day for the Bills game to share with friends. Needless to say they were a hit. Next was shaved fennel over the tiniest and most succulent clams I've ever had and an incredibly rich broth. For the the main course, they served radicchio and beetroot, with shaved black truffle from Umbria. This was my first fresh tableside truffle experience and I must say it was as incredible as one could imagine. Each course was perfectly paired with a dry Reisling, an unoaked Chardonnay and a Beajoulais, respectively.
We were given the option for either a three or four course tasting; the fourth course being dessert. It was great that you could wait till the end to make that decision. We had time and were savoring every delicious bite so we opted in. Beyond the vanilla bean ice cream and the rosemary caramel sauce poured over top, I could not tell you exactly what it was, but we cleared our plates. We each asked for a cortado to give us a boost for the airport and that also came with a treat of it's own. A small piece of waffle topped with a five spice chocolate frosting. And finally, as if we were not completely satisfied, we each were given a small scoop of a citrus sorbet to round out this incredible experience.
There was a lot of hype surrounding this meal as it was our first experience at a Michelin star restaurant. While each bite and sip was absolutely incredible, every twist, turn and bit of teamwork it took to make the concert and this meal happen is what I will remember the most.
Will Cleveland
Beer Writer and Founder of Cleveland Prost, 4x Contributor
Can a one-sided social media, manufactured feud produce your favorite meal of the year? In my case, yes. As someone who generally measures his worth via social media chatter and feedback (there's only a small amount of truth to this statement -- don't worry, kids), a seemingly light-hearted, good-natured feud with Rochester's most irreverent and goofy pizza place led to my most memorable meal of 2024. We'll get to the "feud" in a second.
But first, let me sing the praises of Pizza Wizard. Located on the outskirts of Rochester's South Wedge neighborhood and just south of the city center, PizWiz succeeds in two main areas: 1. Incredible Detroit-style pizzas (complete with the requisite Wisconsin brick cheese); 2. The most batshit social media feed and weekly emails in the region. (It's not usual to see PizWiz picking fights with Strangebird Beer ((and its incredible chef Nate Stahl -- look ma, double parentheses!)), ostensibly in the same ownership family as the pizza place (we won't get into specifics of the family tree here, just know that this generalized statement is largely true. And we can't forget the recent training videos with the Little Caesar from Little Caesars. Moral of this little aside, make sure you follow Pizza Wizard on social media and sign up to receive their weekly email updates.) And if you find yourself in Rochester and need lunch, you can't top Pizza Wizard's $8 combo that'll nab you two slices and a pounder of Genny beer (or a can of Diet Coke if you're on the clock).
And here comes the entree after we've established how fucking weird PizWiz can be: Pizza Wizard often posts amateur-ish (think outsider or folk art) self-produced memes in the business Instagram story. It's delightful and unexpected. It has become one of my favorite things on social media (and yes, I have post notifications turned on it). During one particularly weird and inspired spell in June, PizWiz posted about celebrities who have eaten there. The seven-person list included Monroe County executive Adam Bello, guitar hero Carlos Santana, Jill Chodak, the wife of Rochester's beloved TV news anchor Adam Chodak, and iconic American author Stephen King. But you know who that list didn't include? (You already know I'm gonna say me, Will Cleveland.) Yes, me. So I jokingly (sorta) privately messaged PizWiz and received a response via a subsequent Instagram story post stating, "And now will Cleveland is sending me annoying messages, as he feels slighted not making the a-list celebrity list." And this led to a few more posts about me during the second half of 2024. I've since had people ask me if PizWiz is being serious and have had to assure them that this is just an inside joke that's unfunny to 99 percent of Rochester residents. (Is it an inside joke? Or is PizWiz serious? You can decide for yourself there.)
So this is just a love note to the Pizza Wizard crew. They make incredible pizza and they know how to have fun on social media (or at least I think they are having fun and there is no ill intent here).