well I dont think any of us want to reflect on the horrors of 2020 at all, do we? it was a mess of a year – ya dont need me to tell you! the one thing that was a constant source of joy for me was food, as I hope it was for you all too. even though my January restaurant meals transitioned to takeout on the couch come May, food from my favorite spots continued to bring me joy. lets do a year in review of my best restaurant meals, shall we?

january

christmas 2019 was my first taste of personal quarantine – I had a wisdom tooth surgery that left my mouth swollen for weeks, unable to eat normal food for way too long. one of my first meals was veggie pho with my friend sara at Pho Viet on 14th street. the soft noodles in broth were juuust right for my healing mouth – and we always love a thai iced tea moment!

then I tried Service Bar for the first time and their amazing adult happy meals. chicken, fries, and a ‘lil mini drink, so good!! a fantastic bar with amazing drink deals – i’ve even gotten takeout from them during quarantine and its still amazing!

february

ohhh february – the last fun-filled month of this year 😦 genuinely hard to pick my favorite meals, because there were so many! first up was bad saint, which was truly life-changing-level of amazing. best splurge meal, amazing cocktails and the radish dish was one of the best plates i’ve ever had.

next was dim sum in Chicago with my lovely college friends. after a super-cold weekend we were some of the only ones in the restaurant and had the most abundant and amazing lunch.

then came our late-night happy hour at prather’s on the alley, this homemade cheese and bread situation was so good, it just hit the spot after one of the last concerts I went to in 2020. ugh concerts. remember those!

march

and now we get to March, when everything shut down. we went from restaurant spreads to spreads on the kitchen counter. first is a baked joint at one of my last meals out, when my friends from high school visited for the weekend, and I took them for my favorite breakfast (this was only the first round of food) full of pastries and amazing bread. try the pumpkin bread – you will not be disappointed!

and next we have an at-home birthday dinner for my old roommate from Supra – with beet salad, kachapuri, and lots of chicken and veggies.

april

on the left we have gobi manchurian, (one of my favorite foods ever!!) pav bhaji, and palak chaat from bombay street food. one of my favorite indian restaurants in the city with a great selection of street food.

next we have an absolute feast from chiko – the orange-ish chicken, avocado salad, and all the small sides that lasted us for days. would definitely recommend to share with a friend!

may

chaplins became a summer takeout-in-the-park staple. cold sides like these tofu bao and seaweed salad and an amazing quart cocktail deal (a quart for $25?!) was almost too good to be true.

and then we have red derby! my favorite bar in the city and really some of the best bar food as well. onion rings and tots, both perfectly crispy and not soggy. bar food that actually holds up during the travel time of takeout? amazing.

june

all of you know that mt. desert island is the absolute best ice cream in d.c. (no arguments, I am right!) well – add one more thing they do exceptionally well to the list – ice cream sandwiches! the cookie is the perfect thickness, soft enough to not break your teeth but firm enough that it doesn’t crumble. perfect ice cream to cookie ratio. and sprinkles! i love sprinkles! run, do not walk, to get yourself one of these when mt. desert emerges from their winter hiatus.

room 11 is one spot I will miss. this cocktail bar and restaurant adapted to corona times with a pop-up sandwich shop serving goodies like this lobster roll within walking distance of my house. last month, they closed their shop for winter and sold all their inventory – I wound up with a few of their cocktail glasses and a mug. I hope they are able to survive – as with so many restaurants we love.

july

nuvegan!! kicking myself for trying this for the first time after living within 5 minutes for over a year. this vegan chick’n sandwich is probably the best chicken-esque sandwich ive had in d.c. and the red wine kale salad? *chefs kiss*

next are pupusas and a big fat veggie burrito from el riconcito that we ate on the lawn of cardozo high school. mexican and salvadoran food is such a staple takeout food and will continue to be warm and comforting. love el riconcito!

2020 was also the year I ate more bagels than ever before. I mean why not – they’re amazing? this veggie cream cheese + sprouts moment was so beautiful, I bought myself bagels and sprouts to recreate this at home. great combo – but will never be as good as this Bethesda Bagels cross section.

august

yes. yes I am including Ikea food court food here. if you had this veggie dog for under $2 after hours of home goods shopping – an actual veggie dog (where you could see the veggies!), topped with pickled cabbage and fried onions – you would be raving about it for months later too. nothing could make me love Ikea more.

then we have these feta fries from Tabla, a new restaurant from the owners of Supra. this is a bad picture of this fish sandwich, but that was super good too! i’m usually not a thick-cut fries gal, but with the toppings like feta and yogurt sauce they were loaded fries!

september

PLNT burger was probably my favorite food discovery of 2020. a completely vegan fast food restaurant?? with blooming onions?? did they just make my dreams come true?? why yes, they certainly did with these chicken sandwiches made from fried oyster mushrooms, bloomin’ onions, and oat milk soft serve. i’ve been here….so many times since September. its fantastic and I need everyone to love it as much as I do.

next we have Donburi, another place i’ve been talking about for years, where I always bring friends who visit the city. yet – I had never tried their salads? of course it was fantastic, perfectly fried chicken on greens, whats not to love! i’ve never seen a more photogenic salad.

october

had Unconventional Diner for the first time with emma for her birthday and, dang! its worth the hype! we had kale nachos, shrimp and grits, chicken parm, and a basque cheesecake. everything was surprisingly fantastic and i still think about that chicken parm – I will have it again!!

next is this beautiful sandwich from the new restaurant Taqueria Xochi, a new mexican restaurant on U St. it opened after the pandemic started, and while a lot of the menu is meat-centric, I did love this eggplant cemita, a massive sandwich with avocado, eggplant, cheese, mayo, beans, onions, and chipotle peppers. I can’t wait to try more of their menu!

november

my real birthday is in december, a cold month and completely not conducive to outdoor pandemic-friendly activities, so i decided to have a ‘lil park hang in early November. luckily, it was also the day the election got called for Biden, and the entire city was a party. thanks to my lovely lovely friends for these cupcakes to celebrate my entirely extra early bday celebration. baked and wired – best cupcakes in the city, no contest.

december

now, for my actual birthday I of course ordered my favorite foods. pictured here are enchiladas from Chaia Tacos, plus a sour cherry shrub. I simply love everything Chaia makes and their owners and management are so kind. I also had Thip Khao for dinner, because, duh! (but not pictured)

on the right is this amaaaazing sandwich from Sundevich, the most amazing sandwich shop (sorry for the bad picture, I was just so hungry!). this is the Memphis, with barbeque chicken, onions, pickles (<3), lettuce, cheese, and mayo. this is simply the perfect sandwich and I would have this every week if I could.

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okay, thats it. here’s to the hope of actually eating inside restaurants (safely!!!!) in 2021. stay home and eat takeout everyone!