The Best Things We Ate in 2018

By Westword Staff

Wednesday, December 26, 2018 at 10:54 a.m.

Danielle Lirette Beef wagyu tataki at Concourse. 1/93

Danielle Lirette A whole head of cauliflower is transformed at Concourse. 2/93

Danielle Lirette Good Hombre pizza at Viàle Pizza & Kitchen. 3/93

Danielle Lirette Pasta and garlic bread at Viàle Pizza & Kitchen. 4/93

Danielle Lirette The dry-aged ribeye at Citizen Rail is a prime example of current steakhouse trends. 5/93

Danielle Lirette The mussels at Citizen Rail are listed as a starter, but could be a main event. 6/93

Danielle Lirette Kuku paka at Ambli in east Denver. 7/93

Courtesy Ambli Denver Facebook Samosas at Ambli. 8/93

Danielle Lirette A thin layer of beef carpaccio covers a plate at Tavernetta. 9/93

Danielle Lirette Lobster tagliatelle at Tavernetta. 10/93

Danielle Lirette Mackerel tartine at Call. 11/93

Danielle Lirette Fresh baked bread at Call. 12/93

Danielle Lirette Ignudi (tiny dumplings) at the Bindery. 13/93

Mark Antonation Potato nettle soup with a slice of roasted porchetta from the Bindery's spring menu. 14/93

Danielle Lirette Tortillas de camarones at Ultreia. 15/93

Danielle Lirette Soak up the flavors of Spain with pan con tomate. 16/93

Danielle Lirette Spanish-style ribs at Ultreia. 17/93

Danielle Lirette Pork-and-oyster sausage with baked-bean-style barley at Julep. 18/93

Danielle Lirette Beets are a delicious surprise at Julep. 19/93

Danielle Lirette This dessert at Atelier by Radex is called "Duck You: What an Election!" 20/93

Danielle Lirette What's old is new again: the lobster TV dinner at Atelier by Radex. 21/93

Danielle Lirette Shipwreck sundae satisfies young and old Denver at Ship Tavern. 22/93

Danielle Lirette The French onion soup is a classic, just like Ship Tavern. 23/93

Danielle Lirette Chipotle Hollandaise and pineapple salsa give the Costa Rica Benedict at Bacon Social House its unique flavor. 24/93

Danielle Lirette Bacon Social House's large flight of bacon: applewood (from left), barbecue, candied, habanero, paleo and chipotle ranch. 25/93

Mark Antonation Summer flavors are popping up at Vesta. 26/93

Mark Antonation Banh beo and banh loc share a plate at Denver Pho. 27/93

Mark Antonation Hidden treasures like brisket served with Asian sides await at the Gypsy Q food truck. 28/93

Mark Antonation Chong Qing chicken with red chiles and Sichuan peppercorns at Q House. 29/93

Danielle Lirette The fried eggplant at Q House really soars. 30/93

Mark Antonation This pulled-pork sandwich is only $3.50 on Tuesdays at Cafe UR Way. 31/93

Mark Antonation The pho broth is a family recipe at Pho Haus, but the burrito strays from tradition. 32/93

Mark Antonation Bamboo Sushi's kanpachi tartare is almost too beautiful to eat. 33/93

Mark Antonation Barbecue octopus with merguez sausage, black barbecue sauce and Tokyo turnips at Mister Tuna. 34/93

Maureen Witten Mariscos El Licenciado is the perfect place to dive headlong into Sinaloan seafood. 35/93

Mark Antonation Korean fried chicken wings at DMZ Pub in Aurora. 36/93

Danielle Lirette Shake Shack's Green Chile ChedderShack was a hit with customers on opening day. 37/93

Linnea Covington A fried-chicken sandwich from the Budlong Hot Chicken food truck. 38/93

Danielle Lirette Thirty-ounce Western Daughters dry-aged, bone-in Angus ribeye at Corrida. 39/93

Mark Antonation Seared duck with stawberries at Flagstaff House. 40/93

Mark Antonation Pork ribs, a beef hot link and beef brisket, along with a side of green beans at Wayne's Smoke Shack in Superior. 41/93

Mark Antonation The Tender Belly bacon pizza at Pizzeria Locale hit menus earlier this spring. 42/93

Mark Antonation The barbecue pork banh mi from Vinh Xuong Bakery at Zeppelin Station. 43/93

Mark Antonation Chicken 65 and a samosa from Namkeen at Zeppelin Station. 44/93

Danielle Lirette Fish n Chips from Albina by the Sea at Milk Market. 45/93

Danielle Lirette Cauliflower hummus and pita bread at Safta. 46/93

Danielle Lirette The pita at Safta is some amazing bread. 47/93

Danielle Lirette The hot stone stew at Super Mega Bien is served (and cooked) tableside. 48/93

Danielle Lirette Ropa vieja at Super Mega Bien. 49/93

Danielle Lirette Yes, these sliders at FNG are that good. 50/93

Mark Antonation Spaghetti carbonara at Chow Morso Osteria. 51/93

Danielle Lirette A lasagna-ravioli hybrid was on Liberati's opening menu in October. 52/93

Mark Antonation Lobster stuffed with lobster mousseline and ribbed with circles of pickled kohlrabi at Morin. 53/93

Mark Antonation Torchon of foie gras with bitter orange, black walnut, fennel jam and housemade bread at Morin. 54/93

Mark Antonation The burnt-end sandwich at Smok, which opened Saturday, August 18. 55/93

Rob Christensen Chawanmushi with corn and mushroom at the Wolf's Tailor. 56/93

Rob Christensen Brisket with tallow tomatoes and farro at the Wolf's Tailor. 57/93

Mark Antonation This photo isn't distorted; the pizzas at Famous Original J's don't always come out perfectly round. 58/93

Maureen Witten Koshari is Egypt's national dish, and you can find it at Koshari Time on Havana Street. 59/93

Mark Antonation We could eat the smashed chickpea sandwich at Leven Deli every day. 60/93

Mark Antonation Leven Deli make some of the best pastrami in Denver. 61/93

Mark Antonation If you're a pupusa lover, you'll love Pupusas Lover. 62/93

Mark Antonation Flatbread, samoon, cheese-filled buns, baklava and pizza-like rounds called manakish are just a few of the baked goods available at Shahrazad Bakery. 63/93

Mark Antonation Sourdough and brioche are the specialties at Rebel Bread. 64/93

Mark Antonation A flaky, custard-filled pastry and matcha green tea latte at Tokyo Premium Bakery. 65/93

Mark Antonation The Rotary knows how to cook a piece of meat, as this perfectly done sirloin attests. 66/93

Mark Antonation Chook specializes in Aussie-style charcoal-roasted chicken. 67/93

Mark Antonation Naked Bowl's pork congee is rice porridge with shredded pork, cracklings, chile oil and a poached egg. 68/93

Mark Antonation The beef hot pot at Taste of Thailand lands somewhere between stew and stir fry. 69/93

Mark Antonation Boulder is home to the Osaka burger at Osaka's. 70/93

Mark Antonation Thin-sliced lamb and beef are just two of the protein options for all-you-can-eat hot pot at D Station. 71/93

Mark Antonation Ajinoya Ramen packs plenty of flavor into its tantanmen. 72/93

Mark Antonation Housemade tofu makes this banh mi unique at Hearth & Dram. 73/93

Mark Antonation A Sonoran hot dog at Los Mangos. 74/93

Mark Antonation Crush Pizza & Tap introduced Sicilian pizza this fall. 75/93

Mark Antonation Goat makes these quesadillas unique at BorraCho. 76/93

Mark Antonation French dips are the specialty at Pony Up. 77/93

Mark Antonation Find this guajolote sandwich at the Cilantro & Perejil food truck. 78/93

Mark Antonation Iskender kebab is a traditional Turkish dish served with tomato sauce and yogurt at Bosphorus. 79/93

Danielle Lirette The falafel at Ash'Kara are a verdant green on the inside from fresh herbs. 80/93

Danielle Lirette Muhammara, made with walnuts and roasted red pepper, will soon be your favorite pita accompaniment at Ash'kara. 81/93

Danielle Lirette The chicken parm at Lou's Italian Specialties includes fresh mozzarella made in-house. 82/93

Danielle Lirette The Louie sandwich with salami, capicola, ham and provolone at Lou's Italian Specialties. 83/93

Danielle Lirette Spicy pork shoyu ramen at Udon Kaisha. 84/93

Danielle Lirette The savory beef stroganoff at Brightmarten is a warming winter dish. 85/93

Danielle Lirette The breakfast burritos the 20th Street Cafe will probably tide you over through lunch and dinner too. 86/93

Danielle Lirette The Big Boy bacon burger at Officers Club lives up to its name. 87/93

Danielle Lirette Berkshire pork tenderloin at the Family Jones. 88/93

Danielle Lirette Dip into savory artichoke fondue and a Colorado Sour cocktail at the Family Jones. 89/93

Danielle Lirette TRU Colotexmex Bar-B-Que & Catering smoked tri-tip taco. Customers can order traditional smoked meats and sides, or get smoked meats in a taco, Austin-style. 90/93

Danielle Lirette Cider doughnuts dipped in pear cider glaze at Acreage. 91/93

Danielle Lirette Lou’s two-piece chicken dinner with tots and macaroni and cheese at Denver Milk Market. 92/93

Danielle Lirette Fish n Chips from Albina by the Sea at Denver Milk Market. 93/93

The Best Things We Ate in 2018

Another year is in the books, and 2018 gave us plenty of great eats at Denver's restaurants, food trucks and food halls. This is our favorite kind of photo album — one filled with food pics to remind us of the great meals and single dishes. Here are the best things we ate over the past twelve months.

_{Up Next:}