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    Home » Restaurants

    My 20 Best Dishes in 2022

    Updated: Jan 24, 2025 · Published: Dec 28, 2022 by Dave Lee

    As the year ends, I've been reflecting on all the incredible meals I ate in 2022. It's been a remarkable 12 months, and I'm grateful. This was the year I broke out of Austin and began exploring the restaurant scenes in other Texas cities, including Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Fredericksburg, and Georgetown.

    I also began to focus more on Texas barbecue, which has proven to be a popular topic. Beyond Texas, I traveled to Seattle and Memphis for the first time and revisited Los Angeles, New York City, New Orleans, and Peru.

    After combing through the more than 14,000 photos taken this year, I've chosen 20 to show some of my favorite dishes and meals in 2022.

    Table of Contents

    • Best Dishes in Texas
      • Austin
      • Fredericksburg
      • Dallas
      • Fort Worth
      • Houston
    • Best Dishes in Louisiana
      • New Orleans
    • Best Dishes in Arizona
      • Phoenix
      • Sedona
    • Best Dishes in California
      • Santa Monica
    • Best Dishes in Peru
      • Lima
      • Cusco

    Best Dishes in Texas

    Austin

    Franklin Barbecue

    Dave at Franklin Barbecue (photo: Kelly Lemons)
    Dave at Franklin Barbecue (photo: Kelly Lemons)

    I couldn't write about the best Austin BBQ without waiting in line at Franklin Barbecue for three hours, a rite of passage for fans. Dining at award-winning Franklin in East Austin is almost as much a social experience as a culinary one. The beef rib and Aaron Franklin's brisket were both outstanding.

    Leroy and Lewis Barbecue

    L and L Burger at Leroy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, Texas
    L and L Burger

    "New School BBQ, Old School Service" is the motto at Leroy and Lewis Barbecue, a terrific food truck parked on the garden patio of Cosmic Coffee in South Austin.

    Their half-pound L and L Burger is made with 50% Akaushi brisket and 50% ground beef. Cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and burger sauce complete the dish. The resulting burger tastes like smoked barbecue meat on a bun, and there's even bark around the outer edges, similar to BBQ brisket.

    Read more: Best Burgers in Austin

    Soto Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

    Chocolate foie gras, sea salt, kabayaki, served with 8-year Hanahato Kijoshu Sake
    Chocolate foie gras with 8-year Hanahato Kijoshu Sake

    Over the summer, I moved from East Austin to North Austin, bringing me closer to Soto, a sushi restaurant I'd yet to try. Soto's signature fire salmon was the highlight of my first visit, and the chocolate foie gras with 8-year Hanahato Kijoshu Sake stole the show on my second. Another of my favorite bites is the potato chip with sake toro, lemon aioli, truffle, chives, and microgreens.

    Fredericksburg

    Sage

    Smoked pork chop with with pork belly crumble, apple sauerkraut, black garlic jus, and marble potatoes at Sage in Fredericksburg, TX
    Smoked pork chop

    Throughout three trips to Texas Wine Country, Kel and I got to know the best restaurants in Fredericksburg. Sage is, without a doubt, one of them. The smoked pork chop with pork belly crumble, apple sauerkraut, black garlic jus, and marble potatoes was excellent.

    Dallas

    Tei-An

    Soba ice cream and black honey at Tei-An in Dallas, TX
    Soba ice cream and black honey

    I made my first two trips to Dallas in 2022, and Tei-An was at the top of my list of places to try. The soba ice cream with housemade black honey was a sweet finish to a delicious lunch of white seaweed salad, sushi, and soba noodles.

    The Mansion

    Croissant bread pudding at The Mansion in Dallas
    Croissant bread pudding

    The Dallas dessert hits continued at The Mansion Restaurant, where I enjoyed croissant bread pudding with pecans, chocolate chips, marshmallows, and caramel sauce — points for presentation.

    Fort Worth

    Goldee's BBQ

    Beef rib, brisket, sausage and sides at Goldee's Barbecue
    Beef rib, brisket, sausage, and sides

    Nine months after we waited in line at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, we were at it again, only this time at Goldee's BBQ in Fort Worth. In 2021, Texas Monthly Magazine ranked Goldee's the #1 barbecue joint in Texas.

    We passed the three-hour wait by getting to know the others in line, all of whom we'd sit with at a table once we'd ordered our trays of smoked meat. The beef rib and brisket were on par with Aaron Franklin's, a welcome relief given the time and effort required to try them both.

    Panther City BBQ

    Brisket elote at Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth, TX
    Brisket elote

    Another barbecue highlight from my first trip to Fort Worth was the brisket elote at Panther City BBQ. There's a substantial amount of brisket in this $14 cup, and it pairs so well with the creamy corn beneath. Street corn never tasted so good.

    Houston

    Suckling Iberico Pig "a la Segoviana" with cherry and cardamom at BCN Taste & Tradition
    Suckling Iberico Pig

    BCN Taste & Tradition

    The suckling Iberico pig, "a la Segoviana" with cherry and cardamom at BCN Taste & Tradition, was one of my best dishes from two trips to Houston. The tasty pork, sauces, and presentation were memorable, as was dining in the presence of an original picture by Pablo Picasso hanging above the fireplace.

    Xochi

    Cacao dessert at Xochi in downtown Houston
    Cacao dessert

    Chocolate lovers will appreciate the Cacao dessert at Xochi in downtown Houston. It comprises various "chocolate textures," including tejate foam, milk chocolate cloud, and chocolate criollo soil.

    Kata Robata

    Texas wagyu katsu sando at Kata Robata in Houston, TX
    Texas wagyu katsu sando

    The sumptuous Texas wagyu katsu sando with Japanese-style milk bread was the dish I enjoyed most on a long-awaited lunch at Kata Robata.

    Pondicheri

    Lamb keema, minced lamb meat in a tomato cardamom yogurt masala with wild mushrooms and naan at Pondicheri in Houston, TX
    Lamb keema with naan

    Lunch at Pondicheri was a wonderful experience despite the cool, wet weather forcing us to dine inside. I ordered the lamb keema, minced lamb meat in a tomato cardamom yogurt masala with wild mushrooms and naan. If you enjoy creative baked goods, visit their second-floor bakery.

    Best Dishes in Louisiana

    New Orleans

    La Petite Grocery

    Blue crab beignets at La Petite Grocery in New Orleans, LA
    Blue crab beignets

    Our quest for the best beignets in New Orleans led us to La Petite Grocery on Magazine Street. The restaurant's signature blue crab beignets lived up to their reputation.

    Brennan's

    Eggs Hussarde at Brennan's in New Orleans
    Eggs Hussarde

    Breakfast at Brennan's is a New Orleans tradition, so I was thrilled when we could get a table by the bar without a reservation by showing up early. I used my second visit to Brennan's to try Eggs Hussarde, a Brennan's original, with coffee-cured Canadian bacon and hollandaise sauce.

    Best Dishes in Arizona

    Phoenix

    Pizzeria Bianco

    Biancoverde pizza with fresh mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, ricotta and arugula at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, AZ
    Biancoverde pizza

    I began watching the new Chef's Table: Pizza series on Netflix the night before flying to Phoenix for my birthday weekend. The first episode profiles Chris Bianco, who helped launch the artisanal pizza trend in the United States.

    My priority leaving Phoenix airport was lunch at Pizzeria Bianco. The primary (downtown) location had a two-hour wait, so I high-tailed it to the Town & Country location, where I was seated within minutes. His Biancoverde pizza with fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, ricotta, and arugula was worth the rushing around.

    Sedona

    Mariposa

    Lemon mashed potatoes with lobster with a 32-ounce bone-in ribeye steak at Mariposa in Sedona, AZ
    Lemon mashed potatoes with lobster

    I wasn't in Phoenix much longer than lunch, but I spent a few nights celebrating my birthday in Sedona. The big dinner was at Mariposa, a Latin-inspired grill led by a female chef and restauranteur. Kel and I shared a substantial 32-ounce ribeye steak, but the lemon mashed potatoes with lobster stole the show.

    Best Dishes in California

    Santa Monica

    Pasjoli

    Steak au poivre with oyster & maitake mushroom, cipollini onion, and peppercorn jus at Pasjoli, Santa Monica
    Steak au poivre

    I didn't do much Michelin-star dining in 2022. However, I did visit Pasjoli, chef Dave Beran's French bistro in Santa Monica. It was hard to pick a single dish from our dinner, as everything was excellent.

    The steak au poivre is made with an 8-ounce dry-aged New York strip, oyster and maitake mushroom, cipollini onion, and peppercorn jus. I picked this course to mention here as the sauce was simply amazing.

    Best Dishes in Peru

    Lima

    Central

    Pork belly, olluco, and callampa at Central Restaurant in Lima, Peru
    Pork belly, olluco, and callampa

    Kel and I only took one international trip in 2022 to Peru, a country I know well. I used the occasion to revisit Central, one of the best restaurants in Lima and the world.

    The pork belly course with olluco and callampa was one of our favorites from the 14-course Mundo Mater tasting menu. Olluco is an Andean tuber, and the dark web-like structure above it is made from dried mushrooms (callampa).

    Mayta

    Corn, quinoa, and peppers at Mayta in Lima
    Corn, quinoa, and peppers

    While I'd been to Central Restaurant before, our 2022 trip was my first time dining at Mayta. At chef Jaime Pesaque's flagship restaurant, we enjoyed a slightly more modest 12-course tasting menu, one highlight of which was the corn, quinoa, and pepper dish pictured above.

    Read more: Best Restaurants in Latin America

    Cusco

    Palacio del Inka

    Lomo saltado at Palacio del Inka hotel in Cusco, Peru
    Lomo saltado

    Finally, we land on lomo saltado, Peru's famous beef stir fry, which Kel and I learned to make during our cooking class at Palacio del Inka Hotel in Cusco.

    I whittled down fourteen thousand photos to 20. It was a somewhat challenging task, but the chosen ones reflect the kinds of food I ate and where I ate them throughout the year. I'm looking forward to many more foodie adventures in 2023, the most significant of which may be a two-week trip to Vietnam for a friend's wedding!

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    Dave Lee

    Dave Lee

    Food Writer

    I'm on a mission to find the best food in Texas and beyond.

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