The Amateur Gourmet's Most Mouth-Watering, Tongue-Tingling Meals of 2022
The Best Things That I Cooked, Ate, and Drank This Year
Hey everyone,
It’s a chilly nineteen degrees here in Bellingham, Washington where I’m holed up with Craig’s family for the holidays. It’s very cozy in here: a wood-burning fireplace, stockings hung by the chimney with care, lots of cookies and cakes and apple pie to snack on. Not so bad! Plus Winston is here with us for cuddling, which he needs after trying to walk in the snow without little booties (note to self: next time, bring little booties).
It’s the perfect setting to reflect on the past year and everything that I cooked and ate. And going through all of the pictures, I can tell you this much: I ate VERY well in 2022. With trips to New York, Boston, Concord, Provincetown, Palm Springs, and New Orleans, my mouth and I did excellent work imbibing the best things that this country has to offer; plus I cooked up a storm this year, with peach pies, baked beans, and more pasta than you can find in Italy.
So without further ado, here are the best things that I cooked and ate in 2022!
Best Sandwich: Pastrami at S&P in New York
Sometimes pastrami sandwiches in New York are daunting; especially the one at Katz’s which is piled higher than a skyscraper. Enter S&P, the new deli that popped up in the old Eisenberg’s space. It’s already been celebrated everywhere from New York Magazine to The New York Times to Eater NY, and for good reason: it’s retained all of the charm of the original but the food’s gotten so much better. And this pastrami sandwich is one of the best I’ve ever had, truly. The pastrami is perfectly tender but, more importantly, it’s perfectly proportioned: on excellent rye bread with lots of spicy mustard, it’s easily the best sandwich that I ate this year.
The Other Best Sandwich That I Ate This Year: The Cubano at Cochon Butcher
Some places just live up to the hype and Cochon Butcher in New Orleans is one of those places. On the surface, their Cubano is just like any other Cubano: smoked pork, ham, cheese, and pickles. But somehow at Cochon Butcher everything is taken up a notch; each component is the best possible version of itself (the pork smoked in house, etc), including the bread which provides an ample crunch as you bite your way into it. Thanks to Noah Galvin for talking it up on my podast!
Favorite Restaurant Discovery of 2022: Pammy’s in Boston
Is it possible to fall instantly in love with a restaurant? That’s what happened the moment I walked into Pammy’s in Boston: something about the room, the buzz, and Pammy herself — who came over to say hello (she’s friends with Bebe Wood, who recommend the place to me!) — made this instantly our favorite restaurant of the year. And did I mention the food?
Their lumache with Bolognese sauce and Gochujang is iconic:
Maybe I just have love-goggles on, but I’m also going to declare the drink we had there my…
Favorite Cocktail of the Year: The 18th Parallel North
I know it seems like I’m overpraising Pammy’s, but believe me when I say that this cocktail was easily the best cocktail I had all year. It had coconut-washed rum, curry leaf, and lime oil and was simultaneously exciting, refreshing, bracing and mouth-watering… setting you up for all of the food to come but also putting a smile on your face. I wish I could recreate it at home.
And speaking of cooking at home…
Most Audacious Thing That I Cooked All Year: One Giant Pancake
Fortune favors the brave and so it was that I decided to make Alison Roman’s pancakes one morning only, when I got to the stove, I went a little wild and decided to add the batter all at once to the cast iron skillet. At first, I was terrified — what had I done? How would I flip it? But once it got all crispy on the outside and on the bottom I somehow managed to slide it on to the back of a cookie sheet and then flop it back into the pan. And by the time it finished cooking, it was truly a glorious pancake: the best part being the crispy sides and fluffy interior. Uncle Buck, eat your heart out.
Best Thing That Someone Cooked for Me This Year: Ben Mims’s Vanilla Bean Passionfruit Birthday Cake
What did I ever do to deserve such a beautiful birthday cake from food writer extraordinaire, Ben Mims? Apparently something really good because not only did this cake check all of my favorite flavor boxes (passionfruit! vanilla bean!) but it was wildly complex. As Ben explained, it was “based on the Russian Punchcake (Russische Punschtorte) from the Demel bakery in Vienna” which he once made while working on a Nick Malgieri story for Saveur. Whatever it was, it was amazing, and I’m a lucky duck to have eaten it. Thanks, Ben!
The Best Thing That I Cooked for Someone Else This Year: Coq au Vin with Homemade Egg Noodles for Bill Addison & Company
It’s one thing to cook for the L.A. Times food critic in normal times; it’s another thing to cook for him when your oven conks out! But that’s exactly what happened when Bill Addison came to dinner in February. Did I freak out? I did not! I decided to put all my efforts into making the best stovetop dinner that I could, and with David Lebovitz’s coq au vin recipe from My Paris Kitchen, which includes a recipe for homemade egg noodles, I knew I’d do fine. You can’t tell because he’s hidden behind a napkin, but Bill was one satisfied customer.
My Favorite Thing That I Ate All Year: Spiedini alla Romana at Cafe Spaghetti
It’s hard to imagine a better-tasting dish than the one that we started our meal with at Cafe Spaghetti in Carroll Gardens. Imagine a grilled cheese sandwich — with mozzarella instead of the usual cheddar — that’s doused in a bright, briny, tomatoey, anchovy-laced, lemony sauce and you’ll understand why this wasn’t just an appetizer, it was a revelation. I still can’t believe I haven’t attempted it at home; that’s my new year’s resolution for 2023. And also to lose weight. (Somehow those two resolutions might fight each other.)
The Most Popular Thing That I Cooked in 2022: Stanley Tucci’s Zucchini Pasta
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How do you catch lightning in a bottle? Apparently you buy some zucchini at the farmer’s market, slice it on a mandoline, fry it in oil, and then turn it into a pasta sauce with pasta cooking water, lots of cheese, and a little bit of butter. That’s what I did to set the internet on fire when I posted my interpretation of Stanley Tucci’s favorite dish that he ate in Italy. Funny enough, that’s the only time I’ve cooked this, so when summer rolls around this year, I’ll have to try it again and see if it lives up to my own hype.
Favorite Overall Meal of 2022: The Mosquito Supper Club in New Orleans
I’m not a communal table person. In fact, if a restaurant ever advertises itself as having a communal table, I quickly put it on my “MUST AVOID” list. Which is why it’s a miracle that I wound up sitting at the communal table at Mosquito Supper Club in New Orleans; if I’d known ahead of time that this is what was going to happen, I never would’ve gone (especially with Covid still raging). But what’s that expression about doing the things that scare us? That’s what happened here and to say that it was the most delightful meal I ate all year would be a profound understatement; it was one of the most delightful meals that I’ve ever had in my life and the communal table, and the conviviality that came along with it, was what made it so special.
And the food! All of it came from local Louisiana fishermen aand the stuffed crawfish heads (upper left) that got plopped into the seafood bisque (top middle) is such a glorious marriage of ingredients and environment and chefly expertise, I’m at a loss for words. If you go to New Orleans, you must go to Mosquito. Tell them Adam sent you. (Just kidding, they have no idea who I am.) It’s wonderful.
The Best Thing That I Cooked in 2022: My Imperfect Peach Pie
Once an amateur always an amateur. After talking to pie expert Kate McDermott on my podcast, I was certain I’d tackle this peach pie like a pro. Yet somehow the pie dough didn’t come together when I pinched it together by hand; rolling it out was an exercise in frustration. And yet, somehow, once the juicy summer peaches went in, and the shaggy top got laid on top, it went into the oven a weakling and came out a titan.
The lesson is: don’t freak out when you screw up in the kitchen. Chances are it’s going to come out better than you think. And let that be the final lesson of 2022… stop stressing, enjoy yourself. Even a pie with a tough pie crust is still a pie.
Hope you all have a Happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas!
One final plea to become a paid subscriber to my newsletter. Think of all the wonderful things that I’ll share with you in the new year.
Next week I’m taking off to recharge my batteries. I’ll see you all back here in 2023!
Meanwhile, what was the best thing that you ate in 2022? Tell us in the comments.
Your friend,
Adam
That smothered cheese sandwich is blowing my mind! Wow--I definitely want to attempt this once tomatoes are back in season. Also, hello from Bellingham!
Loved this! That peach pie has really inspired me - one to put on my list for next summer I think! I think the best thing I ate this year was a chocolate torte in Spain at Easter - I can't stop thinking about it and desperately need to recreate it soon!