Best of the Best: 2010

It's the last day of the year. I thought it only fitting to stop and take a look back at the "Best of the Best" for 2010 to reflect on the posts that resonated the most with Taste As You Go readers. If you felt strongly about any of these posts, I'd love to know why!

Shabu Shabu'd at Red & Black

It's no secret that life moves quickly in New York. Within the span of days, the landscape of the city can change, and if you're not paying close attention, you can miss it. I confess that I often maneuver through the streets based on the location of scaffolding, and when that scaffolding is taken down or moved to another side of a building, it takes a few days for me to get reacquainted with a block I walk down every single day.

The same can be said of restaurants. One day, you can be stuffing your face full of the best falafel you've ever had in your life, only to be utterly confused the following week when you discover that your new favorite Middle Eastern restaurant has transformed into a pizzeria or, even worse, another Starbucks. You find yourself standing on the sidewalk, scratching your head, and mentally asking, "What happened to....?"

The Dinner Before the Marathon

To be honest, I wasn't going to write about the dinner I ate the night before I ran the ING Hartford Marathon back in October. As with the dinner I ate at Pietro's the night before the Philadelphia Half Marathon last year, my main concern was eating enough carbohydrates to power me through the race the next day. But then Meghann of Meals and Miles offered me the opportunity to write a guest post about my first marathon experience, and I reconsidered my decision to scrap writing my restaurant review of Salute.

Here it goes!

Nectarine Scones

Are you counting down? It's December 19, and we're less than a week away from Christmas and far from the peak nectarine season. (Washington State nectarines are available from July through September, while California nectarines are available a little earlier, from May through September.) Even though fresh nectarines aren't typically found in markets during the long winter months unless they're imported, there are ways that we can still enjoy them.

Featured Friday, Volume 1.17

Baby, it's cold outside!

I'm not even sure the temperatures exceeded 30 degrees here in New York over the last week. I wasn't anticipating having to layer up (i.e. tank top, t-shirt, sweater, scarf, down jacket, hat... while I'm inside) so soon. I mean, technically, it's not even winter yet! If this is a sign of what's to come in New York over the next few months, I'm going to seriously consider relocating to a tropical location until spring.

Another Round of Unlimited Mimosas at La Giara

For those readers who've been with me from the beginning, you're not seeing things. I'm writing about La Giara again. I don't typically write about a restaurant more than once. However, some things have changed since my first review of the restaurant appeared on Taste As You Go, and I thought I would make an exception.

(It is my blog, after all.)

Holiday Entertaining Tips from Lucinda Scala Quinn

(Photo courtesy of Y&L PR)

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to chat with celebrity chef Lucinda Scala Quinn (Executive Director of Food and Entertaining at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, host of weekly food radio show EatDrink, author, and star of the new television show MAD Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn airing on the Hallmark Channel). She shared some fabulous holiday entertaining tips and discussed one of her favorite holiday treats -- the traditional Italian panettone.

Share Our Holiday Table: Vegetarian Side Dishes

This month, as our personal calendars fill up with holiday parties with family and friends, more than 50 food bloggers (myself included) will be participating in Share Our Holiday Table, a virtual, progressive fundraising holiday dinner designed to raise awareness of child hunger in the United States and to raise funds for Share Our Strength. You may remember that I made a pledge to Share Our Strength back in November, so I'm incredible excited to join forces with so many of my fellow bloggers to help bring you ideas for dishes (gourmet, family-friendly, vegetarian, and gluten-free) that you can prepare for your holiday table.

Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers (or My Holiday Wish List)

(Photo courtesy of Charles and Hudson)

I'll be honest. I wasn't going to post a holiday gift guide. I've never really been one to be ahead of the trends. I can't say with any speck of confidence that I have my pulse on what the hottest gifts are for the foodie in your life. But I was inspired by the "100 Gifts for Food Lovers" article that appeared in the December issue of Food Network Magazine.

I may not be an authority of the perfect gifts, but I am an authority on what I want! So, from that list of 100 gifts, here's what I wouldn't mind seeing underneath my Christmas tree this year.

Featured Friday, Volume 1.16

So many memories flood my brain during the holidays. Most of them are centered around my mother. She would always say that Thanksgiving and Christmas were her favorite holidays, and, here we are, right in the middle of both of those days. We'd spend the evenings baking cookies to give to family and friends, and we'd fight our way through the packed stores in the mall searching for the perfect gifts. I must be my mother's daughter because I cherish this time of year, too.

Pomegranate Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday, I shared my method of seeding a pomegranate. I also told you all to come back to find out how I used the freshly harvested arils. Based on the opening photo of this post, I'm sure you've figured out the answer:

I made cookies with those luscious red seeds.

How To: Seed a Pomegranate

Until I began reading the stories of Greek mythology in high school, I had no knowledge of pomegranates. We were more of an apple-banana-orange-pear-grape kind of family. I probably saw them from the seat of the grocery cart while shopping with my mother as a child, but I never thought to ask her what those round pieces of fruit with the spiky tops were. It took learning about Hades' abduction of Persephone for me to start digging for more information.

Virgil's Real Barbecue in the Heart of Times Square

When I started at my job nearly a year ago (already??), one of the first places my coworkers took me to eat was Virgil's Real Barbecue. The whole morning prior to our lunch, they couldn't stop raving about the made-from-scratch biscuits or the freshly-squeezed lemonade or the brisket. They elevated the restaurant so much that I was afraid I'd be disappointed once we got there. (Believe it or not, I tend to be on the picky side when it comes to food.) Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. They were absolutely right.

Robyn's Cooking Class with Robyn Youkilis

Photo Courtesy of Robyn Youkilis

Even though it's the beginning of December, I spent the majority of my weekend laying the foundation for some of my New Year's resolutions. In my opinion, if you want to improve upon yourself, why wait for an arbitrary date to kick off the transformation? With that in mind, I want to share some information about a fabulous cooking class series offered in New York City because I know that some of you are looking for ways to spend less on dining out and/or how to cook healthier foods in your own kitchen.

Featured Friday, Volume 1.15

When the temperature drops below 40 degrees and it becomes necessary to pull out wool sweaters, thermal underwear, and insulated gloves, I just want to bury myself underneath a thick down comforter, cozy up with plates of hearty comfort food, and hibernate until spring. I start missing (and craving) the fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmers' markets and often forget that there is fruit that's in season right now. Specifically, one of my favorite fruits -- pears.

Food Memories of the Jersey Shore (and the Giveaway Winner)

Yes, friends, that is a picture of my legs. I took the picture while sitting on a chair on the beach on the Jersey Shore this past Labor Day weekend. Why did I put a picture of my legs on my food blog? Because, on the very first day of December, it's cold and windy and rainy, and I just want to travel back in time so I can relive that mini-vacation at the beach. And because it's time to remember the food my boyfriend and I ate on our trip.