5 – 1: THE TOP TEN, PART TWO

Now that I’ve eaten my way through somebody else’s list (Time Out New York), I’m ready to compile my own 100 spectacular things I’ve tasted in 2012. Look for another five dishes every few days.

NUMBER 5: ICE CREAM CAKE at PARM

Here we go. After a really solid year of eating, I’ve managed to pick the five best dishes I put in my mouth. These are not necessarily from the hottest restaurants or my most memorable dining experiences. But these are the five individual dishes that I’ll be thinking about long after 2012 comes to an end.

Harkening back to a simpler time when Carvel reigned supreme, Parm’s ode to the ice cream cake is both nostalgic and fulfilling. The generous slice is layered with chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio ice creams separated with chocolate ganache and cookie crunchies. Whipped cream, sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry top it off. It’s a completely irresistible treat that’s worth every single calorie. Price: $12

NUMBER 4: MICHE BREAD at BIEN CUIT

When I learned we would be stopping at Bien Cuit on the Neighborhood Eats tour and sampling a slice of bread, I had my doubts. This wonderful bakery offers up a wide range of sweet pastries that are mindblowing and we were bringing in tour attendees to taste a piece of bread?!?!?

However after my first taste of this old-time loaf, I realized there was nothing better to try at Bien Cuit. No matter how delicious those chocolate croissants are, this rye and wheat blend is an eye-opening example of what bread can be. Slow fermented and baked to a dark crust, this sourdough-like bread is full of complex and hearty flavors that stick with you – from caramel to hazelnuts to fresh yeast. This might be the best bread I have ever tasted in my life – and just about every tour attendee agrees with me. Price: $8/loaf; $5/half loaf

NUMBER 3: DI  POMPELMO at AMOR Y AMARGO

Time Out listed this grapefruit heavy cocktail on their most recent 100 Best list – the one that I’m not officially eating and drinking my way through, remember? Unable to completely resist a list, I found myself sipping this wondrous cocktail at Amor y Amargo and sucking down the giant ice cubes to extract every possible ounce of flavor.

Now served on tap (along with their other amazing house cocktail), the Di Pompelmo is a bitter and refreshing mix of ingredients. Resposado tequila forms the base, but citron bitters, Cocchi Americano, Aperol, and Hopped Grapefruit bitters form the backbone. It’s a bracing, flavorful cocktail that could easily replace water in my daily diet. It was hard to resist ordering another. While Time Out says it’s one of the best cocktails they tasted this year, I have to emphatically say it is the best I’ve tasted. Price: $12

NUMBER 2: KALE SALAD at CHUKO

This was a dish I tasted way back in January of 2012 when I turned to Chuko in Prospect Heights for some winter ramen. I took a chance and ordered their kale salad (which is as ubiquitous in NYC now as beer on tap) and have been thinking about it ever since.

Raw kale can often be very fibrous, but here they cut the raw kale with some tempura fried bits of the leafy green. It’s all doused in a sweet, tangy white miso vinaigrette and topped with pickled golden raisins and shreds of crunchy sweet potato chips. The salad works on so many levels bursting with flavors and textures. It’s a kale salad you won’t soon forget. Price: $7

NUMBER 1: STEAMED LOBSTER WITH UNI MOUSSE at SOTO

SADLY, SOTO IS NOW CLOSED.

I just love Japanese food, especially seafood dishes with delicate rich flavors bursting with umami. We had a really interesting and refreshing meal at Soto, which is known for their sushi and their sea urchin preparations. Small dishes were served one at a time, but they truly saved the best for last.