Another calendar year passes us by and we always wonder where the time has gone. Things seem to be a blur around right around now and much of what happened the past 12 months is a mishmash of hazy recollections that more often than not, need to be verified via our Instagram feeds. But certain experiences tend to stick out more than others, most of which are the delicious ones.
And if there’s anything we’ve learned here at Foodbeast, it’s that ever year we can always pinpoint the exact meal that resonated with us on a spiritual level. That meal that shook our souls and massaged amazing into our palates. That unforgettable bite that was worth making permanent space for in our already cluttered memory banks.
These following meals are just that. The best meals we’ve eaten in 2019. As shared by us here at Foodbeast and our favorite food-loving friends.
Chef Josh Scherer: Good Mythical Morning
Best Meal: Bulgogi, pork jowl, spicy octopus, doenjang, and a whole lot of Korean beer at Oo-Kook; Los Angeles, CA
It takes more than food to make a memorable meal. It’s the company, the ambiance, the shared laughter — a few pounds of spicy Korean octopus and several bottles of beer don’t hurt either. Good Mythical Morning had just won show of the year at the Streamys, and the entire crew mobbed to K-Town for a victory feast. Oo-Kook is the crown jewel of all-you-can-eat KBBQ options in LA and I’d been there so many times that ordering is second-nature for me: Brisket, tongue, and bulgogi round one. Pork jowl, miso pork belly, and duck breast round two. Spicy octopus, garlic shrimp, and steamed egg round three. The beer was flowing and everyone smelled like meat for days. It was a beautiful day.
HONORABLE MENTION: Create Your Own Ultimate Seafood Feast at Red Lobster; everywhere
Geoff Kutnick: Foodbeast
Best Meal: Joy Cup Noodles Mean, Honolulu, HI
In what started as a dumpling craving, the 22-ingredient Dan Dan Noodles from Joy Cup Noodles Mean randomly became my favorite meal of the year. The noodles are layered incarnations of flavor featuring nuances of peanut, sesame, mushroom, ginger, pork, chili and countless more. Typically, combining that many strong flavors would be arrogant, rude even. But Olympic gymnasts have less balance than these palate-expanding noodles. The no frills attitude: bicycles parked inside, the chef reading the newspaper in the dining room until we ordered, the shabby shopping center minutes from luxurious beach-front resorts — made it even better.
HONORABLE MENTION: n/naka; Los Angeles, CA
Mike Chau: Food Baby NY
Best Meal: Kawi; New York, NY
Not much would make me want to return all the way to Hudson Yards and go up 5 flights to the furthest point in the mall, but I've been back to Kawi numerous times this year after a perfect first meal. From the White Pepper Wings and the Madai Tartare to the very satisfying and huge Kimbap to the Rice Cakes, it was all excellent. It may have helped a little that David Chang prepared a piece of the Kawibap for me by topping the candied anchovy & egg kimbap with trout roe and uni (#humblebrag), but every time I've been back has been a perfect experience.
HONORABLE MENTION: Llama San; New York, NY
Chef Joshua Luce: Neighbor LA; Venice, CA
Best Meal: Tacos Al Pastor; El Vilsito, Mexico City, Mexico
I was in CDMX for the weekend with my brother to celebrate his birthday. The first night we ate at Pujol — which everyone already knows is absolutely incredible. The second night, we ran around the city looking for tacos. After about a half dozen stops, we finally hit El Vilsito which doubles as an auto repair shop by day. We could tell right off the bat as we approached three big "trompos" spinning around that we had hit the jackpot. Standing there on that crowded sidewalk with tacos in one hand and cold cerveza in the other was easily the best meal of 2019.
HONORABLE MENTION: Steirereck; Vienna, Austria
Burt Bakman: SLAB; Los Angeles, CA
Best Meal: Smokey Beef Ribs from Howlin' Rays x SLAB; Los Angeles, CA
The best thing I ate in 2019 was this smokey beef rib we did at a charity event with Howlin' Rays. Johnny Ray Zone took the rib and gave it the special Howlin' touch.
Legend has it that a pop-up will be coming soon...
HONORABLE MENTION: Butter Chicken at Badmaash; Los Angeles, CA
Sam Brosnan: Foodbeast
Best Meal: BBQ Stop; Diamond Bar, CA
In 2019, one establishment became synonymous with Friday night in my life: BBQ Stop in Diamond Bar, CA. We visit so often that not only does the waitstaff drink soju with us, my phone predicts our cravings and asks me if I’m ready to route there on weekends. Never before have I had a go-to neighborhood haunt I could go to with my friends, and feel like family. While I love their meat and their perfect, jiggly steamed egg, the banchan are the true stars of the meal, in my opinion. If I could buy their japchae and fish cakes in gallon buckets to take home, I would. On Tuesday nights for dinner, they even give you corn tortillas, chopped onions, and cilantro for that TACO TUESDAY experience.
HONORABLE MENTION: AYCE vegetarian food at Sweet Veggie; El Monte, CA
Oscar Gonzalez: Foodbeast
Best Meal: Los Chilaquiles; Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
My favorite meal for this year was definitely from a spot in Guadalajara called Los Chilaquiles. If you’re a chilaquiles lover like I am, this place is a match made in heaven. They specialize in all different kinds of chilaquiles that range from mild to super spicy sauces, and have an entire menu page dedicated to just chilaquiles dishes (with a total of 17 different plates). I ordered the Chilaquiles Bandera that’s inspired by the Mexican flag’s three colors: red, white and green. It’s essentially a sampler dish that has chilaquiles made with coloraos, de la sierra, and poblano salsas, along with a big slice of panela cheese and warm beans. I ordered mine with fried eggs on top, but you can also order it with meat like chicharron, birria, and more.
HONORABLE MENTION: Vegan fried chicken at Eat Love; Fountain Valley, CA
Chef/Owner Zen Ong: Inda Pop-Up Series
Best Meal: The Restaurant at Meadowood; St. Helena, CA
We drove to Napa from LA and it was for my 30th birthday so already it’s easy to feel like the meal won’t meet the expectation of the occasion. Not only did the meal meet the expectation, it surpassed it. With a hyper seasonal menu featuring vegetables and ingredients grown at their farm, paired with local and imported wines curated by a Master Somm and all bound together with incredible service from when you pull up to the valet until the kitchen tour that completes your meal, it’s hard to go past The Restaurant at Meadowood as my favorite meal of the year.
This dish above was a unique White Kohlrabi which was grown on the farm, steamed, hollowed out and the center was puréed and seasoned lightly with salt and cream then topped with a generous serving of caviar. It was light but also decadent and luxurious and showcased a unique ingredient that could only be found at their restaurant.
HONORABLE MENTION: Angler; Los Angeles, CA
Constantine Spyrou: Foodbeast
Best Meal: Ma Po Tofu Tater Tots at Bopomofo Cafe; Los Angeles, CA
Bopomofo Cafe, the brainchild of Wong Fu Productions' Philip Wong, just opened early this year. Still, in my opinion, the restaurant has been slept on by most of the food media community in Los Angeles as other places that evolved Chinese-American food, like Nightshade and Yang's Kitchen, grabbed their spotlights. This dish is as deserving as anything on those two menus because of how it combines simplicity and ingenuity in the same bite. Something about crispy tots, a runny egg, melty cheese, and the aromatic, savory ma po tofu takes the Sichuan dish to a level beyond anything I've tried this year. It's the only meal I found myself literally driving an hour for to get this year, and is why it has to be my best meal of the whole year.
HONORABLE MENTION: Louva and Tyrovoila Sandwich at Aphrodite Restaurant; Mykonos, Greece
Elie Ayrouth: Foodbeast
Best Meal: Va Bene; San Sebastian, Spain
HONORABLE MENTION: Beti Jai; San Sebastian, Spain
Reach Guinto: Foodbeast
Best Meal: Bad Saint; Washington D.C.
Chef Tom Cunanan at Bad Saint in Washington D.C., is doing things that holds a mirror up to Filipino food and lets it see itself in a different angle. All of them work. Each said angle, every calculated application of things he's learned that feels more like he's joyriding finesse, the scrupulous attention to detail, the proper homage paid to ingredients and flavors — all are a checklist that unlocks the potential of modern Filipino cooking for years to come. Cunanan continues ticking off that checklist with an interpretation of lechon that feels like Carolina-style bbq buying timeshare in Cebu and dishes like rellenong alimasag that jettison Filipino cuisine into a space previously only occupied by white tablecloths and tasting menus. Without a doubt Bad Saint is a shrine to the past, present, and future of Filipino food.
HONORABLE MENTION: Lemon Pepper Wet Chicken Wings at J.R. Crickets; Atlanta, GA
Peter Pham: Foodbeast
Best Meal: Soy Garlic Wings and Garlic Butter Fries at Running Chicks
Wings so buttery, it'll dribble down your chin. My teeth penetrated the crispy rice flour battered exterior, yielding only when I hit the stiff core of chicken bone. As I pulled the flesh and sinew from the flat, butter and juices instantly pooled into my mouth and ran down the curves of my chin. The umami notes, paired with the sweet caramelization of the sauce, bonded perfectly to the almighty crisp of the breading. I took bite after bite, baring it all in front of my colleague, a Korean family of four, and God. I didn't care. That day, I finished all ten wings, and a half of the Garlic Butter Fries. I boxed the rest for later.
HONORABLE MENTION: Birria Pizza at Rose City Pizza; Rosemead, CA
Marc Kharrat: Foodbeast
Best Meal: The sandwiches at All'Antico Vinaio; Florence, Italy
It’s no wonder this sandwich shop in Florence is celebrated for having the best sandwiches in the world. One of the main highlights from my trip to Italy over the summer included sitting on the curb with others following suite, on a very busy street with pigeons strutting about as I bit into the famous Italian foccacia layered with fresh salami, truffle spread, and a medley of eggplants and mushrooms. I washed it all down with a cool, crisp Peroni.
HONORABLE MENTION: Pizzeria Da Michele; Los Angeles, CA
Izzy Rocha: Foodbeast
Best Meal: Medieval Times; Buena Park, CA
My best meal this year was at Medieval Times. From the canned tomato soup to the Ralph's rotisserie chicken leg, it really enhanced the experience of watching grown men ride horses and fight to the death. But best of all, it was a great meal because of the great company.
