A 2023 year-end list

Cooked, ate, and imbibed

Some highlights of the past year include visiting China (stopping in Shanghai, Xi'an, and Chengdu) for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Maybe I'll write more about that in another blog post. But for now, here are some of my favorite things I cooked, ate, and drank in 2023 (listed approximately in chronological order):

Cooked

• Homemade sambar podi - my first attempt so I'm unsure how it compares to the real thing, but it made for some delicious sambar and kootu
• Bengali fish curry (katla kalia) - rather complex but really
• Nam prik pao - a Thai chili and fish sauce condiment; absurdly easy to make and addicting as a topping for eggs (among many other things)
• Beef galbi - also surprisingly easy to make at home and even more delicious when grilled over charcoal
• A tomato sandwich on shokupan - glorious
• Ottolenghi's roast chicken with sumac, za'atar, and lemon - delicious and supremely simple
• Razor clam chowder
• Sumo kumo oysters

Ate

• Pastrami sandwich at Pastrami Queen (New York, NY) - supposedly Anthony Bourdain's favorite pastrami in New York, and I think it's probably better than Katz's
• Brunch at Lula's Cafe (Chicago, IL)
• Morning bun from Lost Larson (Chicago, IL)
• Burger and fries from the Drop In (Chicago, IL) - honestly the best smash burger I've had in years: juicy, beefy, loaded with Maillard flavor
• Marinated raw crab at Her Name is Han (New York, NY) - a spicy twist on a Shanghainese dish (drunken crab) I know well, but have never seen outside of China
• Steak at Eden (Syracuse, NY) - surprisingly delicious food in Syracuse, NY
• Kouign-amann and chocolate almond croissant from Arsicault Bakery (San Francisco, CA) - life-changing, no joke: the platonic ideal of a vienoisserie
• Boquerones at mfk. Restaurant (Chicago, IL)
• Focaccia, ajoblanco, and wine at FLX Table (Geneva, NY) - particularly distinctive was a Bordeaux Blanc from 2011 which was still fresh and a Swiss wine from the rare white grape Amigne
• Bibim nyaengmyeon at Cho Sun Ok (Chicago, IL) - a spicy, refreshing, and delicious cold noodle dish that's somewhat hard to find at Korean restaurants
• Tuna crudo and marinated mussels at Cellar Door Provisions (Chicago, IL)
• Tacos at Garibaldi Mexican Bistro (Denver, CO)
• Lobster roll at Luke's Lobster (Chicago, IL)
• Ceviche and tiraditos at Tanta (Chicago, IL)
• Stir-fried eels at Tasty Moment (Edison, NJ) - the best I've had in the US
• "Lion's head" meatball at Wu's Shanghai Dumpling (Edison, NJ)
• Paitan ramen at Totto Ramen (New York, NY)
• Shrimp and grits at Virtue (CHicago, IL) - somehow my first time here after living in Hyde Park for 3 years, but it so lived up to the hype. Cooking that satisfies the soul.
• Bone marrow and foie gras scrambled eggs at Au Cheval (Chicago, IL) - another hyped up place that lived up to expectations
• Masala dosa at Annalakshmi (Toronto, Canada)
• Duck blood soup, yellow-croaker and shepherd's purse spring rolls and big wonton at a place I can't find the name of (Shanghai)
• Wine-marinated mud snails courtesy of my grandma's sister - aromatic, slippery, and definitely an acquired taste
• Steamed fish at 人和管 Ren He Guan (Shanghai, China)
• Potstickers at Hele Dim Sum (Shanghai, China)
• Corn "pot crisps" at the Xi'an night market
• Fried chicken and sweet rice wine at Xi'an Restaurant - the chicken is apparently a local specialty
• Tripe and braised pork hock at 西安饭庄 (Xi'an, China)
• Chengdu style lazi chicken and spicy fish stew at Ji Mao Dian (Chengdu, China) - the best spicy fish I've ever had
• 钟水饺 (Zhong water dumplings) at a random restaurant in Chengdu - a spectacular spicy, sweet sauce
• 粉蒸牛肉 (steamed beef with rice powder) at a stall in Leshan, China - loaded with a terrifying amount Sichuan peppercorns, but addictive despite the numbing flavor
• Mapo tofu at the original Chen's Mapo Tofu (Chengdu, China)
• Steamed 鲥鱼 (Reeve's shad) at Jardin de Jade (Shanghai, China)
• Soup dumplings with crab roe and wonton at 莱莱小吃汤包管 (Shanghai)
• Ka prow kai khaki dao at Tuk Tuk Isan (Chicago, IL)
• Beef carpaccio, crab endive salad, squash ravioli, and smoked trout at Birch (Milwaukee, WI)
• Fried flounder at China Palace (Green Bay, WI) - a last meal at the only good Chinese restaurant in town before they close at then end of this year; sadly the end of an era

Imbibed

• Coffee at Four Letter Word (Chicago, IL) - I buy the beans and make it at home, but it was a treat visiting the cafe for the first time; they made some of the best drip coffee I've ever had
• St. Rey Zinfandel from Haarmeyer Cellars at a burger pop-up at Plein Air Cafe (Chicago, IL) - I never knew Zinfandel could be made in such a light, fresh, and compelling style
• Drinks at the Chicago Athletic Association (Chicago, IL) - on this list for the ambiance alone: dark moody, and fireplace-lit
• Old Westminster Winery Albariño 2020 at Good Funk (Chicago, IL) - I never knew that Maryland produced wine, let alone Albariño so I was blown away by how good this was
• Coffee and pastries at Dayglow (Chicago, IL)
• Marie Rocher Emmenez-Moi Blanc at Noisette (Chicago, IL) - dense, mineral, and not at all like a typical New Zealand example
• Benoit Cantin Irancy 2018, Caves Duplessis Chablis 2019, and Georges Lignier Aligoté 2020 at All Together Now (Chicago, IL) - gorgeous and a treat to try some Burgundy since it's beyond my usual budget
• Chicken paprikash and Hajszan Neumann Wiener Gemischter Satz 2016 - an utterly gorgeous pairing (even though I don't believe in wine pairings)
• Coffee at Huckleberry Coffee (Denver, CO)
• Espresso at Johnson Public House (Madison, WI) - I'm not a huge espresso drinker since I find it often too bitter, too sour, or just too strong, but this one was impeccably balanced.
• Coffee and espresso at Arvo Coffee (Toronto, Canada)
• "Dirty" latte at Dawn Coffee (Xi'an) - hot espresso poured onto cold milk, forming a stunning visual gradient (also the owner and barista was so wonderful and friendly and gave us recommendations for coffe shops in Chengdu!)
• Tea at Fu He Hui (Shanghai, China)
• Martini at Suzu Bar (Shanghai, China)
• Margins Sangiovese Arroyo Seco 2022 - incredibly fresh, herbal, and went so well with Thansgiving dinner
• A Tribute to Grace Grenache 2022 - gorgeous, ethereal, but intense and floral
• Ca'n Xicatla from Ca'n Verdura 2021 at Birch (Milwaukee, WI) - a complex, weighty, and savory wine

Music

• Albums: GUTS (Olivia Rodrigo), Sibelius Symphonies (Osmo Vänska and Lahti Symphony Orchestra)

Books

• Killers of the Flower Moon (David Grann), Invitation to a Banquet (Fuchsia Dunlop), The Bhagavad Gita (translated by Eknath Easwaran), Nothing Holds Back the Night (Delphine de Vigan, translated by George Miller), Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy), Afterparties (Anthony Veasna So, RIP)

Movies

The Boy and the Heron, Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 version), The Handmaiden

Papers

• Borgia, et al. Extreme disorder in an ultrahigh-affinity protein complex. Nature 2018. (The more I read about intrinsically disordered proteins, the more insane their behavior seems to me.)
• Zhong, et al. CryoDRGN: reconstruction of heterogeneous cryo-EM structures using neural networks. Nature Methods 2021. (The rapidly developing research into understanding conformational variability from cryo-EM is fascinating and, to me, a great example of how machine learning can be actually useful.)
• Xie, et al. Conformational states dynamically populated by a kinase determine its function. Science 2020.

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