2008 Year in Review: The Food Edition

2008 was been a pretty big year in the BSucio household. New baby, a move, a new job, and much, much more. Those topics have mostly been covered on Mrs. BSucio's blog. Gastronomically speaking, 2008 was pretty good as well. So, I thought I'd review the year's best meals, month-by-month, to recap the tastiness of the last twelve months.

JANUARY:

New Years Eve Cioppino -- Technically, this was a 2007 food, but since it would have still been digesting in 2008, I'll give it a pass. A great seafood stew, made with my brother-in-law. It was tomato-based with crab, shrimp, halibut and a lot of other good stuff. Served with some good bread.

FEBRUARY:

Pork Lo Mein/Potstickers: Old Peking, Moscow, ID. What a great way to celebrate Chinese New Year. As if I needed an excuse to eat Chinese food. This place was great. Surprisingly, Moscow had an abundance of Chinese places, but this one was best.

MARCH:

Pancetta-Wrapped Meatloaf: Nectar, Moscow, ID. Normally, you wouldn't expect to find meatloaf on a list like this, but Nectar's use of mostly local, fresh ingredients made this my favorite from its menu. Served with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled young carrots.

APRIL:

Korean BBQ Beef: Loco Grinz, Moscow, ID. Spicy, tender and served quick. It also came with sides of rice and tasty macaroni salad. It was quick food that became a family staple.

MAY:

Steak Dinner: Gritman Memorial Hospital. Ok, in reality, the steak was tough and over-cooked. But having the opportunity to sit down with my wife and sleeping one-day old baby, made for an unforgettable meal. If only it hadn't been cut short because of a Secured Transactions final the next day.

JUNE:

Prime Rib: Prime Rib, Washington, D.C. Hands down, best meal of the year. My friend, Cheesy Mac, and I were in D.C. to present papers for a conference on nonsmokers rights (sounds thrilling, I know). The stipend paid for our meal on Saturday night. We asked the concierge at the hotel for the best prime rib in town and they got us a reservation at this place. It was fancy -- jacket and tie required, but it didn't disappoint. It was the most delicious piece of beef I've ever eaten. I also had some jumbo shrimp as an appetizer.

JULY:

Patty's Special Burrito: Patty's Kitchen. I was alone throughout this month and had no hardware to cook with. So my meals were considerably terrible. I stopped at Patty's one night because I couldn't take one more Lean Pocket. This burrito could have single handedly helped me pass the bar. It kept me studying when I could have easily given up. A good meal can do that.

AUGUST:

Cowboy Ribeye: Chandler's, Boise, ID. My first week at my new job, I was taken along to a mediation on a big case. We had several attorneys on our side and they all got together to celerate (we had alreay partially won the case) and strategize for the mediation. The steak was cooked perfectly and served with a great blue cheese sauce.

SEPTEMBER:

Trout Almondine: Canyon Crest, Twin Falls, ID. My firm bought dinner for me and my wife on the day I found out I passed the bar. The meal was really good, but the relief of hearing the news was even better.

OCTOBER:

All-I-Could-Eat Sushi: Sushi Ya, Twin Falls, ID. Cheesy Mac and I hit this place not knowing what to expect. We were surprised at the freshness and quality. We had yellowfin, ahi, crab, shrimp, octopus, and a lot more.

NOVEMBER:

Thanksgiving Dinner: BSucio's house. I was assigned the turkey. I brined it and cooked it with some aromatics insided. It turned out great. And best of all, I made a decent gravy. Something I had never accomplished before.

DECEMBER:

Christmas Ham: BSucio's Mom and Dad's house. A Falls Brand, bone-in ham. It was scored with garlic cloves stuffed in it. We put a great mustard glaze on it. It was the best ham I've ever had.


So there they are. The best meals of the year. Some months were better than others, but they were all memorable. What were your best meals of the year?