It’s that time of year again, when champagne corks pop, annoying Christmas jingles burrow into your brain and food writers go over their notes, reliving all the calories and cholesterol they consumed in the previous 12 months. So why should this space be any different?
Herewith, the six best vehicles for calories and cholesterol of 2014. Or to put it more kindly, my six favorite dishes of the year (in no particular order).
Dessert platter, La Nouvelle Maison (455 E. Palmetto Park Blvd., Boca Raton, 561/338-3003). Pastry chefs are an endangered species nowadays, all the more reason to appreciate the skill and artistry of Stephanie Steliga. Sure, you could order just one of her wickedly luscious desserts but as they say, nothing exceeds like excess. So go for the gold and order them all and fawn over delicacies like an ethereal chocolate-raspberry souffle, brandied cherry clafoutis and bracing coffee-chocolate-praline cremeux.
House-made mozzarella, Butcher Block Grill (7000 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton, 561/409-3035). Tableside preparation is typically just an affectation most of us can probably do without, but you just can’t beat the freshness of milky golf balls of mozzarella formed right at your table and still warm from their water bath. That they come with slices of heirloom tomatoes, micro basil, good olive oil and vin cotto is more gilt on an already delicious lily.
Roasted chicken, 13 American Table (451 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton, 561/409-2061). The dry-brined, oven-roasted chicken at San Francisco’s Zuni Cafe is the gold standard of roasted birds, and this clucker shines just as brightly. Thanks in part go to 13’s Josper oven, a charcoal-fired grill-oven that heats up almost as hot as hell and turns out a chicken with moist, tender, faintly smoky meat and crisp, golden skin. It comes with a changing array of sauces, none of which is really necessary.
Veal meatballs, Terra Fiamma (9169 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/495-5570). Who doesn’t love a great meatball? But a great meatball that’s something different than the usual beef ‘n’ tomato sauce. . . that crosses the line from love to lust. These meatballs are definitely worth lusting after, creamy-textured orbs with a delicate meaty flavor, enhanced by a mushroom-studded sauce kissed with marsala.
“Shake ‘n’ Bake” pork chops, Dada (52 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach, 561/330-3232). Think a heartier, tastier veal Milanese with a truly inspired twist. Two thin-sliced, bone-in medallions get a light breading that offers a crunchy counterpoint to the tender meat, which arrives with the smack-yo-mama delicious “balsamic butterscotch onions,” a thoroughly irresistible melding of sweet and savory that would make your napkin edible.
Buddha Bowl, Farmer’s Table (1901 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton, 561/417-5836). The sound of one hand clapping is the Buddha himself applauding this small cauldron of vegetables, udon noodles and fresh-tasting Laughing Bird shrimp named in his honor. It may be healthy but it’s so damn good you can’t stop slurping it up, especially when you break the ginger-infused over-easy egg into the bronze broth. Can I get an “Ommmm”?
