The List: Jason Sheehan's favorite meals in 2008

Last week, I digested a year's worth of eating. To recap, here are my six best meals of 2008, in no particular order, and one in memorium addition: 1) Le Bernardin, Manhattan. Eight or nine or ten courses, with the menu personally chosen and assembled by Eric Ripert and wines...

By Patricia Calhoun

January 6, 2009

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Last week, I digested a year's worth of eating. To recap, here are my six best meals of 2008, in no particular order, and one in memorium addition:

1) Le Bernardin, Manhattan. Eight or nine or ten courses, with the menu personally chosen and assembled by Eric Ripert and wines paired by Aldo Sohm, the best sommelier in the world.

2) Beatrice & Woodsley. One beautiful night full of pork and pork and pork and chainsaws.

3) Osteria Marco. While I was in New York, home of some of the best Italian restaurants this side of Rome, I was dreaming of buratta and roast pig at Frank Bonanno's (then) new restaurant.

4) Relish. The dinner was a delight partly because it was such a surprise to find this restaurant in Breckenridge, but also because the menu was new and everyone at Relish was so jazzed about it. Also, cupcake ice cream from Ice Cream Alchemy? Killer.

5) D Bar Desserts (pictured above). Keegan Gerhard is a genius. And for a celebrity, the man can really cook. Also, his smile is so pretty it rains puppies indoors when he grins.

6) Table 6. As close to perfect as I saw this year. I can still taste the chicken-fried sweetbreads in my dreams..

In memorium: French 250. Blowout luxury and wonderful, irreverent service for the cause of fine French dining. Too bad the restaurant didn't last. -- Jason Sheehan

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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