I found out yesterday that one of writer David Foster Wallace’s favorite restaurants was also one of ours. Ruth and I love Silvercreek in Urbana, Illinois. It got me to thinking about the year that’s about to end and the restaurants we have eaten in since it began. This resulted in a shock. We had a memorable dining-out meal, but not necessarily a gourmet one, each month this year.
In January we went to the 5 Compass Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, and dined later at the Blackhawk Grille in the same shopping center. I highly recommend it.
In February we were pressed for time and every restaurant in San Francisco, it seemed, required reservations and was booked for the entire evening. We ended up at an outside table at Monsieur Benjamin of Gough Street having one of the best meals of 2016.
In March we had to return to DFW airport to get a different rental car and were back in Fort Worth hungry and frustrated around 9 pm. We walked to Sundance Square and had a fine meal at another restaurant called Grille.
In April we had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Seattle, Assagios. It’s in Belltown.
In May we had an authentic Mexican dinner at El Cardenal in Mexico City. The waiter realized that we were novices, helped us order, and brought us specialties to sample.
In June we had a multi-hour repast at the expensive and overrated Herbfarm in Woodinville, WA, for my birthday. The live music was better than the food.
In July we had dinner with friends from Texas at Bistro Italiano in Albuquerque. We only went there because Ruth & I had a fantastic meal there the previous December during an ice storm and wanted the 4 of us to experience bistro greatness. It wasn’t good. In fact, the beer was better than the food.
In August we visited Ruth’s relatives in West Plains, Missouri, a town not noted for good restaurants, and had dinner at a new one. Savor serves incredible barbecue! On the other hand, we had awful Bar-B-Q in Texas of all places at misnamed Bodacious in February. It was so bad that I nominate it for Worst Restaurant Meal of the Year (RMY). To make up for it , however, we had the best RMY at Table 128 in Des Moines, Iowa, a few days later. A stranger on a parking lot recommended it.
In September we had lunch with the same Texas couple, Jo Anne and Orvel, at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA. It was so good that it made up for Bistro Italiano.
In October we returned to our favorite St. Louis restaurant, Cardwell’s at Plaza Frontenac. We like this place so much that we celebrate major anniversaries there.
In November we were in Bremerton, WA, and went to recommended Noah’s Ark. It was closed. We stopped at McDonald’s and tried its new Sriracha Sauce. It’s a very tasty winner!
We expect to have a memorable meal in December on Ruth’s birthday. And in 2017 we get to return to Silvercreek.
Hank
