Obligatory Year End Top 10

As we welcome the birth of a new year, it is time to celebrate the passing of the old, with a year in review of the top restaurants we visited, top dishes we ate, and top libations we drank. Without much ado, here are our tops of 2009:

Top 10 Restaurants:
1. Spotted Pig - NYC
2. Hot Doug's - Chicago
3. Aureole - NYC
4. Mr. B's - New Orleans
5. Butcher Shop - Boston, South End
6. Hamersley's Bistro - Boston, South End
7. Trina's Starlite Lounge - Sommerville
8. Duck Fat - Portland, ME
9. Craigie on Main - Cambridge
10. Eastern Standard - Boston, Kenmore Square

Top 10 Dishes:
1. Cheese Burger @ Spotted Pig, NYC
2. Diver's Sea Scallop "Sandwich" w Seared Foie Gras @ Aureole, NYC
3. Duck sausage with Foie Gras @ Hot Doug's, Chicago
4. Cheese Burger @ Aquitaine, Boston
5. Cheese Burger @ Butcher Shop, Boston
6. Sheep’s Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter & Sage @ The Spotted Pig, NYC
7. Chicken Liver Mousse @ Coda, Boston
8. Truffle Tater Tots @ Grill 23, Boston
9. Butternut Squash Soup with Pork Belly @ Craigie on Main, Cambridge
10. Aligator Cheese Cake @ Jaques-Imo's, New Orleans

Top 10 Wine/Beer/Cocktails:

1. Cuvee de la Reine Jeanne Chateauneuf du Pape @ Cyranos Bistro, Chicago
2. Bloody Mary@ Pirates Alley, New Orleans
3. Aviator @ Eastern Standard, Boston
4. Jerez Flip @ Craigie on Main, Cambridge
5. Original Schlitz @ US Cellular Field parking lot, Chicago
6. Spotted Pig Bitter Cask Conditioned Ale @ The Spotted Pig, NYC
7. Chateau Courac Cotes du Rhone 2006 @ Hamersley's Bistro, Boston
8. Grey Goose Honey Deuce @ US Open NYC
9. Harpoon Glacier Harvest @ Craigie on Main, Cambridge
10. Pimm's Cup @ Coda, Boston