The food blogs and newspapers are full of their "Best of 2006" lists, which to some extent is a writer's cheap way of saying "don't you wish you were me" instead of putting actual work into a fresh column. But after I thought about it for awhile, I realized I had eaten some pretty special dishes this year, too. Some were spectacularly delicious; others make the list because of the memories they invoke:

1. Michel Richard's Begula pasta at Citronelle - Already a classic, I know, but it was the first time I'd had it
2. Roasted marrow - and duck-fat fries (Blue Duck Tavern)
3. Hangar Steak (Ray's the Classics)
4. Peruvian seafood stew (BlackSalt)
5. Scottish langoustines (Maestro)
6. Pan-roasted Sweetbreads (Restaurant Eve)
7. Icelandic lamb (from Whole Foods, cooked at home, except for the one time I overcooked it)
8. My mother-in-law's jiaozi and congyoubing (scallion pancakes), rivaled only by those at A&J
9. Pommes souflées at a smoky bistro near Les Halles in Paris
10. Macarons au chocolat from Paul in Paris
11. Pain de compagne from the little boulangerie next to the famous patisserie (Stohrer) in Paris, a couple blocks north of Forum des Halles

12. The Crèpes à Nutella my 6-year-old daughter ate in Paris, for the sheer joy on her face and the way she wore it
13. (In short, anything in France ..... )
14. "Pud" with Taylor's 20-year-old tawny port
15. Almond tart, with Taylor's 40-year-old tawny port, at Quinta de Vargellas in the Douro, by the pool, at midnight after treading grapes on the last day of harvest (but that's another story ...)

(Restaurants noted, unless otherwise obvious, are in the Washington, DC, area. See the links at the left for my reviews in DC magazine.)

Comments welcome on your favorite dishes of the year.

Happy New Year, Everyone!